Preview
  • Mad Ship

  • The Liveship Traders, Book 2
  • By: Robin Hobb
  • Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
  • Length: 33 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,229 ratings)

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Mad Ship

By: Robin Hobb
Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
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Publisher's summary

As the ancient tradition of Bingtown's Old Traders slowly erodes under the cold new order of a corrupt ruler, the Vestrits anxiously await the return of their liveship - a rare magic ship carved from sentient wizardwood, which bonds the ships mystically with those who sail them. And Althea Vestrit waits even more avidly, living only to reclaim the ship as her lost inheritance and captain her on the high seas. But the Vivacia has been seized by the ruthless pirate captain Kennit, who holds Althea's nephew and his father hostage.

Althea and her onetime sea mate Brashen resolve to liberate the liveship - but their plan may prove more dangerous than leaving the Vivacia in Kennit's ambitious grasp.

Spend some more time with the Liveship Traders.
©1999 Robin Hobb (P)2010 Tantor
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Critic reviews

"The novel is tightly written, with few passages not devoted to characterization, world building or action. Again, Hobb gives high fantasy a salty nautical spin that will please a great many [listeners]." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Each volume in this series is a major undertaking, but those who enjoy original, epic fantasy, characters who grow and change believably, and fine writing will not want to miss The Liveship Traders. (Amazon.com review)

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What listeners say about Mad Ship

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Enlightening!

Enjoyed this book. Again this series is stirring the memories I have of the Rain Wild Chronicles because I read that series first. I need to find this last book so I can absorb it as well. I so enjoyed the many characters of this book. I feel as though I am reliving their very lives.

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This is fun

This is a really fun series and I'm having a lot of fun listening to it.

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really enjoy the story

I've been eating up the books since reading the first series and am enjoying it.

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Unexpectedly fun.

More than pirates and ships! I usually run away from the genre but the series continues to surprise me. It is a great continuation within this world. I recommend reading the books in the order they came out. I made the mistake of skipping over these to dive back into the continuation of the Fool. Don’t.

Pro tip - some people complain about the narrator, which I agree is a stylistic theatrical linguistic approach that is too slow and affected. I increased the playback to x1.10 and it reads much better for my patience.

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Brilliant story, terrible narration

Loved the story. Can't wait for the next book to download. However, the narrators voice is just as bad as previous reviews dictate. I want to say that her voice grows on you, but really its just you being pulled into the depth of the story.

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My favorite series ever

I've reread this series several times and am listening to it now with my kids ... highly recommend

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Love this series

Just as the first of The Liveship Traders I found this one very emersive and hard to step away from. Their struggles seem real, the characters flawed in their own ways, constantly loving and hating them as their character develops. The narrator tends to draw out words unnecessarily, probably to add some drama though the book doesn't need the added effort. However, it's easy to get past, especially if you speed up the audio to 1.2-1.3. Still highly favored, Robin Hobb is forever my go-to auto-buy author.

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Fantastic detail!

The details are wonderful written- it easy to form a picture in my head! This was a great middle book.

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Leagues better than first book on the series!

After reading the Farseer series I was smitten with Hobb. Her storytelling and writing style are unparalleled. Naturally i immediately started the Liveship series and almost didn't make it through the first book. I couldn't find myself to care about any of the characters and thoroughly disliked most of them. If it had been any other author i probably would have DNFed the book. I still wouldn't want to retread it but this second book brought me back to the Hobb i know and love. The prose, the characters, the weaving of narrative-chefs kiss! So glad i decided to continue with the series and looking forwarding the final installation!

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I can't even

words fail to express the magnificence of this book & series. it's imaginative, adventurous, heart breaking, fulfilling, etc. seriously the best 👌

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