Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders, Book 1

The Liveship Traders, Book 1

De: Robin Hobb

Narrado por: Anne Flosnik

From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, Ship of Magic is the first part of the Liveship Traders. Set in a land bordering the Six Duchies, Robin Hobb begins her epic of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.

Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds.

But how can one trade with the Rain Wilders, when only a liveship, fashioned from wizardwood, can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain River? Rare and valuable, a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening, as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven. . .

Others plot to win, or steal, a liveship. The Paragon, known by many as the Pariah, went mad, turned turtle and drowned his crew. Now he lies, blind, lonely and broken on a deserted beach. But greedy men have designs to restore him, to sail the waters of the Rain Wild River once more.

©2012 Robin Hobb (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers … what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.” ( The Times)

“Assassin's Apprentice:A gleaming debut” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Assassin's Quest: 'Assassin's Quest achieves a bittersweet, powerful complexity rare in fantasy” ( Locus)

“Robin Hobb writes achingly well” ( SFX)

“Praise for The Liveship Traders series: 'Even better than the Assassin books. I didn't think that was possible” (George R R Martin)

“Hobb is a remarkable storyteller.” ( Guardian)

Narrator not working for me

The narration lacks flow and I find it very hard to focus on the story. She ends many sentences with this slow and dramatic finality as if she’s reciting a verdict.

À beautiful family saga

One of the most creative fantasy books I’ve ever read - or heard in this case.

Bad performance grossly exaggerated

I have finished and loved this excellent book and wanted others to know the performance of the narrator is fine. I am glad i gave it a try, because i nearly didn't and that would've been a shame. I do understand where many are coming from, but i am afraid they really didn't listen for long. Or might be influenced by the reviews and missed her accents and individuality she lends to the main and secondary characters.

The first chapter especially sounds a bit like it was performed for children, mostly because of an unfortunate type of character, some sort of mythical being. I noticed that Anne tends to narrate based on the disposition of the protagonist in that chapter, which is a slightly lighter version of the actual voice of this character. In the early chapters some men sound a bit comically evil.

But Anne changes her narration from chapter to chapter, based on the main character and it gets better with every chapter as you get used to her style. Some characters are indeed voiced a bit more monotone, like Kennit, because he is just that type of character, silent, strong willed, not a man of many words and a classic psychopath. While Wintrow is far more soft spoken, because of his priestly ways. His sister Malta was done exceptionally well, like listening to a bratty teenage girl's thoughts, eerily reminiscent of Lydia Bennet. I find especially her different accents for secondary characters very authentic and well done.

In conclusion. You get used to her style of narration very quickly and it lends authenticity. Since the third chapter i am completely satisfied with the narration and even impressed, so don’t be frightened off by the awful reviews. It is perfectly acceptable and charming.

The story itself is fantastic. It is an adjustment if you came from the previous trilogy. But it is actually better paced and has both a far more complex story and set of characters. She is one of the best writers in fantasy and i trust her completely to entertain me for many more hours. This includes her choice in narrator, which was not by accident if you care to listen without bias.

Comment on Narration

I did eventually settle into Anne's narration and it does improve the further into the book she gets, however the first couple of hours are especially bad and crying out for some additional takes

Great series w/ pirates, talking ships & serpents

What did you love best about Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders, Book 1?

Talking ships, Sea Serpents, Pirates....

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book is not my cup of tea, but it has enough elements to intrigue me and get me to consider buying the next book.

What An Epoc!

What did you love best about Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders, Book 1?

The scale of the story is vast and it is one of those books that is impossible to put down once you pick it up.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders, Book 1?

The introduction of the live ships

Have you listened to any of Anne Flosnik’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first performance by Anne Flosnik I heard

Any additional comments?

Stick with this one, you wont regret it!

not the best narrator

loved the story but it took a long time to get over the narrators voice. it just doesn't fit. 1.2 speed made it bearable.

It is a frustrating book, in a good way

I think what infuriates me in the book is that Wintrow just let so many words unspoken that he gives people the chance to get away from blame. He should have told his father he was to blame for defiling Vivatia, he brought slaves on to her. Wintrow had trusted the words of other to direct his fate before, and had gone to priesthood and found his place. It was Kyle's unwillingness to uphold his family promise to the priests, stubbornness to listen to other's more knowledgeable than him about liveships and complete rejection of Althea's birthright that cost him his ship. And I think this should have been pointed out to him. He should have not been allowed to convince himself he was wronged. He is stupid, ignorant, hypocritical and inflexible.
I also find it fascinating how the trading families are becoming more patriarchal, how the societal structure is changing in such a short time. Ronika made a HUGE mistake in giving so much power in the hands of a misogynistic man, thinking she would have been spared and now she is dealing with it. Oh, I miss this egalitarian aspect of Buck and the Six Dutchies so much!

Worst Narrator Ever!!!! Slow, Monotone, Bland

I am sure the book is quite good but I will be asking for a refund for this one. The Narration is just terrible. I am really sorry Anne Flosnik but this is not your calling.

There is no depth to the characters, she is incredibly slow even at 1.25 times the speed. its very mono tone so the book doesn't develop any real feeling as to what is going on. The spacing between sections in chapters is almost non existent and its really hard to follow from one part to the next. And all the characters sound the same boy or girl, old or young.

Looking at other reviews of this narrator this is a common feeling so its really disappointing that the entire series is read by this one lady. She just doesn't give the book justice.

Will be reading this one myself thanks!

I really tried

The premise has promise but the narration hurt my feelings. I endured for 9 hours. It got better with time but not enough not to return this audiobook. Every sentence is emphasized like some grand line of a magical spell, which is exhausting.