Rating: 
Summary: A year of agony ahead...
Review: I was up reading until 2:00am, until I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer with this book. I just love Paragon and will be in agony until Ship of Destiny comes out, waiting to find out what happens to him. Is Kennet his family? Will Vivacia want Althea, when they meet again? Will the serpents survive to become dragons? Will they take revenge for their lost brethren? Too many questions to ponder in the next year!
Rating: 
Summary: Plenty of players on a stage, but who is the star?
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Awsome plot, Neat worlds, BUT......
Review: The thought, imagination and care that was put into this book shine in its origional ideas,places and the cast of characters.. BUT, while the characters are is interesting they are too... um. annoying? Usually in a good book like in Hobb's other series there is a hero or even some other side char to empathize with, but by the end of the story, I ended up so sick of some of the characters' arrogance, or whining or even their personalities I had to force myself to not skip chapters. The story itself however kept me reading. and I do admit the characters became a more tolerable in the last few chapters.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect middle book
Review: Robin Hobb's Ship of Magic is one of the classics of the fantasy genre, and Mad Ship continues this terrific story. It takes the story satisfyingly further, answers many of the unanswered questions left by the first book, develops the characters in great depth, and sets up the third book beautifully. This series shows new skill at writing beyond the Assassin series, which was terrific. Some series get weaker as they go along, some get better. This one is in the latter category. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling but sloppy plot with, once again, no ending!
Review: Magic Ship, Liveship Traders, Bk 1, was a fun read, until you reached the ending and were left hanging for over a year. Then Mad Ship, Bk 2, comes out. The plot does not tie into book 1, as promised. Also, the story is a good read, but again the ending leaves you hanging. These books will best be read when all 3 (including the future promised book 3) are in one book so you don't get left waiting yet another year. This book is a poor way to spend $25.
Rating:
Summary: A cogent masterpiece, tantalizingly riddled with hints...
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Writing so alive
Review: I'm only about a fifth into the book, but I just cannot keep reading it. No, the book is not bad, it is simply that incredibly good that I have to take a break to enjoy the experience fully. I fear that if I keep on reading, the book will end too fast - and the next volume will not be out for another year. It has been more than half a year since I read through the first volume of this trilogy; just a few weeks before that I read Hobb's Assassin trilogy. Between then and now I have ready many fantasy and sci-fi books, but little has been as good as Hobb's writing (one that I did like and was in a way similar to Hobb's books was Elizabeth Moon's "The Deed of Paksenarrion"). I read the first three parts of Philip Farmer's Riverworld saga just before I began "The Mad Ship" - while reading Riverworld, I found myself often reading quickly, impatient for something to happen. But in "The Mad Ship", every paragraph, every line is significant and enjoyable. Looking through the books in my bookcases, I don't think I see any author I have enjoyed as much as Robin Hobb. I'm afraid this review has come out as being very subjective and with little fact, but I cannot help wanting to share the joy I have had from reading Mrs. Hobb's work.
Rating:
Summary: Does it live up to the standard?
Review: The plot threads from book one of the series are wound together neatly in this continuation. It is certainly a less bleak work than the previous Assassin series. However, I also found that the unity and direction present in Assassin is lacking somewhat in this newer work. The plot certainly retains elements of surprise in the (often plain unlikely .. lets face it) .. way it weaves its characters round each other. However, large parts of the interaction between characters tended to be a tad predictable and it was often easy to gauge where a conversation was headed pages ahead of time. This was certainly a change from the fluctuating and unpredictable Assassin story. Also I think Robin Hobb needs to spend some time around small children in order to get a feel for how they speak. Many of the conversations in the book struck me as sounding like prewritten speeches and lacked the feel. Is that just me thinking that? .. However the book is a quality work which never betreys the realism of its characters. The world is believeable and certainly does not cheapen the Assassin series by its setting. For me though, the story lacked some of the impact and emotional force of Assassin, which was possibly the most beautiful, tragic story I ever had the fortune of reading :o)
Rating:
Summary: I hate this book.. at least a year until the next one!
Review: Mad Ship lives up to the standard of the Assassin trilogy and the Ship of Magic. This series doesn't seem to be as bleak as the Assassin one was (things just might work out for the characters for once) and whereas the second book in a trilogy often seems to be a bit pointless (a random quest or battle, just to tide the reader into the big finale in the last novel) Mad Ship adds a lot to the characters established in Ship of Magic, and keeps you gripped - one of those "just one more chapter" books, until it's five in the morning and you've finished it. A really satisfying book - apart from the fact that I want to know what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: Even Better than Book 1
Review: I thought this book was just fantastic! I just love Althea's character, and Hobb really does make her realistic; especially the way Althea is torn between stability (Grag Tenira) and romance (Brashen Trell). I have the feeling Althea will know her heart in Book 3, but will Hobb suprise us as she did with the ending to Assassin's Quest? She brings a "real-life" touch to fantasy; in her worlds, not everything ends happily... This book is so worth reading; I won't even have to tell you that if you have already read her other books! Enjoy!
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