Bingtown 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. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.
But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....

alternate cover for ISBN 0006480098

Fitz is a royal bastard, cast out into the world with only his magical link with animals for solace and companionship.
But when Fitz is adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life: weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly. Meanwhile, raiders ravage the coasts, leaving the people Forged and soulless. As Fitz grows towards manhood, he will have to face his first terrifying mission, a task that poses as much a risk to himself as it does to his target: Fitz is a threat to the throne… but he may also be the key to the future of the kingdom.

Cover illustration by John Howe

蜚滋协助惟真王子成功召唤古灵、拯救六大公国之后，决意再次归隐田园。然而，在众人皆以为他死去的十五年后，皇家刺客的命运却再次找上门来……
订婚大典在即，晋责王子却离奇失踪。珂翠肯王后遂命已是顾问大臣的切德，请求蜚滋再次出山，返回六大公国，并赶在订婚大典前于暗中找回失踪的晋责王子。故友弄臣以黄金大人的身份返回公鹿堡，与蜚滋一同完成寻回王子的任务。两人命运之间的神秘关系也在执行任务的过程中渐渐显露……
弄臣究竟是什么人？他与蜚滋之间又有什么样的特殊关系？返回故土的蜚滋，又将如何面对痛苦的往昔以及风雨飘摇的未来？

《萨满桥》是罗苹·荷布《士兵之子》系列的第一部，是传统的奇幻小说，描述一个孩童自幼年至成长为士兵的经历。
二十多年来，杰尼亚不断向内陆扩张，从原始住民手中夺取领土，并将“国王之路”一直修到了住着神秘斯斑克人的壁垒山脉前。新增的广袤领土为杰尼亚王国造就了许多新晋贵族，却也引发了新旧贵族之间的权利争斗。
年轻的纳瓦尔是新贵族布维勒领主家的次子。在这个信奉善神的国度杰尼亚里，按照圣经所述，次子生来就该持剑入伍，成为一名士兵。纳瓦尔认同并且乐于接受命运对自己的安排。
某日，布维勒领主请了一位奇多纳人德瓦拉作为纳瓦尔的教师，来传授那些只有从“敌人”这才能学到的东西。在一系列艰苦的课程之后，纳瓦尔逐渐习惯了原始却自足的游牧生存方式，并且获得了一个成为真正“奇多纳人”的机会：德瓦拉用神秘的仪式将纳瓦尔带入了一个奇妙的异世界，在那里，纳瓦尔只要穿过重重阻碍，杀死阻断灵魂之桥的敌人，就能够获得古神的认可。纳瓦尔成功来到终点处的斯斑克树女面前，却不慎从桥上摔落，求生的本能让他向女巫求助，而代价则是成为阻止敌人毁灭斯斑克族的武器。
成年后的纳瓦尔来到位于首都旧塔尔斯的军事学院进修，和一班新贵族的士兵次子一起饱受旧贵族子嗣的歧视和不公平待遇。在暗夜节的狂欢节上，纳瓦尔体内潜藏的另一个自我意识终于浮现出来，用“沙尘之舞”将可怕的瘟疫带到军事学院和旧塔尔斯，撒播下了毁灭的种子……

The triumphant conclusion to the magnificent Liveship Traders series. The dragon, Tintaglia, has been released from her wizardwood coffin, only to find that the glories of her kingdom have passed into ancient memory. Meanwhile, Malta Vestrit navigates the acid flow of the Rain Wild River in a decomposing boat, accompanied by the Satrap Cosgo and his Companion Kekki. Against hope, a ship appears in the alien waters, but does it mean rescue, or a further nightmare, for Malta? In ruined Bingtown, the citizens are at war, against the Chalcedean mercenaries besieging the harbour, and also among themselves. If the city is to survive, Ronica Vestrit must unite all its peoples -- both Trader and Tattooed -- and liberate the city once and for all; but Companion Serilla has a different agenda, and is seeking to establish her own power base. Althea and Brashen are finally at sea together, sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters in a last-ditch effort to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, stolen by the Pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing in their rag-tag crew; and in the mind of the mad ship itself!Wintrow has liberated She Who Remembers and she can at last fulfil her ancient purpose, but in doing so he has been terribly injured. If Wintrow dies, Kennit fears that Vivacia will lose her fragile sanity: a loss that will also threaten his dreams of power and glory. So he strikes a deal with the ship. And soon the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as it sails to its destiny. Majestic and sweeping, Ship of Destiny concludes the tale of the Vestrit family and their part in the history of The Liveship Traders with a soaring and triumphant finale to this unique series of epic fantasy.

再多文字也無法描述「刺客後傳」最終結局撼動人心之處……
「刺客後傳」最刺激、最感人的完結篇，蜚滋將面臨友情、親情、忠誠的嚴酷考驗！
蜚滋與弄臣的命運至此已是生死一線間，他們會扭轉預言，或是順應天意？
蜚滋駿騎如今身兼刺客、間諜與精技師傅的多重身分，安穩地藏匿在公鹿堡的宮廷之中，
然而在人們眼中，他只是侍衛湯姆‧獾毛，如此而已。
為了履行對外島貴主的承諾，他與切德、阿憨，一起襄助王子出門遠征。
在這旅程中，交雜著必須解開的謎題、異文化的衝突，以及不可避免的背叛--
因為弄臣已預言自己將死於那寒冰之島，
為了拯救一生摯友，蜚滋不得不使計將他留在公鹿堡中。
然而，命運的安排，豈是這麼容易就能夠避開？

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in this standalone adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. Many have died along the way. With its acid waters and impenetrable forest, it is a hard place for any to survive. People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise. One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons. But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial. Soon, they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done. The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them. To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist...

Return to the world of the Liveship Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the second installment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy.

一個不情不願的冒險英雄，由於對王室的效忠，
不得不將自己一步步推向犧牲、救贖與背叛密謀。
自喪失親密伴侶之後，難以平復的孤寂一直籠罩著蜚滋駿騎‧瞻遠。
他定居公鹿堡，重拾刺客身分，強忍著悲傷，竭力為王室效忠。
在難以忍受的孤獨與痛苦之中，幸好還有昔日好友弄臣--也就是現在的黃金大人為伴。
然而，在某個祕密揭發之後，卻連這點友情也不堪一擊地化為烏有。
在缺乏奧援，且身陷密謀之中，蜚滋最大的挑戰無他，只要能保存性命就不錯了。

十五年來，瞻遠家的王室私生子蜚滋駿騎過著自我放逐的生活，而關愛著他的人，大都認為他已經死了。不過一切即將改觀，因為命運又再度找上門來。
瞻遠王位的年輕傳人，也就是晉責王子，突然消失不見，而蜚滋駿騎乃是唯一同時具有精技能力與野獸魔法，並能夠及時在王子的訂婚大典之前，將王子救回來的人。
蜚滋重新回到公鹿公國，也重拾過去那不可告人的身份，與已化身為俊美黃金大人的弄臣，一同進行搭救王子的任務。但是，就連蜚滋也沒有想到，眼前的局勢有多凶險，而他對於王后的忠誠、對於友伴的忠誠，以及他對於原智者同胞的忠誠，會受到多大的考驗……

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the third instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. Kelsingra awaits for those brave enough to enter...The dragons and their keepers have discovered Kelsingra but so far only Heeby has succeeded in flying over the river to enter the fabled city. The other dragons, with their deformed wings and feeble muscles, are afraid to risk failure and humiliation. But wondrous things await in Kelsingra, a city built for dragons and their Elderling keepers. Alise, overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, records her finds for posterity. Once the rest of the world knows about the riches the city contains, nothing will ever be the same again. Already, rumours of the city's discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. As is Hest Finbok, Alise's husband...Meanwhile, Selden Vestrit finds himself a prisoner of the ailing Duke of Chalced, who believes him to be some sort of dragon-man whose flesh and blood may work miracle cures. Where is Tintaglia, the great sapphire-blue dragon, when all have such need of her? Has she really abandoned her beloved Selden and the fledgling dragons forever? Or will she too return to seek the wonders of Kelsingra?

FitzChivalry Farseer is back at work as apprentice to master assassin Chade, but the master is nearing the end of his life. Nor is that the young assassin's only problem. The rescued Prince Dutiful isn't living up to his name and in his dereliction threatens to disclose his secret and scandalous possession of beast magic. Moreover, Farseer's wolf bondmate, Nighteyes, is dead, and the valuable companionship of the Fool (formerly known as the Tawny Man) is threatened not only by the Fool's own quirks of character but also by a number of deadly secrets he holds.

黠谋国王死在了亲生儿子帝尊的手中，蜚滋亦然——至少他的敌人和朋友对此深信不疑。，他靠自身的野兽魔法和盟友的帮助死而复生，但心灵却留下严重创伤。
痛苦的记忆促使蜚滋下定决心抛弃对王国的责任与义务，进行一项个人秘密任务——铲除帝尊。然而，这个计划却使他坠入精技狂潮和原智魔法 的深渊里，令其伤痕累累。惟真王子透过精技得知了蜚滋的艰难处境，便利用精技在蜚滋心中烙下不可抗拒的指令，让其前往群山寻找他，共同完成召唤古灵的任务……
帝尊将公鹿堡劫掠一空，并遗弃王国首都迁居内陆；红船劫匪仍旧大肆劫掠。六大公国命悬一线。蜚滋和惟真能否及时唤醒古灵，拯救家园于灾难之中？
本书由万墨轩图书策划编辑，上海社会科学院出版社出版发行。

《刺客后传》英国版
The Golden Fool, the second volume of Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy, is explicitly a sequel to both the Farseer and Liveship trilogies. The palace intrigues, which Fitz has found himself dragged back into, have as much to do with the politics of trade and conquest--the war between the Bingtown traders and their living ships and the theocratic bullies of Chalced--as with the oppression of the beast-speaking Witted by the majority and the terrorism of the Piebald faction among the Witted. Fitz has always been a deeply flawed hero--growing up as a royal bastard trained in assassination has not been good for his character--and his inability to understand how deeply he is loved upsets all the people around him.
One of Robin Hobb's strengths is her capacity to set up an interesting dialogue between metaphor and the literal; at both levels, The Golden Fool is a novel about moving through estrangement to reconciliation, about finding out the truth and then finding a way of living with it. This thoughtfulness means that, as always with Hobb, Fitz's role as tutor of a magically gifted prince, is as exciting as the book's occasional explosions of violence.

数十年前，一群不见容于社会、违反法律，或是无法继承家业之人，他们可以持着颁发的特许令，身无分文地渡海来到天谴海岸，凭借着勇气与决心，在缤城落地生根。这便是缤城商人的祖先。数十年来，旧商世家的辛勤耕耘，将缤城打造为重要的经济命脉，也为自己博得了受人尊重的身份与地位。
然而战火却在一夕之间燃烧到缤城，整座城市逐渐崩坏瓦解。同时，活船的秘密一步步揭开，薇瓦琪号将面对最恐怖的煎熬。真相如刀刃一般锋利，不仅伤害薇瓦琪，连爱护她的人也不免连带受害……

《魔法活船》英国版
The magic and mayhem continue in this thrilling second instalment of Hobb's new series. Althea Vestrit has found a new home aboard the liveship Ophelia, but she lives only to reclaim the Vivacia as her rightful inheritance. However, the Vivacia has been captured by the pirate, 'King' Kennit, and is acquiring a keen bloodlust. Meanwhile in Bingtown, the fading fortunes of the Vestrit family lead Malta deeper into the magical secrets of the mysterious Rain Wilds Traders. And just outside Bingtown, Amber dreams of relaunching the Paragon, The Mad Ship! The second volume in this superb trilogy from the author of THE FARSEER TRILOGY continues the dramatic tale of piracy, serpents, love and magic.

In the powerful conclusion to the Liveship Traders trilogy, Robin Hobb weaves the spellbinding story of a once-thriving city on the brink of ruin, a glorious and mythic species on the edge of extinction, and the Vestrit clan, whose destiny is intertwined with both....
As Bingtown slides toward disaster, clan matriarch Ronica Vestrit, branded a traitor, searches for a way to bring the city’s inhabitants together against the Chalcedean threat. Meanwhile, Althea Vestrit, unaware of what has befallen Bingtown and her family, continues her perilous quest to track down and recover her liveship Vivacia from the ruthless pirate Kennit.
Bold though it is, her scheme may be in vain. For her beloved Vivacia will face the most terrible confrontation of all as the secret of the liveships is revealed. It is a truth so shattering, it may destroy Vivacia and all who love her, including the boy-priest Wintrow Vestrit, whose life already hangs in the balance....

尋找一本帶你進入奇幻領域的作品，「刺客」系列將是你的第一選擇。
「刺客後傳」最刺激、最感人的完結篇，（色字）蜚滋將面臨友情、親情、忠誠的嚴酷考驗！（色字）蜚滋駿騎如今身兼刺客、間諜與精技師傅的多重身分，安穩地藏匿在公鹿堡的宮廷之中，然而在人們眼中，他只是侍衛湯姆‧獾毛，如此而已。為了履行對外島貴主的承諾，他與切德、阿憨，一起襄助王子出門遠征。在這旅程中，交雜著必須解開的謎題、異文化的衝突，以及不可避免的背叛——因為弄臣已預言自己將死於那寒冰之島，為了拯救一生摯友，蜚滋不得不使計將他留在公鹿堡中。然而，命運的安排，豈是這麼容易就能夠避開？

In this hard-to-put-down follow-up to the Farseer Trilogy, Hobb maintains the high standards of her earlier fantasy series. The Fool and FitzChivalry Farseer band together once more to ride against the foes of the Farseer royal family in the kingdom of the Six Duchies. Last seen in Assassin's Quest, FitzChivalry (aka Tom Badgerlock due to the shock of white in his dark hair) has matured beyond the youth blindly following orders. For the past 15 years, Fitz has quietly led the life of a semi-recluse, trying his hardest to disappear. Believing that his glory days are over, he's surprised when fate (in the form of the Fool) pulls him back into the political intrigues that plague the Six Duchies. Endowed with both royal Skill magic and beast magic, Fitz assumes the task of returning the wayward heir to the throne, Prince Dutiful, to his home before his betrothal ceremony something that should be an easy task. In the event, the easy task proves extremely difficult, both physically and mentally for Fitz. The first half of the novel mostly focuses on Fitz's angst-ridden past. The heart-thumping, sword-clashing action that Hobb is known for emerges only during the second half, bringing Fitz fully to life. This is not to say that the first half is by any means dull. It's not. But the full range of Fitz's capabilities doesn't come to the forefront until later. When the action sequences finally kick in, they're non-stop. What starts as a very good read shifts into a stay-up-until-2:00 a.m.-to-finish type of book. (Jan. 9)Forecast: Stephen Youll's quiet jacket art gives no hint of the novel's intensity, but Hobb fans will know better and not be deterred.