The Liveship Traders Trilogy (2024)

I'm reviewing all three together, not only because I read them together in a few days like I was in a fever dream, but also beause it's a true trilogy and everything was intricately plotted out to come together at the end of the last book.

While there is an overarching plot and various subplots (Althea wants her ship back, Kennit wants to be PIRATE KING, Malta wants to be hot, there are these weird migrating snake things, and Wintrow just wants to go home okay), this series is very much built on the shifts and changes each character goes through. Hobb utilizes the multiple character perspective to show each character in different angles and many shift between being hero to villain. Someone once said that the best villain was someone who didn't think they were one, and this definitely applies for all the characters who populate this book—many of whose good intentions lead to harm. No one is perfectly blameless, a few go through massive personal changes (Malta's character arc!!!!!!!!) while some people still kind of never learned despite it (f*ck you, Wintrow).

The Veserit women—and the other women in the series—were the most interesting part of the series for me. I think my patience for the more infuriating characters (ahem Wintrow) came from the fact that Althea was the one constant through the series and might be considered the true protagonist, even if in the world of *Liveships* she would probably be just a minor character—especially by the end. (Which is actually kind of cool.)

Also, since both rape in fiction and reality has been a hot button issue right now, I want to add that this series is how you realistically depict and address sexual assault in your gritty fantasy novel. I don't want to be like "rape is a minor theme in this series" because that sounds really awful (and it only encompass a small part), but I do think Hobb really addresses the multi-faceted aspects of both people's personal reactions to rape and how society treats rape victims.

These books are full of sea serpents, piracy, political intrigue, talking ships, and magic. It's a series that starts out with an infuriating sequence sets the heroine up to eventually tell everyone "I told you so" but ends up being about the ultimate meaningless of revenge and the costs of letting past wrongs consume you.

4.5 stars overall for this fantastic trilogy.

Ship of Magic - 4.5 stars

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, but did I ever end up loving it.

I can't say much more than has already been said about this masterful fantasy. Hobb creates incredibly real and thoroughly three dimensional characters who inhabit a richly imagined fantasy world. The story is full of heartbreak and hope...actually, the hope part is mainly me wanting things to improve for the sadly burdened characters and for just desserts to continue to be served apace.

Most definitely I will be continuing this series.

Look forward, not back. Correct your course and go on. You cannot undo yesterday's journey.

Mad Ship - 4 stars

An excellent continuation to a gloriously imaginative story.

Honestly, Hobb is amazingly creative and her character development for me ranks up with my all time favourite at characterization, Juliet Marillier. In the last book, Ship of Magic, I was left feeling slightly physically ill every time Malta made an appearance on the page. It's almost unbelievable to me that in The Mad Ship, Hobb managed a believable growth and shift in Malta, so that by the end I was left feeling like she might be a reasonably decent person. Similarly with Keffria and Reyn, both of whom who show more internal fortitude than I had though possible.

The whole complicated mess with Vivacia, Kennit, Wintrow, and Etta, I have no idea how that will be eventually sorted. The same goes for Paragon, Amber, Brashen, and Althea. And the serpents?

So much is happening, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out in the final book of the trilogy, Ship of Destiny.

Ship of Destiny - 4.5 stars,

What a great finish to an excellent series. Everything is beautifully tied up, yet there is still so much left untold.

I still can't get over the transformation of Malta. She started out as someone I could barely stand to read about, yet somehow over the course of three books she became an incredibly interesting and sympathetic character. So much so that other main characters such as Althea and Wintrow paled a bit by comparison.

I'm looking forward to continuing with these incredible books set in this endlessly imaginative world.

(Mild Spoilers) My love/hate relationship with Robin Hobb continues, as I determinedly work my way through the Realm of the Elderlings. I actually enjoyed this series more than the Farseer trilogy, and found that these three books read like one big book rather than three separate installments in the same story.

THE GOOD

THE NOT-AS-GOOD

But dammit, I can’t stop reading…

THE MEH

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am still loving (and hating) the Realm of the Elderlings, though once again I think I’ll be taking a break before coming back to this world with the Tawny Man trilogy. These books certainly bring the feels, but they also leave me emotionally wrung out for a while.

No cabe duda, como creo que dije en alguna ocasión, que el Universo Vetulus, Junto al Archivo de las tormentas, son las lecturas de mi vida. No tengo palabras. Este universo es maravilloso. GL (Robin Hobb)

‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,’

I finished the first book in the trilogy, Ship of Magic, on May 24 and the last book in the trilogy, Ship of Destiny, on June 6. I am in awe of Robin Hobb's creative mind fashioning intertwining worlds in her various books. I first read her Farseer trilogy dealing with court intrigue and the magic of Skill and Wit. I jumped out of order next and read the Rain Wilds Chronicles dealing with dragons, a lost magical Elderlings civilization, and the genetic mutations of associating with dragons and the poisonous water of the Rain Wild River. Now I've read the Liveship trilogy dealing with Traders, pirates, and slavery, sea serpents and the last dragon, and living ships made of wizardwood and quickened by the memories of its owners. Not only are the settings unique and fascinating and the stories idea rich, the characters in all of the stories develop and grow: the good guys struggle to choose right while the bad guys have histories and fatal flaws that make them sympathetic.

Hobb also does a great job jumping between various parts of the story--the upheaval in Bingtown where the Vestrit family under the direction of the strong matriarch Ronica is fighting a civil unrest that might actually be settled by a raid from their ancient neighboring Chaledeans; the Liveship Vivacia struggling to find her identity and connect with young Wintrow Vestrit brought on board by Captain Kyle Haven, a son-in-law of the Vestrit family who has no idea and no feeling for a Liveship; Althea Vestrit who should have inherited the captaincy of Vivacia but is kicked off the ship and is now determined to prove her abilities to captain a ship and get Vivacia back; Captain Kennit who plots and maneuvers to be King of the pirates and capture a Liveship; the sea serpents who follow slave ships, feeding off the easy prey of dead slaves tossed overboard, but are troubled by vague and fading memories of a need to do something, find She Who Remembers, fulfill some ancient purpose. Just as I got captured by the action and movement in one area, the next chapter would start me over in another area. The relationships are complicated and satisfying--Althea and Brashen, Keffria and and her husband Kyle, young Malta and Rain Wilder Reyn, and Etta and Kennit; not to mention a host of great secondary characters. And then there are the alien personalities of the dragon Tintaglia, the Liveships Vivacia and Paragon, and the sea serpents Maulkin, Shreever, and She Who Remembers. The stories are strongly rooted in character.

I especially liked Wintrow and his training as a priest of Sa. As the storyline develops, he is forced to leave that training and I was kind of sorry that there was not more of it. For instance, he was taught to "refuse anxiety. When you borrow trouble against what might be, you neglect the moment you have now to enjoy. The man who worries about what will next be happening to him loses this moment in dread of the next, and poisons the next with pre-judgment." Wintrow was a bit innocent as a thirteen-year-old boy and the ideals and worldview he was developing as a priest began to be watered down over time and as he learned new skills and new allegiances. There wasn't much of Wintrow the priest by the end of the trilogy. I was especially intrigued by a simple ritual he learned in the monastery called Forgiving the Day. "All it required was looking back over the day and dismissing the day's pains as a thing that were past while choosing to remember as gains lessons learned or moments of insight. . . . balancing the day, taking responsibility for their own actions and learning from them without indulging in either guilt or regrets."

I'm intrigued to see where Robin Hobb's originality will take me next. Hurray that I have two more trilogies to read.

Swept away with the sailing ships...

Where the good make evil mistakes and the evil do good deeds. The most powerful are shown to be the weakest. And, of course, the youngest and most frail are indeed the strongest. One of the best Trilogies ever. Well worth the time it takes to read all three books.

If this had been condensed into one volume it would have worked. As it is (like my review?), it's padded out so much that it's a boring read and I found myself regularly skipping through sections of (to me) irrelevant matters.
It's a shame because the writing is very good but life is too short to waste it on this.

Can't go wrong with Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb has always helped me in times of need. I find myself filled with anxieties and angst. I read one (or all) of her trilogies and I find life easier. There is much wisdom in her writing that transcends story. Thigh the story is always good and always addicting.

Five or of five stars. Always.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: So, in this lengthy tale, we have a collision of cultural instances that fail to mesh without regard to inventiveness. What the author implements are established Earth-type eras mashed together to form a story line on a Dragons backbone.

Arrrrghhhhh me mateys we have Pirates!!! (1660-1730). Plying the open seas in search of booty with dashing Captain Kennitt manipulating his way to your heart. In Bingtown, the land of traders, societal decorum (how and to whom one presents themselves), fashion interludes and the fear of social ostracism were the common presentations (Victorian era: 1837-1901). In a not-so-faraway land called Jamailia scantily clad woman with turbans and sheik-like governors rule as nobility (Satraps: 648-530 BCE). In the Six Duchies we have a big boned people that like to hunt, ride horsies and fight with broadswords while swearing fealty to King and castle (Medieval era: 6th-16th century). Cram it all together and there is your world.

Besides the YA bent on this novel, where all pivotal events turn around those that are dumbest, men were depicted as slavers, sociopaths, rapists, ignoramuses, petty, juvenile, narcissistic, cruel and banal. Boys were genial, smart, well spoken, knowledgeable, wise beyond their years, clairvoyant, prophetic and devoted to a fault. Women were smart, feisty, resolved, cunning but not manipulative, beautiful and demure, and bold and intensely protective of the familial. Within this construct floated a myriad of characters that failed to develop into anything worth reading about as from this flowed a penchant for fairy tale like resolutions.

This trilogy was hard to get through. It was lengthy due to the re-iteration of the story line that came before, and long-winded pedantic diatribe about a persons feewings that had nothing to do with building character or enhancing the story. The YA’s in this novel (Althea, Malta, Brashen etc.) are stupid to a fault and mired in their own narcissistic tendencies. How they muddle their way through is only a gift by Deuce Ex as most people would be dead. There was way too much time spent on social decorum or describing a room down to a rug that has tattered edges. The only things likable were the Rain Wilders and the Dragon.

This was in no way even close to being as good as the Farseer trilogy.

These books were lent to me by a family friend when I was a tween and to this day have held a top position in my favourite fantasy books of all time. They're easily my favourite of Hobb's book series. Nearly two decades since, I've yet to find another fantasy series that hits my soul quite as much.

Huge change from the first person perspective of the Farseer trilogy. Beautifully rendered characters. I am always so floored by the culmination of events and the inter-connectedness of these lives.

One of my favourite series ever, because the world where people live in is so different and so real at the same time.

Listaan tähän tärkeimmät, niin muiden ei tarvitse käyttää tähän 7 viikkoa elämästään:
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tyttö joka "ei ole niin kuin muut tytöt"
- Käärmeitä ja lohikäärmeitä
- Kukaan hyviksistä ei kuole. Pahikset kääntyvät hyviksi tai kuolevat.
Sekä viimeisenä muttei vähäisimpänä, ripaus teelusikan tunneskaalaa hahmoihin.

I loved the trilogy, how the characters were build. All the books get your full attention and the story is very well written. A world of fantasy and adventure. The end of the last book disappointed a little, because I was expecting for more. I wish I could have seen the happiness of the main characters for a little longer... That taste of "oh no, it ended! What should I do now?"

A beast. Fantasy doesn't get better than this.

Wow, this series left me reeling. It may be because I read it while down with the flu and sporting a fever, it may also be because I find myself dragged into this world as though into a maelstrom and now find it hard to get out of it.

I'm marvelling at the amount of "triangular" (love) relationships in all trilogies - somehow, every couple comes with a third partner either waiting in the wings or spurned (Burrich-Patience-Chivalry. Fitz-Molly-Burrich. Kennit-Etta-Wintrow. Verity-Kettricken-Fitz. Grag-Althea-Brashen.) and even non-romantic relationship have a tendency to come in threes (Fitz-Fool-Nighteyes. Kennit-Wintrow-Vivacia. Althea-Paragon-Brashen. Jek-Amber-Althea. Kekki-Satrap-Malta). An odd pattern and one I'd like to see resolved in an honest three-people-relationship that works instead of mutually exclusive (non-sexual) couples!

I loved the amount of complex and strong female characters in the Liveship Trader series, I did not like that none of the rapists really got a come-uppance or had to face any direct consequences to their crimes, something like that would have appealed to my sense of justice more. The book does other things remarkably well and I love the complexity, I just would have liked one fantasy series where a person can say "I was assaulted" or "I was raped" in court, be heard, and have the perpetrator brought to justice. This does not happen.

While it is portrayed as wrong and a horrible crime in no uncertain terms several times and some of the rapists meet their deaths this is never addressed as a crime, really, more like the ultimate tragedy that the victim now has to live with and survive. I like the positive message that this is possible and that it does not have to break a person, but I don't like other statements made about this topic. I am not certain that it deserves to be called "the worst thing that can be done to a woman" rather than "to a person", because male-on-male rape also happens in this book, an is what, less bad? The characters who make that statement probably do not consider that male rape is a thing, but still, it remains unchallenged, and doesn't have to. Also, this message is diluted by the fact that many less sympathetic characters do not really see rape as a crime (Satrap, Cpt. Red, etc.) and refer to sex as "women's coin", which also remains unchallenged to the end.

Also...
I would have liked people to have to face that Kennit was, ultimately, a selfish rapist. I know that it is a hurtful thing to learn about someone you love and can understand reasons for not revealing it to avoid hurting others, but I hate that the chance to have people realise what Kennit did to her was taken from Althea and I would have loved for the charm to somehow reveal his understanding of his motives to those who so gullibly adored him. So many things are taken from Althea - she is raped, of course, being a headstrong female character who wants to be captain of a ship and her own life, and in the end, she is exactly where she never wanted to be - not in possession of her own liveship, a companion to Brashen on HIS liveship without a rank to herself. She is not even first mate. She is the captain's woman. I do not see the point in disregarding all her character development like that.

Serilla- I would have liked her to have a more secure position and hate that she ended up so dependent on the Vestrits. She deserved SO much better. Also, I would have liked the Satrap to be raped by Chalcedian raiders to get a taste of his own medicine. I understand the logic behinds the actions taken by all characters who bolster his importance to keep their own positions and I recognise it as realistic, I just deeply resent the need for it. I would have liked him to be tossed over the side of the boat, be replaced by someone with more brains, and him fed to a serpent. Fine, without petty revenge, I would have liked him to not so much see the error of his ways, but realise that she was true to him as his Companion and make her his representative.

The others - I don't like that Brashen and Burrich are so alike as to, for me, be almost undistinguishable.
I loved Malta's character arc and that she is a feminine character who is NOT raped! This is so incredibly rare!
I loved the Elderlings and Reyn's serious devotion to them.
I don't see the point in having Wintrow stay a sailor rather than being restored to the monastery or the life or a priest elsewhere in favour of having Althea be a captain on her own ship with Brashen as mate or Brashen on his own ship.

And Amber - I went in having read all kinds of spoilers and thus knew who she was, and I am sad about that. I would have liked to go in blind and slowly work out who she is. I love her too much for my own good.

I do agree that Robin Hobb's writing style can be long winded a bit. I think I started to slowly get into it when I reached page 150 , but by page 400 I found myself completely and utterly engrossed.There were days I didn't do anything other than read, read and read (Bye social life). It's not only about the fantastic story, you see, Hobb has a way of wording, the story is fascinatingly compelling but she also manages to be philosophical, wise and insightful. The series opened my view on a lot of things! It's one of the best stories I've ever read, I can't believe how much I grew attached to the series. I dare say I like it even more than the Farseer Trilogy. I really hope you soldier on, despite the long windedness!

I think the books depends a lot on characters than the plot. Not liking a character will most likely make you not like the books in general. That's why almost every chapter is very heavy on the character's musings and we spend a lot of time reading thoughts and their standpoint. I think it's a way of making us more attached to them, which worked very well in my opinion. That's why, when some BIG things happen, you will find yourself squeaking with agony, pleasure, hurt and delight because of how much you empathized with them. And my, what character development there is! And my, what twists there are! It's a rollercoaster ride! Okay, I can't pretend like I liked all the parts of the books. The snakes for example were very weird and confusing to read, and it's the part that I liked the least, but somehow, it serves as a really interesting background story that is necessary to understand the universe Hobb shaped, and will become of greater importance throughout the series, especially the last books. Reading hobbs is like solving a puzzle with a 1000 pieces, it's slow, but it's complex and consequently very very satisfying all the pieces fit together

I was looking at my notes in my google play books and it's remarkable how my note taking increases the further I'm into the story. There are so many quotes, scenes, paragraphs, ... I couldn't bear not to save!

Spoilers below!

Overall, I think this trilogy is definitely worth reading if you are invested in Fitz and the Fool. I skipped it last time and went straight to The Golden Fool trilogy, but was glad I decided to read it in my reread as it added a lot to The Golden Fool. It was an enjoyable read, but had some problems as well.

Things I liked:

Amber - anything with Amber. I loved seeing another side of the Fool and his/her interactions with other characters.

The liveships - really interesting and unique and was really well done

The sea serpents/dragon story

Fleshing out of Chalced, Jamaillia, Bingtown, the Rain Wilds

Wintrow - loved his character arc except for a few minor things

Malta's evolution/coming into her own/growing up

Things I hated:

Althea, Brashen, Kennit - not a fan of any of these characters. Especially Kennit who ends up raping Althea in the end (completely unnecessary). Kennit doesn't seem to have any redeeming characteristics despite his backstory.

Reyn - really disliked how he treated Malta several times. He was just a weak character for me.

Hated that Althea ends up not on her own ship in the end but is under Brashen as a captain. I was really hoping to see her prove herself and get a ship and was disappointed in how her story ended.

Kyle was really two-dimensional and was another character that really had no redeeming characteristics. It was really hard to see what Keffria saw in him.

I know it is the culture in the book, but I hated the way women were treated and all the rape threats/violence. Hard to read in parts.

Note that skeletal spoilers follow:

In many ways, this trilogy shows the pinnacle of fantasy-writing. It is one of those impossible creations where multiple layers of the fantastic rather than one unfold in perfect pace to increasingly deepen the enchantment of the world. Each secret revealed is a key to the mystery of the liveships, and every single revelation brings the characters closer to a nexus of fate that will change the world. I personally feel that this trilogy is far superior to the Assassin's arc preceding it; the characters are more various, compelling and proactive but more importantly the setting is so lush with magic and culture that it renders the Six Duchies a wasteland in comparison.

That said, I found the ending of this story ideologically problematic in ways that made the experience profoundly disappointing. This will depend a great deal, however, on how you read the metaphor of Althea's aspirations to captain a female liveship in relation to her developing self-hood, the subsuming of her story within other plots, and her ultimate choice in relation to a male liveship under a male captain but I personally felt it to be a complete undermining of a character who promised to be so much more. I will add, however, that there will be no disappointment to anyone who does not put all their emotional investment into Althea's relationship with the Vivacia.

The library had this as a single book, and it makes sense to rate the trilogy, because these are by no means stand-alone novels.

In a lot of ways, this trilogy is better than the Assassin trilogy: multiple perspectives, more complex characters, a larger world with more context and richness, suspenseful arcs built and resolved at different points throughout.

But I just can't go above three stars, for a few reasons:
1) too much rape-as-plot-device. Surely there is a way to establish that a character is evil without making him a rapist, and in fact, it's probably more interesting to leave a character ambiguous instead of evil in the first place. By the same token, women don't need to be raped to develop character traits like defiance.

2) too many neat happy endings. I don't think characters need to be killed off just for shock value, but if every single major character makes it out alive, there are no stakes to the battles and challenges along the way. As a bonus, pretty much everyone ends up with a perfect love interest. I wish the author had made bolder choices, or at least forced her characters to do so.

De Robin Hobb no puedo esperar menos, debo decir que es una de mis escritoras favoritas de libros de fantasías. Este libro; como he notado en su otra trilogía, empieza a mostrarnos paso a paso cada uno de sus protagonistas. Y lees y lees y lees y sabes que debes estar atento en el momento que Robin empieza a engranar las piezas. Y es allí donde ella te atrapa. Este primer libro de la trilogía hace que te enamores de Vivacia (El barco rediviva), que sientes compasión y lástima por Wintrow, que sientas impotencia por Althea y te enredes con las marañas. Luchas y vives con cada uno de los personajes, se vive cada página.

I am a bit conflicted - I read all three books back to back, enjoyed reading them very much, but was left feeling disappointed at such a contrived or convenient ending. Hobb develops interesting, likable characters with ease. For the most part does a wonderful job of story telling, but some parts just didn't seem to ring true at the end. Will read more Hobb for sure.

I read these books in quick succession, I endeavour to read all of robin Hobbs series this summer if I can. I am relieved to find a set of books filled with strong women (and men) who create and also resolve their own problems, learn from their experiences and don’t need rescuing all the time. Plus pirates, sea serpents, sentient ships and dragons! What’s not too like?

My new year reading resolution was to attack my tbr pile and not be afraid of the fat ones.
Glad I finally got around to start this trilogy;
I love the richness of the world and the characters are so rounded.
It kept the pacing all along to the end, and I can't wait to visit this world again!

This trilogy was the first time I had read any of Robin Hobbs's books and I found it original, exciting, absorbing and extremely well written. If you like fantasy, go for these books.

Like the story but was frustrated with how the author ended the books.

I loved these books when I was thirteen-fifteen. Now, however, I could not go past the horrifying (but adept written) scenes of domestic abuse. I think I might go back to childrens books for a while…

This is escapist fantasy at its very best. The liveships are sailing ships which come to life after three generations within the same family. They are also the only ships which can sail up the mysterious Rain Wild River and trade in the extraordinary goods which stem from the region. Amusingly, the liveships aren't the solid, steady characters which one might expect of a ship come to life: they can be immature, sulky and unpredictable.

The book has its full share of heroes, villains, people trying to achieve something, people trying to stop them and unresolved mystery. More unusually, characters change over the course of the book, meaning that some people who start out as villains grow into heroes (and, though to a lesser extent, vice versa). Remarkably, even 90% through the trilogy I had no idea who was going to prevail and how the story would resolve itself. That is unusual in a book in which it is clear from the outset that good, in one form or another, must prevail.

if you want a more detailed appraisal of Hobb as a writer, see my review of Assassin's Apprentice, because this trilogy - effectively books 4-6 in a series of 16 related books - is more of the same. I mentioned in that review the quality of her writing, to which I feel a need to share this quote: "Althea’s Trader robe smelled of camphor and cedar. Her mother had stored it to keep the moths from the wool. Althea shared the moth’s opinions of the smells."

I would also add to my review of Assassin's Apprentice that this trilogy is simply enormous, at 2,700 pages being more than double the length of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (a mere 1,200 pages). For all its quality, that is a marathon endeavour, and the last 500-odd pages can be categorised as giving as much a feeling of achievement as one of enjoyment. My recommendation is to read this on holiday when you have plenty of time, because you don't want to find yourself in the 'real' world when reaching the denouement, as you really won't get a lot of 'real world' stuff done.

Books 7-9 next, though I will wait until my next holiday before embarking on them.