Mad Ship (The Liveship Traders, Book 2)

As the ancient tradition of Bingtowns Old Traders slowly erodes under the cold new order of a corrupt ruler, the Vestrits anxiously await the return of their liveshipa 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 Altheas nephew and his father hostage. Althea and her onetime sea mate Brashen resolve to liberate the liveshipbut their plan may prove more dangerous than leaving the Vivacia in Kennits ambitious grasp.

Praise for Robin Hobb and the Liveship Traders Trilogy

Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobbs books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.George R. R. Martin

A truly extraordinary saga . . . The characterizations are consistently superb, and [Hobb] animates everything with love for and knowledge of the sea.Booklist

A major work of high fantasy, reading like a cross between Tolkien and Patrick OBrian . . . one of the finest fantasy sagas to bridge the millennium.Publishers Weekly

Rich, complex . . . [Hobbs] plotting is complex but tightly controlled, and her descriptive powers match her excellent visual imagination. But her chief virtue is that she delineates character extremely well.Interzone