Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders

The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.” Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.

A very good read. Liveships! very creative! The relationships between the ships and the families was a wonderful weave. The idea of ships nearly sailing themselves, but working with the crew, even through storms...wonderful. What a deep dive into the immorality of slavery. Well done.

Robin Hobb has completely shattered all expectations I had going in to the Liveship Traders trilogy. I finished the entire trilogy over the course of a few weeks and really felt like I had to force myself to savor them. It takes a unique combination of insight, empathy, and talent to craft characters that are simultaneously heroic and infuriating. Watching them all grow and struggle and seeing my own thoughts and feelings about them change throughout the trilogy was an absolute pleasure. Please do yourself a favor and read these marvelous books.