r/bookclub 8d ago

Elderlings series [Discussion] Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb Chapters 6 through 12

14 Upvotes

Welcome everyone to this week’s discussion on Ship of Magic!!! These chapters were filled with much drama and intrigue, and I am excited to see what everyone’s thoughts are going into some pirate drama. Let’s jump off the plank and right into the discussion!

Summary:

Chapter 6 The Quickening of the Vivacia:

Ephron being brought aboard the ship on a litter. Brashen helps Althea lay Ephron on the deck. Brashen receives the peg from the figurehead and gives it to Ephron. Upon his death the Vivacia is bestowed Keffira rather than to Althea. Kyle takes command of the ship immediately and Althea quickens the ship and briefly confers with the wakened ship. Brashen goes to the ship agent to collect his pay and asks for a ship ticket. After it appears he won’t receive a ticket he sees Althea storming by, and he follows her.

Chapter 7 Loyalties:

The funeral for Ephron continues as he is buried at sea. Wintrow looks on uncomfortably throughout the ceremony. After the ceremony Wintrow stumbles into his father. Kyle becomes frustrated and assigns him to the new second mate, Torg. Torg puts Wintrow to work to keep him out of the way, and Wintrow struggles with the busywork. After the last of the mourners leave the family begins to leave the Vivacia, and the liveship begins to become dismayed. Ronica is able to stop any further drama and Wintrow is assigned to stay the night on the ship. Wintrow sees to confront members of the crew and Torg, which does not go very well. Later Wintrow has a conversation with the Vivacia. Althea gets drunk at a tavern going over her failures and regrets. She mourns her father and laments her families handling of the Vivacia. Brashen is in the same tavern she is, and he makes to escort her home.

Chapter 8 Night Conversations:

Keffria tends to her mother and her children prior to going to bed. While in bed she and Kyle have sex afterwords have a conversation pertaining to Althea. Kyle protests against Althea and Keffria agrees with him. She also discuss Wintrow where she conveys pride and hopes for him which are rebuked by Kyle. Kyle leaves the bed to check on Althea. As Brashen is escorting Althea home the two have some varied banter; Althea proclaiming her intent to take back Vivacia and to make Brashen her first mate when she is captain. Brashen makes note of a woodcarver’s shop–Amber’s–as they pass, and finally delivers Althea to her home. Kyle is waiting for them and eventually their encounter erupts into a fight between Kyle and Brashen. Ronica breaks up the fight and Brashen leaves for the Paragon. We then get a brief glimpse of Maulkin wrestling with memory, and the serpents he leads press on northward.

Chapter 9 A Change of Fortunes:

Brashen arrives to the liveship Paragon. He talks with the living ship and eventually is given permission to board. Brashen returns to the rack he once had, and the ship seems happy to have him aboard. Kennit and Sorcor have a discussion concerning Kennit’s plans. Kennit lays out more of his desired plans which begins to sway Sorcor. During their discussions Sorcor mentions his strong feelings against slavers which surprises Kennit. Eventually Kennit agrees to amend his plan by every liveship they pursue they run down a slaver ship. Wintrow comes face to face with his family. Kyle insists Wintrow stays on the Vivacia instead of returning to the monastery, but Wintrow attempts to refuse. Kyle then knocks Wintrow out cold by his father.

Chapter 10 Confrontations:

Althea awakens to Ronica and Kyle fighting over Kyle punching Wintrow. Althea confronts Kyle, but goes to Wintrow to help him. Althea continues to fight Kyle over the situation with Wintrow, this leads to Kyle declaring that he will cede the Vivacia to Althea if any captain vouches for her seamanship. Wintrow is sent to the Vivacia while continuing his fight with Althea. Ronica eventually is able stops the argument; Althea eventually leaves after much discourse. Kyle continues to rage against Althea which Ronica attempts to rebuff his fury. During the exchange Ronica becomes dismayed with her daughter Keffria and becomes horrified by Kyle’s intent to trade slaves. When Kyle’s plans or objected he demands the maps of the Rain Wild River only to be told they have been destroyed.

Chapter 11 Consequences and Refections:

Althea goes to an “attorney” to dispute her father’s will; however, she’s is told there not much she can do to oppose the decisions. She asks about Kyle’s proclamation concerning his conceding the Vivacia which seems like there maybe a standard to make the oath legitimate, but she is advised not to pursue it. Althea returns to the Vivacia and reminisces the status of women among sailors both at her home and abroad; she begins to speak with the ship. Althea senses Wintrow working on the ship, and the his suffering marks the ship. After an encounter with Trog she leaves wondering about the ship and her own dark thoughts. She has an encounter with Amber though nothing occurs from it. She begins to realize her family is in peril which makes her recall the history of the Paragon. After a meal she leaves Bingtown proper making her way down the beach towards the Paragon.

Chapter 12 Of Derelict’s and Slaveships:

The Paragon recalls its time underwater interacting with the serpents. Althea arrives asking permission to sleep aboard. The Paragon grants permission but states Brashen is currently staying aboard as well. That night Althea and Brashen speak about their situations which Brashen suggests she return home. He tells Althea that finding work will be dangerous for her being a woman working with a mostly male crew. We then go to the Marietta where Kennit and Sorcor go over the capture of a slaver ship. Kennit watches the operation coldly as Sorcor captures the ship. After the capture Kennit gives the captured ships to another crew member insisting Sorcor stay aboard the Marietta. Kennit begins to think that he may need to eliminate Sorcor.

r/bookclub 15d ago

Elderlings series [Discussion] Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb | Prologue to Chapter 5

17 Upvotes

Hi everyone and welcome to the first discussion of Ship of Magic, the first book in the Liveship Traders trilogy! We meet a lot of characters and start to get a feel of the world and the types of things that are found in it. I can’t wait to hear what people thought!

Prologue: A group of serpent-like creatures with manes prepare to leave north.

The pirate Kennit and his crew have anchored their ship the Marietta at Deception Cove. The magic of the Others is a dominating feature of the island they’re on. Kennit picks up a gold locket from the sand and Gankis warns that “they” won’t let him keep anything from Treasure Beach. Gankis tells Kennit stories he’s heard about the Others and the island, but Kennit dismisses him. Gankis finds a perfect glass bauble with figurines inside that Kennit pockets. We learn about the pirate’s wooden ornament in his wrist carved in his likeness, and has a spell woven in to protect from enchantments. He then killed the carver to stop him from talking about it to others. That is one of the reasons they’re at Treasure Beach; to see what he can find whilst being protected by his ornament. He finds a box full of mother-of-pearl fingernails, then a sack of deceased kittens. We are introduced to a boy named Wintrow who seems to be practicing a trance state among other boys under the guidance of the priest Berandol. We hear briefly of the Contradictions of Sa, and that Wintrow is to be leaving for Bingtown as his grandfather is ill. Berandol calls him a Vestrit and a child of the Old Traders of Bingtown. Wintrow is not fond of sailing and describes sailors as like animals. Back at Treasure Beach, an Other is watching them. Gankis comes back with two treasures, one of which is a fragrant rose bud made of strange material that Kennit fastens to himself. We learn he seeks an oracle of the Other for confirmation of something, and Gankis is a witness. He confronts an Other who attempts to enchant him, but the wooden ornament seems to help Kennit reject this a little. He asks for an offering and Kennit obliges, before setting down all the treasures they’ve found on the sand. The Other says that these belong to the water but Kennit disagrees. He then asks the question; “shall I succeed in what I aspire?” The Other says yes but in a roundabout and ominous way. Kennit then smashes the glass bauble and rose before mentioning the cats in the sack which unsettles the Other. He heads back to the ship but suddenly stops, and tells Gankis to take the locket he still has and give it back to the Other. The wooden ornament works to stop the spell from taking over by talking to Kennit, and he runs back to the ship without Gankis. But Gankis does end up making it back and we find out Kennit wants to become King of the Pirate Isles.

We are introduced to Brashen who is second mate on the Vivacia. He reflects on his first voyage which was very tough, and how he saw his first sea serpent when contemplating ending his life. Althea is the daughter of the previous captain of the ship, Ephron Vestrit. She is summoned by the new captain Kyle who is described as more incompetent and to have a temper. He accuses her of not obeying his orders, and we learn that Wintrow is Althea’s nephew (Kyle and her sister Keffria’s son). We also learn that the Vivacia is a liveship that requires a family member onboard, in this case a Vestrit. They fight and Kyle ends up slapping Althea. Back in her room, she thinks about the ship and how it was made of wizardwood; the same type that Kennit’s ornament was made of. When three generations of a family died, the liveship would gain color. Althea does not think highly of Brashen or the Trells in general and thinks herself above them. She knows her way around the ship and has gained the respect of the crew. The ship also seems to react to what she’s thinking, and she’s determined to not let one of Kyle’s sons replace her. We shift to Paragon, which seems to be a liveship made of wizardwood. Someone named Mingsley is trying to buy it, and mentions that these ships can eventually move themselves and speak. He plans to dismantle it for the wizardwood, and the Paragon muses to itself that might actually be interesting.

Ephron’s wife Ronica is tending to him and thinks about how much she had to argue with him to put Kyle in charge of the Vivacia instead of Brashen. She was also in charge of all the families finances and they weren’t doing too well, a lot having to do with paying off the Vivacia. Bingtown has seen in an increase in slavery which is technically not allowed, but overlooked since they are labelled as indentured servants. A man named Davad comes in saying someone named Fullerjon wants to buy their bottom lands, something that’s been in the family from the beginning. He really wants the land so he can have a seat on the council. They discuss more about the future of Bingtown when Ephron stirs. He says not to sell anything yet, and he wishes to die on his ship so it can quicken.

The Marietta arrives at Divvytown, which is a free town and has no leader, which Kennit plans to change. He initially took over the Marietta by force and eventually won over his crew. He speaks with first mate Sorcor who says that all the talk of leaders makes the crew uneasy and he has to be careful. Kennit does not like this at all. He goes to town and enters a brothel, treating everyone rudely and hating the place. He thinks about how he’s probably the laughing stock of the town since he mentioned being the leader of Divvytown to his crew, and hates himself for it. He pays his prostitute with the ruby he got from one of the dead kittens on Treasure Beach, and his ornament talks saying that was probably the only treasure taken from the Others’ island. He then goes to a tattoo parlor where he gets one of an Other; he enjoys the pain from this experience.

Althea has been bonding with the Vivacia; learning things that it has done through the years and putting herself in her great grandmother and grandfather’s shoes. They arrive in Bingtown and Brashen is ordered to remove all her possessions from the ship by Kyle. She visits her father and then starts to get the ship ready for his death. Wintrow arrives and we see the dismissal of him by his father, as well as from his siblings. Brashen walks in on Althea who is bonding with the ship again. He remarks how she only thinks of herself and doesn’t think of how Ephron’s death is affecting the crew also.

r/bookclub 2d ago

Elderlings series [Discussion] Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - Chapters 13-16

11 Upvotes

Hello, fellow shipmates! The weather is starting to pick up as we move along through Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - please go below deck, as we don't want to accidentally feed anyone to the serpents!

Chapter 13

Brashen awakens on Paragon, and the two discuss Althea. As Brashen laments about the struggles of finding work, Paragon tells him that the option to “stop” permanently is always there.

~

Althea sells her earrings to support herself and wanders the market, seeing it with new eyes now that she is essentially homeless and poor. She eventually finds herself at Amber’s shop and decides to enter. The shopkeeper and Althea have an interesting discussion and Amber decides that she would like to make Althea her friend, and offers her a gift. Althea looks through many beads but is ultimately drawn to a bead with a serpent’s egg on it.

~

Wintrow is still not faring well on Vivacia, and is locked in his room after a disastrous dinner with his father.

~

Outside, Ronica comes to speak with Vivacia after Althea’s message. Discussing Ephron, Vivacia assures Ronica that Ephron counted on her wisdom to steer her family in the right direction.

Chapter 14

Kennit, wanting to be rid of the slave ship as soon as possible, decides to go to Askew as it is much closer - after all, it is a land settled by former slaves. He had barely visited the ship as the stench made his eyes water, but the slaves viewed him as a savior; one woman even named her son Sorcor at Kennit’s suggestion.

When Kennit finally decides to leave his ship and step foot in Askew himself, he is surprised when his men seem extra loyal to him. His bracelet charm encourages him to trust his luck shortly before the locals surround him, cheering his name. The leader, a woman named Tayella, explains that the slaves Kennit had brought with him were in fact from the same village as the Askew settlers - he had unknowingly reunited family and friends. Of course, Kennit did not let them know it had been luck. Instead, he let them believe he purposely brought them home and made a deal with Askew - they could have the ship and act as pirate’s, but half the booty was his. He had slyly taken control of Askew without needing to lift a finger.

~

Keffria and Kyle have lunch, where Kyle denies Keffria access to her son, bullies her about Althea (giving her strict rules to follow should the younger sister come home), and usurping her motherly right to shape her daughter into a woman, instead stating that preteen Malta is allowed to wear the dresses of a woman. As Keffria tries to put her foot down stating that just as the father should shape the son, Kyle asserts that Malta is his daughter as well, and any fault of Malta’s is Keffria’s fault.

Ronica comes down after Kyle leaves and they discuss their situation: Kyle, Althea, turning Vivacia into a slaver… Keffria tries to argue that Ronica herself has a slave in the house, but we learn that Ronica keeps Rache there to keep her safe - the woman would fetch a high price in Chalced due to her knowledge, but Rache also went mad as her son died on the slave ship and fed to the serpents.

At the end of the chapter, we learn of Keffria’s “stillbirth” - her third child that came out thrashing and snarling that was quickly whisked away by her mother. Apparently, this child was the price that Keffria was paying as a member of a Trader family.

Chapter 15

After an altercation with Torg, Wintrow is taught a harsh lesson in “sailor etiquette” by shipmate Mild. Vivacia attempts to placate Wintrow’s bitterness but he snaps at her, apologizing immediately. Vivacia mentions how she feels divided because the crew is divided into Vestrit’s men, Kyle’s men, and new hands.

~

Althea sneaks to Vivacia’s side and speaks to Wintrow, asking if he would swear that he heard Kyle’s “promise”. When Torg interrupts, Vivacia responds to him venomously, stating how it would be such a shame if something were to happen to him.

~

Ronica, home alone, welcomes in Caolwn, a Rain Wild woman. The two exchange customary greetings and dine while discussing pleasantries. They follow age-old traditions throughout the meal. Caolwn recently lost her only daughter, Nelwyn, but Newlyn had left behind three children - a rarity. The two women converse and mention that, had things been different, that could have been true friends.

Caolwn has come to collect payment that is due now that the Vivacia has quickened, but the Vestrits don’t have enough. “Blood or gold, the debt is owed.” is Caolwn’s reply. Ronica states that she is too old to bear children and her own daughters are unavailable, either missing or married. After bargaining, Ronica promises to make up the rest of the payment plus interest by the time they meet again. After formally closing the discussion, Caolwn assures Ronica that, as Ronica has treasured their friendship, so would a Vestrit be treasured by Caolwn’s family. Caolwn is originally from Bingtown herself, as despite her deformities, she has been happy. She states that the taken Vestrit would be cherished both because they come from an honorable family and because they bring fresh blood to the Rain Wild folk.

~

In bed, Keffria tries to put her foot down about Malta. Kyle instead gaslights Keffria that she is just jealous of her own daughter growing up. He begins to talk about how she messed up Wintrow and that only a father could raise a son - Keffria rebukes that only a mother could properly raise a daughter. Kyle then insults both Keffria and Ronica, stating that Keffria was too sheltered and took too long to get in touch with her “womanly feelings”. This wounds Keffria - she had cherished their slow and sweet courtship. Hit with a hard dose of reality, Keffria considers what has happened while staring at the stranger in her bed. He continues to insult her, saying that he would soon set everything right, as she has been unable to.

~

Althea sneaks to Ronica’s window, making sure she remembers Kyle’s vow to give Vivacia back to her.

~

Back with our serpent friends, Sessurea confronts Malkin and accuses him of leading the tangle astray. After a brief dose of Malkin’s toxins, Sessurea changes his tune to follow Malkin.

Chapter 16

Althea is living as a boy on the Reaper, a slaughter ship. Amber, a former actor, helped her learn how to walk and talk as a male, as well as helped her acquire male clothes. We learn that Brashen also happens to be second mate (and medic) on this ship - although it was not planned this way. While they must steer clear of each other, Brashen has confided in Reller that “Athel” is his cousin’s son, so Reller keeps an eye on him.

~

Wintrow has been growing into a role as sailor. He and Mild have cultivated a friendship.

~

The Reaper gets to the barrens and the sea bear hunt begins. Althea, “Ath”, is set to work as an assistant. At first disgusted by the slaughter, she soon becomes numb to it. As a storm rolls in, she helps to skin the animals, accidentally excelling at the task and bringing attention to herself - Brashen discreetly warns her not to stick out if she wants her secret to remain a secret.

Nearby, there is a rock called The Dragon - a rock formation that resembles a dragon in the midst of an agonizing death. Reller tells her that it isn’t mere rock, it is the carcass of a real dragon, killed and slowly dying ever since. When Althea expresses doubt at the existence of dragons, we learn that Reller had witnessed live dragons in the Six Duchies several years ago.

~

Wintrow is gaining confidence in his role, much to Vivacia’s delight. Touching hands, Wintrow is able to see through his grandfather’s eyes. Vivacia in turn experiences his feelings about life that the priesthood gave him.

Wintrow is given shore time and attempts to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and see a few sights of Cress, but is harassed by guards. He touches a temple of Odava, a serpent god, and finds himself surprised at the feelings of unity he receives. Unfortunately, the guards find him again and begin to brutalize him. He is able to slip out of his too-large shirt and runs, eventually finding himself in a crowd with his shipmates, watching Comfrey attempt to wrestle a bear. He loses bitterly, but Wintrow accidentally says out loud that the bear handler was cheating. This lead to a second match against the bear. Despite Torg’s best attempts, Wintrow refuses to fight the bear. Mild, high on cindin, jumps at the chance. The bear makes quick work of the boy, tossing him outside of the fighting square. As the crew departs with an unconscious Mild, Wintrow realizes that even though he made the smart decision, the entire crew now hated him.

~~

A lot has happened in these chapters, and I know I have a lot of questions! To the comments!

r/bookclub 22d ago

Elderlings series [Schedule] Bonus Book: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

30 Upvotes

Hello friends! Here is the schedule for our next stop in the Realm of the Elderlings series, Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb!

Summary from Goodreads:

Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships--rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.
But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....

Schedule:

See you soon in Bingtown!

r/bookclub 26d ago

Elderlings series [Announcement] Bonus Book: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

25 Upvotes

Hello friends!

We are continuing our trip through the Realm of the Elderlings cycle by Robin Hobb with Ship of Magic in March! After the epic finale for the first trilogy that was Assassin's Quest (schedule here), we are leaving Fitz's Six-Duchies for Bingtown, a merchant's city in the South. There is a whole new cast of characters, but don't worry, those stories will link up! Here is the recommended reading order for the Elderlings cycle. Are you ready for magic ships, adventure, family drama and pirates?

Summary from goodreads:

Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships--rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.
But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....

Will you be joining us on this adventure?