Blog this item

Ship of Destiny

By Robin Hobb

(67)

| Hardcover | 9780002254809

Like Ship of Destiny?
Join aNobii to see if your friends read it, and discover similar books!

Book Description

Robin Hobb has established herself as one of the masters of fantasy fiction And nowhere is that more apparent than in this powerful, poignant, swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism, and humanity.  The rousing conclusion to the Liveship Traders trilogy, Ship of Destiny is the spellbinding story of a once-thriving city now reduced to shambles by raging war and rampant greed; of a glorious and mythic species on the brutal edge of extinction; and of the Vestrits, the clan, whose destiny is intertwined with both.

Bingtown is a city under fire from forces within and without. While accusations of conspiracy fly between the Old Bingtown Traders and the New, invaders attack the harbor, trying to take the city for their own.  Matriarch Ronica Vestrit bears witness to the destruction, but she is not the type of woman to simply surrender.  Even as she finds herself branded a traitor, she searches for a way to bring all the city's inhabitants together to stand against the Chalcedean threat.  But there is someone who cannot allow Ronica to succeed, no matter what the cost.

Far out on the stormy seas, Althea Vestrit, ignorant of all that has befallen Bingtown, continues her mission to track down and recover her liveship Vivacia from the ruthless pirate Kennit.  Serving as the Paragon's second mate under Captain Brashen, she faces peril beyond imagining... not just from her growing love for Brashen or their reckless scheme to regain the Vivacia, but from the unpredictable vessel Paragon himself, as he wrestles with his madness and plots his own deadly brand of revenge.

Yet Althea's bold scheme may be in vain.  For her beloved Vivacia will face the most terrible confrontation of all as the secret of the liveships is finally revealed.  This is a truth so horrifying, so shattering, it may destroy the Vivacia and all who love her, including the boy-priest Wintrow Vestrit, whose life already hangs in the balance...

A triumph of imagination and masterful storytelling, Ship of Destiny is an enthralling blend of intrigue and magic, drama and high fantasy.  It is the fitting conclusion to a tale that is bound to become a classic--by a beguiling author who is already deservedly revered.

2 Reviews

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

what an adventure!
the plot is complex, full of threads, the characters are so real! i was moved at their misfortune, i was deceived with them, i was able to both love and hate through them, i shared their dreams and was disappointed at their failures, i could enjoy their victories and felt ... (continue)

what an adventure!
the plot is complex, full of threads, the characters are so real! i was moved at their misfortune, i was deceived with them, i was able to both love and hate through them, i shared their dreams and was disappointed at their failures, i could enjoy their victories and felt that i was starting to build a new life together with them!
this is not the story of some blessed/chosen character who can achieve everything without effort: it is a story of creatures, both human and not, who struggle to find their own place in the world, who need to sacrifice a lot, to give up a lot, to face difficulties and failures, to persevere following their hearts and their convictions about what is right.
"right" has different faces: everybody in this book behaves as they think it's right; there's always a reason behind a bad action (the story of pirate Kennit, for example)
i found a lot of myself in Althea, the way she struggles to see that she gets what's hers by right and at the same time tries to be useful to the ones she loves. what she understands only in the end, is that it is not true that she is the only one to know exactly what the others need to do to be happy and fulfilled, and left on themselves they can become amazing people, with no more need of herself at all.
this was without any doubt one of the best reading i've done.

Is this helpful?

Chiara L'Onironauta said on Mar 13, 2010 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | 2 feedbacks

Feminine Fantasy

I did enjoy this series as a whole but the combination of the talking liveships plus the very obvious feministic writing style makes this a series I really can't highly recommend. Hobb is a great writer with superb story-telling skills. However, her characters in this series change so often in thei ... (continue)

I did enjoy this series as a whole but the combination of the talking liveships plus the very obvious feministic writing style makes this a series I really can't highly recommend. Hobb is a great writer with superb story-telling skills. However, her characters in this series change so often in their decisions and even their speaking styles that I found parts of it totally bogus. It's still a fun read but better fantasy series are definitely out there including her Farseer Trilogy.

Is this helpful?

shanetucker said on Dec 17, 2009 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback