Ship of MagicShip of Magic
Score Modern
What it's about
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade, home to merchant families famous for their liveships, vessels carved from wizardwood that slowly become alive and aware. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia, as pirates, slavers and family feuds threaten them all.
Why it's worth reading
It opens Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy, which many readers consider her finest work.
You'll love it if you liked
Assassin's Apprentice
A Game of Thrones
The Lies of Locke LamoraGood to know
It's set in the same world as the Farseer books, after them, but stands alone. It's long and slow-building.
By the numbers
- Readers85 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller34 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #148 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #512 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #986 of the 2,816 books we rank
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic
More by Robin Hobb
If you like this, read next
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Six of Crows
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Dog's Purpose
The Golden Compass
LegendbornExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Ship of Magic worth reading?
Yes. It opens Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy, which many readers consider her finest work. It ranks #986 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Ship of Magic about?
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade, home to merchant families famous for their liveships, vessels carved from wizardwood that slowly become alive and aware. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia, as pirates, slavers and family feuds threaten them all.
How long does it take to read Ship of Magic?
About 22 hours (896 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Ship of Magic?
If you liked it, try Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin or The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.