HomeFantasyShip of Magic

Cover of Ship of Magic

Fantasy · 1998 · R

Ship of Magic

by Robin Hobb

A liveship is made from wizardwood. It becomes alive when enough of its family have died aboard it.

For17+GenreFantasyLength880 pagesRead time~24 hours

This analysis was generated by AI from publicly available reader reviews, literary criticism, and book discussions. It has not been verified by a BookLens community reviewer and may contain errors. Be the first to verify →

Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

A lot

Significant violence including piracy, battle at sea, and the brutal slavery system of Chalced

Language

Some

Moderate adult language throughout

Sexual Content

Some

Some adult romantic content; the slavery dynamics involve sexual exploitation

Substance Use

Barely any

None

Emotional Intensity

A lot

The weight of a family's expectations versus an individual's destiny; the moral horror of a slavery culture depicted in full

What this book is about

The Vivacia is a liveship on the verge of quickening—becoming alive—when the Vestrit family's fortunes collapse, forcing young Althea into conflict with her brother-in-law for control of the ship. Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders opener is rich, dark, and complex: slavery, pirates, sea serpents, and a cast of deeply human characters making terrible choices.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

The slavery system of Chalced involves sexual exploitation

Significant piracy violence and sea battle

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