Steve

This is how you finish a trilogy: setup the story and characters in the first two books and then concentrate on wrapping up the plot for the finale. As with the first two books, a strong feature is the way the characters develop over the course of the story, however this doesn’t get in the way of action. I’d say this was Sanderson-esque in its conclusion, but that is not really fair as Hobb published first. Having not been overly wowed by the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy has given me a new found appreciation for Robin Hobb.

As with the first book, an intriguing tale, with an interesting bunch of characters. Admittedly, some of the character development doesn’t quite ring true (I’m sure it was stated at some point, but I can’t for the life of me work out how old Seldon is supposed to be; he seems to be anywhere between 5 and 15) and, as with the first book, there are some events that seem a little too convenient (convenient earthquakes always annoy me). But, overall, the story kept me involved and I am looking forward to the completion of the trilogy.

A stirring, ship-based story that largely kept me involved to the end. There were one or two points where events felt blatantly contrived to simply setup future events, but not enough to derail my enjoyment. Looking forward to the next in the series...

This was ... fine. The story kept me sufficiently involved to get to the end, but I don't feel the need to continue the series.

An intriguing start to the trilogy. What initially appears to be a standard Tolkienesque Hero's Journey gradually develops into something more interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the sequence.

A fun One Thousand and One Nights-esque story that doesn't overstay its welcome.

A fun One Thousand and One Nights-esque story that doesn't overstay its welcome.

An enjoyable 40s-set noir that mixes the hardboiled detective trope with a sprinkling of the supernatural.