How is it I've never read a Robin Hobb book before? Because if this is any indication, I need to hunt them all down and familiarize myself with her entire oeuvre.

The plot circles around the family Vestrit, generations of traders who have sailed and died on their magical ship, Vivacia. For only the death of three generations of family while lying on her deck can quicken the ship and bring her to life. Plus, pirates!

This is a brick of a book. Heavy and thick, with a nice dense type. You know going in, it's going to be a long ride. And what a ride it is. Each ship or town or event is distinct and vivid, the characters are complex and deep, and the intricate plotting made the whole story cohesive and exciting.

I took this with me to Comicon and Norwescon both, even in the midst of so much wonderful geekiness, I couldn't stop myself from sneaking pages everywhere I could, from bathroom lines to coffee stops, to quiet moments back at the hotel. In retrospect I wish I'd had a concentrated block of time to do the book justice, but also I got to be part of this world over the space of weeks, instead just a few days.

I want to make this book into a blanket, wrap myself in it and dream of sailing the high seas on a Liveship of my own. There are two sequels, you say? Hmmmmm.