Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders, Book 1

From the Inside Flap Robin Hobb's acclaimed Farseer trilogy--Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest--wove a spellbinding tale of magic, passion, and glory.

Now, in the first book of a new trilogy set in the same world, she tells the magnificent story of a proud seafaring clan and the enchanted ships that carry them on far-flung, ferocious tides....Not far from the Six Duchies lies Bingtown, 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.

Bingtown's Old Traders, their wealth eroded by northern wars and the rapacity of southern pirates, now face an influx of upstart merchants who bring change to a complex society.