[Neon]

I just finished Ship of Magic, and loved it! I have to admit that going into the series I was a bit hesitant regarding a series of seafaring books, but Hobb is an absolutely great writer and I was swept into the story. I've just started on Mad Ship and look forward to finishing it and the last book in the trilogy.

Regarding the characters..... my favorite right now is Brashen, although at the current point in the story he's kind of backsliding into doing the cindin/drinking again. And of course there's the underlying love story with him and Althea that I'm sure will continue to develop. As with some of you, I too have found Malta annoying but it looks like (from your reviews) she gets better with time.