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The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders #2)

by Robin Hobb (Goodreads Author)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 13,504 ratings · 242 reviews

Robin Hobb returns to the sea with Mad Ship, the second book in a projected trilogy set in the same world as her famed Farseer series. Many unresolved questions from Ship of Magic are answered in this tale of sea serpents and dragons; living ships made of wizardwood; the Bingtown Trader families who sail the ships; and their disfigured cousins, the Rain Wild Traders, who b...more

Mass Market Paperback, 906 pages

Published February 4th 2008 by Harper Voyager (first published 1999)

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Jan 05, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2/18/04 - 8/10

Book 2:
predictable - liveships adn serpents related.
characters got a little better. still not great characters or plot. very readable though.

Series 8/10:
Hobb's second series takes place in the same world as the Farseer series. A couple Farseer characters appear in minor roles, but for the most part this series is separate from Farseer. It seems like Hobb tried to take a different tack in this series. Rather than focus on just one character (Fitz), she has a larger cast of in depth...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Mo rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very good second book in a wonderfully inventive series. I've read Ship of Magic and this one in one go, so I find it hard to review them separately. Hence, a copy of my review for 'Ship of Magic' also applies to Mad Ship:

I've read this series before, but after watching some movies with ships in them I suddenly felt the need to read books about ships. These came to mind, so I picked them up again.

The first time I read them, I was a bit disappointed because they are quite different from the Far...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Smcleish rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally published on my blog here in August 2001.

The second of the Liveship Traders trilogy is Hobb's poorest novel to date, the only one in which the reader becomes conscious that it is very long. The story, like many mid-series fantasy novels, continues that of Ship of Magic without introducing any new elements and this, combined with the diffuse nature of the narrative (alternating between the main characters) is what makes it less gripping.

Some issues which are not perhaps properly though...more

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Aug 14, 2011 JonSnow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mylibrary

This book was good. Some people are complaining because, "It's too longgggg", or "There are too many points of viewwww"... or "There's too much politics"... These are all the things that make the book good. A decent Epic Fantasy novel should empasize the world and the characters in it. That includes politics, how the world runs. All this world building and shaping takes a fair quantity of pages. Really, the books may be long, but they aren't so long that they're a headache to read. One could eas...more

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May 22, 2011 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, sea-stories

Mad Ship, by Robin Hobb, continues the saga of the Vestrit family, impoverished merchants struggling to keep their heads above water. Their previous novel ended with them in a bad way. Their sentient “liveship,” Vivacia, had been stolen by the pirate Kennit, deriving the family of its livelihood and its future prospects and prosperity. Two family members remain aboard as hostages. A great deal of this novel is taken up with the preparations of the Vestrits to mount a rescue, which they do by ref...more

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Sep 05, 2010 Benjamin Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Robin Hobb follows up her successful "Ship of Magic" with volume 2 in the Liveship Traders Trilogy with the continuing adventures of all the characters introduced in the first volume. The novel, being part two of a trilogy serves to further the development of the characters while, at the same time, setting us up for the grand finale in book 3. And indeed it does. My copy of this book is 850 pages long, obviously quite lengthy for a casual reader. And when combined with two other volumes, each ov...more Robin Hobb follows up her successful "Ship of Magic" with volume 2 in the Liveship Traders Trilogy with the continuing adventures of all the characters introduced in the first volume. The novel, being part two of a trilogy serves to further the development of the characters while, at the same time, setting us up for the grand finale in book 3. And indeed it does. My copy of this book is 850 pages long, obviously quite lengthy for a casual reader. And when combined with two other volumes, each over 800 pages in length, some people may be scared off. However, for serious fiction readers such length is no problem and in fact, with a writer of Ms. Hobb's talent, we frequently wish we could spend even more time with the characters.
This novel boils down the myriads of plot threads in the first book into three basic parts. The first involves the crew of the Liveship Vivacia and its new captain, the pirate Kennitt, who continues to be one of the best-written "bad guys" I have yet encountered. Perhaps, Ms. Hobb's greatest talent as a writer is the believability of the characters. The good guys and bad guys aren't always easily recognizable and sometimes change roles as they respond to certain situations. Just like in real life. Sometimes the good guys stumble and make bad decisions. Once again just like in real life. That goes a long way in suspending our disbelief when we read fantasy stories.

The second plot thread centers on Althea Vestrit, and her attempts to get Paragon, the mad derelict liveship, launched in an attempt to rescue Vivacia from Kennitt. And, finally, the third plot line rests with those members of the Vestrit family that remain behind at Bingtown and are forced to deal with the rising political tensions that threaten to change their way of life forever. It is here that we see the biggest growth of characters as Malta, Althea's younger sister, transforms from a bratty young girl into a take-charge leader due to numerous events that force her to grow up in a hurry. All three plot lines relate to one another but have distinctively different approaches. For example, as much time is devoted to Althea's conflicting romantic feelings for Brashen, her one-time lover, as it is to her approach to launching Paragon. In fact, romance abounds throughout this book as all major characters struggle with their relationships.

In addition, we get to know far more about the sentient sea serpents that inhabit the waters around the ports. The first book used these creatures as a mere sideshow between major sections of the book and frankly seemed little more than teasers. But in this volume, they assume a much larger role, even entering into the action itself. Their future, and just how they relate to the dragons and to the very nature of the magical wizardwood that forms the liveships is more than just hinted at now. By the end of the book, I felt like I had most of what I needed to piece the puzzle together. Ms Hobb has left things just right to urge me toward picking up the third book in the trilogy right away.

Fundamentally, this novel is terrific. There are elements of romance, adventure, intrigue, political overtures, spoiled leaders, young love, sacrifice, mysterious magic, and conflicting loyalties. I found the beginning chapters a bit long and in places I was wishing the action would pick up a bit. It was almost as if the author were looking for the best way to approach the remainder of the story. My rating reflects this desire for a tighter editing process and I feel the book could have been done just as well with a hundred less pages or so. A couple of scenes seemed to simply add girth to the book rather than force the plot along or add depth to the characterization. But these are small matters and more than compensated for by the epic scope of the story. Part three, "Ship of Destiny" should provide a rousing finale.
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Sep 03, 2010 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La saga de los mercaderes de los barcos vivientes debe ser la historia de fantasía épica más original y fascinante desde El señor de los anillos. Sí, quizás esté exagerando, pero está claro que Robin Hobb es, cuando menos, la más digna sucesora de Tolkien, porque consigue dar un paso adelante en la fantasía épica, evitando un montón de tópicos que se habían vuelto cliché en el género como la rigidez moral, las batallas épicas, los hechiceros y los villanos con ansias de dominar el mundo.

Una de l...more La saga de los mercaderes de los barcos vivientes debe ser la historia de fantasía épica más original y fascinante desde El señor de los anillos. Sí, quizás esté exagerando, pero está claro que Robin Hobb es, cuando menos, la más digna sucesora de Tolkien, porque consigue dar un paso adelante en la fantasía épica, evitando un montón de tópicos que se habían vuelto cliché en el género como la rigidez moral, las batallas épicas, los hechiceros y los villanos con ansias de dominar el mundo.

Una de las primeras innovaciones de Hobb es que toda esta historia transcurre o está directamente relacionada con el mar. La saga le rinde un tributo a las novelas de piratas y corsarios (desde Stevenson hasta Salgari) así como a las típicas historias de fantasía épica (incluyendo los dragones como un elemento gravitante en la historia) e incluso a Homero y Platón, con evidentes alusiones a La Odisea, sus monstruos marinos y a la leyenda de la Atlántida.

Otro de los puntos fuertes de la saga de Hobb son sus personajes: rompiendo el estereotipo del grupo de héroes variopinto con distintos orígenes, la historia de Hobb es una saga familiar, en la que los protagonistas luchan por conservar la riqueza y el estatus de su familia... Además de simplemente sobrevivir y mantenerse unidos. Pero lo que más llama la atención de sus protagonistas es que, salvo unas pocas y notables excepciones, son todas mujeres. Mujeres de carácter fuerte, autosuficientes, que, sin necesidad de manejar espadas o poderes sobrenaturales, son las que tejen el destino de su familia, utilizando su fuerza de voluntad, su inteligencia y su determinación.

También (pero no por ello menos importante), está el juego de engaños que utiliza Hobb para tejer las interacciones entre sus personajes. El juego de caretas entre los personajes es fascinante y realista: mientras el narrador omnisciente juega a convertirse en cada uno de ellos y adoptar su punto de vista, sin previo aviso salta a una perspectiva distante para mostrar que la forma en que un personaje se percibe a sí mismo y a su entorno dista mucho de cómo perciben el mundo los demás. Esto da origen a una serie de equívocos y malinterpretaciones que son el motor de la acciones y desgracias en la historia.

Por último, pero no por ello menos importante, está el hecho de que no hay héroes al estilo griego ni semidioses en esta saga. Los personajes son tremendamente humanos y espantosamente frágiles. Incluso los monstruos, imponentes por su fuerza y sus incontables armas, tienen un terrible talón de Aquiles, al punto que el lector acaba por congraciarse con ellos y desear que vivan. No hay un salvador en esta historia, no hay profecías, ni grandes héroes de la talla de Aragorn u Odiseo, sino simples héroes comunes, más cercanos a los hobbits de Tolkien que a sus elfos: plagados de defectos y debilidades humanas. Pero son estos defectos y debilidades los que hacen que incluso sus más pequeñas acciones se conviertan en hazañas heroicas, porque, cuando se es tan frágil y se vive tan poco como lo hacemos los humanos, cualquier acto que no sea asegurar nuestra supervivencia puede convertirse en algo trascendente y digno de ser contado.

La historia, que es demasiado compleja como para resumirla (y pierde gracia si se explica) entreteje los conflictos familiares, el caos político que provoca la decadencia y corrupción del sátrapa que gobierna el archipiélago y sus colonias, la esclavitud, el loco deseo de un pirata por convertirse en rey, la desconfianza hacia los vecinos, la brutalidad de un reino de bárbaros que amenaza la paz de toda la región, las reliquias de una ciudad en ruinas que es saqueada para convertir sus misteriosos -y a veces peligrosos- productos mágicos en mercancías exóticas y la extraña presencia de las naos redivivas, barcos pensantes que esconden más de algún secreto de grandeza, horror y locura.(less)

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Feb 09, 2010 Chip rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-fun

This review is really for the whole trilogy, which I read back-to-back, and so think of as one longer story than three individual books.

So-so at best. In the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies, Hobb had created not only a great, realistic world, but a fantastic narrator in the protagonist. In this new series, she went from first person to third, which I have no problem with, but also shifted from having just on point of view, to having far, far, far too many! There were AT LEAST SEVEN different reg...more

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Sep 14, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 whi...more 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. (less)

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May 16, 2011 Mortalform rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-exquisite, popcorn

It's not unusual that sequels fall flat after the startling brilliance of the first book. Luckily that is not the case here!

The growth of the characters is rich and believable, but also engaged me in questioning more deeply the changes we see in our own characters and those of our family and friends. Provided an unexpected philosophical bent to the book.

"You can't go back. That part of your life is over. Set it aside as something you have finished. Complete or no, it is done with you. No being...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Stéphanie Noverraz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more 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 Bingtown 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.

written on 20th June 2003(less)

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Oct 27, 2011 Cv Rick rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

My Pet Peeve today is authors writing prisons around their creativity - yes, it's a big deal, and yes, Robin Hobb does it a lot.

For example - - You can count on the fact that if any part of the story is told from a particular character's point of view, that character is immortal. Oh, I don't mean the character can't age or grow or even grow old. What I mean is that particular character won't die in the book. When a story is being told from a single character's point of view, then you can assume...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Laurie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: try-again-in-a-few-years

Dear Robin Hobb,
I am sad to have to give this book, as well as the first book in your Liveship trilogy, only 2 stars. I still like you a lot as an author, but these books just don't measure up to the Farseer trilogy. My main issue is that they're just TOO LONG. A little less talk, and a lot more action, please. How many times did I find myself eagerly turning the page, only to discover yet another three-page-long conversation about the politics of Bingtown? How many times did I have to plow thro...more

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May 22, 2012 James Keenan rated it 2 of 5 stars

THIS REVIEW RELATES TO ALL THREE LIVESHIP TRADERS NOVELS AND AS SUCH MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

There is a lot to be said for the Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first and my favourite being the setting. So many fantasy novels follow the same interchangeable means of transport or generic locations that it makes a refreshing change to have one that is set so much at sea. This is tied in to a World that is beautifully developed both in the broad strokes of the places that we never see down to the fin...more THIS REVIEW RELATES TO ALL THREE LIVESHIP TRADERS NOVELS AND AS SUCH MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

There is a lot to be said for the Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first and my favourite being the setting. So many fantasy novels follow the same interchangeable means of transport or generic locations that it makes a refreshing change to have one that is set so much at sea. This is tied in to a World that is beautifully developed both in the broad strokes of the places that we never see down to the fine detail of Bingtown or the Pirate Isles.

Where there are some weaknesses however generally lie in the Characters that fill this world. Almost all of them spend the majority of their time and conversations whining about how unfair everything is, coupled with the sheer quantity of First Person Narrative that we have to navigate around this creates the impression that whatever happens to this world it probably is deserved. The few characters that are obviously intended to be the heroes spend most of the story manipulating, deceiving, complaining or lying, character development when it does occur is abrupt and unconvincing, their new motives and actions appear to far removed from what they started out as.

There are also questions over redemption; most of the protagonists in the story are never forced to confront their actions

The Satrap after spending the entire series as a whiny child who needs to be pampered, endures hardship and privation but eventually makes it back to his Capital and immediately goes back to the way he started out as. Kyle Haven after abusing his son, enslaving him and turning the family Liveship into a slave trader is shown briefly at the end to have exactly the same attitude and is then killed. The evil Pirate King whose manipulations / abuse we are given a first person view point all the way through cements his legend and spends the rest of time happily sailing around as part of his family’s liveship.

I didn’t dislike these books, The plot and the premise are good the Author should be proud for attempting something different in the genre, but, unusually for me I found myself reading faster and faster to get to the end rather than savouring the story.
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Jul 31, 2009 Celia Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, re-read

Reading "Dragon Keeper" made me want to re-read the Liveship Trilogy - and I don't have the first book, so I start with this. I love this book - it follows the Vestrit family and their Liveship, Vivacia. During this book, their fortunes have tumbled - Vivacia has been captured by pirates, and Bingtown appears to be on the brink of war with Jamillia. Malta Vestrit is embroiled in an unusual courtship with a veiled Rain Wilder, and Althea, longing to be reunited with her liveship, mounts an expedi...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Scarlet rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What should I say about this book?? I really don't know, it's not exactly the type of books I read, but I can't help not reading it, just like I can't help reading the next book in the series..I think Hobb is a great writer..her ability to create such engaging characters is amazing, the way she follows characters even when they are not doing anything important is frustrating yet gives you good understanding of each character..what I like best about this book is how unpredictable the story become...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Brittany rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll start out by saying that the second book in the Liveship Traders trilogy was very well-written. Hobb's story-telling ability has very few equals - Goodkind and Martin are really the only two epic authors that come to mind when I think of ways to explain Hobb's ability to weave stories in and out of overarching plot lines so elegantly. This series, as said before, is reminiscent of ASoIaF mainly due to the fact that there are multiple POVs from the various characters. A main difference, agai...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Dianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The second book on the Liveship Traders trilogy continues the story introduced in the first. It felt like the first book was simply an introduction to this world and the characters that inhabit it and that this one did much to advance the plot. As with the first book, Hobb switches viewpoints from character to character, allowing the reader to experience multiple story lines and gradually see them move closer towards each other. Much can be said for this type of story telling, but the sense of r...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This series had potential and lived up to some of it. The maritime theme sets it apart from many other fantasy books and the author added enough believable detail to indicate she knows what she's talking about. I enjoyed the whole serpent/dragon/liveship relationship and the premise that the Rain Wilders created their fantastic wealth by "robbing" a long dead city unbeknownst to the population of the world at large. The first two books were slow but solid and well-written. I never got too bored...more This series had potential and lived up to some of it. The maritime theme sets it apart from many other fantasy books and the author added enough believable detail to indicate she knows what she's talking about. I enjoyed the whole serpent/dragon/liveship relationship and the premise that the Rain Wilders created their fantastic wealth by "robbing" a long dead city unbeknownst to the population of the world at large. The first two books were slow but solid and well-written. I never got too bored or too interested… just kind of kept reading. In fact, maybe even all the books were "well written" from a technical perspective. I liked the writing style and think that the author's wordings and choice of analogies were fitting to the characters and sufficiently far from cliches. Unfortunately, I thought the book fell apart a bit mid-way through the third and final book. It was still an almost satisfactory read, although I'm not entire sure the series was worth 2000+ pages.

Part of the problem is that I just stopped liking the characters towards the end. I realized that some of them were just passive and boring characters that somehow ended up "successful" by making internal transitions that don't seem entirely justified to me (i.e., Wintrow, Keffria, maybe even Brashen)… Most of the characters float off into their own silly "happily ever after" of sorts and the world quickly transitions from chaos into peace and profitable "trading" for all. It seems like the author had things that needed to happen in the last 100 pages so she just "made it fit". The final pages lacked some of the confrontation that I was expecting and looking forward to...

The author juggles a lot of different perspectives and continually switches viewpoints as she tells the story. On the whole, I think it's well done and adds to the story. Even each of the bad characters is understandable and likable to a certain degree… Actually, Kennit is probably one of the few characters that I still liked at the end. Or rather, I was sufficiently happy with the direction that the author took him and the explanations of his past to account for his behavior.

There were some things that bothered me. For example, later in the series, there was more of an emphasis on rape and that became a major focus for some characters… I thought it was a bit more than necessary anyhow.

I doubt I caught half the references to Farseer Trilogy that it's vaguely related to.

Anyhow, it was an interesting enough read.

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Dec 18, 2011 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Diane by: Robin Hobb

This book was a terrific second book in the series. I think the author does a very nice transition between the novels in her series. There is little, if any time lapse between books. She also gives some background information of what happened in the previous novels for those who may have not read this book right after the first one. I feel lucky that I didn't have to wait for each novel in the trilogy to be published, but can rather read them one right after the other.
I really loved this book....more

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Mar 30, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, faves

Brilliant, for all of the reasons why I loved the first so much, and then some.

Captain Kennit finally has his hands on a liveship, and though Wintrow has his doubts Vivacia is both thrilled and enamoured with her new captain, while at home Althea embarks on a rescue mission on our other favourite liveship, and Malta is forced to grow up.

As engrossing, compelling and emotional as its predecessor (including one part where I nearly threw the book across the room), this entry also gives us more of...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Elaine Dowling rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is slightly more complete than book 1. Oh, I don't know that it would make much sense without book 1; but it doesn't leave you hanging in the midst of all the story lines quite as badly. That is not to be confused with having any real resolution, it just has a more satisfying ending than book 1. None of these books are really books in their own right. They are each 1/3 of a very long book. On the other hand, they are very long books I can't put down, think about between volumes and aft...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Kati rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, a-guy-and-a-girl, fantasy, kindle

2.5 - Lost a half a star because this book is too. freaking. long. 901 pages. Please, can we cut out like 300 pages? Not that it is boring - Hobb is a fantastic writer and the book is really readable and fun. Just long. My second qualm with this book is the lame dialogue. LAME. I remember I had the same issue with the Farseer trilogy. The author sometimes resorts to sappy cheap romance lines that seriously don't fit a burly rugged pirate. Just me.

Notes on the plot: Wintrow was my favorite charac...more

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May 26, 2009 Savannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, librarybook, marine, series, women, politics

The first volume of this series sets the simple framework of the plot and characters, but this one really moves forward, not just in twisting the plotlines and layering on the complexities that never quite move in the direction you think they will, but in really expanding on the characters. And well-drawn characters they are: no good character is without flaws and none of the baddies are without their good features or acts. Despite the complexities and shadings, however, this is still written cl...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Jana Perskie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Robin Hobbs' "The Realm of the Elderlings', 4 sets of trilogies which include, in order, "The Farseer Trilogy," (which includes, "Assassin's Apprentice, "Royal Assassin, "Assassin's Quest,"); "Liveship Traders Trilogy," (which includes, "Ship of Magic," "The Mad Ship," "Ship of
Destiny"); "The Tawny Man Trilogy," (which includes "Fool's Errand," "Golden Fool," "Fool's Fate,"); "The Rain Wilds Chronicles," (which includes, "Dragon Keeper," "Dragon Haven, and to be released in 2012, "City of Drago...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Meru rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mad Ship is a worthy second book in the series. Despite Hobb's terrible book names and her sometimes lackluster magic systems, she more than makes up for her deficiencies through her phenomenal characterization and strong plot-driven writing. The pacing of this book felt much better than the previous book, and though it took me a while to finish, I never felt like reading Mad Ship was laborious or frustrating. Though I still would not recommend the series to those who are not already fantasy ent...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Traci rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Middle books have the advantage of established characters and worlds but the disadvantage of being the bridge between the introduction and finale of a series. On one hand I enjoyed this book even more than the first but on the other hand it seemed not much happened until the end.
There was something about the Vivacia crew that seemed a bit too young adult romance. Lovesickness and jealousy. I liked reading Kinnet although I don't always like him. Wintrow was very much a secondary character here....more

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Nov 20, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

At first this seems like more set up, and most of it is, but then Hobb reveals her gift to the audience: Malta. This girl, who had been one of the most irritating and wrong-headed characters in a series full of them as antagonists, is forced to grow up as the story progresses. Her development is a major reward, to the point where the Mad Ship of the title seems to be playing third fiddle to two more important and compelling story lines.

Yes, this may be a novel wherein nothing much is concluded,...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Robin Wiley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Better than the first book! I really actually enjoyed this one.

Still following about 8 characters. Most of them I grew to like more than before. Malta, in particular, but she was so hatable in the first book she had nowhere to go but up.

More action, more political intrigue, and the liveship/serpent/dragon WTF cleared up considerably. I don't think it's going to blow anyone's mind, but it certainly gets more interesting.

We get to go up the river to the Rain Wild Forest and that's pretty cool. The...more

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Aug 13, 2012 AnnaBanana Pascone rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent read, and I am looking forward to the next installment. I am really curious as to how it is going to turn out. However, I didn't find this book as enthralling as the first. I felt like even though it was titled Mad Ship, it wasn't enough about Paragon, and it didn't focus as much on Althea as the first book did, so I was a little thrown off. Also, I don't like where the story with the serpents and the liveships is going, but it is well written, so I don't mind that so much....more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
The Robin Hobb Co...: The Mad Ship > Chapter Sixteen to Twenty	2	5	May 23, 2013 03:14pm
The Robin Hobb Co...: The Mad Ship > Chapter Elf to Fifteen	10	5	May 22, 2013 08:19am
The Robin Hobb Co...: The Mad Ship > Chapter One to Five	12	7	May 20, 2013 09:57pm
The Robin Hobb Co...: The Mad Ship > Chapter Six to Ten	5	3	May 19, 2013 01:06pm
Fantasy Book Club...: Mad Ship - Finished reading, how did you like it? SPOILERS	21	31	Feb 20, 2012 10:13am
Goodreads Librari...: Alternate cover edition and primary edition now have the same cover	3	45	Feb 07, 2012 10:36am
Fantasy Book Club...: Mad Ship - Planning to read; first impressions NO SPOILERS	11	36	Jan 04, 2012 11:57am

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About Robin Hobb

** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 st...more

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Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)

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Quotes from Mad Ship

“Everyone thinks that courage is about facing death without flinching. But almost anyone can do that. Almost anyone can hold their breath and not scream for as long as it takes to die.

True courage is about facing life without flinching. I don't mean the times when the right path is hard, but glorious at the end. I'm talking about enduring the boredom, the messiness, and the inconvenience of doing what is right.

~Amber” — 86 people liked it

“Tomorrow owes you the sum of your yesterdays. No more than that. And no less.” — 43 people liked it

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The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders #2)

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