I’ve discovered that one of the advantages of reading an e-book instead of a hard copy book is that often, when I download an e-book, I have no idea how many pages long it is. Having just finished Robin Hobb’s The Farseer Trilogy and loving it, and given the rave reviews I’ve seen other Cannonballers heap upon Hobb’s other series, I immediately downloaded The Liveship Traders Trilogy and dove right into Ship of Magic. If I had known the books in this trilogy clock in at over 700 pages each, I might not have jumped in so readily, but ignorance is bliss. Ship of Magic is a fascinating, detailed soap opera set in a world full of magic, monsters and pure human evil. Unlike The Farseer Trilogy, in which the reader gets the point of view of one character exclusively, The Liveship Traders gives us multiple perspectives, including that of very disturbing sea monsters and of sailing ships. We are left hanging upon multiple cliffs by the end, and I can’t wait to move on, so let me get this review out of the way.
The Liveship Traders Trilogy occurs in the same universe at The Farseer Trilogy but at a different point on the map. The traders inhabit a bustling southern/western seaport called Bingtown and are part of a kingdom ruled by a Satrap. The capital, Jamaillia, is considered one of the most beautiful and cultured cities in the world, but there is trouble in paradise. Over generations, satraps have become indolent and pleasure-seeking, forgetting about contracts and responsibilities that their forebears made with the people of the kingdom, especially the people of Bingtown. Bingtown is where the “liveship traders” have lived for generations as part of a deal they made with the Satrap and the people of the Rain Wilds. Bingtown, while prosperous, has some environmental problems; it is located on “the cursed shores,” down river from a dangerously magical place called the Rain Wilds. Exposure to whatever is in the water and air can cause serious birth defects, which occasionally leave babies monstrous and unworthy of life from the point of view of Bingtown people. The Satrap gave the folks who agreed to settle there special land allotments, and they each have familial bonds to Rain Wild families. These Rain Wild kin, who have features considered disturbing and ugly, possess formidable magical powers and create highly desired objects for trade but not just anyone can reach them. The Rain Wild people have made “liveships” from wizardwood that are sold only to the original Bingtown families. The liveships, after three generations of ownership, become quickened, with their figureheads becoming live. The ships require the presence of a family member to sail, and they are the only ships that can sail up to the Rain Wilds, ensuring that Bingtown liveship families, once they have paid off their debts to their Rain Wild kin, will become very wealthy. Until that quickening, Bingtown traders use their liveships for regular trade with some distinct advantages over regular ships. Liveships, even before quickening, form a bond with their families. They learn the touch of their people and seem to be able to feel and know them intimately. Liveships are able to sail quicker and safer than normal ships, which is very useful given the heavy pirate activity in the area.
Ship of Magic focuses on the Vestrits, an old Bingtown trading family with a liveship called Vivacia. Vivacia has not yet quickened but Ephron Vestrit, her owner, has fallen gravely ill and upon his death, Vivacia will come to life. Ephron has been an honorable and esteemed captain; his reputation amongst his crew and amongst the people of Bingtown is solid. Ephron and his wife Ronica lost their sons to illness but they still have two adult daughters Keffria and Althea. Keffria has been the dutiful daughter; she married Kyle Haven, who has worked aboard Vivacia, and they have three children including Wintrow, 15, who has spent several years away studying for a special priesthood; and Malta, 13, daddy’s little girl and a constant challenge to the authority of her mother and grandmother. Althea is quite the opposite from Keffria. She has been her father’s favorite and has grown up aboard Vivacia, feeling a special, close bond with the ship. Her father’s illness has the whole family on edge, mostly because they love him so much, but also because the Bingtown economy and political situation is in turmoil. The Vestrits, like so many other Bingtown trading families, are having difficulty making their payments for their ships, and the Satrap seems to be going back on his commitment to special privileges for the old families alone. Slavery, much despised by Ephron, seems to be making inroads into Bingtown as well. When Ephron dies, everyone expects that Althea will inherit the ship, as it was clear Ephron meant for that to happen and it is her heart’s desire, but instead, it is revealed that the ship has been left to her sister and brother-in-law. There is no love lost between Kyle and Althea; he thinks she is a spoiled brat and no sailor, and that she needs to learn her subordinate place as a woman (even though traditionally, Bingtown government recognized the equality and rights of women). Rather than have Althea aboard Vivacia, who has now quickened and expects to be with Althea, Kyle recalls his son Wintrow from the monastery and forces him to leave his studies and become an unwilling sailor. Since Kyle has no Vestrit blood himself, it is imperative that a blood relative be there for Vivacia to perform. But the situation he has created is dangerous: Wintrow is unhappy, as is Vivacia, and Althea is furious, running away from home and vowing that she will get her ship back.
In addition to the plot lines for Wintrow, who dreams of abandoning ship and running away to the monastery, and Althea, who hides her identity to get work aboard other ships, we also have intriguing plot lines for Malta and for a pirate named Kennit. Malta desperately wants to be considered a woman, go to parties and meet boys. Her mother and grandmother try to hold her back, and they have very good reasons for trying to stop her from getting ahead of herself but they don’t always explain those reasons clearly and Malta herself just doesn’t want to hear it. She is a little pain in the ass, but also at times is just acting her age. Still, her willfulness and her conniving with her asshole dad behind her mom’s back makes her less sympathetic. Kyle is a complete asshole, a typical know-it-all male chauvinist who can’t be told anything, especially not by a woman. Ronica and Keffria learn too late exactly what kind of man he really is. At the end of the end of Ship of Magic, Malta’s deceptions and curiosity have put her in a dangerous position that she little understands.
Kennit is a pirate who has an obsession with liveships and his goal is to capture one. His crew, particularly his first mate Sorcor, are convinced it cannot be done; the ships are too quick and besides, they cannot sail reliably without a family member aboard. Kennit, however, is convinced of his own luck and believes he is destined to get his way. He has a tendency to underestimate and not appreciate those who are most devoted to him (particularly Sorcor and the prostitute Etta, who is in love with him) but he also knows how to manipulate them to advantage. Sorcor makes a deal with Kennit, wherein the crew will try to capture a liveship, but for every liveship they chase (and miss), they will liberate a slave ship. Many of the pirates themselves come from slavery and the desire to get some kind of justice vis a vis slave traders is a powerful motivation. Kennit agrees to this, even though he hates the idea initially; he eventually comes to see how liberating slave ships works to his advantage not just with his crew but with common folk in the various pirate coves they frequent. Kennit is a despicable person who manages to get a heroic reputation, but he will also have a target on his back.
In addition to these storylines, we also have the character Brashen Trell, the black sheep of a wealthy Bingtown family who sailed for Ephron and who may or may not have a thing for Althea; the derelict liveship Paragon, moored in a remote cove near Bingtown, who has apparently gone mad and is a danger even to his family; and Maulkin, the sea serpent who is on a quest related to recovering lost memories. The serpents follow slave ships to feed off the dead slaves who are thrown overboard, and sailors are terrified of them.
This book has plenty of adventure, blood and gore, particularly once Kyle takes over Vivacia. The seafaring life is full of danger, but politics and intrigue at home promise to be just as fraught. Off to book 2!