No spoilers here. Ship of Magic is Book 1 of the Liveship Traders trilogy. First off, I got to mention that I am a fan of Robin Hobb. She's a prolific writer, who does not stop producing. Year in and year out, her fans can count on the next novel (knock on wood here). 
 I had originally skipped this trilogy because of the premise of a live ship and a sea faring adventure. It seemed like a total reversal from the other trilogies. I just didn't think I could like it, but I that was a mistake. These different trilogies are part of the same world. They may barely touch, but they do create a fuller world for the reader. 
 The story starts off a bit slow, but not at all boring. Hobb is just building the foundation for what's to come. My copy was 809 pages, so there are a lot of words. And it's only the first book! Half way in, I was wondering if I'd cut something out. By the 3/4 mark, I knew I wouldn't cut a thing. All of it leads to something. Fans of fantasy books get this. There are more characters in this book than the Fitz novels. The point of view moves from one to the other as the plot moves forward. I thought this enhanced the story greatly. While reading, you knew that the characters were converging to a point, and I was not disappointed. 
 I liked nearly all of the many characters. Even the antagonist in the story is someone you just can't hate. If there was one I'd like to smack, it's the young, naive Malta Haven. Yet, that's intended by the author. Malta is there to stir it up. I'm looking forward to Book 2.