Dragon Haven (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 2)

I've been a fan of science -fiction fantasy since I was 20 years old. That was 50 years ago when I first read The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings. I read them straight through, barely pausing to eat and sleep. Since then, I've had the pleasure of reading many of the best sci-fi authors including some of best. I won't bother the reader with a list of the authors I think are the best, but I would without hesitation, include Robin Hobb. Robin has an incredible gift for creating characters with amazing reality. Her sensitivity to those characters and the lives they lead makes them jump off the page. I feel touched by the way they deal with the issues they face and moved by their depth. Robin's ability to paint all kinds of people with very real issues allows them to jump off the page. Generating an entirely different yet just as plausible set of experiences and problems for dragons is a stunning accomplishment. The first two volumes of the Rain Wild Chronicles causes to wait impatiently for the next volume. Thank you for the incredibly entertaining experience Robin.

My mother made sure we always had some kind of dessert or sweets to snack on. At the same time, with two teenage boys in the house, she got a little upset if an afternoon of baking disappeared in under an hour. I finished Dragon Keeper yesterday morning. While it wasn't as good as Hobb's best, I liked it. And when I found two sequels on sale for a few dollars apiece, I picked them up immediately. Now, less than 24 hours later, I've finished Dragon Haven. My mother would be appalled, but it tells you something about the book. I did some other reading yesterday (as well as actually rising from the sofa for a good part of the day), but it's fair to say that reading this book was a major focus. The story is not perfect, but it's very readable. Unlike most of Hobb's trilogies, not a lot has actually happened in the two books. Mostly, it's dragons and their keepers sloshing up the Rain Wilds rivers. The story is about the personal interactions, and the development of both the humans and the dragons. It may that latter that makes this second book read a bit like a young adult novel - most of the characters are relatively immature, and the emotional turbulence they face is largely of the coming of age sort. With dragons. It may also be the reason that Dragon Haven succeeds better than Dragon Keeper. My complaint there was that it was disheartening to see struggles about sexuality that we've resolved (to some extent, in some place) in real life. The struggles in this book are also not new, but some are things that will never go away so long as young people keep growing into older people. There are others as well (efforts at male dominance over females) that are disappointing to the idealist in me, but that didn't trouble me as much narratively, perhaps because the story is also about an isolated group establishing new rules. Mostly, the story is an engaging adventure story with lots of personal interaction to absorb, and quite a few moral dilemmas to consider. The weakest part of the story is the dragons themselves, in some ways. I give Hobb credit for making the individuals, and not always very pleasant ones. But she comes very close at times to the stereotype of 'dragons as wise, ancient creatures who know all'. Or rather, since the dragons clearly aren't to humans treating them as if they were - living only to serve these beautiful creatures. It's not quite that clear-cut, and some humans do stand up to the dragons, but not as much as I want them to. It's an ongoing frustration, and Hobb's explanations don't go far enough for my taste. This book also wraps a few things up a little too neatly. There's conflict and drama, but also a bit of ex machina that I think could have been handled better. At the same time, I did read the book in one day, and I'm going on to the next later today. All in all, a solid fantasy book with an intriguing, enjoyable story, and well worth reading.

After reading a few reviews and watching some booktube, I was prepared for the Rain Wilds Chronicles to be less satisfying than the previous three Realm of the Elderlings trilogies. The gist was if I could get through the first two books it finally gets going in the third. Whatever. I have loved the first two and cannot wait to move on to the next book! Robin Hobb is such a talented writer that once again my TBR schedule must be shifted as I have to get back to the Rain Wilds as soon as possible.

I have not read any other books by this author. I read these despite all the naysayers. I loved these books. I of course am pretty partial to dragon books but some are far better than others. This author's descriptions and character build up are wonderful. Robin Hobb really can write well. You feel like you are there with the people and the dragons. I am not sure why other fans don't like these books...they are great. Well written, descriptive of characters, communities, attitudes, life's dramas and people (and dragons) getting caught up in events beyond their control. The only thing I did not care for were the main characters wings and the fact that her happy go lucky friend was so caught up in another person's memories. More dragon stories please! And I am glad about what happened to that trader...jerk! He deserved it!

Volume centrale della trilogia delle Wild Rain, il volume del "viaggio" in una trilogia dedicata al "viaggio". Il viaggio dei draghi verso l'antica e quasi mitologica città di Kelsingra, la città degli Elderlings dove questi vivevano e ospitavano gli antichi Draghi. In questo viaggio si rafforzeranno i legami tra i Custodi e i Draghi, verranno alla luce tutti gli altarini e sopratutto tutte le persone avranno un'evoluzione. Da quelle più ovvie e visibili come avviene ai Custodi, che si avviano lungo la strada che porterà alla loro trasformazione in Elderlings, a quelle più sottili, come avviene ad Alise e Sedric, divisi tra il loro passato a Bingtown e ciò che hanno scoperto di loro stessi in questo periodo sul fiume. I personaggi, i dialoghi e le vicende che li riguardano sono come sempre di fattura sopraffina, Robin Hobb è del resto maestra nel creare personaggi reali, vivi. Il lato negativo del libro però è dato non tanto dalla trama lineare e semplice -il secondo libro di una trilogia di questo tipo era ovvio fosse così- quanto dalla prevedibilità di certi sviluppi -la mutazione di Thymara, Alise e il capitano, l'evoluzione di Sedric-. E un'altra cosa che mi ha fatto storcere un po' il naso è stato, francamente, il proliferare dei rapporti tra uomini. Non per la cosa in sè, ho adorato il Matto con Fitz e anche la storia tra Heist e Sedric nel primo libro era trattata bene. Ma qui ora si tira in ballo un'intera società segreta all'interno di Bingtown, con mogli più o meno consapevoli della cosa, e in un gruppo ristrettissimo di persone che risalgono il fiume ci imbattiamo addirittura in quattro persone con queste preferenze sessuali. Che non sarebbe niente di strano, non fosse che da come si comportano e da quanto dicono sembra di capire che non solo la cosa non sia socialmente accettata, ma neanche nota o conosciuta. Statisticamente invece vista la quantità di persone mi sembra talmente diffusa che fa strano non sia noto a tutti che molti preferiscono compagnia dello stesso sesso. La trovo una mancanza di logica interna, ecco. Un secondo libro perfettamente all'altezza del primo se non superiore.

Enligt beskrivning

Starts a little slow but gets damn interesting near the end. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the next title.

Great writer...great story.

Books 1 and 2 in the rain wilds could have been 1 book considering where the story picks up again. As always with Robin, the relationships and character work are second to none!