SHIP OF MAGIC Book 1: The Liveship Traders

Voyager £16.99

The Liveship Traders is the first book of three by the author of The Farseer Trilogy and is set in the same world. This book is set far to the south of The Six Duchies where the events of the previous books took place and concerns the attempts of people to gain control of a liveship and thus be able to trade with the Rain River Traders.

But a liveship is more than just a ship, made from wizardwood, it will become sentient when three family members from successive generations have died on board.

As the story opens, Kennit, a charismatic and ruthless would be pirate king, has landed on the Other’s Island. He possesses a charm made from wizardwood, carved in the likeness of a head, and before he leaves the island this charm will have saved his life and he will be set on a path that he believes will lead him to become the first King of the Pirate Islands.

At the same time the liveship, Vivacia, is about to quicken with the death of her owner Ephron Vestrit. His daughter, Althea, expects to become the owner of the newly quickened liveship and is devastated to discover that the ship she loves has been left to her brother-in-law.

Her only recourse, if she wishes to regain the liveship, is to enlist as an ordinary sailor and prove her worth in a world that has little use for women sailors.

Meanwhile, the Paragon, a liveship that went mad and drowned its crew lies broken, lonely and blind on a deserted beach, can he be restored and pressed into the service of greed driven men?

This is an enjoyable book and is recommended to those of you who like their fantasy long (656 pages) and that’s just the first volume, with two more volumes there will be about 2000 pages and should satisfy everyone who like a long read.

Book Two, The Mad Ship, is now in the bookshops so you can rush out and buy both volumes. A word of warning though; these books are massive, all placed together on the same shelf could prove dangerous. Trilogies of this size have been known to form a mini black hole and drag smaller books to their doom. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Keith Marsland

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