Book 2), The Mad Ship (The Liveship Traders

Amazing writing, coupled with superb three dimensional characters that never cease to amaze me in their depth. A great continuation of the previous story, truly a marvel for one's imagination. Completely recommend it!

Well written book, great story that adds to the full series of books written in this universe Hobb has created, while still maintaining a seperate story you can enjoy without reading previous books.
eBook version is mostly well done, no obvious editing problems or layout issues.

went through the first two volumes, and collapsed during this one. reminds me of Jordan and his wheel, why does it take 100 pages and 5 chapters for one scene to unfold, and 600 pages for a 10 page story to be told?
the dreaming snakes are so boring, just like the wheel, turns on and on, or like the rock: rolls and rolls, but not much moss
The assassin series was much more efficient... I don't mind descriptions and feelings but repetition and lack of imagination shows too much in this one, Hobb really labored hard to conclude this series...

Overall, this is a good continuation from the first installment of the trilogy. Malta's character fully blossomed on this book along with that of Wintrow. All culminates with Tintiglia's liberation from its captivity. The story flows smoothly and the interest augments as the story develops. We'll see what the final installment brings forth...

Another great story from one of my favorite tellers! Could t put it down, read the whole darn thing in a week and a half even with full time work. Her world building brings you right into the characters lives and she knows how to create characters that are complex and flawed and perfectly believable.

A true master I will read anything this woman puts out there be it published book or random thoughts on a napkin!

Overall, I would say that this sequel is an improvement over the first Liveship Traders book. The plot moves a little more quickly, and there's great character work turning the most insufferable figure from the previous story into a compelling protagonist. These features build nicely on the swashbuckling pirate action and intricate fantasy worldbuilding that author Robin Hobb has previously established and create solid momentum going into the concluding volume.

With that being said, the sexual politics of the trilogy still leave much to be desired. One viewpoint character in this novel is raped repeatedly over the course of a long sea voyage; another escapes a similar attempt only by brutally fighting off her assailant. (Neither of these is even the rape scene I had remembered before this reread, which I guess must take place in the third book.) There's also the continuing romance of an adult man courting a young teenage girl, which is never framed as particularly problematic even when characters are directly calling her an immature child. None of this seems at all essential for the story that Hobb is telling, and it may not be what some readers are looking for in their escapist fiction.

As is often the case with second books in fantasy trilogies, The Mad Ship does not so much advance the plot as sets the stage for the final installment, fleshes out the characters and fills out some important gaps in the lore.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of stuff happening in the book. Compared, say, to the unbearable slogs of some Wheel of Time, it's practically an action-packed amphetamine-fueled ride. But compared to your standard epic fantasy fare, it can be a bit slow at times. As seems to be her custom, Hobb fills the book with reams of long-winded expository dialogue and skips arbitrarily lengthy periods of time in her narration. You often encounter terse description of pretty important events that happened between chapters and go, um, don't you think this deserved a bit more attention? Like a separate chapter, maybe?.

But, if like me, you enjoy world-building in fantasy series, you will love this book. There are a lot of tasty morsels here that uncover new layers of complexity and weirdness in the Realm of the Elderlings' lore. I'd hate to spoil them for you, so just believe me on that:) Perhaps more importantly there is a sense of coherence and purpose permeating the book: you are sure that author knows where she's going with all the character growth and plot threads and lore stuff and she will arrive there on time – which is more than you can say about *cough* some other fantasy juggernauts out there. As a result, I'm pretty hyped about reading the final book in the trilogy. In fact I can't remember the last time I was that excited about reading a fantasy novel.

The fortunes of the Vestrit family have become more desperate. Their liveship, the Vivacia, has been captured by the notorious "pirate king" Kennit and is now helping liberate slaver ships on the seas between Jamaillia and Chalced. The Vestrits have no choice but to help refloat the mad liveship Paragon in the hope they can convince the deranged vessel to help them regain the ship and rescue their kin.

The Mad Ship is the middle volume of The Liveship Traders trilogy and very much reads like one. The story doesn't really start or finish, instead transitioning from the beginning to the end without necessarily having a defining storyline itself. The storylines begun in Ship of Magic are pretty strong so having them continue is fine, and the new additions to the world - a subplot involving the Satrap of Jamaillia and one of his Consorts, and a new story set in an Elderling city in the Rain River Wilds - are well-judged and engrossing.

However, the novel definitely loses some of the pace and momentum of Ship of Magic, which remains my favourite Hobb novel (again, only having read the first six). Hobb's net is cast wider here and the story, world and characters remain fascinating, but there's also much greater periods of time in which nothing much seems to be happening, or we touch base (again) with the Vestrit family having another grim conference about the status of the lower field and getting embarrassed with a family friend whose clothes are a bit old.

Still, if the momentum isn't quite as swift as in the previous novel, Hobb's other strengths remain on full display. The depth of characterisation is remarkable, especially of previously-annoying characters like Malta who develops impressively in this novel beyond the more stereotypical, troublesome teenager of the first book. The biggest success is in the curious relationship between Kennit, Etta, Wintrow and Vivacia, which defies cliche at every turn and becomes a gripping study in character dynamics, power structures and obligation (Hobb does torpedo this, rather frustratingly, in the final volume of the trilogy but at this point it's fascinating).

There's also some uncharacteristic (for Hobb) large-scale action scenes which she handles well, some more deft political maneuverings and some effective mystical dream sequences which hint at a major plot revelation about the nature of the liveships and their place in the world.

The Mad Ship (****) doesn't impress as much as Ship of Magic and definitely feels like it's a slower, more relaxed book, but it evolves the story and characters nicely and sets things up well for the final (and rather more problematic) volume in the trilogy, Ship of Destiny.

With Vivacia taken by pirates and the Satrap en route to Bingtown, revolution approaches the Cursed Shores. This is a difficult book to review alone, because it is distinctly more of the same in a style one ("one book with extra pieces of cardboard") series and not an independent story in itself. As with the first book, this is overlong but its relaxed style and intimate focus on a large cast is immersive. It's frequently unpleasant to read, as sexism and slavery remain forefront and this time PoV characters experience sexual assault and rape, and because interpersonal dynamics are plagued by manipulation and poor communication. But this is balanced by significant character growth and magical worldbuilding of larger scale and detail than was present in the Farseer Trilogy. Despite flaws and caveats, I find this series absorbing; I look forward to the final book.

I very much enjoyed Ship of Magic. The only fault I had with Ship was that it slowed down often. I felt that it was overly repetitive on the emotional side. Mad Ship felt like a stagnation to me. I felt that Hobb might have approached the two stories differently. Ship of Magic felt like an exploration. I thought Hobb was discovering the world as she wrote it out. This time around, it felt like she plotted it out before writing and in my mind this made the story feel like Hobb was going about tying everything up. Not very much new happens. Or at least not much new for a book of this size.

There isn't a ton of romance here, but I found what is here to be tedious. Other than the pirate kings unexpected wooing, the rest of it was over done.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mad Ship, and despite its length got through it fairly quickly. The plot moves at a good clip, and many of the problems I had with Ship of Magic are gone from the sequel: there's less bloat, and the overall arc of the trilogy becomes clear, as do the roles of Paragon and the serpents. Even Wintrow (my least favorite character in this trilogy) was better here.

And yet, certain plot contrivances keep this book from getting four stars. The biggest one is the mission several characters undertake to rescue Vivicia. The chances of that particular plot working out are so farfetched that I didn't believe for a moment the levelheaded Vestrit women would agree to it, and so it seemed that Hobb swept all the characters' common sense under the rug to get that particular plot. Additionally, this is the book where several main characters all improve their personalities, and while there's certainly an explanation for each individual arc.... how is it that in one book, Malta grows up and loses her mean streak, Brashen loses his drug addiction, and everyone (including Etta herself) forgets about Etta's propensity to torture people? Hobb does characterization well, but I just wasn't entirely convinced.

Overall, though, I don't think this is a bad book. It has a fun, exciting plot with well-developed characters. The world is rather bland and under-described, but it's not cookie-cutter fantasyland by any means, and the larger political situation and the characters' personal stories are well woven together here. I would certainly recommend this book to those who enjoyed Ship of Magic, and even if you were on the fence, in my opinion this one is better.

The truly amazing thing about Liveship Traders is that Robin Hobb has created a society...wait, what? Isn't that the goal of (almost) all second world authors? Yes, but I don't mean that Hobb created a list of rules, or a collection of customs, or a homogenous mass of bizarre rituals. No, Hobb's creation is multi faceted and deep, beautifully realized and felt with every word that's read of her creation.

Characters, or people, are shaped by the world around them - even as they, in turn, shape that world - and few authors better understand this than Hobb. Nobody in these novels exists in a vacuum. Instead, each and every character is a result of their environment, whether they are struggling to live up to the expectations of others or trying to break entirely away from those predefined paths.

This is character driven fiction in every sense of the word; the plot meanders and grows, always organically, as a result of the characters' decisions, even when that character is wrong or misguided. Main characters will end up opposing one another, threads will wander and twist, and some events even seem to be striving in the opposite direction of the rest of the novel, but there is not a single point where a viewpoint feels false, where a plan seems concocted only for convenience's sake.

In order for something like this to work, the characters need to be exceptional. And they are. These are people driven by their own desires and needs, who have their own goals and fears, and always act in a way dictated by their virtues and flaws. Everyone here believes their own goals to be paramount, and, within that character's viewpoint, it is impossible to think otherwise. Hobb's skill is not to make the epic personal, but rather to make the personal the stuff of epics. Simple tragedies, the kind that we experience without having to fight dark lords upon mountaintops, the kinds that form the core of almost every life, are the center of this story.

Personal injustices affect us just as much as they do the characters. The catalyst for much of the trilogy is Althea's loss of her liveship, the Vivacia. Convinced that her sister's husband would be better able to support the family as a whole, Althea's father deprives her of her inheritance. The scene hits with the emotional impact of Martin's famous Red Wedding. This was never a world shattering event, and yet I was as furious as I'd ever been made while reading; at that moment, if I'd had the ability to reach into the book, I would have throttled Kyle Haven.

Even that, however, is not where the true power of Liveship Traders lies, because, you see, Hobb's characterization is unbiased, and, when I was in Kyle's head, I understood his reasons, I understood why he did what he had to do, I even agreed with him. The fact that Hobb can do both ends, can make both sides feel as just as the other, can stir up the reader's one way and then twist it the other, is the core of The Liveship Traders success.

Furthermore, the lackadaisical pace of The Liveship Traders gives characters time to grow. These books are not a series of trials or challenges from which the characters come out at the end with a tidy moral lesson. They are, instead, brutal transformations, where every character is morphed and shaped by the events around them and by what they have to experience. Often, at the end of difficult journeys, characters will be presented with what they've been striving for, only to realize that it no longer fits them as it once did.

Malta is a great example of this. At the book's start, she is spoiled and childish, not to mention wholly unlikable. As time progresses, she's forced to mature. By the book's end, she is a totally different person, even though the characteristics that shaped her before are still present, and even though she never went through a magical epiphany that reorganized her whole personality in a single, glorious instant.

The first book in the trilogy, Ship of Magic, is slow to start, as many of the characters seem unsympathetic, and the cast as a whole is too far apart to really influence one another yet. Still, the characterization draws you in within only a few pages, and you're soon enthralled as events that start simple slowly begin to spiral out of control.

The supernatural is muted here, present but far from center stage. What few elements of true magic there are are blended seamlessly into the rest of the narrative, made normal by the character's perceptions and used to emphasize the cast's humanity rather than to simply drive the plot.

Mad Ship is where the stakes are upped throughout, with the beginnings of the plot that will link the series together becoming apparent. The various conflicts that determined the first book's events are magnified here, the societies established in book one on the verge of splitting open. Where Ship of Magic was a meandering journey through increasingly interesting places, Mad Ships is a disparate but still cohesive sprint through ever more affecting heights of tension.

Hand in hand, with the growth of the stakes is the presence of magic in the narrative. Ship of Magic showed us a relatively standard world, with only the slightest hints of the otherworldly to give it flavor and direction. Here, by contrast, events are often decided by the ever growing presence of those otherworldly elements.

Everything still works, however, because those elements are still fundamentally a part of the narrative. Rather than supersede the various character stories that Hobb has built up to this point, the supernatural plays into them, exaggerating strengths and weaknesses while still sticking to the ground rules that have been established up to this point even if Hobb is busy shattering our perceptions while she does it.

Furthermore, the magic is just damn cool. None of it is particularly original, but we've been made to care about the world to such an extent at this point that that doesn't matter. The reveals given here are both jaw dropping and horrifying, and the atmosphere that Hobb manages to evoke is haunting and beautiful in all the right places.

The plot of The Liveship Traders is almost like trying to make something out of a disorganized ball of string while seeming to do nothing at all. Patterns slowly began to emerge in Ship of Magic, but things are more than leisurely as the individual pieces seem more inclined to move under their own volition and to their own ends than to any master plan. Mad Ship is nothing short of frantic when compared with its predecessor, but the events still feel just as character driven as they did before.

With Ship of Destiny, though, you can clearly see Hobb's fingers in the frame as they manipulate the strands into the shape she needs them to be in, regardless of where they just seemed poised to go. The once organic plot now becomes contrived, characters picked up off of their natural courses and plopped down somewhere convenient with no regard to their wants or desires. By the time the third or fourth piece is about to be rammed into place for the climax, it becomes hard to even feel that Hobb tried to disguise the fact that she, quite literally, dropped him out of the sky.

A prime example of the simplification of everything that came before is the Bingtown situation. Where the first two books featured an increasingly fractured community, one where no easy solution was present, Ship of Destiny features a cartoonish and generic villain take power by being a puppy-eating demon, his every threat counteracted by his oh-so-obviously-eminent downfall.

Worse still is the use of magic. No longer are the dragons and serpents, the seething cities and sentient ships, a part of the plot, an influence on the characters. Instead, the supernatural steps up and takes control of the whole journey, tossing the motivations and actions of the characters we just read about casually aside as they assert their own dominance and narrative directions. Partway through the book, a certain magical character instructs the characters:

"'I have a task for you, [name]. It is of utmost importance. You and your fellows must set aside all else to attend to it, and until it is completed, you must think of nothing else. [...] The task you must perform is vastly more important than one human's mating. I honor you with an undertaking that may well save the whole of my race.'" (p. 355-356)

A supernatural creature insisting its own tasks are far more important than that of us lesser humans? Fascinating. The humans actually going along with this and just about abandoning all of what made them interesting characters and the book a gripping read? Less fascinating.

The Liveship Traders is one of the absolute best works of character in fantasy or any other medium. Events are built to a fever pitch over several excellently paced and plotted books, the experience something like what might result from taking Fitz's treatment in FarseerLINK and expanding it to everyone in sight. Then, in the final volume, the whole thing falls apart, resolving the events and conflicts that were built up without ever resolving the characters internal and external crisis, explaining how everything fits together without bothering to mention why the pieces should be put together that way or how they feel about their new positions. It's not enough to ruin what comes before, but it is enough to deny The Liveship Traders the position in the fantasy hierarchy that it deserves.

In this second installment of Hobb's "Liveship Traders" Trilogy we are returned to the Cursed Shores and learn even more about these mysterious Liveships. Althea and Brashen team up to form a dangerous plot to retrieve the Vestrit family Liveship that has been captured by the vicious pirate Captain Kennit. While they hatch their plans Wintrow, who has also been captured along with the Liveship is slowly slipping under the influence of the vivacious pirate as he too hatches his own scemes.

And while everyone else schemes and dreams, the ever-present serpents struggle to complete their destiny and understand their reason for being...

I picked up "Mad Ship" almost immediately after finishing the prequel "Ship of Magic." I ended up having mixed feelings about "Mad Ship." While the feelings edge towards the positive, there is still a feeling of oddness to it I just can't seem to shake when I think back on "Mad Ship" as a whole.

On the positive side, Hobb of course did not disappoint. "Mad Ship" was full of what "Ship of Magic" gave me a taste of and kept my appetite perked for more. The characters were well-rounded and really came into their own more in this book than in "Ship of Magic." Schemes and plots came to light and others were dashed completely.

I also commend Hobb for keeping her second book true to the original story she started with in "Ship of Magic." She did not pull a George Martin and introduce so many characters my head started to spin. The characters she did introduce were minimal and added to the story as opposed to hindering the plotline.

On the flipside there was a slight bit of cheese. Nothing a good Chardonnay couldn't compliment, but it was still there nonetheless. Towards the end of "Mad Ship" we begin to understand more about what a Liveship actually is and we understand why there are entire chapters dedicated to "the serpents" that in "Ship of Magic" at least, were seemingly insignificant to the plot.

Without giving anything away I found the reasons Hobb gave for the serpents being to be a little far-fetched. Yes I know it's fantasy and anything can happen, and yes, I know: I couldn't believe I found myself griping over mythical characters either but...I don't know I found her explanations to be a little corny.

Now, I will gladly eat my words if once I read the third book "Ship of Destiny" her reasons turn out to be justified. I love nothing more than when I have to eat my words.

I think I need to classify "Mad Ship" in the same category as "The Empire Strikes Back." Not my favorite, but necessary to the storyline.

The Vestrit family verges upon bankruptcy, and the Vivacia, the Vestrit family Liveship, is long overdue to return from trading. Their vast debts to the Rain Wild Traders are owed "in blood or gold." Unbeknownst to them, the Vivacia has been captured by Kennit the pirate, along Wintrow and Kyle Haven. But the Vestrits are not the only Trader family in trouble. All the Old Traders are feeling the pinch from the Satrap of Jamaillia's increasing taxes and the New Traders slave-made fortunes. People begin to openly discuss rebellion from Jamaillia. Althea returns home expecting to take over her ship, only to find it missing in action. When her old shipmate and former lover, Brashen Trell, also returns and confirms that pirates have captured the ship, the family initiates a mission to rescue Vivacia and their family members. Young but headstrong Malta Vestrit fears the possibility that she may be forced to marry a Rain Wilder to pay the family debt, while also secretly yearns for the adventure and the mystery of the Rain Wilds.

Kennit works his charms on Vivacia, attempting to win her over to the freedom and excitement of the pirate life.

The sea serpents gather and find a new way to restore their lost memories - namely eating Liveships. However, these memories are insufficient to allow them to complete their transformation alone. Even as they despair, She Who Remembers, freed by Wintrow at the cost of his life, is seeking them.

The Liveship Trader's Trilogy takes place in Jamaillia, Bingtown and the Pirate Isles, on the coast far to the south of the Six Duchies. The war in the north has interrupted the trade that is the lifeblood of Bingtown, and the Liveship Traders have fallen on hard times despite their magic sentient ships. At one time, possession of a Liveship, constructed of magical wizard wood, guaranteed a Trader's family prosperity. Only a Liveship can brave the dangers of the Rain Wild River and trade with the legendary Rain Wild Traders and their mysterious magical goods, plundered from the enigmatic Elderling ruins. Althea Vestrit expects her families to adhere to tradition, and pass the family Liveship on to her when it quickens at the death of her father. Instead, the Vivacia goes to her sister Keffria and her scheming Chalcedan husband Kyle. The proud Liveship becomes a transport vessel for the despised but highly profitable slave trade.

Althea, cast out on her own, resolves to make her own way in the world and somehow regain control of her family's living ship. Her old shipmate Brashen Trell, the enigmatic woodcarver Amber and the Paragon, the notorious mad Liveship are the only allies she can rally to her cause. Pirates, a slave rebellion, migrating sea serpents and a newly hatched dragon are but a few of the obstacles she must face on her way to discovering that Liveships are not, perhaps, what they seem to be, and may have dreams of their own to follow.

"The Liveship Traders: Mad Ship" continues "The Liveship Traders Trilogy" as Wintrow adapts to a new life aboard his ship controlled by the pirate Kennit. The author masterfully blends numerous plotlines of continuous adventure into an extraordinary middle novel tying traditional family issues and values with survival inside a changing society during a political upheaval.

In a host of characters predominately female, Kennit reigns supreme by his engaging personality and arrogant attitude even when he reveals a fair amount of his mysterious and painful past. One of the best lines is when he commands a particular person to do something, the person boldly informs Kennit he cannot make him do anything, he is not a slave, to which Kennit replies, "I can make you dead."

The abundant cast, which includes many newer individuals, is nearly overwhelming. From Amber befriending the liveship Paragon to Brashen Trell and Althea Vestrit enduring separation, the characters themselves are the strongest point in the multi-layered tale. A few people mature like the glowing Wintrow Haven, and even his conniving and deceitful sister Malta begins to show positive changes in her behavior.

The challenging life of a Rain Wild Trader on a volatile land addresses the recurring Elderkind and magic quickened inanimate objects into living creatures theme from "The Farseer Trilogy". Near the end of the story, there is enlightenment about the unusual "tangle" segment and could have a great impact on the relationship between the Rain Wilder Traders and Old Traders.

There are disturbing events similar to the prior novel, which may be questionable for young readers. A more detailed map of the significant terrains including a legend plus a comprehensive appendix would have been useful.

I highly recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

Somehow "The Liveship Traders" just got better. Robin Hobb, the author of the "Farseer" trilogy and "Ship of Magic", has written a book that builds upon the story began in "Ship of Magic" and expands it far enough that already I have to consider "The Liveship Traders" be superior to the excellent "Farseer" trilogy. How did she do this? Robin Hobb simply turned the entire world of the Traders and Bingtown on its head.

When we last left our characters at the end of "Ship of Magic" we saw Kyle Havan, his son Wintrow, and the Liveship Vivacia taken captive by the pirate Captain Kennit. Kennit had been striving to capture a Liveship so that he could rid the waters of slave traders (Havan, on his first voyage on Vivacia after his father in law Trader Vestrit died, is trading in slaves). A Liveship is a sentient ship and one that is bound to her owners family, but if tamed would be the best ship on the water. Althea, the daughter of Trader Vestrit, is sailing back to Bingtown on another Liveship after having quite a hard time proving that she could be a sailor. She had expected to inherit Vivacia from her father and her brother in law, Kyle Havan, told her that the only way she would ever get the ship was to prove herself a sailor. Brashen Trell, the former first mate of the Vivacia and disinherited son of a Trader family, is sailing on a pirate ship himself as it is the only berth he could get. The Vestrit family is low on fortune and struggling to make the payments for the Vivacia and is counting on the money Kyle would bring back from the slave trade. Except that he hasn't returned yet.

This previous paragraph helps to bring the storyline up to the beginning of "Mad Ships", although it is a much abbreviated version of what happened in "Ship of Destiny" and robs the story of all of its craft and does not do justice to it. "Mad Ship" takes everything further and in a whole new direction. Brashen Trell returns to Bingtown with news that the Vivacia is captured. Althea also returns and learns of this and helps her family, with the assistance of Brashen and a mysterious woman named Amber to rescue the Vivacia. This is one third of the story. The next third of the story revolves around the Vestrit family, in particular the youngest daughter Malta. Malta is being courted by a young man named Reyn from the Rain Wilds Trader family who holds the lease of the Vivacia. Malta starts the novel wanting nothing more than to live a lavish lifestyle and to be introduced into society and feels held back by her family's impending poverty. But as the novel progresses Malta begins to learn what it is to rely on her family and her responsibility. She still has flights of fancy, but not to the extent as before and she becomes much more responsible. The final third of "Mad Ship" deals with Captain Kennit and Wintrow. Wintrow is the eldest (living) son of Kyle Havan and Keffira Vestrit and was studying to be a priest of Sa. But when Kyle's heir died he was called back unwilling to resume his place in the family and by the time of this novel Kyle took his own son a slave, branded his face, and was disgusted by Wintrow. But Wintrow is the only one with Vestrit blood aboard the Vivacia and this bond is vitally important...except that Wintrow's rejection of this life has caused the Vivacia to be able to be wooed by Captain Kennit into piracy. It is interesting that the character of Captain Kennit initially appeared to be one of the villains of the story is coming out a hero in "Mad Ship". Whether or not this holds is another question, but he is feeling like an anti-hero as he wants to improve the lives of those in the Pirate Isles and end slavery...but he is a pirate himself with all that entails.

To reveal too much of where "Mad Ship" takes the story would lessen the joy in discovering it. The pace of the story still moves at a gradual but insistent pace, but the story is rich in detail and Hobb builds this world with great skill. Even though it is part of the same world of the "Farseer" trilogy, "The Liveship Traders" takes place in a completely different part of the world and while the Six Duchies are referred to as is the Red Ships War it is only a reference to set this story on a chronology. Suffice it to say that what Robin Hobb reveals about the nature of Liveships and also about the serpents which keep getting a prologue and a few "interlude" chapters changes everything about how I view the story. Not to mention that Hobb has completely altered the lives of Bingtown and the characters irrevocably.

Midway through this novel I was very much wrapped up in the story Robin Hobb was telling and by the end I was in turn impressed, wanting to cheer (Althea), and shocked by the revelations. I knew Hobb was a good writer and have enjoyed the four previous books of hers I have read, but "Mad Ship" is a cut above those. I am truly excited to finish of the trilogy with "Ship of Magic" and as I said in the first paragraph I believe this series to be better than her excellent "Farseer" trilogy.

-Joe Sherry

This may well be the best ongoing work of fantasy being written. A strong statement, perhaps, but one I believe is easily supported by the literate quality of writing, the depth of both the characterization and world she has created, the complexity of her plot development, and the originality of both her world and the elements of fantasy and and the magic underpinning it. In terms of the latter, it is refreshingly difficult to perceive any borrowings stemming from her predecessors, and her treatment of dragons is so far the only example I have discovered that is not either childish, overly drawn from earlier and worn stereotypes, or lacking credible treatment. In terms of the former, Robin Hobb is one of only a few fantasy authors who can truly write well. This is a series that should grace the shelves of any serious reader of fantasy, and rises far above the simple, run of the mill fare we so often encounter, with their characters and magical elements rarely ascending above the conventional or the borrowed.
I noted that an earlier reviewer found this installment weaker than first; however I feel this to be the strongest volume of the series (I have obtained and read the concluding novel). In terms of the interweaving of the multiple plot lines, "Mad Ship" closes much that was left unresolved in "Ship of Magic," and propels the plot along at a much brisker pace, successfully setting up anticipation for the final resolution to come in "Ship of Destiny." It seems to me more tightly written, both in terms of character development and story line. Some appear to have found the plot overly complex, yet I would counter that the complexity and multiple plotlines are one of the books strengths, and that the absence of simplistic and largely linear storylines, as can be found in works by more conventional authors such as Eddings, Brooks, MacCaffrey, or Feist, creates a narrative that offers the reader far greater dimension and interest than a work that plods along the path of a single character. This, I suppose, is a matter of taste, but for me the more character perspectives the better, as long as they are individually and fully developed, which certainly is the case here. This offers the reader a narrative of greater depth and richness. Hobb's storyline here, with its multi-dimensional threads of plot, never strays, evolving over time into a cohesive yet multifaceted entity as wonderfully rendered as 'Maulkin's Tangle.'
I was somewhat baffled by an earlier criticism regarding a lack of characterization: One of Hobb's undeniable strengths are her characterizations; few other authors are so thorough in creating unique and individual characters whose responses are neither black nor white. And it is hard to find more credible female characters. Finally, in response to another reader, while I am one who continues to read Jordan with enjoyment, I believe the Hobb is shown here to be the better writer, at least in terms of the maturity of her characterizations and the originality of her world, and certainly his equal when it comes to descriptive narrative. While Hobb may not offer the epic scope of Jordan's vision, it waits to be seen whether the greater strength lies with her more tightly envisioned approach to storytelling.

I should admit that I had some initial difficulties with Mad Ship. There are a *lot* of main characters, and I kept being lazy and wanting to put the book down because I felt lost and did not want to bother finding the thread again. My experience, at least, was that once I persevered through the first quarter of the book all the different voices fell together rather neatly and I was no longer bothered by the multitude of characters.

While it may be a flaw that it took me time to reconcile the different people, it is most certainly one of the major strengths of Robin Hobb that she manages to handle so many well-developed characters in a novel/series. I was delighted with the way these characters grew and matured. I found it both realistic and well-written. For example, it would be very tempting to leave Althea and Malta difficult and immature for the sake of the plot, and it was very nice that Hobb did not take the easy way out and do this. The two women matured as much as two stubborn natures would be expected to, given their respective backgrounds and the situations in which they found themselves. I had the feeling that the plot unfolded naturally from the nature of the characters and the conditions of the fantasy world, and that is exactly as it should be in fantasy fiction.

The end of this book had just enough resolution to make it more than the middle piece in a trilogy. It stood well in its own right as a novel, which is something most writers consistently fail to do with Book 2. Mad Ship also introduced enough new elements (Dragons!) to provide promise that the final book will deliver a number of surprises.

Hobb is one of the best fantasy writers currently working and this book stands well as an example of her work. She is a literate and mature writer with demonstrable mastery of her craft. I look forward to reading book 3.

"Mad Ship" is an extraordinary novel. That's about the only way to say it. As a sequel, it strikes just the right balance between keeping up all the old plotlines and introducing us to new people and places. Just like in "Ship of Magic", the writing is fantastic and the sense of adventure, mystery, and romance is very real.
"Mad Ship" begins with Althea returning home to Bingtown to learn that the Vivacia still hasn't returned. Of course, the ship is still in the hands of Captain Kennit, who appears to be facing death since he hasn't recovered from the serpent bite. The Vestrits finally learn what happened when Brashen, who saw the Vivacia when he was visiting the Pirate Islands, brings them the news. In this volume, we also get some passages told from the perspective of Reyn Khuprus, the Rain Wild trader, and we come closer to learning where the liveships come from and how this all relates to the fate of the great sea serpents. Yet another plotline follows one of the Satrap's advisors in Jamailla.
The really good thing about "Mad Ship" is that Hobb isn't content to simply keep doing what she did in "Ship of Magic". Instead, she brings out several new mysteries and takes the story in surprising directions. Some of the best scenes in this book come at the very end, when the differing plotlines are starting to come together, and the characters that we know so well show that they still have some surprises waiting for us. I really enjoy the unpredictability of Hobb's writing, and the sense that anything could happen at any time.
Some people might complain that this book is too long and that at the beginning, it moves too slowly. But the point that they're missing is that this is mostly a character-driven novel. Hobb includes a lot of passages that let us see into the minds of the characters and learn not just what they do, but why they do it. This is another one of the facets that makes her writing so special.

This is the middle novel of the "Liveship Traders" trilogy ("Ship Of Magic"), a fantasy saga of seagoing trading families bonded to sentient liveships made of rare wizardwood.

The Vestritt liveship, Vivacia, which had been taken from Althea Vestritt by her brother-in-law and turned to slave dealing, has been seized by the ambitious, slavery hating pirate Kennitt, further destroying the deteriorating finances of the Vestritt family.

Althea, with the help of the disinherited but dashing Brashen and the self-possessed outsider Amber, decides to go after Vivacia in the mad liveship Paragon, which has destroyed his previous crews and been beached for years.

The story moves from the traders' homeland of Bingtown, a place of Victorian propriety, to the disturbing magical land of the Rain Wilders where wizardwood is found, to the opulent corruption of the Satrap whose feckless greed is destroying his realm, to the seagoing adventures of Vivacia, her reluctant young Vestritt sailor Wintrow and her ruthless new captain Kennitt and, not least, to the undersea world of the great serpents who are mysteriously losing their minds and memories.

Basically a swashbuckling romantic sea story with magical properties and ethical strife, Hobb's story is only slightly marred by overwritten human quarreling. The grand adventure entertains but interested readers will have to look for the third installment, "Ship of Destiny," to see how it all comes out.

I liked this one less than book one - the writing is still there, but the story is missing - there is movement for characters and they 'do' stuff and they 'go' places, but they do not grow and they do not evolve, and there is most definitely NOT an ending here either - this is poorly labeled as a trilogy when it is really one long epic novel broken into three books, and it is not that great overall - 10 plot lines, and I Lem about half of them because I am bored with the lack of progress and the constant need to talk about everything without doing anything - this is such a huge disappointment from a very good author

Unmistakably Robin Hobb at her best, this book has nevertheless engendered a few unfavorably comparisons with her first trilogy, the Farseer Saga. However, I believe that the different feel and atmosphere of The Liveship Traders has caused some of those reviews.
Truly, this is a far more coherent work than the Farseer Saga. Not as subtle, perhaps as a result, as I, and no doubt many other readers, have been able to predict the course of events before their occurrence. But then, that is the nature of this Trilogy, is it not? The Farseer Saga was meant to be a more mysterious, medieval world of barbaric feudalism, dark intrigue, and sinister magic. The world of The Liveship Traders, on the other hand, is far more exotic, where the fantastic does not seem as threatening, where the people are more civilized (decadent?), and the world a brighter place. The tone of Hobb's work fully reflects the atmosphere, and rightly so. This is not so much a story of intrigue as one of high adventure. There is, however, no less of a focus on character, on the individual. But this time, Hobb does not focus so much on one individual (as she did in Farseer), but chooses to tell the story from a third-person perspective. This, too, complements the nature of the work. The dark mystery of the Farseer was effectively communicated from the point-of-view of Fitz, while the breadth of The Liveship Traders could not be so contained in one person's perspective. And while little seems to happen in this second book, and the readers feel cast adrift on an endless sea, Hobb nevertheless reveals much about her world, rather than saving all revelations for her last book.
There are significant ties to her first trilogy, some very apparent; others, not so. But what remained somewhat vague and unclear in the Farseer is illuminated in Liveship. As a side note, of all the characters mentioned, I feel that Amber has been neglected by readers. She is the most understated link to Farseer. And the obvious hints to her identity reveal that Hobb has no intention of keeping us in the dark ages with this trilogy.
A brilliant read, after the appetizing Ship of Magic. Mad Ship provides a well-planned seven-course meal that primes our palate for dessert. I cannot wait for Ship of Destiny!

Once again Ms Hobb continues to please. Like many of the other reviewers, I feel that the Liveship series lacks the poignancy and impact of the Farseer series. But let's face it - that's one hard act to follow! Each instalment of the Farseer series left me emotionally drained for days! You should compare apples with apples, eh? This series is different - it's written in the third person which never draws you in like the first person does. Its scope is far larger with several plots and sub-plots wending their way to what I am sure will be a memorable and satisfying resolution. But a central theme remains consistant with the author's earlier works: that of the animation of inanimate things by the absorption of a human personality (is that animism of some type?). This series answers some of the questions arising from the first series and continues the theme with the creation of "live ships" hewn from a special "wood". I found the "quickening" process somewhat disturbing and the tales of Paragon's genesis quite distressing. (My instincts were right! The whole liveship thing is an abomination.) The author keeps the story and character development jumping along at a good pace. (Her characterisations are nearly the best in the business. J.V. Jones could take a leaf or two eh?)I look forward eagerly to book 3 and I congratulate the author on her outstanding achievements. The best fantasy (apart from George R. R. Martin) I have read for many years.

This is the second book in The Liveship Taders trilogy (after Ship of Magic and before Ship of Destiny).
After being banned from the deck of the slaughter ship the Reaper because she's a woman, without her well-deserved ship ticket, and after breaking up with her companion Brashen Trell, Althea Vestrit is hired as mate on board a Bingtown-bound Liveship, the Ophelia. And when the ship betrays her secret to Captain Tenira, Althea fears she'll be given the sack again. Luckily it doesn't happen and soon the crew and ship rally to her cause, promising they'll help her gain her rightful heirloom, the Liveship Vivacia, back.
But not so far on the seas, the Vivacia has just been boarded by Kennit's gang of pirates and her crew taken prisoners, thanks in part to the rebellion of the slaves that made up her cargo. In exchange for his life and that of his father, Wintrow will have to heal Kennit gangrenous leg stump. The situation seems desperate.
And all the while in Bingtwon 12-year-old Malta, Wintrow's sister and Althea's niece, is waiting for her father to return with his precious cargo that is supposed to help her family pay off their debts to the Khuprus of the Rain Wilds, her suitor Reyn's family. But since she's opened Reyn's courting Dreambox, she's been having troubling dreams about a dragon pleading for her help.
Parallelly, Amber the beadmaker is making scandalous plans to buy the Paragon, a abandoned Liveship who is believed mad, and his majesty the Satrap Cosgo of Jamaillia and his court are on their way to Bingtown.
Once again Robin Hobb has wrought a wonderful epic tale of ships and serpents, love, magic and intrigue. The more pages you turn, the more you realise her world is a truly enchanting and mysterious one, where characters never stop growing in depth, especially young and capricious Malta who matures a lot in the course of this book. Robin Hobb writes so terrifically well, her stories flow so naturally that you wish they'd never end.

I continue to be impressed with Robin Hobb's stories. They mature in such a way as to both keep the reader wondering and progress the plot line and charater developments. Hobb's writing style is highly entertaining and combined with her fantastic imagination makes for books that are really hard to put down.

In Mad Ship, the plot is expanded nicely and, although there are quite a few separate but converging story lines, progresses quickly. Some of the main characters from the first book change in unexpected ways, with Malta becoming more mature (or maybe she is faking it?) and much more likable and Wintrow accepting his fate as the will of Sa. Also, with greater roles being played by some of the most intriguing characters, including Amber and the Satrap (along with his very different Companions), there is a lot of jumping around from character the character. Nevertheless, the overall story progresses immensely and almost teasingly seems about to climax throughout the book. All of the separate stories are being drawn together for what promises to be a remarkable finish in the third book of the trilogy.

I read ~The Liveship Traders trilogy MANY years ago; so many that I am unable to write the type of detailed review this series, and its author, rightly deserves. However, I did want to take this opportunity to write how much I remember enjoying this trilogy. I remember being so taken by it that I actually wrote a fan letter to Robin Hobb. It was my first fan letter EVER!

I still consider Robin Hobb to be one of my favorite writers. I've read almost all of her books, and the couple that I haven't are queued-up in my Wish List right now.

I highly recommend any book written by Robin Hobb, but especially those of The Liveship Traders trilogy. I hope you give the series a chance, and that you find yourself transported into her fantastic, new world with it's oh-so compelling characters.

~ Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1)
~ Mad Ship (The Liveship Traders, Book 2)
~ Ship of Destiny (The Liveship Traders, Book 3)

Enjoy!

Well written as usual for Robin Hobb. I went from frustration, to sadness to happiness throughout the last quarter of the book. I couldn't put it down. Read it whenever I could, and listened to it on audio book when I couldn't sit still and read. The characters are well developed and go through such a metamorphosis due to their trials and circumstances that it makes you feel as though you have grown with them. I just really loved the book and won't hesistate to recommend it and the first book to anyone who loves this genre.

Robin Hobb, Mad Ship (Bantam, 1999)

Hobb continues on with the second book in the Liveship Traders series, picking up where she left off with Ship of Magic. Mad Ship continues the development of the characters found in Ship of Magic, bringing some of the book's minor characters to the forefront. While this, like the previous book, is an ensemble piece, the book focuses on the liveship Paragon, beached and abandoned by his family for the past thirty years. Of course, "focuses" is something of a stretch in a piece of this magnitude; there is much to be kept track of with Kennit, Wintrow, Althea, Brashen, Malta and her competing suitors, and the rest of the storylines. That Hobb can keep it all up in the air without dropping anything is quite a feat.

If there is a weak spot in the novel, it's in the development of Malta Vestrit. Her character's development may be shown as plainly as that of any other character in the novel (for all of them develop and change over time), but for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, Malta's changes ring false at times, as if they're too facile. Still, that's a very small number of pages in such a tome, and it definitely shouldn't put you off reading this.

Hobb is rapidly developing into one of today's finer fantasy authors. Definitely one to look out for. *** ½

If you liked the Farseer trilogy, you will probably like what Hobb is doing with the Liveship traders. The continuing unveiling of how the world works and how the events tie into the political context she has created are exciting, and pleasantly surprising. The explosion of character viewpoints, however, can be vertigo inducing. At some point, there needs to be a focus on a protagonist or a cause: one might guess that the whole point of her book is a condemnation of the exploitation of natural resources, to add to her diatribe against slavery begun in the first book. On the bright side, Kennit continues to please, the workings of Elderlings and dragons, begun in Farseer, are developed further. Hobb gives un a superb version of just what dragons, a common author's vehicle in fairy tales and fantasy novels, are. For the author: Please get Ship of Destiny to your fans, but don't rush it. I'd rather you scrubbed it and sewed up loose ends, than hurry it out just to make sure we finally get our conclusion. All good things come to those who wait. I'll fidget a bit, but will patiently wait for the next book about the Liveship Traders.

Hobb's maelstrom is still churning as the second book of her trilogy opens, and the tides are turning all over her world. The liveship Vivacia is finding piracy all too suitable, horrifying her soulmate Wintrow with her violence. Kennit's evil mind squishes its way to power, and with each manured step he takes flowers grow despite his intentions. Althea finds society's chains weighing heavily upon her in a world where women are seldom liberated, while her lover Brashen finds responsibility crushing on his own shoulders. A desperate plan to save Vivacia by enlisting poor Paragon the mad ship may be the worst thing they could have done, and as Bingtown explodes into fire and madness the Vestrits find themselves fleeing to their mysterious kinsmen of the eerie Rain Wilds. Poisonous Malta Vestrit finds all her childish mischief coming back to her more-adult self, and masked Reyn Khuprus shines through all his concealment as a true and generous soul. As the masks begin to fall, Reyn and Wintrow sacrifice nearly everything to release old knowledge and power. Their world is disintegrating and the skull of compulsion and slavery begins to grin ever more widely through the rotting face of Jamaillian civilization. For the sea-serpents have remembered their ancient names and aspects, and they are coming with more determination than before ... coming for the liveships.

The characters are superb - all of them feel very real to me. There are no perfect heroes, every character has certain strenghts and certain flaws. I also enjoyed that most of the characters are developing during the course of the story. (The way Malta changes from a spoiled brat into something more is plausible. Kennit stays as ambigious as ever, but still seems to develop a soft spot for Wintrow.) The plot is magnificent! The reader is given a huge amount of information - trying to put all the details together is like trying to solve a puzzle - real fun!! And I think it's great that there is a close connection to the "Farseer Trilogy" - just who is Amber, anyway?! What bothers is me is that none of my friends has yet read Robin Hobb's books, because the German translation is bloody awful - and none of them feels up to reading the English version. And now I'm looking forward for "Ship of Destiny".

Some interesting twists happen, and I like how the paths of the characters are all starting to come together. I'm particularly interested in Malta's character (that girl you love to hate) as she starts to realize more what she wants and expects from herself, and Althea, out on a journey no one seems to think she can make and desperately trying to stand her ground. Kennit is equally awesome on his own quest of righteous glory! Wintrow is meh - I never really liked him much.

And of course all the other characters in between have been really great! Some are so wonderful and others are just destined to suck forever, but in overall I've really enjoyed the diversity.

After a rather slow beginning to this trilogy, book 2 (Mad Ship) finally begins to pick up some speed. The characters become more developed and appear to have more depth; some begin to become relevant characters. I like this book better than the first (but not as much as book 3).