The Mad Ship: Robin Hobb: Book 2 (The Liveship Traders)

The story gets more complex in The Mad Ship as the characters first come together then separate out and more become focus points for the story. This makes for an even better reading experience with each of the Vestrits, the pirate Kennit and all of the other supporting characters having their own absorbing plotlines and perspectives. In this book we get closer to the secret behind wizardwood and the terrible truth of what it truly is. I also loved the links with the Farseer trilogy with references to the Mountain Kingdom and carved dragons. This is the first time where I feel like I know where the timeline sits between the Farseer and Liveship Traders books, with a reference to the Red Ship Wars having been over for several years. However, while you definitely need to read the previous Liveship Traders book before reading this one, you don’t need to have read the Farseer trilogy. I’d just definitely recommend it because they are also brilliant.

The whole series of books here is totally rivetting and I have done absolutely no housework since they arrived on my kindle. You are drawn irrevocably into the lives of these ships and their families, so much so that I purchased the sequel which covers the passage and growing of the young dragons after their traumatic births. I am now about half way through the sequel books and again cannot put them down. Have to be very strict with myself, but thankfully the battery on the kindle tells me when it needs recharging so that gives me the nod to get on and do something else, always watching the clock as to when the kindle will be recharged and I can start reading again. I feel totally lazy but not a bit guilty at avoiding housework and other chores to complete this series. Thank you Robin Hobbs for a superb story line.

I may have found it difficult getting in to Robin Hobb's books but it seems that with a little time and perseverance (or perhaps I simply started with the wrong book) that she is a writer well worth reading. I gave up a couple of times, foolishly, it now, seems. This is an excellently worked fantasy, as was the first in the trilogy, it is well written, well planned and thoroughly engaging. Upon finishing the first book in the series I immediately bought this one and for me there is no greater compliment to an author's work than, I want to read more about those characters and their situations. I am very much looking forward to reading the third in the trilogy. Here comes my only bugbear (this is nothing to do with Robin Hobb or the quality of her excellent series) and that is the first two books are competitively priced for the Kindle on Amazon and so of course you wish to read the third but then there is a huge hike in the price. This is not unusual on kindle, something to tempt you in and then whap! you are paying over the odds. I have seen this with a few series now. I had a kobo e-reader before I swapped to Amazon and Kindle and I prefer the Kindle but unless it was a new release all books in a series on kobo were priced the same. Is this a bit of Hokum to boost Amazons profits?

Loving this trilogy. I’m half way through the final book in the trilogy. Don’t know what to say but just read it, you won’t be disappointed.

I bought this book shortly after starting book1 and having enjoyed that one (apart from some of the parts about the serpents, which now at the end of this book start to make more sense) moved on to book 2. Again it kept my interest and I was Ken to follow reading of the lives of the various characters in their worlds. Towards the end I am a little concerned at the direction the book seems to be taking but am still keen to go on and find out how the various strands come together and to what ending. Truly a series, for me, that is enjoyable and one to loose yourself in, imagining yourself as a part of it.

Having already read the first trilogy by Robin Hobb, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect with the liveships trilogy. How wrong was I?? The whole world revolving around the Liveships and their family's, created by Hobb instantly invites you become part of it and all it's characters. The intracases of the plot and the relationships between the characters, which is always changing, keeps you hooked from the very start. Even the characters which are unlikeable to begin with, you eventually feel sorry for as you understand why they have become what they are. I can't recommend this book or any of Robin Hobbs books enough. They are a must read, even for readers who not "fantasy book" fans.

What I enjoy about this trilogy is that nothing is black and white. Kyle Haven is a villain but also a misguided individual trying to do what he thinks is best for his family. Kennit is a scheming dastardly pirate but seemingly by accident improves the lives of everyone he meets. The trilogy is also a tale of coming of age, of that difficult transition from childhood to adulthood, of learning the world is more complicated than it appears and finding your own way through the world. This book is as gripping as it's predecessor. I think it's a fantastic trilogy that looks at the complexities of people and I will encourage my kids to read it when they become teenagers

I love the Lord of the rings, Stephen Donaldson and others. Robin Hobb is in my opinion, the best fantasy writer of all. Her imagination is astonishing. A series of this length and genius, I can't find the words.

Como esperado de Robin Hobb, com usa narrativa extremamente envolvente, este livro te fará ter dificuldades de parar de ler.

This is a perfect example of how a fantastic fiction trilogy should be written. Great character development, great female protagonists that are great not because the author degraded the male ones but because they work together and complement each other. Brilliant idea and concept for the story. Perfect pace and take structure. A true gem.

Beautiful Books, Cant wait to complete my Farseer set 💛

Primero, la edición está hermosa, la verdad. Y segundo, es género fantasía, pero eso no significa que no tenga filosofía, caracteres muy profundos, historia y una poesía fantástica! Muy buen libro! Quieres leer más lento para que no se acaba tan pronto.

Masterful characters and storytelling. I especially appreciate the depiction of the feminine in Hobb’s characters here. So many female characters in other stories are presented with masculine traits, but these seem a unique representation of feminine strength without diminishing or belittling their male counterparts. True heroines in every respect.