Series Review: The Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb

RATING: THREE STARS

Once, dragons ruled the world. Their majesty was everywhere and humans lived in awe. Many chose to serve the dragons and were rewarded for their loyalty with long life and good health. Elderlings, as they were called, enjoyed the changes dragons wrought upon them and became more like lizards then men. They were powerful in magic and used their gifts to create Kelsingra - a city that was wondrous to behold and existed only to serve dragons and tend for their health.

But those days past. Dragons died away and the grand cities Elderlings built passed in legend, crumbling into ruin and disrepair. It is in the Rain Wilds - dangerous swamps that once boasted forests and vast swathes of fertile land - that these cities were found. The Traders that lived there excavated the ruined cities and, there, found a single dragon that still contained life: Tingalia, a dragon queen. When Tingalia hatched as a serpent, she swam to the ocean where she dwelt for many years until it was time to change into her adult, dragon form. It was then she found others of her race - eggs that she nurtured until they hatched and made their own journey to the ocean.

But the dragons that returned were not what she hoped when they emerged from their cocoons. They were weak, stunted and deformed. Such dragons were not meant to survive, but they were all that was left of the once noble race. Tingalia brokered a deal with the Traders of Trehaug and those who lived there agreed to care for the dragons so Tingalia could leave and seek others of her kind. The arrangement worked at first, but feeding growing dragons is expensive and the creatures are dangerous in the best of moods.

It was decided that the dragons had to leave and the Trader's Council assigned keepers to each one, sending them on a quest upriver to find Kelsingra so all could live in peace. The expedition would be far from easy and the Rain Wilds are an unforgiving place. Its very waters are acidic. Food and supplies are scare. Storms frequently barrage the swamp and the dragon's keepers are little more than children - those unlucky enough to be born so mutated that they are shunned by the Traders and condemned to a life of derogatory exile. Few think the expedition could be successful, but the riches it could bring to Trehaug merited the risk. The expedition set forth and, soon, the keepers and Captain Leftrin (who is employed as a guide and logistics) realise just what dire straights they are in . . . 

Book 1: The Dragon Keeper

Book 2: Dragon Haven

Book 3: City of Dragons

Book 4: Blood of Dragons

The Good

The Rain Wild Chronicles is well written and exciting. Robin Hobb does a superb job of bringing her characters to life and many of them feel like real people, having developed lives, emotions and motivations behind their actions as we do. She has managed to create a rich world for the series that is full of problems and it's extremely interesting to read about.

Robb also tweaked dragon lore slightly and the dragons in the book are slightly unconventional. They have very complex life cycles and actually begin their existence as aquatic serpents that live in the oceans. It's only when they reach adulthood that they spin cocoons from mud and their saliva and become fully-fledged dragons that spit acid and are able to influence humans through their 'glamour'. These changes do make her dragons less formidable than those of other authors, but they are enjoyable to read about and Hobb really links their life-cycle to the story, which is largely responsible for many of the problems the dragons have in the book.

The Bad

Although developed characters are a good thing in any book, Hobb did overdo it a bit and The Rain Wild Chronicles is essentially four books of one of the keepers - Thymara - whining about relationships and losing her virginity. This added a realism to her character at first, since these are issues we all worry about, but became extremely annoying by the end and ruined the book a bit, making it hard for me to like Thymara (who is actually one of the main PoV characters)!

My Thoughts

Overall though, The Rain Wild Chronicles is a pretty decent series and should make your 'to read' list. It's imaginative, well written and full of characters that can really touch your heart. It's a superb example of fantasy at its best and shows that the genre is far from stale!

Dragon Haven - Robin Hobb

RATING: FOUR STARS

Kelsingra, the lost city of the Elderlings, seems as distant as ever for Captain Leftrin, his crew and the ragged band of dragon keepers as they break new ground through the Rain Wilds. There is no indication that they are even heading in the right direction as they search for the city; the weather is worsening inclemently; and, worse still, tensions are beginning to mount as their supplies diminish and tools are lost. But hope remains and the keepers’ determination to find the ancient city and a safe haven for their dragons is as strong as ever. 

But even as the Rain Wilds are bringing the humans to the knees, the dragons are becoming stronger. They are being hardened by the adverse conditions, growing more competent and deadly with each passing day. Their deformities are vanishing as they eat more and more, and they are beginning to fill out with muscle. Soon, the dragons know, they won’t need keepers. Soon, they know, they will be able to take what they need as they did in the days of yore . . . 

The Good

Robin Hobb has outdone herself in Dragon Haven, both in imagination and storytelling. The book is even better than its predecessor and really develops the ideas of the series. Despite being set around a small river barge that journeys through inhospitable wilderness, the plot is exciting and the story does not become stale. This is mainly due to Hobb’s skill at balancing the social dynamics of her story with surprise and shocking events that come out of nowhere. In fact, Dragon Haven is a real page turner that is very difficult to put down!

As I have briefly mentioned above, Hobb’s characterisation is particularly good. She has really managed to create a diverse cast that are relatable and really seem like living people. This adds a refreshing sense of realism to the story (that fantasy often lacks), which Hobb uses well for dramatic effect in the calamities that befall them. 

What is particularly impressive is Hobb’s creation of characters from completely different classes and walks of life. Aboard the Tarman, she has characters ranging from rich and spoilt merchant traders that have never done a day’s hard work in their lives, to those that are so low born that they have been ostracised from society due to their genetic deformities. Hobb develops these characters well and is convincing in their thought process, beliefs and motivations while using their ‘point of view’, which has allowed her to tell the same story from multiple angles!

The Bad

As in Dragon Keeper, Hobb writes in very long chapters that have seldom few brakes in them. While this doesn't really diminish the story itself, it does make the novel a bit of a chore to read (which is why I have raised the issue here). It takes a real time commitment to read a chapter (unless you are happy to break yourself in an unnatural part of a story) and means that the book isn't really suitable for 'light' reading. It was a particular problem for me as I mainly read books on the bus to work, which meant that I frequently had to stop reading in random parts that disjointed the story somewhat.

Secondly, these very long chapters do make the story and its chronology slightly hard to follow in places. It’s not actually their length per se, but due to Hobb’s use of multiple points of view in one chapter. I've never really been a fan of this (and think that’s it’s clearer if writers stick to one character’s viewpoint per chapter, such as George R. R. Martin does in A Song of Ice and Fire), which makes the story easier to follow.

My Thoughts

Overall, though, Hobb has excelled and Dragon Haven is a fun, exciting book. She has put her own unique spin on dragonlore that I really liked and has penned quite a unique novel. I definitely recommend reading it (or beginning the Rain Wilds series) to any fan of fantasy, as Hobb is certainly worthy of her reputation as a master.