Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb

The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as even better than the Farseer Trilogy--I didn't think that was possible. Now in a glorious new edition! \nBingtown 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. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. \n \nFor Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea's young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship--and the Vestrits--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will. \n \nDon't miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy: \nSHIP OF MAGIC - MAD SHIP - SHIP OF DESTINY\n