The Liveship Traders Trilogy 3-Book Bundle - Ship of Magic

I loved the Farseer trilogy and yet was often disappointed with Fitz's frequent bouts of depression and self-loathing. There is none of that in the characters of the Liveship trilogy. Quite the contrary, the protagonists as well as the antagonists are all self-assured, strong characters. The concept of the Liveships is brilliant and unique in epic fantasy. There is non-stop action along with the well realized characterizations, and the many story lines make it a complex tale as well. Robin Hobb's brilliance as one of the greatest of all epic fantasy authors really shines forth in this series.

This Liveship trilogy is set in the Farseer world but is a completely new story with new characters, and occurs in many of the far-off places that are merely mentioned in the Farseer tales. It is a tale of the sea, with sea battles and sea monsters, but a lot of action occurs on land as well. Of course this trilogy also begins the story of the dragons, and sets the background for the Rainwilds series. As such it is an essential, rich and large part of the ongoing Farseer tale, and not to be missed by fans of this great epic fantasy adventure.

And by the way, the book that started it all in this world, Assassin's Apprentice, is now available for only 99c for Kindle at the link below. This is a great deal for everyone who has considered finding out what all the praise for the Farseer books is all about.

http://www.the store.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B000FBFMG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402099257&sr=1-1&keywords=assassin%27s+apprentice

I love horror and paranormal when I'm just reading for mindless relaxation and pleasure. But I decided to give fantasy a try when I saw Robin Hobb's Assasin's Apprentice, Book 1 in the
"Farseer Trilogy."

Never was I so immediately and so completely drawn into another place and time. Hobb created a world and characters that I felt I'd known my entire life and never wanted to leave. And not just the human ones!

The "Tawny Man Trilogy" carried on where the "Farseer Trilogy" left off, just seen through the eyes of a different, but still beloved, character. I devoured all six books in these series as fast as I could read and impatiently searched the store for more.

I was ecstatic to find that the world of Robin Hobb continued, maybe not with exactly the same characters, but the same world and time period. And the new characters sometimes knew of the old and familiar ones. "The Live Ship Traders Trilogy" are neighbors to "The Rain Wilds" world and I suspect it is the Tawny Man who puts in a cross-dressing appearance several times.

The four books in "The Rain Wilds Chronicles" were merely a different part of the same place and people I had come to love and never want to leave. I loved The Rain Wilds and Live Ship characters just as much.

"The Soldier Son Trilogy" was a completely different set of characters and but the world was a completion to the original one Hobb created throughout each series, though on the other side of the world. It was just as magical and captivating.

I've tried hard not to spoil anyone's reading experience with details. Only stating here how excellent the quality of writing is, as well as plotting, characterization and world-making. I am a writer and lifetime reader and none have captured me like Robin Hobb's writing.

And now I can't wait to delve into Hobb's coming home again at last in the 2-book series "Fitz and the Fool." Anyone who has read Hobb's novels have never forgotten Fitz who wandered their worlds in the first six books with his beloved Fool. Now that I know I can return to them I will leave off reviewing and pick up those books!

This trilogy starts great, like a soap opera with plenty of adventure and romance, but late in the second book it starts to fall apart with endlessly boring chapters on dragon-lore and politics. The decline continues through book three with many forced unreadable chapters and I felt like Robin Hobb was losing interest right along with me. Finally she wraps it all up with a ridiculously convenient and happy ending. Farseer Trilogy was much better. Tawny Man Trilogy was a disappointment just like this Liveship Trilogy. Not moving on to the Dragons.

Robin Hobb is considered on of the greatest Fantasy authors around, and these books are a perfect illustration of why. The characters are fully-realized, not always likable but nevertheless fascinating, and her word-building is rich and flawless. I don't know of any other fantasy series set around ships and the sea, and certainly none where the ships are themselves characters. I am deeply envious of her ability to sink you into her universe so completely you forget it's not real.

Robin loves torturing her characters. One accepts that before opening the first page. This series is no exception. But there is never any gratuitous evil, mayhem, or bloodshed; it's always absolutely essential to the plot, completely believable, and keeps the story rocketing forward at breakneck speed. My first reaction on finishing the last book was to want to pick up the first one and start over again. After a short break to catch my breath.