Ship of Magic

TL;DR: No, this book doesn't have Fitz. Yes, you should read it.

I've been slowly working my way through The Realm of the Elderlings. The Farseer Trilogy was an absolute delight. Hobb's characterization, depth of emotion, and willingness to drag her characters through hell and back made the series an instant favorite.

I think Liveship Traders is better.

First, there's the worldbuilding. In the first chapter, we're introduced to giant, sentient sea serpents and an island of mysterious magical creatures. Instead of the Wit and the Skill, there are Liveships.

Liveships are made of wizard wood and ludicrously expensive. The debts incurred by purchasing one take generations to pay off. But, once three family members (across three different generations) have died on the deck of the liveship, it comes to life. It has a mind of its own, can help the sailors guide her through rough waters, and more.

There's also a lot going on politically. Bingtown, home to the liveships and the trader families, is slowly coming to accept the evils of slavery. The nearby slaver nation of Calcet has been gaining an economic foothold for years.

Unlike the Farseer books, Liveship is written in third-person and follows multiple viewpoint characters. Most of these characters are members or close friends of the same Bingtown trader family.

Kennit is a pirate with a reputation for incredible luck. He's a lovable scoundrel, and quickly became one of my favorite anti-heroes. All he wants is to secure his own liveship and become king of all pirates. That's not too much to ask, right?

Then there's the Vestrit family. Althea is the hotheaded daughter determined to prove her worth as a sailor. Wintrow is torn between fulfilling his destiny in the priesthood and family responsibility. Malta's a little shit. And Kyle...well, I don't think I've ever hated a character quite so much.

It's somewhat telling that I'm not sure who the villain of the series will be. Hobb's already fantastic characterization skills are taken to the next level in this book. Everyone feels like a real person, and (as much as I loved to hate Regal) no one feels cartoonishly evil.

I didn't realize how many POV's there were until I wrote this out. It's...a lot, especially since most of these characters get significant page time. And I left out quite a few.

If you're on the fence about skipping this series to get back to Fitz, Nighteyes, and the Fool, DON'T DO IT. I'd almost recommend this book as a jumping off point for The Realm of the Elderlings and catching up on Farseer later. It's that good.