Trigger warning for rape and gaslighting
Well, the Liveship Traders Trilogy was incredibly good! I would have to agree that this trilogy is better than The Farseer Trilogy, and I loved that one. Ship of Destiny tied up important story lines while also leaving the door open to further developments for the main characters later. As ever, Robin Hobb juggles multiple plot lines with ease and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat to the end. I have a new appreciation for certain characters, and I love, love, LOVE the fact that strong independent women are front and center throughout. There is so much I would like to talk about but can’t without spoiling things for other readers, so I will have to keep it general in this review.
The Liveship Traders Trilogy, like The Farseer Trilogy, is a combination of political intrigue and personal/family drama that is related to politics. In this volume, the political upheaval involving Bingtown Traders, the Satrap (supreme ruler) and the warlike kingdom known as the Chalced states, reaches a crescendo. The Satrap, as mentioned in my previous review, is a self-serving, drug addicted dolt. His “companions” are beautiful young women meant to serve and advise him at court, but they mostly act as concubines with the exception of Serilla. Serilla is well educated and had been an esteemed companion to the previous Satrap, but the current Satrap just wants to bed her. Serilla, however, has plans; she has spent her life studying Bingtown, and once it seems that economic and political unrest are on the rise there, she suggests that the Satrap send her there as his special envoy. He agrees, but then, much to her surprise and dislike, says he is going with her. The nobles at court seem a bit too eager to see him go, and later their nefarious plans to oust the Satrap become obvious and put the people of Bingtown and the Satrap himself in danger. The political intrigue here is off the charts: there is division amongst nobles, some of whom have financial interests in Bingtown; there is Chalcedean interest in expanding slavery and in the conquest of both Bingtown and the Cursed Shores; there are divisions galore within Bingtown: old Trader families want to preserve their special privileges, new Traders want to horn in on the action, poorer fishermen and merchants just want a say in local government, and slaves want to be free. Serilla sees an opportunity for herself to get some independence, authority and respect and makes the most of it, but she treads a fine line amongst warring factions and also has to come to terms with her own trauma (see above trigger warning about rape, but know that this is not the only rape in this volume; it gets worse).
In the context of this political upheaval, which will become quite violent, the Vestritt family drama continues to unfold and the Vestritt women step up and show the world what bosses they are. Matriarch Ronica is the OG; she has always been a tough and practical woman and she has been respected amongst Old Trader families, but in this book, Ronica has to face the loss of everything, even family reputation, and find a way to persevere. Daughter Keffria has her entire world turned upside down; her tyrannical husband has forced their scholarly son Wintrow to go to sea and word arrives that pirates have possibly killed them, while daughter Malta continues to push boundaries and gets entangled with a powerful Rain Wilds (magical, wealthy, powerful) family. As the world crumbles around her, Keffria learns that she herself is quite capable and that she likes making decisions for herself. Her story arc is pretty great, but not as great as Malta’s. Malta is headstrong and stubborn (much like Ronica and her aunt Althea), but she is smart, too. Circumstances force her to mature quickly and as much as I disliked her before, I really started to like her a lot in this volume. She proves herself to be brave, intelligent, and fiercely loyal to the ones she loves. Her story arc is the best, IMO. I hope there will be more about her in later series.
Finally, Althea Vestritt, daughter of Ronica, continues on her quest to get back liveship Vivacia. Initially, her goal was to win control of her back from her asshole brother-in-law Kyle, but now Althea has to try to track down Vivacia and get her back from pirates led by Kennit. In order to do this, Althea joins with former Vivacia shipmate and possible love interest Brashen Trell and the carpenter Amber whose background is unclear. Amber has been building a relationship with an abandoned liveship called Paragon. The story of Paragon’s past is revealed bit by bit as Althea and the rest begin their dangerous and perhaps foolhardy quest to find and regain Vivacia. The Amber/Paragon relationship is fascinating, and toward the end there is a delightful surprise. Two other strong female characters are Etta, the former prostitute who is Kennitt’s woman and eventually friend to Wintrow, and Jek. Jek is a tall, strong sailor from the Six Duchies who has healthy appetites and can be very direct. I want more Jek.
And then there are the sea serpents. This volume finally reveals who they are, why they are drawn to liveships, and their struggle to reach their goal before they die. The story lines involving serpents, liveships, Althea, and the pirate Kennit involve a lot of trauma and violence. Themes related to control, abuse, enslavement, and the suppression of oneself/denial of one’s own nature run throughout this series. A number of characters suffer from PTSD, and it can be hard to read about it. Take the trigger warning seriously.
I am really loving Hobb’s work and will be continuing with the various series set in the Elderling realm. I am blown away by her imagination and storytelling.
