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Ship of Magic
- The Liveship Traders, Book 1
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 35 hrs and 20 mins
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Ship of Magic
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Summary
From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, Ship of Magic is the first part of the Liveship Traders. Set in a land bordering the Six Duchies, Robin Hobb begins her epic of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.
Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds.
But how can one trade with the Rain Wilders, when only a liveship, fashioned from wizardwood, can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain River? Rare and valuable, a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening, as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven. . .
Others plot to win, or steal, a liveship. The Paragon, known by many as the Pariah, went mad, turned turtle and drowned his crew. Now he lies, blind, lonely and broken on a deserted beach. But greedy men have designs to restore him, to sail the waters of the Rain Wild River once more.
Critic reviews
"Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers…what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics." (The Times)
"Hobb is a remarkable storyteller." (Guardian)
What listeners say about Ship of Magic
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sam
- 26-01-21
Great book, poor reading of it.
The narrator is very confusing, leaving barely a gap between scene changes and a disjointed rhythm to her speaking. Quite a limited range of voices, too.
The story, however, is very good.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JY
- 21-03-21
Good story, painful narration
Story is worth bearing with the narrator, but it is hard work. Every male character speaks with a raspy voice in an attempt to make the tone sound deeper throat. Sporadically random words carry on for no reason as if spoken by a cartoon snake.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Griff
- 22-06-20
Great story
This is such a fantastic book that, like the others thus far in the Robin Hobb universe, is let down by the narrator.
It’s bearable eventually, it could just be so much better!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- J. H. Hillman
- 15-09-18
Interesting story but not gripping yet
Some great ideas but I didnt realy like any of rhe characters. yet want to where it goung
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vanessa Wagstaff
- 08-06-18
Great story, awful narration
Really great story - if you like Robin Hobb this book is yet another addition the the wonders of her tales. However, as most people have mentioned... the voice of the woman in this audio book is unbelievably awful. You sort of get used to it about 5 hours in and then it is almost bearable
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mary K.
- 02-02-15
Good old Robin Hobb...
........always has very human characters you want to shake sense into as things fall apart and they remain passive or difficult. I enjoyed the book. I am keen to experience the next instalment in the series, but to be honest do not look forward to listening to this narrator again. As the parent of an actress who has done voice work, I have an idea how difficult this business is and am therefore reluctant to be harshly critical. Ms Flosnik speaks clearly, and some of her characters do have distinctive voices, but her delivery and tone frequently sound odd and mannered. I am sure she could do better. Might I respectfully suggest she listen to someone like Martin Jarvis doing any Dickens narration to see how a complex and sprawling novel like this one is dealt with?.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gillie
- 24-02-17
Ship of Magic
I read he other boos in the series many years ago and was delighted to come across the Live Ships on audio. The book is well read. Unlike some books that I have bought, the voice was pleasant to listen to.. I am looking forward to listening to the next.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bryllig
- 25-02-22
Immersive
Loved this book. The narrator has a unique twang to her voice that I struggled with for the first chapter or so, but as I got used to it I loved her performance. By which I mean I completely forgot about the narrator as she brought the characters in this world alive for me.
A really enjoyable read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marina Goodyear
- 10-05-22
You'll get used to the narrator's delivery style
... and once you do, it's great and actually there's a lot I now appreciate about her performance listening to this trilogy the second time around.
Story and world-building are amazing as Hobb always is. Unique characters, really interesting theme development (more complexity and theme depth than the Fitz trilogies, which I do also love) and great character arcs. Give it a go!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Séamus Carter
- 18-02-23
Great Story
Great story with fantastic world building and three dimensional characters. I actually quite enjoyed the narration, but can understand why others didn’t
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