Ship of Destiny
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.
Hobb covers portrayed here are from UK editions, by John Howe.
Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb is alias for Margaret (Megan) Lindholm Ogden. She also writes as Megan Lindholm.
Hobb was born in 1952 in California, US. She is married with sailor Fred Ogden and they have four children and grandchildren. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her cats and youngest child.
For most of her teen years Hobb lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. She majored in Communications at Denver University, Colorado. She worked as a journalist in Kodiak and wrote fairy tales to children's magazines. She has always been a keen reader and already knew as a child that she wanted to be an author. She sold her first story when she was 18. In 1971 she started writing as Megan Lindholm. Her first book as Lindholm came out in 1983.
The Liveship Traders
The Liveship Traders Trilogy takes place mainly southwest of The Six Duchies, in Bingtown (a colony of Jamaillia) and focuses on Liveships, sentient ships and the Old Traders, their owners.
The Liveship Traders consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series The Realm of the Elderlings
Book Reviews
The story of the Vestrit family continues in this third book, which is the best book of The Liveship Traders. Robin Hobb weaves together all the storylines and the conclusion is simply fantastic. If you've read the previous books and liked them, you must read Ship of Destiny. The Liveship Traders is one of the finest fantasy trilogies ever written.