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Summary: The Madship continues a great saga
Review: This series is one of the greatest I have ever had the pleasure to delve into. I did not think that Robin could have surpassed her previous works but she keeps doing it. This book is non stop reading, and don't buy this book unless you have a strong marriage. My wife got a little irritated because I was in another world while reading it. My highest recommendation.
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Summary: If you liked "Fitz" then you will love Althea and Wintrow!
Review: So many stories of the genre, although containing fantastic ideas and story line, lack depth of character. Not so with the creations of Robin Hobb. You even believe that a Ship IS ALIVE...and often wonder what its reaction will be to certain situations. What next? will VIVACIA ever meet PARAGON? Oh my! what a series.........
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Summary: Destines are questioned and broaden and mysterious increase
Review: I can't say I loved the first book, it left too much open for my taste, though being the first in a series that isn't surprising. However I was expecting something closer to Assassin's Apprentice which could have sat allown. In this book many of the questions in the first are not answered but their broadened. You are given more hints to the conclusion and thankfully the author is not as cruel with these charactors as she was in the Farseer series but again the plot of the series isn't as dark. For those that have read the Farseer you will notice farmilar items as is to be expected when writing in the same universe and brings hope that Hobb will return to the life and times of Fritz and the Farseers. I for one would love to see a happier ending for the character. A devoted fan.
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Summary: Robin Hobb is the most enjoyable Fantasy writer around.
Review: I"ve read all her stuff and i never read Fantasy that much but I"ve read all of her books from the assasin trilogys to the Mad ship truly brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Fantasy
Review: This trilogy is really coming along nicely. Intelligent fantasy is a rare treat these days and Hobb's world is well thought out and elegantly detailed. Her characters are well fleshed out. In this series Hobb (so far) has managed to avoid some of the pitfalls that beset her Assasin trilogy. I hope number 3 lives up to expectations.
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Summary: Better and better
Review: I find this book fleshes out the environs in which this series is set very well, giving the world of the Liveship Traders much greater depth. The relationship of the Liveships to the worm / dragons is very intriguing, and to my mind, well done. Its refreshing to read Fantasy in which the characters grow and adjust to their situations, and in which they relate to each other in ways both compelling and believeable. Maybe Robert Jordan should be made to read this, he might learn something. All and all its a bloody good read that I'd highly recommend to anyone.
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Summary: Superb!
Review: All I can say is WOW. I read the paperback edition of "Ship of Magic" (great read, by the way) and couldn't wait to get my hands on "Mad Ship". Bought it, hardcover and all. I read it in five hours. Don't miss this one, folks. It's stunning from cover to cover. I admit that the scenes with the serpents are a little hard to bear, but other then that it's all good. We learn a lot of things about the liveships and delve deeper into the minds of the characters; a lot of shocking things happen. But don't take my word for it. Read the book and see for yourself.
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Summary: Yes, the river knows...
Review: I really sometimes wonder why I keep reading and reviewing fantasy books. For years, Jordan's been the only one in the genre with anything interesting to say. Hobb nearly came to be an exception with her Farseer Trilogy, but that series also was ruined by the boring, stupid third volume. And now we have this hell or high water -type of saga about some traders and their fortunes and misfortunes in the world. The politics of the series are actually quite interesting, the internal relationships of the characters believable enough, but all that nonsense about dragons, serpents and living ships - I just don't get it. Well, certainly those things are essential in a fantasy book, but still... Why can't Hobb come up with something even relatively fascinating? Why should I care about some god-damned sea serpents and their complicated transformation process? The sections about 'Maulkin's tangle' were quite torturing and I only read them to keep up with the story. After all this whining, still better than average. Hobb is more a real writer than all those Joneses and Goodkinds put together. Well.
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Summary: Just as good if not better than her earlier works.
Review: Wow! That's all the comes to mind, Wow! I can hardly wait until the last in this trilogy comes out. Her attention to detail and rich characters draw me in every time.
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Summary: Excellent sequel, improves linkage to Farseer trilogy
Review: As with many of the other reviewers, I eagerly awaited this book after thoroughly enjoying "Ship of Magic" and was not disappointed. Hobb does a great job of enriching the characterization of Malta, Wintrow, Etta and Reyn, leaving me more interested in their destiny, and that of the "liveships" (very ironic term now), than in the destiny of Althea, who was the center of focus in SOM. Hobb also provides sufficient clues about Amber to entice us to eagerly anticipate her destiny and significant contribution in this journey. Even the "tangle" seems more interesting now, and although the "untangling" of its destiny seems predictable, I hope that Hobb still has surprises in store for us in "Ship of Destiny." Hobb is commended for not shortening any of the segments, as even these relatively long stories are rich with engaging detail throughout. Perhaps some day she will be recognized for providing us much greater value and enjoyment than many/all? of her writing peers.
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