Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3361 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 912 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Robin Hobb's books combine heroic adventures by land and sea with a passionate urgency about the morality which underlies her character's deeds. Ship of Destiny, the third in The Liveship Traders trilogy, involves us further with the efforts of the Vestrit family to reclaim the fortunes which war and piracy have cost them, raising interesting questions about the sources of even an attractive family's wealth. It is clear that the liveships Vivacia and Paragon were carved from husks which should have hatched dragons; that the attractive personalities of the figureheads are only pale shadows of the autonomous beings they might have been. Malta Vestrit has freed the last of the real dragons from an underground prison, and he is not especially grateful. The slave-liberating pirate Kennit, one of Hobb's richest creations, is ever more drawn to the darker side of his flawed nature in an attempt to hide from the secrets of his past.

This is one of the most satisfying heroic fantasies of recent years, simply because it is about difficult choices and complex emotions, while Hobb's tight plotting and fast-moving storytelling are fascinating in their own right.--Roz Kaveney

Amazon.co.uk Review
Robin Hobb's books combine heroic adventures by land and sea with a passionate urgency about the morality which underlies her character's deeds. Ship of Destiny the third of the Liveship Trilogy, involves us further with the efforts of the Vestrit family to reclaim the fortunes which war and piracy have cost them, and raises interesting questions about the sources of even an attractive family's wealth. It is clear that the live ships Vivacia and Paragon were carved from husks which should have hatched dragons, that the attractive personalities of the figureheads are only pale shadows of the autonomous beings they might have been. Malta has freed the last of the real dragons from an underground prison, and he is not especially grateful. And the slave-liberating pirate Kennit, one of Hobb's richest creations, is ever more drawn to the darker side of his flawed nature in an attempt to hide from the secrets of his past. This is one of the most satisfying heroic fantasies of recent years, simply because it is about difficult choices and complex emotions. Hobb's tight plotting and fast-moving story-telling are fascinating in their own right, but are all the more so because they are actually about something. --Roz Kaveney

Synopsis
The triumphant conclusion to the magnificent Liveship Traders series. The dragon, Tintaglia, has been released from her wizardwood coffin, only to find that the glories of her kingdom have passed into ancient memory. Meanwhile, Malta Vestrit navigates the acid flow of the Rain Wild River in a decomposing boat, accompanied by the Satrap Cosgo and his Companion Kekki. Against hope, a ship appears in the alien waters, but does it mean rescue, or a further nightmare, for Malta? In ruined Bingtown, the citizens are at war, against the Chalcedean mercenaries besieging the harbour, and also among themselves. If the city is to survive, Ronica Vestrit must unite all its peoples -- both Trader and Tattooed -- and liberate the city once and for all; but Companion Serilla has a different agenda, and is seeking to establish her own power base. Althea and Brashen are finally at sea together, sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters in a last-ditch effort to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, stolen by the Pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing in their rag-tag crew; and in the mind of the mad ship itself!Wintrow has liberated She Who Remembers and she can at last fulfil her ancient purpose, but in doing so he has been terribly injured.

If Wintrow dies, Kennit fears that Vivacia will lose her fragile sanity: a loss that will also threaten his dreams of power and glory. So he strikes a deal with the ship. And soon the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as it sails to its destiny. Majestic and sweeping, Ship of Destiny concludes the tale of the Vestrit family and their part in the history of The Liveship Traders with a soaring and triumphant finale to this unique series of epic fantasy.

Customer Reviews

A masterful conclusion to another Robin Hobb fantasy epic.
The final instalment in Robin Hobbs wonderful Liveship Traders trilogy does not disappoint, not that it was ever likely to. The characters, are of course, by now vividly defined but its the way that the author ties all the disparate plot strands and by proxy the characters that makes this such a pleasure to read.
Anybody reading Ship Of Destiny would surely have read the previous novels and be familiar with the characters. Anyone reading this book who has,nt read the other books....what are you playing at? The plot draws together the multiple members of the Vestrit family as they struggle to survive . Ronica and Keffria are still in Bingtown , a place under siege and falling apart. Malta is stranded on a tiny boat on the Rain Wild River with the arrogant Satrap of Jamellia while her possible husband to be Reyn is trapped in the mud of the sunken city destroyed by an earthquake with Malta,s little brother Seldon.
Meanwhile Althea is aboard the Liveship Paragon still confused about her feelings for Brashen but determined to find the families Liveship Vivacia. The ship herself is exploring her long hidden identity , exacerbated by the serpents that follow in her wake. Would be pirate king Kennitt , the arch manipulator , is still attempting to coerce Wintrow and Etta into a destiny neither envisage . On top of all this the freed but arrogant Dragon Tintaglia views the humans as mere pawns to be used in the propagation of her species.
The way Robin Hobb draws all the characters together for the sagas conclusion is completely believable , free of contrivance and masterfully paced. It is also hugely satisfying without resorting to sentimentality and cliché though it does,nt have quite the lump in the throat effect of the end of the Farseer series.The link between the serpents and the dragons is finally revealed and there is a tantalising hint as to who the mysterious Amber might really be. You would be a fool to miss it. That.s my less than subtle hint there.
Ship Of Destiny is the conclusion to another tremendous fantasy series.Imaginative, wonderfully written with memorable characters and a serious sub-text involving the evils of slavery . Every bit as good as the Farseer series and as anyone who has read those will tell you , that's some achievement.

pirates meet dragons
Did you know that serpents are dragons?
This fantastic trilogy details Althea's trials and tribulations at losing her liveship.
Fantastic and enthralling.
Drift away to a faraway land of mystical civilisations and creatures.
I read all three without stopping! Fantastic!

simply brilliant
I have been reading this trillogy over what must be at least six months and have enjoyed every second, the highs and the lows.
Quite simply, this is one of the best stories I have ever read and having finished it feel almost at a loss.

With Hobb you feel all of it as if you were right there living alongside the characters and you begin to feel for them in a way that when you stop and think about it is rediculous. The inner story of the struggling heirarchy within Bintown with it's divide in culture, mixed society and fear, from the ruling minority to have to share its power with its many immigrants is so clear a reflection of the societies we live it is liken to holding a mirror up to the world.

And yet the clever manner in which she switches and changes between each persons perceptions and immotions, means that you understand. You understand why what a moment ago was selfish and greedy, in their eyes is a neccessity and of vital importance. it is a story which you truly get to hear every side of, and as such better understand. At some point I am sure I have loved, loathed and pitied almost every character.

My immagination has eagerly drained every last sap of story from these books and hung on every word; And I still want more.
Fantasy doesn't get any better than this!