The Mad Ship - Robin Hobb

THE MAD SHIP begins almost exactly where the previous novel left off; Captain Kennit has managed to capture himself the Liveship-turned-slaver, Vivacia after a turblent storm and a paticulary bloody uprising by her cargo of slaves which has left all but a handful of the original crew dead. Unfortunately for him, a previous wound (where a sea serpent took off a large part of his leg) has turned grangeous and oozes hot pus leaving him very close to ...
...with the former priest-acolyte become sailor, Wintrow; Kennit will allow both he and his father (Vivacia's former owner) to live provided Wintrow can save Kennit in return. Should his wound have gone too far and Kennit die then their lives will be forfeit to "Kennit's whore," Etta and first mate, Soccor; both of whom have no qualms at all at shedding further blood.

Little does Kennit suspect that by striking up this bargain ... more

THE MAD SHIP begins almost exactly where the previous novel left off; Captain Kennit has managed to capture himself the Liveship-turned-slaver, Vivacia after a turblent storm and a paticulary bloody uprising by her cargo of slaves which has left all but a handful of the original crew dead. Unfortunately for him, a previous wound (where a sea serpent took off a large part of his leg) has turned grangeous and oozes hot pus leaving him very close to death and extremely weak. In desperation he strikes a deal with the former priest-acolyte become sailor, Wintrow; Kennit will allow both he and his father (Vivacia's former owner) to live provided Wintrow can save Kennit in return. Should his wound have gone too far and Kennit die then their lives will be forfeit to "Kennit's whore," Etta and first mate, Soccor; both of whom have no qualms at all at shedding further blood.

Little does Kennit suspect that by striking up this bargain with the boy, Wintrow, he is setting the dice of Fate once more in motion. And if he does suspect then surely even he who believes in Fate cannot possibly foretel where such plans might lead him in the grander scheme of things?

Meanwhile, in Bingtown, tensions between The Old Trader families and The New Traders begin to get more and more out of hand. Amidst rumours that their leader, The Satrap, has left his palace in Jamillia for the first time in generations in a bid to settle any ill feeling, tempers begin to rise espeically when foreign Chalcedean vessels start patrolling the harbour- extensively to protect merchant ships from piracy but just as likely for their own sinister motives as well. It seems as though the winds of change have started to gather and it looks as though no goodwill is meant for anyone involved....

This second novel is more complex and more highly involved than anything that has come before it and there seem to be so many plot strands gathering that, at first, it is difficult to see any form of pattern taking shape. A new character is introduced in The Satrap's Companion Of The Heart (like we needed any more characters) and both her chapters and those featuring the communications between the gathering sea-serpents do begin to get a little tiresome though they play their part in telling the story and equally have their place. This is by no means an easy read at times and the sheer volume of pages is daunting enough to even disenhearten a die-hard fantasy fan like myself at times but inevitably for every chapter that leaves the story slightly flagging, there is always a new chapter which hooks the reader in again!! To be fair, most of these chapters feature Captain Kennit (a proper pirate now that he has a peg leg!!) and it is a shame that there is not more emphasis on him and less on the political factions that threaten to disrupt Bingtown's long history of peaceful trading.

Don't get me wrong- I do love this series but it does feel at times overly long and convuluted and is nowhere near as fast paced as Hobb's earlier FARSEER trilogy which is still her crowning achievment up untill the publication of this new trilogy.

Althea Vestrit plays a slightly lesser role in this novel, and thats no bad thing, whilst other characters such as her neice, Malta step up to take their place in the limelight. Time moves quickly in this book (even if at times it does not feel so to the reader) and months pass almost before you are aware of it, but one thing that does stand out as a little uncredible is how quickly Malta matures from the spoilt little girl she was in the last novel to a confident young woman eager to take control of her family's destiny in a matter of chapters.

Still, this is but a small niggle and for the most part, this is a highly accomplished novel. I still am not convinced that her using the third person perspective here works and the fact that the plot is spread amongst soo many characters means much looking back a few pages to see where we left people last but overall this is a satisfying follow-up to her best-loved first trilogy that featured the young Fitz Chivalry.

I do not dislike this series, it is just that is entirely different from the FARSEER novels and that is no bad thing I suppose; it almost seems as though this has been written for a more fantasy-based audience whilst FARSEER was aimed at wider appeal.

The book ends with enough of a cliff-hanger to make you want more but thankfully the final installment is neither more or as weighty as this second chapter making it ever so slightly more appealing before you even start it.

Fans of The Elderlings and their Dragon guardians can no doubt look forward to getting a few of their questions answered but without a doubt the series will leave you still pining for more answers as the FOOLS FATE trilogy begins after this one concludes with a welcome return to Fitz's part of The Six Duchies and the return of friends many Robin Hobb fans thought we had seen the last off!!

Before that though comes the final part of THE LIVESHIPS trilogy, and with the way the FATES are taking a hand, it seems as though almost anything could happen... 

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