The Dragon Keeper
Memories flickered in her mind, filling her with sadness. Memories of flight, of mating, of the hot sandy beaches where her ancestors had laid their eggs... 'Kelsingra,' she said softly. In her dreams she drank from Kelsingra's well and the silver ran through her veins, filling her heart with song and her mind with poetry.
In another life, a queen dragon preened herself, her silver-dripping muzzle spreading the fine sheen over her feathery scales. And then she spread and limbered her gleaming scarlet wings. She crouched low on her powerful hindquarters and then sprang effortlessly into the air. Three, four, five beats of her wings and the wind off the river caught her and flung her aloft. She caught the current of warm summer air and soared on it...
17 Damaged Dragons. 13 Misfits. 1 Impossible Quest.
Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wild River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. Many have died along the way. With its acid waters and noxious airs, it is a hard place for anyone to survive.
People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise. One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons.
But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly. Some do not even have wings; others seem witless and bestial. Soon, they are seen as a danger and a burden: something must be done. Far upriver, so far it is shown on no map, lies the legendary Elderling city of Kelsingra – or so it is believed. Perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them.
To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils: none are expected to return, or even survive...
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Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb's stories are woven from the fabric of dreams, doubt, and destiny. Within the pages of her books, readers don’t just meet characters—they walk alongside them through kingdoms of intrigue, forests of magic, and oceans of inner turmoil. Known for crafting intricate worlds that feel as real as our own, Hobb's works capture the essence of what it means to be human, even when the characters are far from it.
Born Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden in 1952, Hobb’s childhood began in Berkeley, California, before she moved to the remote wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, where her deep connection to nature and isolation shaped much of her future storytelling. While her early years in Alaska filled her with a sense of rugged independence, it wasn’t until her teenage years in Colorado that she found her true calling. A communications major at Denver University, she honed her writing skills and went on to work as a journalist, weaving tales of human experience with the same depth and empathy that would later define her novels.
The Rain Wild Chronicles
The Rain Wild Chronicles consists of four books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series The Realm of the Elderlings
Reviews and Comments
I picked up this book after being dreadfully bored by Shaman's Crossing. There are definitely upsides and downsides to this book. I loved the ideas between sea serpents, dragons, and liveships, and the interconnection between them all. I found the story somewhat engrossing, and I wanted to know more, especially due to the odd pacing. The characters are conflicted, though several of them in the same way, but to which end, I do not know. They have interesting interactions, and I find Thymara to be particularly intriguing. However, there are incredibly odd things about it. The pacing, as I mentioned, is rather weird. You meet many of the characters all at once, only to skip ahead about 4 years without any real warning. The story bounces around with good flow but very little actually happens. This book serves to be more of an introduction to a greater story. It does it's job to create interest, without actually being particularly interesting in itself. All in all, it gives a very good feeling for the characters, though not much for actual story progression.
I really do adore Hobb's books, but this one was quite a disappointment in her scale. Sure, we have dragons, trouble, people and nice details, but one thing that I'm left missing is that something actually happens. All this book seems to be is a introduction to the main character's before the actual action starts. Prelude to bigger a story. But as a book it wasn't too exiting read. I hope the following part is more exiting.