u/Zoulogist

Just finished Ship of Destiny chapter 21 and that might’ve hit me harder than the Red Wedding. Poor Paragon 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭. And poor Paragon crew, all the good sailors went down with the ship while dumb Lavoy gets to live in Divvytown.

At least Amber survived since Kennit’s crew mentioned that there were no women on board. I’m going to mourn Brashen and Clef, but there’s a small part of me that hopes Amber can somehow come back and rescue them (I’m probably being foolishly optimistic there).

Did not expect Carrion to be a badass here, haven’t liked a character so much after hating them since Malta.

Finally, I also have to wonder, is Paragon’s memory-erasing skill the same as forging? If so, do we think Kennit is a sociopath because he was forged, or is he just like that?

Just finished Mad Ship. Like with every Robin Hobb book, it took me about three months to read the first half, and about 3 days to read the second half. Overall, Mad Ship has become my second favorite ROTE book so far, behind Royal Assassin. I never expected to be so invested in a ball but the summer ball chapter is easily my favorite because had so much action and tension.

One unique aspect of reading Liveship Traders in 2026 is that how much the liveships invoke the concept of AI. Mad Ship described liveships as dead things that only mimic life and personality, which is a bang on description of AI. This adds a new level to liveships as a man-made horror that underlines the traders' original sin.

**Characters**

Hobb is so great with characters that I could write a page for each of them but I'll limit myself to three for brevity's sake: (1) Althea, (2) Kennit, and (3) Malta. First, even though Paragon is my favorite, Althea remains as the book's protagonist because to me as the moral anchor. Even though she has been extremely selfish, she is the only Vestrit adult who has not directly propagated Jamailian slavery. She sticks up for herself and suffers for her dream, I am definitely rooting for her.

Second, Kennit may be my new favorite anti hero in fiction. The dichotomy between his heroic actions and horrific inner thoughts makes him so fascinating. I am so curious to whether his "heart's desire" prophecy will be good or evil (because it probably does not refer to being a pirate king). In a typical story, Kennit's trajectory would probably be redemption through Wintrow, Etta, and Sorcor making him better. But this is a Hobb world, so I think he will more likely to something terrible things, so I am reserving judgment.

Finally, I haven't done a 180 on a character like Malta since Ahsoka Tano. Hobb nailed her growth and maturity.

Theories

Kennit's Identity

A big mystery to me is Kennit's identity. It seems like he's from trader stock given that he's from a wealthy family, has a connection to liveships as a child, and can easily relate to Vivacia. Meanwhile, the story gives two potential missing traders. So, my theory for Kennit is that he's either a Ludluck, or the real Brashen Trell.