(15 ratings) Submit Your Own Review More reviews by author A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submitted by Helen Kerslake 
(Jan 05, 2005)

I was a bit hesitant when I began reading the first book in this series 'Ship of Magic', as I had previously read 'Assasin's Apprentice' which was created around the same world. I found Robin Hobb's earlier story difficult to get into and it was unable to sustain my interest for long. However, much to my delight after a few pages of this Liveship Trader book I was hooked by the swift development of very real, and complex characters combined with a string of events and situations which were unexpected yet believable. There are several points of view taken throughout, however I see the main character as being Althea because all the other people in this world seem to revolve around her life - I won't spoil the ending for those of you who still have to read it! Robin Hobb has created a strong independent female character who any modern woman will be able to relate to and sympathise with. She is taken along a path which is partly of her own choosing but which has been affected by conditions beyond her control at times. There are many twists along the way, yet the final revelation is one which left me so impressed that I have had to go back and read the books a second time in order to see the subtleties and fully appreciate the planning which has gone into such an amazing series.

One of the best written and definitely best characterised stories I've read in a long time. The plot is complex and works itself out through a few years. All of the different characters have different challenges, but also intertwine almost flawlessly. The book has an epic sense to it. Although, as fantasy series goes, it is resolved quite quickly, rather than over the hundreds of years some series evolve through, the books seem to have an endless quality to them, as if they could go on forever, a good thing in my opinion.
The characters though, are what sets this book apart. Deeply complex, they are all written with believable flaws, strengths and imperfections. As you look through each characters eyes, you see into their motives, their emotions and their thoughts with a rare clarity. Other characters actions are also evaluated, until sympathies and hatreds are a confused tangle. Not a single character is perfect. At different points in the books, I found myself liking and hating every character. Hobb has a rare grasp for the human condition that is often lacking in other novels.
If you haven't read this series yet, you're missing out.

This trilogy stands out as one of the best I have ever read, mainly for the depth of emotions that the reader is taken through throughout the plot. Each of the main characters goes through an overwhelming amount of hardship and turmoil, yet the story is told so vividly that it is very compelling and real. I would thoroughly recommend these books to anyone!

I had already read the assassain trilogy, and i really got into Fitz, and i found Robin Hobb's style so new and refreshing, Fitz was just the best character I had ever encountered in a fantasy book. then I read the liveship traders and it took the needle right off the scale. The connection and empathy that i felt for Fitz was now magnified to five or six characters who were all so much more interesting than Fitz.
Robin Hobb weaves SO many issues and concepts through these book, from social problems to personal dillemnas to ethical conflicts. That's the major strenth to the books, the way that all the philosophical aspects affect the characters in a way that is so personal. She doesn't just say that Vivacia or Wintrow or Paragon felt sad, she presents a deeply thought through line of reasoning as to why they are sad, and its hard not to get sucked into the character's pain and suffering, because their feelings are so realistically described.
You need to read this trilogy. Even if you are in the fantasy haters club, this sets aside so many tired fantasy cliches, there are no all powerfull mages raining down fire from the heavens, no travelling hero with a magic sword. Magic is a small element of the plot, not the crux of the novels.

An excellent series! I read the Liveship Traders after reading the Farseer, which I thought in itself was excellent. However the Liveship Traders trilogy surpassed all my expectations. In fact I found I could barely put it down even to sleep until I had finished the entire trilogy.

I first got into fantasy after reading the Lord of the Rings about three years ago and excluding Tolkein himself, Robin Hobb is the best author I have come across so far including Eddings, McCarthey and Pullman.
The characters in this trilogy are surprisingly real and although in the Farseer, Hobb only had the scope to fully characterise Fitzchivalry as it was written in the first person, I found I was sympathising for most of the characters in the Liveship Traders just as much as I did for Fitz in the Farseer, and even found myself crying at some of the saddest parts, which I rarely do over books (especialy for Paragon!).
In all this is an exelent trilogy even if you are new to the fantasy genre and I would recomend it to anyone not scared of getting completely absorbed.