Book Review: Ship of Destiny
- Series: Liveship Traders Book #3
- Author: Robin Hobb
- 789 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- First published March 1, 2000
Ship of Destiny – the end of an epic story
“Ship of Destiny” is the final book in the Liveship Traders series. An exciting conclusion to the trilogy and I can say that I really like Robin Hobb’s style. He manages to build unique worlds and keep the reader in constant suspense. As I read the book, I was constantly in doubt as to who was right and who was wrong.
In this series, Robin Hobb reintroduces us to his favorite dragons. Creatures that were threatened with extinction and thought to be irretrievably lost in a world now ruled by humans. Ancient cities have been plundered or fallen into oblivion. The treasures of the ancestors are scattered and sold as souvenirs, and the memory of the majestic creatures fades with each generation. But buried deep in the sunken ancient city in the land of the Rainmakers, she awaits her transformation, the Great Lady of the Three Kingdoms. And it’s here that the lives of our beloved heroes intertwine with the dragon leader’s quest to save the last remnants of his kind and their struggle to survive in this new, uncertain world.
Liveship Traders
In addition to the revelations about the dragons, Robin Hobb reveals another secret for us. The Liveship Merchants aren’t what we expected. Their nature is unexpected and the truth about their origins is earth-shattering. Even more shocking is the story of Paragon’s past. The portrayal of him was intriguing to me from the beginning. His dark past and the mysteries surrounding him and his madness piqued my interest and I was eager to see the revelations Robin Hobb would serve up. An emotional and shocking secret he hid for years connected him to his family. The Mad Ship hides the clan’s past and takes on anything negative to protect one. In order not to give away an important plot point, I won’t tell you much about Paragorn.
Kennit
Robin Hobb’s characters are very contradictory. I’ll start with Kennit. He’s one of those characters that I can’t define and label as “good” or “evil”. There were times when he looked like an avenger to me, a young man sworn to get revenge for the wrongs done to him. All his actions seemed to be guided by this fixation. And the next moment, Kennit reaps my distaste and I can call him a manipulative creep with a clear conscience. I kept wondering if his subordinates were idealizing an image that didn’t exist. My feelings for him fluctuated between both extremes and remained so until the end.
Malta
The second controversial character for me was Malta. She started the series with the image of daddy’s little spoiled girl. A child who was used to getting everything she wanted without thinking about the cost. Malta, who got on my nerves because she tried to get everything she wanted. At the end of the trilogy, this image was replaced by that of the young saleswoman with her negotiating skills. The path Malta takes is peppered with obstacles and encounters that change her for the better. The heroine, who valued outward beauty and wealth so much, was forced to grow up and take control of the life she was given.
My opinion for “Ship of Destiny”
In addition to all the personal hardships, aspirations and desires, the lives of all the characters are interwoven in a great tangle of events. Somehow they find themselves in the same place and on the same page. Robin Hobb crosses their paths again and again, and each encounter is illuminated from the characters’ different perspectives. There are also many surprises and twists. Robin Hobb has a way of surprising us with the actions of his characters. Wintrow, for example, has the talent of being a captain. None of us suspect it and this is cleverly disguised by the image Robin Hobb builds up in the first two books. Those close to him see him as a shrunken boy, lacking the drive and skill to cope with difficult situations. For all of us, Wintrow is the child destined to become a priest. The transformation of this character is triggered by the most unexpected person, and this is what is so captivating about Hobb’s style. Each confluence of events and characters creates new points of connection in their destinies and develops them as characters.
“Ship of Destiny” is the most emotionally intense book in the trilogy. What Robin Hobb allows us to experience with her characters is a gripping story full of betrayal, twists and turns and shattered dreams.
More books from the series:
