Dragon Keeper

In Dragon Keeper, Robin Hobb expands on her Liveship Traders universe. The (deformed) dragons that take the spotlight are less friendly and their uneasy bonds with their caretakers give a whole different experience for the readers. It is a less heroic tale to read and more of a struggle, but one that is beautifully drawn out by Hobb’s amazing skill as a writer. It’s a book as much about self-discovery, as it is about building trust. In my eyes, the slow-burn storyline remained interesting because of the strong cast of characters and my curiosity about how the dragons would… show more.

Dragons. Do I need to say more? And not just any dragons, no. These hatchlings are weak and malformed and the woman who wants to study them is fierce and intimidating. This story is not about giant, fire-breathing dragons burning down the countryside. This is more than that. This is a story with more details and inside looks at dragons when they are not as they are expected to be. The characters are certainly colorful as is common in Robin Hobb’s books and she takes you on unexpected twists and turns that you couldn’t imagine coming. 

The dragons of the Rain Wild Chronicles are a transformational lot, hatching from their eggs as sea serpents and living in the oceans until they are big enough to swim upriver, where they form cocoons and later emerge in their great, flying reptilian forms. But these dragons went extinct in a massive volcanic upheaval—until one cocoon, long-buried in the rubble of an ancient Elderling city, is at last exposed to sunlight. And as fate would have it, I met these dragons during a transitional time in my own life. My children were growing up, and I had more time for… show more.

The Rain Wild Chronicles is masterfully written with an original interpretation of what dragons mean for the fantasy genre. Quite uniquely I would say, Robin Hobb, has a different way of seeing and setting her own fantasy worlds. This series makes for quite the adventure. It has its own way of appealing to a more contemporary audience and makes for one of the fastest, yet pleasant reads.

This series of four books is dominated by dragons. Dragons are no longer being born properly, and those that are have severe problems and may not even survive. The only hope for their survival is to seek out an ancient, lost city of dragons.