Vol. 2), Dragon Haven (Rain Wilds Chronicles

If you, as you probably are for considering this book, are overly familiar with this particular universe created by Lindholm/Hobb it should hold few suprises. Yet it is the comfortable and competent storytelling of this writer that keeps you coming back for more..

The familiar style of Hobb along with the old appealing idea of encounters with fallen and forgotten civilazations accompanied by dragons is a nice and cozy mix. I miss a bit of further exploration into the world in itself, but that would have to come at the expense of the many dramatic encounters between the characters introduced in the first book, so I'll let that one slide.

One positive aspect of this book is that it describes the love and romantics so familiar in the fantasy genere, but takes it in the suprisingly unexplored (unexplored in the world of fantasy) of homosexuality and gay love. the fact that parts of the plot rests heavily on the complications of the familiar stigma around open homosexuality makes the motivation behind certain characters actions far more belivable.

It should be mentioned that one internet postingmade by Hobb some time ago described this two- volumed story as a single stand-alone. which would have made for a better read as you somewhat get the feeling that the two books is actually a single larger one who has had an unfortunate encounter with a meat-cleaver.

I wouldn't recomend reading this book unless you are atleast familiar with the liveship trilogy as there are several names, locations and concepts that aren't as richly described as a new reader could wish for. Then again some might actually find great pleasure at the hints of the numerous other stories, but I guess that most readers won't. If you love Hobb and need a untroublesome re-fill this is what you should read. If you want yet another deeper look into this particular world and enjoy suprising twists to the plot, you'll need to wait for the possibility of future books.

This review is quite uncompetently written. I partly blame the fact that it was written on my Kindle.

Robin Hobb's imagination and the scope of her stories never disappoint. What was a little disappointing was that she felt it necessary to politicize the story with rampant Homosexuality. Hest, Cedric, and Carson played crucial roles in the story as did their relationships. Davvy and the rest felt gratuitous. Representing about 25 or 30% of the characters as Homosexuals (no Lesbians or transgenders thankfully) was over the top. Where were the Homosexual Dragons?

What a waste! Volume one repeated without critical plot settings. Not even any new developments or characters. Even the ending was not advanced to the next stage. Robin Hobb should have admitted she was unable to produce the next volume and left it at that. Shame.

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb concludes the story begun in Dragon Keeper, book one of the Rain Wilds Chronicles. Word is that Hobb wrote this story intending it to be a single novel, but given it's length the publisher decided to split it in half (Robin Hobb informed readers of her blog that she is, in fact, working on a third book in the series. Note: The series as a whole is four books). Given where the novel was split, the reader is not exactly left hanging or wanting to rush out to buy Dragon Haven. But, all that aside, I was still looking forward to getting my hands on this one.

The Rain Wilds is something Hobb has delved into more and more in each successive series of hers. The first two novels delve deeper still. Whereas Dragon Keeper was about stunted dragons choosing keepers for themselves and the beginning of a journey to find the lost city of Kelsingra, Dragon Haven is about the continuing angst and trials between the dragons and their keepers and the conclusion of their quest. I'll leave it to the reader to discover if they find Kelsingra or not, but I would like to comment that Hobb, in her own way, finally explains the acidity of the Rain Wilds River, something that has played into many of her novels and defines the people who choose to make their homes at its banks.

In terms of writing, it's hard to complain or find fault with Hobb. She's a wonderfully competent author who has a knack for developing rich characters dwelling amongst a richer world. As is mentioned often about Hobb's writing, pacing is an issue. If you're looking for the latest Abercrombie-type novel, go elsewhere. Hobb leads the reader on a slow walk down a meandering path, tantalizing with hints of something more and just enough contention and challenges that you tend to want to see how the characters involved make out. Sometimes they win, sometimes they don't. The conclusion of the Farseer Trilogy still stops me in mid-thought sometimes and sends me into fits of melancholy. Hobb is the creator of some powerful stuff with her writing.

If I were to say anything bad about Dragon Haven it's that we never get the level of tragedy I was expecting out of Hobb. It just seemed to me there were multiple points where certain characters could have come to serious harm or made to sacrifice, but those opportunities were passed over.

While Dragon Haven is a complete tale, I couldn't help but feel that it is only a stepping stone leading into something much larger. The series is a total of four books, so there is much more to explore here.

You can tell the book is written by an accomplished author by the way the descriptions flow, the pacing and so on, but at some point, the characters need to act intelligently and the plot needs to advance.
Outside of the great descriptions, this book is a painfully tedious slog.

1. The dragons are arrogant and self-involved. OK, not a problem in and of itself, but the problem is arrogant, self-involved characters are BORING (even if they are dragons). An arrogant character can sneak in and move a story to climax or force the hero/heroine to their make or break point (the best example I can think of is Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars). Palpatine is evil as well as arrogant, but in the end, what makes that story work, is that Palpatine only appears in bits and pieces and at the perfect moments.
With the dragons, you have hundreds and hundreds of pages of mind numbingly boring twaddle that all amount to the same thing:
"We're dragons and you're pitiful, weak humans"

2. The love stories are just dreadful. Again, hundreds and hundreds of pages of boring crap, so that basically Alise can come to the conclusion that "You're not the boss of me". Same for the gay character. Alise's ignorance of Sedric being gay is so laughable that it ruins that whole story line.

3. Hobb's forte is supposedly creating/taking insufferable characters and have them evolve into a more complex person, but the transition of Thymara just doesn't ring true. She's arrogant and annoying, and like most of Hobb's female characters, she never really pays a price for her arrogance or insolence. Everyone just comes running back to her and wants to make nice, irrespective of her actions/words (basically juvenile romance novel behavior, might as well be werewolves and vampires.)

Additionally, the humans accept their role as chattle/slaves to the dragons, even when they're not under their charms/spells.
They don't really make any attempt to define their roles with the dragons or negotiate 'a deal' (They are the world's best traders after all)

Oh and top of all that. Pretty much nothing happens. There's a flood which mostly happens because well, I guess something has to happen eventually, but in the end this is just a romance novel - and not a very good one. Sedric and Hest are one-dimensional, very bad stereotypes. Sure she tries to have Sedric grow as a person, but it's forced and it's a boring read. Same for Alise (again hundreds and hundreds of pages of nothing just so she can 'grow'. Might have more interesting if she broke out into a rendition of "I am woman, hear me roar". Additionally the captain just doesn't read like a real person. He acts like a captain when he's running the ship, but he quickly devolves into a simpering beta male when he's around Alise. I've never liked Hobb's male characters. She kind of gets the children and young adults right, but the adult men are all flat and completely devoid of complexity. (Even in the Fitz/Fool trilogies, which are better, the male characters are flat and boring and only behave the way an immature woman fantasizes that her ideal man would behave.

Hi there.

I used to buy Robin Hobbs books without waiting for reviews from other book lovers. Unfortunately this has come to an abrupt end. Dragon Haven will either be my last Robin Hobb book or I will have to scrutinize reviews of any future books to make sure they are actually filled with fantasy. I bought the book to read about dragons and magic and didn't expect half the book to be filled with the details and intimate thoughts of various gay relationships.

I'll admit that I do not support the gay movement or their values, but that is different discussion. The question I need to answer here is whether I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone else? The truth is that parts of the book was interesting, like most of the other Robin Hobb books I've read, but I simply could not read and enjoy large sections of this book. I feel cheated, as I didn't get what I thought I was buying. If I thought it was fair to ask for a refund I would, but both my wife and I have already read portions of this book.

Parents beware! My wife and I are encouraging our small son to read and enjoy science fiction and fantasy books, DVDs etc. He loves dragons. However, we don't want him to read this book. We'll be deleting Dragon Haven from our the store e-Book library as soon as we can figure out how to do it.

Take care and good reading.

The second book in the Rain Wild Chronicles, and everything that RH built up to in the first book started to pay off or come together in this one. Where the first book ended up being a bit of an average read, this one was quite excellent – on par with some of my favourite Farseer novels or the Liveship Traders.

This was quite action packed – plenty of things going wrong along the way to Kelsingra, and you never quite know just who will survive the journey. One of my favourite things about the book was the growth of Sedric into a sympathetic character, and his blossoming romance with Carson – who would have thought that Sedric would have such a sweet romance?

One of the little frustrations for me with this (and the other books in the series) is the way that the male keepers view the female keepers as something they have a right to. I really love how Thymara stands up to them on this issue. She’s wholly her own person and makes her own decisions in that regard.

I got totally engrossed in this one and read it very quickly as a result. I loved it.

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

This is a Rain Wild book. This volume of the story picks continues the trek of dragons, humans and a live ship up the Rain Wild River.

The characters of the story undergo many changes in this book. Hobb imbues her stories with character growth. She takes a personality and exposes it to many stressing factors and lets it grow organically, albeit with author oversight.

Thymara seems to undergo the greatest growth. She embodies the struggle of women in a man's world. Hobb slips in the philosophic urging for equality which sadly is still grossly needed.

The dragons are given more identity and are fleshed out in multiple ways.

Hobb has the ability to address current social ills through her book. Her addressing the inequities of societal roles is threaded throughout the book. Addressing homosexuality, equality and gender bias while refraining from preaching is no easy task.

I highly recommend.

Site: http://www.robinhobb.com/

I enjoyed reading this book and thought it did a really good job continuing the story. The first book didn't really have an ending as most books would even in a series but it felt more like the end of a chapter. This book did the same thing.

In this book as in the other book there were letters between the Keepers of Birds Detozi and Erek written on messages sent between the cities of Bringtown and Trehaug. At first I found them almost an annoyance but I really enjoyed them in this book. They are a second story in the story of getting the dragons to Kelsingra.

The development of characters in this made the keepers and the dragons into individual characters that seemed fuller than in the first book. Most of the keepers of the dragons began changing from proximity to the dragons as well as the dragons shaping them to become Elderlings. This creates tensions both among the keepers and the dragons. Do the dragons remember what to do? Do the keepers want to become Elderlings? The connects between the keepers and the dragons has grown stronger but both will be changed as a result.

Dangers environmental and within must be face if the journey is to be successful.

I really enjoyed reading this book and will be reading the next in the series. I expected Robin Hobb to be more of a pop them out as fast as possible at the detriment to the story kind of fantasy writer but these have been really enjoyable to read and the characters and story are well developed. I would recommend this series to those that enjoy fantasy with strong women characters.

Dragon Haven continues the story of the journey to find the dragon capital of Kelsingra. Here Robin Hobb's misfit band of deformed dragons, Bingtown, and Rain Wilds residents begin the second leg of their journey down the Rain Wilds River.

The bickering teens split off into cliques and explore their own sexuality. Meanwhile Sedric begins to doubt his affection for Bingtown high life, and for Alise's wretched husband Hest, and comes even to question the worth of his life. Until a dragon and new hunter befriend him. Alise, meanwhile, is having similar struggles trying to reconcile her husband's disdain of her, and her new freedom on the Tarman--and her growing affection for its captain.

The deadly river, the decisions made by each on board the ship concerning their private struggles, and their relationship and duty to the dragons, might be coming to a head.

What I found most interesting, and worth the read, was the subplot surrounding Sedric's problems--which almost has a dark night of the soul feel to it. So for Sedric's continuing story, it's worth the read, but I think Dragon Haven may please fans of Robin Hobb's previous series more than new readers.

This is the second and last book in the Rain Wild Chronicles duology (after The Dragon Keeper).

In this volume we follow the Tarman crew, the dragons and their keepers deeper into the Rain Wilds as they continue their doomed expedition in search of the fabled Elderlings city of Kelsingra. We witness the dragons' physical and mental development, and the various changes the keepers go through, tending to the wondrous creatures. Friendships hatch, secrets surface, resentment builds, remorse haunts, love grows.

Greft starts dreaming of a new life, free from the constricting rules of Trehaug. He harasses Thymara, insisting that she must choose a mate among the male keepers, like he has chosen Jerd. But Thymara isn't ready to commit, even to Tats: she's too afraid of becoming pregnant in this hostile environment, and a burden for the other keepers.

Leftrin is soon caught up by the shameful deal he made with a Chalcedean merchant to provide him with dragon parts. He has to find a way to get rid of this threat to the expedition, and to his new relationship.

Until disaster strikes, scattering crew, hunters, keepers and dragons, shuffling and jumbling their lives.

From then on, I literally couldn't put the book down. I was already enjoying reading about the characters' evolution, especially about Alise and Sedric slowing getting used to their life away from Bingtown and its comfort, away from Hest, but this event rearranged the story into a new pattern and gave it a wonderful kick. I'm thrilled to know that Robin Hobb is currently working on a sequel!

Apparently there is a genre known as "travel memoir" wherein someone, usually a woman, becomes sick of their current life (and perhaps life partner) and heads off on a voyage of self-discovery, travelling and doing things one had never dreamed of, as well as new love (and possibly sex). Only when I thought of Dragon Haven in those terms did the novel make sense. Before that the title of the review was "A lot of walking" - which arguably might work for Lord of the Rings too, I suppose.

This, and to an extent the predecessor Dragon Keeper, are about 3 lost souls who have unhappy lives and set out on voyages to change this, one way or another. It just so happens that there are dragons involved, and as a result the story looks like a standard fantasy quest until you stop and think about it. Then you get to the end of the book and realise there is no evil overlord - just a somewhat pitiable teenager trying to impose his will on others and a somewhat ruthless and opportunistic, but largely ineffective, jungle trapper. There is no swordplay, and the closest thing to a battle scene is either a flood, or a brief struggle involving a hatchet, depending on how widely you interpret "battle scene".

In short, I guess it must be fantasy because there are dragons, but really it's a story about self-discovery, racism, sex, sexism, sexual identity, homophobia, and probably colonialism and madness as well, if you want to stretch a Heart of Darkness analogy because both stories involve a journey up a river.

All of the above is simply a warning not to expect a standard fantasy novel. This is still an enjoyable read, and despite the references to various "isms" above, its done with a light enough touch - save in one instance where it is clearly not, and obviously deliberately so - that it is never grating. The dragons are definitely alien creatures, frightening and demanding, not just giant talking horses who can fly (most cannot, in fact, but that is neither here nor there for now).

I am unsure whether this is the second book in a trilogy, or whether there are more books forthcoming at all. I don't think there is much more to the story to be told - although I can see some possiblities - but on the other hand, the story just ends with a lot of loose ends hanging. The book though is driven by the characters and their growing self-awareness: all are flawed to some degree, and all have secrets: in other words, they are realistic people who behave in understandable ways. If you have read Robin Hobb before - especially the Liveship trilogy - then this and Dragon Keeper are worth picking up, but as an introduction to Hobb, maybe start with the Royal Assassin trilogy and go on from there.

I did like this book. I want that to be known. For me it was the anticipated follow-up to "Dragon Keeper", which I quite enjoyed with its return to the magic of the Rain Wilds. I admire Hobb's desire to continue the world she created in "The Liveship Traders".

But this book wound up being about the little character dramas than much about the Rain Wilds or even the dragons. And I do like character dramas. I believe a character should drive the story--but this wound up as a case where there just wasn't a story to be driven. People and dragons and hormones and sex all on route to the legendary Elderling city (now that is something I would have liked to see more of). Character troubles took up about 90% of the story until I was left to believe every person mentioned was going to get their relationship issues mentioned.

There just wasn't much else, and even that was nothing terribly new we haven't seen from other Hobb books. Dragons creating Elderlings--seen it. Romance--seen it, but not nearly at this level. Action and disaster--always good, but in this story they served no other purpose than to shake up the relationships.

Still, it's a Hobb book, and she once again shows off some great writing and character design. I liked these people. It was not as if I wished evil things upon most of them. And I suppose the drama will appeal to many people who like that sort of thing. The Rain Wilds are a strange place, and Hobb touches upon classic themes of bigotry and love.

I guess I wanted more fantasy or adventure. While this certainly had the emotion its predecessor promised, it had little of the action of story.

If you are dying to see what happens to the Rain Wilds characters because you are focused on the characters, you'll probably like this. I did like this book for that reason. If you like Hobb's writing skills, this will give you something to appreciate. It's a story well-told--at least, where the story involves romance and relationships.

I fail to understand how anyone can say these books were slow and that nothing happened. Were we reading the same books?

Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm is one of the best fantasy/fiction writers out there. I have, so far, absolutely loved everything of hers I've read, ever since Wizard of Pigeons. That being said, one thing that always makes me hesitate before picking up one of her books is how utterly brutal she is to her characters, and knowing I'm going to get torn apart along with them. Getting through the Soldier's Son trilogy was at times acutely painful, as bad or worse than the Assassin's series, simply because of the sheer horror she can visit upon characters you so quickly come to know and love. But the writing keeps me turning pages, helpless to put the book down and walk away...I get sucked totally in each and every time. Her ability to create believable, 3-dimensional characters and make you care about them, even when they're not necessarily likable, is absolutely unmatched.

That being said...one of the things I have loved best about this book (I'm pretty sure Dragon Keeper/Dragon Haven is one book and that there won't be a third), is that this is the closest she has EVER come to having something approaching a happy ending. Yes, the characters are tortured, maimed, driven to the extremes of endurance...but it all turns out relatively well for almost everyone, which is something I've never see Hobb do. It was so unexpected, and I loved it! Understand, I don't expect or require happy endings in my reading, but I did really enjoy that, for once, I didn't end the book feeling like I'd been through a wringer along with the characters.

I loved both these books, and will read them again and again.

Robin Hobb, Dragon Haven (Eos, 2010)

Every time I read a Robin Hobb trilogy, it happens. Somewhere along the way, I get sucked into it, and I wind up forgoing such niceties as food and sleep in order to finish whatever book of hers I happen to be in the middle of. It took a little longer than usual with the Rain Wilds Chronicles, but about seventy-five pages into Dragon Haven, it clicked. I finished the rest of the book in a couple of marathon sessions and am now pacing my cage while I wait for the next volume to come out. (Because yes, I do think, despite promotional materials, there will be a third book here.)

When we last left our tangle of malformed dragons, outcast keepers, and taggers-along from Bingtown, they were out of Cassarick, but other than that, little had changed. Alise Finbok was still moping around after the captain and feeling there wasn't anything she could do about it, while the captain was busy worrying about who the mole in his crew was. Some of the dragons were getting along with their keepers, while others barely tolerated one another. And the keepers were little different amongst themselves. The hunters kept away from everyone else. And the keepers of the birds passed their notes in the chapter beginnings with no one the wiser. Well, all that changes. Most of it, anyway (the bird keepers keep passing notes). As the dragons get closer to Kelsingra, the humans continue to wonder whether the lost city even exists. But all that becomes secondary to survival when a flash flood tears through the party, scattering dragons, keepers, hunters, and ship's crew alike. The bulk of the latter half of the book involves everyone searching for everyone else, in fact, and it's this sort of chaos where Hobb truly excels.

It's tough to know what rating to give this book until we know for certain whether there will be a book three in this series. As a stand-alone, it's about as phenomenal as anything else Robin Hobb has written, and if you like her work, you'll like this one well enough; engaging characters, strong plot, great pacing (once she gets warmed up, which always seems to take a while). But if that's really the ending of this particular story arc, I'll end up coming back and docking the book half a star, maybe even a full star. It's a weak ending, and it doesn't really beg a sequel (in the sense that the story could reasonably end here); if the story ends up just petering out where it is rather than giving us more, then the ending drags the whole thing down. I can't believe that's the case, though; Hobb has a history of incredible series endings. I'm reserving judgment and keeping faith until we know for sure. ****

This is the second book in The Rain Wild series. DRAGON HAVEN draws us ever deeper into the lives of the dragon keepers, their charges and the crew of the liveship Tarman. Robin Hobbs is the mistress of the intricate, well-told fantasy. As we move up the river, we enter deeply into the private wildernesses of her diverse cast of characters. Much happens externally: earthquake, floods of acid water, conflict within the group--even murder.

The dragons become stronger, more confident and exert their glamor over their keepers. When the flood comes, they help the humans survive but they also develop a taste for human flesh...which the humans must deal with. In the earthquake and following flood much equipment and supplies are lost testing the humans to the limits of their capacity to survive. Tensions within the group are heightened.

The passion Captain Leftrin feels for Alise Finbok is requited. She struggles to remain true to her distant husband, Hest, even as the liveship Tarman begins invading her dreams. Her friend and husband's secretary, Sedric, undergoes dramatic changes emotionally and physically as a result of a secret sip of dragon's blood. He thought to steal a little blood from the dying copper dragon but that action has unintended consequences. It might kill him...or it might be his salvation.

Thymara, Sintara's keeper, comes to open conflict with her dragon. The two distrust one another and quarrel openly. The bond between them seems brittle and yet both seem to draw strength from the struggle with each other. Thymara is pressured to pair off by Greft, the eldest keeper. Greft is the self-appointed leader of the keepers. He has paired off with the pretty, promiscuous Jerd and tries to force Thymara to choose from the unattached male keepers even though she's terrified of getting pregnant like Jerd.

The author continues using the correspondence between the keepers of the messenger birds as a method of keeping the reader informed about developments back in the cities of Trehaug (where the expedition was launched) and Bingtown (where Alise and Sedric are from). These one-page notes between chapters suddenly blossom into an independent narrative of their own as it is revealed that Detozi of Trehaug is a single young woman and Erek of Bingtown a single young man. This author complicates everything! All her characters attain life and solidity and I'm now waiting eagerly for the third book to see if all achieve the endings, happy and bad, that they seem to be earning!

In Dragon Keeper, Robin Hobb started a duology of novels set in her "Farseer" universe. After the events which allowed the Traders to become independent (as chronicled
in the Liveship novels), a group of dragon eggs, entrusted to the inhabitants of the dense and deadly Rain Wilds rainforest, have hatched into pale imitations of the dragon
Tintaglia, who laid them. A misfit group of keepers, hunters and dracophiles banded together to take the young proto-dragons deep into the Wilds in search of an ancient dragon
city.

Dragon Haven completes and concludes the story of those keepers, their dragons, and those with them, as the physical challenges of the deadly Rain Wilds, dissension amongst the
crew of the Tarman, and doubts about whether the mysterious dragon city of Kelsingra even exists anymore threaten the health and well being of not only the expedition, but all
of those associated with it.

Robin Hobb is one of the most acclaimed writers of "low fantasy" (fantasy without tremendous amounts of magic), and the conclusion to the Rain Wilds series, Dragon Haven, shows us why.

First, its all about the characters, especially female characters. Well drawn, complex, conflicted and most importantly, capable of change and growing, Hobbs characters continue the development they started in the first volume, and grow to meet the challenges they meet. Not only the young adults, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal and the other keepers. Not only the adults, too, Alise, Captain Leftrin, Sedric and the other adults. No, Hobb's deft hand extends to the dragons, as well. While dragons with personalities is not new in fantasy fiction, Hobb's still-growing dragons evolve and change over the course of the two novels, and more especially this one.

Second, the milieu of the Rain Wilds is vividly described and invoked in her writing. The Rain Wilds, with significant (and frightening) changes resembles the temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest that Ms. Hobb makes her home in, and that mise en scene, that sense of place, is wonderfully set before the reader. The Rain Wilds are a character as much as the human or dragon characters are. Unintentionally, perhaps, but the book has only reinforced my desire to see the area of the country that inspired the Rain Wilds.

Thirdly, the plot. Although the first book ended in medias res, and clearly as the first book of a duology, we receive a solid resolution to the plots of the first book. Even the keepers of the messenger birds, Erek and Detozi, whose messages have served as a window to the world beyond the Tarman, have a subtle and small plot of their own that resolves nicely. Although part of the resolution seems to come a bit out of the blue, I realized at the end that I had, indeed, missed a Chekhov's Gun Ms. Hobb had subtly placed earlier in the series.

Lastly, the inventiveness of Ms. Hobb's writing. Let me give you one example, her Dragons. Dragons are not quite as common as werewolves and vampires in novels these days, but a glance in the local F/SF section of the bookstore shows that Dragons have always been a big part of the Duchy of Fantasy. Hobb does not tread new ground; her dragons are new, and different, given their weaknesses, deformities and deficiencies that the dragons have been cursed with, and must overcome in order to become true dragons. I can't help but wonder what the young life of other fantasy dragons were like, now that Hobb has so expertly thought out and shown us the birth and development of young dragons in her world.

You couldn't and shouldn't read this book before reading Dragon Keeper. Fans of Hobb will have already bought this book, of course, and their loyalty to her writing is rewarded. Start with Dragon Keeper, and continue on with Dragon Haven, and I would bet good money that you will become a fan of Hobb's writing, too.

Highly Recommended.

I stumbled across Robin Hobb when her Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1) was being offered up for free for Kindle. I love character-driven fantasy and the Farseer books are particularly good. I read everything of hers I could get my hands on so I was very excited when I saw she had a new series of books.

These books are set in the same world as the Farseer books but focus on completely new characters. However, I will say that I do recommend reading the other books set in this world because they provide really good backstory and set the stage. Also, I have to be frank, the other books are just much better.

While I enjoyed the two books in this series (this being the second one), they didn't keep me completely riveted the way her other books have.

If you're wondering whether or not to pick up this second book after finishing the first, yes, I do recommend finishing it up. This second book does start moving along faster and you become much more tied into the characters. There is more adventure and a bit more action to be had. And the conclusion is satisfying. If you're new to Robin Hobb, check out the Farseer books first. They are, hands down, her best work.

I'm a fan of Robin Hobb except for the Soldier Son trilogy. It was good to be back in familiar territory with liveships and dragons. I had this second in the trilogy waiting til I could get my hands on the first book at the library but got tired of waiting. (there was a long waiting list) As in other of Hobb's books I at first found the characters frustrating and maddening (kinda glad I didn't read first book!) You just want to shake some sense/awareness/decency into them and then they grow on you as they develop. Others might complain about the length of the journey but to me it was appropriate, it highlighted the development of the characters very well, be they human or dragon or something in between. I do have to say if you haven't read any earlier books on Bingtown or the Rainwilds you WILL be somewhat confused as to the background of sentient ships and people with scales, so I don't recommend the book as a stand-alone.
I remember reading a review on the first book that accused Hobb of homophobia; this book should negate that.
Hobb is such a great storyteller - you can really feel the arduousness of the voyage to the Elderling city, the physical and emotional changes the characters go through.

When I finished reading Dragon Keeper, book one of the Rain Wild Chronicles, I felt a bit let down knowing that I had to wait until volume two was released.

I happy to say that I had was finally able to read book two, and it was as enjoyable as any and all the other books that Robin Hobb has written.

Dragon Haven picks up exactly where Dragon Keeper left off, so I highly recommend that you read book one before embarking on the continued adventures in this book.

Robin Hobb's books are always poses tremendous trials and tribulations for her characters, which they must endure both physically and mentally. As each individual survives each crisis they all begin (although sometimes very reluctantly) to mature, and through their growth to come to terms with their true nature and needs.

Although Dragon Haven concluded with a very satisfying ending (with no hint of a book three feeling imminent), it is my fond hope that some day Robin Hobb will find her magical dragons and human changelings calling to her again, prompting her to embark on another foray into her fledgling colony of dragons and their keepers.

Reviewed by Debbie.

"Dragon Haven", by Robin Hobb

We pick up where we left off with Dragons and keepers alike traveling up the river towards what they all hope will eventually be Kelsingra. The live ship Tarman with Captain Leftrin at the helm follow suit. The dragons appear to be growing stronger by the day and hopes begin to rise that one day that may have all of their intended faculties if they can survive the trip and the difficulties the river presents...

"Dragon Haven" was a little slow even for a Robin Hobb Story. After completing it I felt like "Dragon Keeper" and "Dragon Haven" could have been combined into a single book. There just didn't feel like there was enough additional character or plot development to justify 2 books.

The Good: As with all Robin Hobb stories we have great characters and a great and diverse world. Her prose manages to make even the most mundane scenes and situations somewhat entertaining.

The Bad: As stated one of Hobb's strong points is her ability to draw strong characters and for the reader to watch them evolve however there just didn't seem to be enough happening in "Dragon Haven" with regards to plot or character development / evolution and this left the book feeling a little slow and tedious at times.

Another problem for me was that a lot of character development was applied to the Sedric character which would have been fine however the story telling becomes a little too graphic for me regarding his taste in partners. I have no problem with characters that aren't of the heterosexual persuasion being included within stories however I am not interested in their exploits being detailed within said story.

Overall: Dragon Haven wasn't a bad read overall however was slightly slow even for Hobb. If you enjoyed the first in the series then you will likely enjoy this one as well. If you haven't read Hobb before don't start here. Pick up "Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1)" or "Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)" first.

My introduction to Robin Hobb was via Dragon Keeper, which I also received from the store Vine. I was intrigued, and at first a little lost, unaware that there was a series set just before it (The Liveship Traders), but I loved the richness and depth of the world and the characters in in. Since then, I've read the Liveship Traders and become quite thoroughly hooked on Robin Hobb. She writes engrossing, literate novels that I have to be careful to start only when I'll have the time to really sit and read, because otherwise I'll find myself staying up all night reading "just a little bit further."

The Rain Wilds are noted for changing the humans who live there - they develop scales and sometimes even claws. Children born with too many changes are either exposed or ostracized. Thymara, one of the main characters, has claws, which makes her an outcast - even though it also makes her incredibly useful in a city high in the trees, where hunting for food involves crawling out on far branches of the canopy.

Dragon Keeper was the introduction to this series, where we met the first group of serpents to travel upriver and metamorphose into dragons in generations. To the horror of all, the dragons emerge sickly and misshapen. They are unable to feed themselves, and they are ravenous. The small rainforest towns have no arable land, and the dragons are quickly becoming an enormous problem. Keepers - mostly outcast youths - were assigned, and an expedition was mounted to take the dragons upriver, either to die or to find the lost city of Kelsingra, faintly remembered by the dragons and long forgotten by humans. Either way, the town is rid of two big problems.

Dragon Haven picks up right where we left off, far upriver in the Rain Wilds, bound for Kelsingra, with the party literally exploring uncharted waters.

The world here is deep and rich, with the river, and the lands, the dragons, and the culture quite well developed and conveyed. The people - all misfits in one way or another - are well drawn and fully formed as they come of age, even those already older, shaped by events, culture, biology, and the presence of the dragons. Even the barge is a strong character. Robin Hobb seems to really know her subjects, and writes convincingly of watercraft, rainforests, human nature, and her dragons. This has become one of my favorite fantasy worlds.

If you have read and enjoyed Dragon Keeper, you'll enjoy this one as well.

The action is fairly seamless from Dragon Keeper, and I suspect it would be hard to follow if you started with this book. So, go read Dragon Keeper, and possibly the Liveship Traders series, starting with Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders), then come back to this one. I highly recommend it.

Overall I liked the book. What I don't understand is the author's inclusion of the more intimate aspects of the various relationships. I suppose if you are shooting for part fantasy, part romance novel then the book can be considered a success. I thought the details of the sexual encounters was unecessary to move the main part of the story along. Merely saying that two characters paired off or went to bed together wasn't enough. The author went into great detail about how things felt and so forth. This alone was enough for me to suggest that no young kids should be reading this book. Oh... and fair warning... some of the relationships are male on male.
Good book. Will read the next one at the library when it's available. Will not let my kids read it until they are older.

Dragon Haven (2010) is the second Fantasy novel in the Rain Wilds Chronicles, following Dragon Keeper. In the previous volume, the dragons plunged in the river and doggedly moved upstream. Alise rode the barge Tarman. Sedric was still trying to dissuade her from going upriver as Tarman started upstream.

Leftrin was surprised to find three hunters on the barge. Carson was leading these hunters. Thymara paddled up the river with Rapskal. The other keepers also paddled along in their boats.

In this novel, Sintara is a blue dragon. Her keeper is Thymara and sometimes Alise.

Mercor is a golden dragon. He has more memories than the other dragons and often suggests new ways of obtaining their goals. His keeper is Sylve.

Heeby is a red dragon. Her keeper is Rapskal.

Relpda is a copper dragon. She does not have a regular keeper.

Thymara is a Rain Wilds girl. She is heavily marked by her mutations.

Rapskal is a Rain Wilds boy. He is heavily marked by mutations.

Carson Lupskip is a native of the Rain Wilds. He is the chief hunter on the voyage upriver and a friend of Leftrin.

Alise Kincarron Hest is a Bingtown woman. She married Hest Finbok late in her life.

Sedric Meldar is a Bingtown man. He has known Alise for many years and is a close friend of Hest Finbok.

Tarman is a Live Ship. Recently he had been modified with wizardwood found by Leftrin.

Leftrin is the captain of the Tarman. He is infatuated with Alise.

In this story, the copper dragon is dying. Mercor and Sylve are guarding her. Mercor says that Relpda is infested with parasites and has been attacked by a predator.

Alise discovers that Sintara has been infested by a rasp snake. Soon rasp snakes are found on other dragons. Alise insists on checking the copper dragon.

Alise uses rushes to wash off the mud coating Relpda. She finds a stab wound in her side. When Mercor and Heeby turn her over, they find at least a dozen rasp snakes in her belly.

Leftrin brings tereben oil from the barge and starts painting the rasp snake wounds with the fluid. The snakes convulse violently and then withdraw from the wounds. The keepers kill the snakes as they fall off.

Soon all the dragons have been inspected and the parasites removed. The keepers extend their cleaning routines to look for the snakes. Relpda starts to recover from her wounds.

Sedric is ill from drinking Relpda's blood. He stays in his cabin while others care for him. He is visited by Alise, Leftrin and Carson.

Then Sedric starts hearing remarks from Relpda in his head. He has never before heard thoughts from a dragon and had assumed that they were only animals. Now he is exchanging thoughts with Relpda.

This tale has the convoy disrupted by a huge wave coming down the river in the night. The humans and dragons are washed away. Some dragons discover that they can swim while holding humans in their mouths. Sintara carries Thymara and Alise on her back.

This novel concludes with the survivors high and dry in the foothills. The next installment in this series is City of Dragons.

Highly recommended for Hobb fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of sentient dragons, river voyages, and stubborn women. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

It was a pleasure to read Dragon Haven. As I stated in my review of the the series' first novel, I was quite surprised by Robin Hobb's ability to build characters and make them believable. I was expecting a quiet, brainless read--I mean heck, it had the word Dragon in the title... It was bound to seem like every other novel I've ever read that's created a dragon universe (with the possible exception of How to Train Your Dragon), right? well, not exactly. Hobb's dragons are deformed, arrogant beasts with little respect for humans and their traditions. Their keepers, the opposite of McCaffrey's celebrated dragonriders of Pern, are societal outcasts who escaped being exposed to the Wilds as infants. The dragons and their keepers travel up the acidic swamp river, searching for the almost-mythical city Kelsingra, where dragons and humans coexisted.

The plot is a relatively straightforward affair. The fantasy is coherent, not because of the fantastic world, or the amazing dragons, but because of the relationships Hobb explores. She manages to portray each character with remarkably strong internal coherence. She doesn't lock ito any one perspective, but tells the story from a variety of characters' points of view. The young Thymara, the scholar of Elderling history Alise, her troubled friend Sedric, and even the dragon Sintara. Each has their own strong personality, their own motivations, and each of their actions and relationships seem plausible.

Many reviewers on the store point at this as a problem: "Nothing happens. The people just whine a lot and they don't do anything interesting." I find this to be an asset to her writing. I don't WANT anyone to do anything. I want these people to grow. And Hobb writes exactly that kind of story.

Many people seem to be put off by Hobb's portrayal of gay characters in this series. I read one reviewer say Hobb's book is nothing more than a "manifesto for the homosexual agenda." It's a fantasy, people. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to accept the existence of dragons, you should be able to handle two men sharing a loving, committed relationship, in a culture that doesn't bat an eye.It's probably the most fantastic (in every sense of the word) passages in the novel; more so than acid-filled riverbeds, and magic dragon clothes: a world where gay men and lesbians are treated as equals.

In all, I loved the novel. This surprised me. I didn't think Hobb could sustain this culture for one book, let alone two. I hope to be just as impressed in February 2012, when the third volume of the series releases to the public. Thank you, Ms. Hobb, for your well-rounded and interesting characters.

Five of Five stars.

The second and concluding volume in the Rain Wilds Chronicles picks up from where the first one left off and brings us to the end of the road - or does it? As readers of the first volume remember, there is a group of dragons who have not fully formed yet, moving upriver accompanied by their keepers and a small support staff of hunters and a river barge. This second book talks of their continuing adventures as they continue their journey.

Without getting into the details of the plot of this book, this is a "growing up" story, as well as the particular details of three females in this story. Sintara is one of the largest female dragons who believes that as a Queen Dragon she should be treated with respect and flattery. However, she is immature in her emotional dealings with the other dragons as well as her two keepers and this book chronicles her ongoing struggles. Alise struggles with her loveless marriage and her feelings that she has found true love in the form of Leftrin, the barge Captain who apparently has some secrets of his own. Thymara is the young keeper who is coming to grips with her own physical maturation and the pull of her rising sexuality and awareness of what is taking place around her. She is the one who understand that social rules are put in place for a reason and chooses not to throw them all overboard when the independence of the trip beckons.

Another motif in this book is looking at group dynamics where several members of the group have ulterior motives. We read about actions and reactions that sometimes seem to not make sense, only to have them revealed as perfectly sensible once the real motives of the people involved are revealed to us later on in the book.

The party moves on and the various people or segments of the party evolve. As the group encounters one obstacle after another, and one hazard or catastrophe after another, different leaders emerge to take charge and move the whole group forward. One of the pleasures of reading this book was in finding out how the various characters grew to handle the crisis of the moment. On the other hand, as the book approached its climax, the level of complexity decreased as those characters who were fundamentally "good" remained that way; those who were marginal, or unknown, became "good"; and those who were obviously "bad" were ultimately shunned by the overall group.

Along the way all three main characters evolve in ways that could be foreseen or expected with some surprises. One story thread that was pleasurable to read was the semi-feminist argument that the young women of the story needed to make sure they were aware of what they were doing with their bodies as the succession of the species was dependent on them, and that once the inevitable took place, it was the women who would be most affected. This was handled in an interesting way, showing both the pleasures to be had by acting "wild" and the consequences of it. This was not done in an overly preachy way, but was most effective.

The only negative thing that I saw in this book was that the ending was overly pat and the climax was not really much of one. The story arc was very predictable and there was almost no real tension as to what would ultimately help the group survive. The author does leave the door open to another book in the series or a follow-on series in her final chapter.

An interesting little device inserted in these books is that each chapter is separated from its brethren by messages carried by birds between cities. Each of these little nuggets contains the formal message and then some hand-written notes between the actual keepers of the birds. These give a slightly different view of communications, and not surprisingly, a relationship grows between the keepers - a relationship that takes on a somewhat interesting twist at the end of the second book.

Very enjoyable.

The dragons and their keepers continue their slow and perilous journey up the Rain Wilds river. As they journey closer to the land they hope is fabled Kelsingra, the secrets that the small society has kept from each other are finally coming clear. Thymara is astonished to discover that her fellow marked Rain Wilders are blatantly defying the rules of their society back in Trehaug and for the first time realizes that she can be more than just a strange-looking girl who should have been killed at birth. She also grows closer to Alise, former Bingtown lady, who also has a few uncomfortable truths about her life to face on the journey.

Robin Hobb is one of my favorite fantasy authors. I really enjoyed Dragon Keeper but I was disappointed that it ended so abruptly - it was pretty clear to me that the two were truly meant to be one book. So I wasn't surprised that this picked up exactly where the last left off; it followed through really well and successfully concluded this story and in turn the story of the dragons which had really begun in the Liveship Traders trilogy. This is perfectly understandable even if you haven't read that trilogy, though; it's just a matter of added depth and richness to Hobb's world.

This is a book I was thrilled to sink my teeth into. I love living in Robin Hobb's worlds and I could have happily spent way more than 500 pages immersed in this one. The characters are always so interesting and engaging and that's especially so in this one. Their disputes really come to a head and all secrets from the first book are finally revealed and even developed further.

This book is really about the women; Thymara and Alise each find their freedom in different ways. They're equally trapped by society before the embark on their journey; Thymara is so heavily marked that she's forever an outcast, forbidden love, children, or a normal life and considered an abomination. Alise, on the other hand, is stifled by fitting in perfectly, by marrying a man she did not love and who did not love her but who was an excellent catch nonetheless. By traveling with the dragons, both women find themselves and embrace their freedom to be who they want to be, not who society says they should be.

Robin Hobb continues to produce writing that is genuinely amongst the best in epic fantasy today. Honestly, I wish I could read all of her books over again for the first time. Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven together make up a wonderful duology and one that I will happily recommend to all who enjoy fantasy.

"Dragon Haven" picks up right were it's more than slightly slower starting first half ended. The fifteen misshapen, underfed and sun-light deprived dragon's continue to make their up the massive and uncharted rain wild river aided by their keepers, the first Liveship Tarman (who as a barge has no figure head but moves far too well for a boat with such a small crew), it's Captain and crew and three hunters-all hired by the city council of Cassarick with the two fold goal of getting the dragons away from one of the very small areas of solid land in the rain wilds so it could be used for more profitable means and as a way to track the path the dragon's took to a city they ancestrally remembered-the unburied but long lost Elderling city of Kelsingra-which may on its own be rich for humans to plunder.

All in not as it seems on this expedition though. The dragon keepers-all but one (Tats) so deformed by the rain wilds they normally would have been killed at birth are discarding the rules of society the grew up obeying-including the most important-that they must not procreate least their children die before birth, in infancy or never be able to provide for themselves, depriving others of the very scarce nature food resources. This causes strife among the keepers-especially between our main character Thymara and the self appointed leader of the keepers Greft-who continues to preach about a new life for all at the end of the journey where only their own rules will apply

The Tarman's captain is waiting for contact from a shady dealer who knows about an illegal operation Leftrin himself under took-leaving the captain in a bad place as he has nothing but contempt for the unknown person on the expedition who needs to collect dragon body parts to sell to the very elderly and very wealthy Duke of Chalced, who believes they will save his life. And Leftrin is desperate that nothing compromise the opinion lady Alise, the Bingtown self educated dragon and Elderling expert who he is fast falling in love with.

Alise herself is infatuate with Leftrin-who is so very different from her cruelly inattentive husband. But at the same time she is finally beginning to make some connections between her horrid marriage and her companion on this journey her cousin Sedric...

...who is falling and spinning and whirling and changing as much as a man can from all the dragon blood he was compelled to drink when he went to steal the samples he would need to keep himself as a wealthy man for the rest of his life in the only way he could live and be free.

And all along our journeys push forward along the uncharted, always changing river. Not a patch of dry land in sight-only huge trees to climb. The Dragons are becoming more aware of their ancestral memories, their bodies growing healthier, and their minds more supple. But they are still very dependent on the humans to save their lives-and sometimes the humans are dependent to save theirs. Because as we all know-the Rain Wild River can be so very dangerous-especially when the earth moves...

This book moves at a break neck speed. The characterization sometimes feels a little bit rushed because it bounces around from so many people but the action just cannot be beat and the scenery descriptions are wonderful. I couldn't help wishing some of the dragons were a little bit nicer but that's not really something I can complain about. And the Pigeon keeper notes finally develops into a little bit of a plot, which was nice.

I really enjoyed this novel and speed right through it. And I am sincerely, right now, down on my knees begging Robin Hobb to continue with this story in some way. I so badly want to know the future of these keepers and dragons. Because while these two books together make an amazing story, they don't really feel complete in some way. Or at least not in the way the Liveship Traders' Trilogy did.

As a side note-this book contains a great deal about the origins of Elderlings. And if you pay close attention, the origins of another species with was not mentioned in the Rain Wild Chronicles but made several appearances in the Liveship Traders Trilogies. I'll give you a hint-they don't like cats.

Four point five stars.

"Dragon Haven" concludes "The Rain Wilds Chronicles" filled with adolescent behavior, not surprising due to the youthful nature of the dragon keepers. Many minor plots remains mostly unresolved by the end of the novel, leading one to believe there will be a future series. Events such as what ultimately happens with all the individuals involved in the travels, the life Alise Kincarron left behind to help the dragon pilgrimage, the purpose of the Detozi and Erek exchange, the resolution of the bond between Sintara and Thymara, and Thymara's relationships among the other keepers.

The dragons grow into distinctive personalities. Though I appreciate the keeper's meticulous caring and loving praise for a dragon, I am particularly disappointed in the evolution and maintenance of general associations. Basically every relationship has immature drama, either between the keepers or the keeper and the dragon. The overwhelming sexual tension between the youngsters and separately the adults combined with the numerous tender encounters involving Sedric eclipse the great characters. Sedric's internal dialogue constantly turning to Hest became very tiresome.

Those intolerant of same sex relationships may want to avoid the series. A detailed map of the significant terrains would have been useful.

Thank you.

This is not a sequel, but rather the second half of the novel started with Dragon Keeper. Why this book has been published in this fashion is probably a marketing/publisher decision, and for my money a very bad one; it really should have been published as a single novel; or at least a simultaneous publication in two volumes. But at least I've now had the pleasure of finishing this book.

Here we find the continuation of the dragon's quest to find the legendary city of Kelsingra, accompanied by their 'keepers' and support group of hunters and the Liveship barge. Along the way there is continued growth of all the characters, along with physical changes in both the dragons and their keepers, as they face the hardships of the trek. Most of these changes are well portrayed, if expectable, but I still found myself irritated by the blockheadedness of Alise in not figuring out the sexual preferences of others until directly told. The relationships between dragons and Elderlings comes in for some greater explication, along with some faint ties with some much earlier books in the series that intimated at the former high technology civilization of the Elderlings.

There is more action in this half of the book than the first part, expectable as the first portion has set up the scene and the characters, and now must be brought to resolution in this half. The amount of this action may still disappoint some; this is not a book of explosive happenings, but rather a quiet steady development that can keep you engrossed in this universe of Hobb's, but will not keep you on the edge of your seat in suspense.

While the conclusion of this book is very fitting and wraps up most of the story/character threads, I found I was a little disappointed in it, being a little too 'pat' and expectable, and would have liked to see at least a small picture of what happened to Hest, Alise's husband, during her absence. But it's also clear from this ending that there is more to tell about this unique world, and the total story arc is circling back to a point first shown in the Assassins books. I'll be waiting for that next piece of this world to appear; I expect it will be just as good as the rest of this series.

---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

I absolutely adored this second volume of the Rain Wilds Chronicles most especially because it focused so much more on the dragons. Ms. Hobb has an engaging style and she kept the dragons true to their nature throughout the book. Dragons are dangerous and vain creatures. No one knows that better than Thymara, the young keeper for the queen dragon Sintara. It was wonderful to see that Thymara did not back down. I loved that she was such a strong character even though she was only 16. Can't wait to read book 3 to see what happens next to the dragons and their keepers! Highly Recommended.

Another stand-out among Robin Hobb's fine novels! There are very few fantasy writers who can write like Ms. Hobbs. Her characters are incredibly well-developed and the novel benefits from the multiple perspectives telling the tale. This is my second time reading the series and I'm enjoying it more the second time than the first!

This is the second half to Robin Hobb's Rain Wilds "duology," which is apparently publisher-speak for "one book's worth of story in two volumes." The basic tale, as billed on the jacket, is that a (flock? herd?) of baby dragons have hatched near a human city, but due to environmental pollution and other factors they are all disabled in one way or another, and when they start to present a danger to the city, a small group of humans is enlisted to help the dragons relocate to a more remote location. The first volume started that journey; this volume finishes it. That's a significant strength, as the first volume ended somewhat precipitously, as if a single book had been cut in half and published separately to increase revenues.

That said, the story itself *is* well written and well executed, and driven by interestingly drawn, well-developed characters who grow and change in believable ways. Like the first volume of the pair, this one will be of most interest to readers who read for character development, and that may be the most interesting thing about this particular "duology" -- unlike most contemporary fantasy, it isn't a quest-driven epic, but rather a story of character development and growth. It also contains strong feminist themes, touching on issues such as pregnancy and women's independence, and I suspect will be of particular interest to female readers.

All in all, this second volume remedies many flaws present in the first (such as the lack of a resolved plotline). I'll recommend it for readers of fantasy, particularly those also interested in fiction with environmentalist or feminist themes, with the reservation that it might not please more action-oriented readers.

Dragon Haven continues where Dragon Keeper left off. The group is still searching for the city that will heal the dragons and, in the process, they grow, mature and learn that while rules can be broken in the wild there are consequences: good and bad. The good is that the dragons and their keepers grow in self-confidence and in physical strength. They learn to survive floods and quarrels and (most importantly) learn to trust one another on many different levels. They open themselves to love--an act that requires a certain degree of confidence.

But they also find out why the rules were there to begin with. One of the girls becomes pregnant and has a miscarriage which is a terrible thing for her and for the whole party--in more ways than one. And that result throws cold water on the group; their "lord of the flies" moment is nipped in the bud.

But the fact that there was a "lord of the flies" moment underscores just how different this book is from the run-of-the-mill fantasy fare on offer today. Most of the action here (the flood notwithstanding) occurs inside character's heads. And these are not the sort of characters you expect to see in a fantasy novel--they are not heroes by any means. They are tragic and flawed but they are so well described; they have such depth to them that you care a great deal as to what happens to them and to their dragons. And that is what keeps you turning the pages: not whether this hero or that will overpower some Dark Lord but whether these terribly flawed "heroes" can in the end make it.

I highly recommend this wonderful journey.

I'm a die-hard series kinda girl. I get attached to the characters I read about (IF they're well-written), and have a hard time letting go of them after only a few books, so I'm not one that enjoys transitioning to a new set of characters in a series, even if they "live" in the same world as other characters I've grown attached to. But Robin Hobb makes it easy to transition from character group to character group in her writings.

I picked up the first book in this series Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles, Vol. 1), after receiving this one (clearly, one has to read the first book in the series before jumping on board for the second), and it was a truly enjoyable read. The characters were engaging and well-rounded. Their flaws, for the most part, simply helped to ingratiate them even further with me (all except for Greft; I couldn't stand him!). As always (at least for me), Ms. Hobb's writing pulled me right in, and had me cheering the characters on even through their struggles, missteps, and trials and tribulations.

Overall, through each of the two books released from this new series, I couldn't put them down. There was very little lag, and only a case or two where the story dragged a little for me. Overall, this second installment of the Rain Wilds Chronicles moved along at a great pace, and kept me coming back for more.

Well-written, engaging, and has me wanting more! When does the third book come out again? ; )

In the first novel of the Rain Wilds Chronicles a band of half-formed dragons set out to find an ancient city of memory, Kelsringa. They were accompanied by their keepers and a small support staff of hunters, a scholar, and a liveship (carved from dragonwood).

In the second installment to this series, the author delves deeply into the relationships between the keepers and their dragons, and the changes that result in both sides.

A focal point is the relationship between the different people on the journey - for example, the captain of the liveship Tarman and the scholar, Alise Finbok. Will Alise and Sedric be able to move past their relationship with Hest?

Questions are posed about how the Rain Wilds outcast keepers interact with one another. Placed into a survival situation with more men than women, who will choose a mate? Is choosing a mate a rule when in the past people who were "touched" by the Wilds were not allowed to mate?

There is much more character development in this novel than actual action. The conflicts and battles are in the form of emotions, stress and circumstances.

The dragons become more distinct in their personalities and development. Sintara grows into her queen role. Will the dragons remain as they are, or will the journey to Kelsringa change them?

I found this to be a vast improvement on the first installment.

I read the first and second book back to back and I feel that Ms. Hobb did an excellent job regarding pacing and character development. I'm used to reading trilogies or longer and while the story overall felt short, this was because I wanted to know (and read) more, not because she didn't flesh out the characters or the storyline. The pace felt a bit faster in this second book, there was more action and the major storylines (as well as most minor) were resolved. The evolution of the characters was good, and not necessarily formulaic. There was one character in particular I had very little use for at the beginning, but with their development throughout the story actually became likeable. I especially enjoyed the messages between the birdkeepers, which gave the reader a glimpse of what was happening in the rest of the world while the adventurers and dragons were traveling.

Do not read this book if you haven't read the first, they need to be read consecutively. This is not one of those books where each book is about separate characters in the same world, although some persons from other series by Ms. Hobb do make appearances. I really hope that the author chooses to write more about the people and dragons from this set. It was refreshing to see dragons portrayed in a light other than as beautiful, all-knowing creatures; the whole concept felt fresh and new.

A must read if you like fantasy. Read in order - #1 Dragon Keeper, #2 Dragon Haven, #3 City of Dragons and #4 Blood of Dragons. Held my interest - takes a bit of concentration to learn the names of the Dragons and their keepers, but the story flows right along.

I found my interest in this book lagging to start with. It was very slow going. The author spent far too much time inside the characters' heads - so we had to listen to every doubt, misgiving and fear over and over again. To the point where it gets tiring.

But about half way through, the novel finally kicks off with some action (a disaster) which pushes everyone into confrontation and forces many of the story arcs through to some kind of resolution. It actually becomes quite an enjoyable ride from there onwards and a pleasure to see many of the more wearisome characters actually turn into human beings, whilst others get their just desserts.

The young dragons and their keepers continue their quest to find the lost city of Kelsingra, battling the elements and sometimes each other along the way. Like the first book, this one is so leisurely and comparatively uneventful that I found that I had to view it differently from her other books in this universe in order to enjoy it. The Fitz books and the Mad Ship books are both full of action; these two dragon books are much more about the journey of exploration, of the world and the characters, than about the often cataclysmic happenings of the other books.

Viewed this way, I liked _Dragon Haven_ quite a bit, more than Dragon Keeper. The characterization Hobb set up in the first book continues to be excellent, and most of the conflict comes simply from the characters' small actions and interactions. Again, the ending is very quiet, yet satisfying. Since the series is billed as "The Rain Wilds Chronicles", I do wonder whether Hobb will continue the story in future books. Even though this particular quest is over, I feel that there's more to tell about the deep, rich world she's created.

Well, I just finished reading this second volume of the Rain Wilds Chronicles and I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Several people have mentioned that the first book in this series was slow; but, I felt like even that book was good. This wasn't an 'action-packed' book, but I did have trouble putting it down after the first few chapters - it felt like a natural extension of the first book.

Although I've liked reading all of Robin Hobb's books up to this point, I've also felt like there were parts where the books started feeling really long. This series wasn't like that at all for me.

At this point, I'm hoping there is another book with these characters to flush out the end of the story a bit and possibly to explore the interaction of this group with the Rain Wilds and Bingtown Traders. Fortunately, even if there isn't, this book reached a satisfying ending and I won't feel frustrated waiting for the next book to come out:).

Overall, if you liked Robin Hobbs previous books - then I suspect you're going to like this one too!

I love Robin Hobb's work but she seems to be falling into the Trilogy Trap whereby an author decides that instead of saying what he, or she, wants to say in one book they should take advantage of economies of scale (after all, you have already created the world so you might as well use it for a few more books) you will get triple (or even more) mileage out of it. In some cases (Jordan and George R R Martin spring to mind) this can lapse into uncontrollable series that show no sign of ever ending.

Ms Hobb has decided that the quest of the dragons to return to their origins should take three books. I am not sure that I agree with her that this is a good idea. The trip up the River Wild seems to have taken generations by now and the description of the three budding romances seems a series of set pieces: let's have a young couple, now an older couple, now an alternative couple. Let's have a plucky little dragon. Let's have an emergency in which hidden strength of character is shown.

Read Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven & started the 3rd book City of Dragons.

I really enjoyed a lot of the other books by Robin Hobb. The Rain Wild Chronicles I really did not like at all.

1) They are gay romance novels. If I wanted to read a gay romance novel I would go get one. But I DONT want to read a bunch of stuff about guy lovers.

2) The dragons whine and complain a lot and it gets old.

3) The over all story really just does not hold me as a reader. I read the 9 books written before these ones and really enjoyed them all. But not these.

Ms. Hobbs floats into new territory with this amazing installment to the Rain Wild Chronicles. Being an avid fan of most of her stories, this one continues to impress, and surprise me.

Dragon Haven continues the stories of Rain Wild exile dragon keepers, their dragon wards, and the crew of the Liveship Tarman and their journey to find a safe haven for the dragons. Cast out of society, their only option is to continue into unexplored territory battling the elements as certain factions of their group seek to undermine abd destroy the fragile balance of peace that exists.

In addition to the unknown territory of the Rain Wilds, Hobb explored unknown territory in terms of relationships between various characters. Adding depth and dynamic to emotional attachments, this book creatively explores aspects that are taboo in both our society as well as the Rain Wilds.
I hope to see more amazing volumes to the Rain Wild chronicles.

I know that some people were a bit disappointed in the earlier book in this series, Dragon Keeper. I wasn't among them. But even those who found Dragon Keeper a bit slow to get started should be happy to know that Hobb's storytelling is at an A+ level in this second volume. Those who liked her Mad Ship trilogy can be confident that it's time to place an the store order.

Even better: Although I had feared that this would be a "Trilogy in five parts" (because I couldn't bear to thinking of waiting for yet ANOTHER book), Dragon Haven does have a real ending. There's room for more, should Hobb's characters have more adventures to chase... but this time you won't be left at a cliffhanger at the end. (In reality, I suspect that Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven were written with the intent of it being a single volume, but the manuscript got too big and unwieldy and had to be split into two. You certainly wouldn't want to start with this book.)

Anyway: When Dragon Haven begins, the voyage to find the old Elderling city is underway. We have learned everybody's secrets... and now it's time for the characters to learn what their friends have been hiding. This is a love story, a Hero's Journey, and a fun "exploration to find the source of the Nile."

Oh dear. That sounds so much like a blurb. What I mean to say is this: I got the book from the store Vine on a Tuesday afternoon. I dropped the other books I was reading and immediately started to read this one. And I read at every opportunity (in doctor's offices, late at night, during quiet stretches of a baseball game) until I had reached the end. I simply adore this novel. Hobb is among the best authors writing today because she is a master of worldbuilding and creates characters whom I really, really love. Dragon Haven is among her best work.

I love Robin Hobb, so I knew I'd like this series. However, I would have preferred a faster-moving plot rather than repetitive reminders of Thymara's claws, Hest's cruelty, and the tedium of the journey. Thankfully, before I'd grow too irritated, I'd be entranced by an unexpected twist in the plot, a surprising revelation about one of the characters, or a tantalizing glimpse of Kelsingra.

I think readers new to this world will have no trouble becoming enchanted by it, even if this is the first Robin Hobb book they've read. As for me, it was lovely to return to the world of the Bingtown Traders and the River Wilds, and I'm anxious to see where this tale will lead.

A continuation of Dragon Keepers, Dragon Haven picks up where the last book left off. Immediately thereafter actually. Characters that were already beginning to shift into someone new when we left them last are about to face some challenges they hadn't anticipated that will force them look at the world through different eyes. For some this is easier than for others. Some make the change easily, some resist all the way up to the final page.

More dragon lore is let through and it's all good news. If you're rooting for the dragons then this will move you. If you're not you're likely going to be disappointed ;)

I just loved this book. My goodness, it was an exciting and fascinating read - my best read since The Tawny Man trilogy! Actually, I really liked the first part of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, and was surprised to find that some didn't like it so much - I thought it was a great start to what was promising to be a great story - and it is. When I finished it, I put it down and just stared at the cover - wow, wow... !

I stumbled across Dragon Haven in the bookstore just after it came out and I bought it on the spot - without a question in my mind that I wanted it, even though I was flat-broke at the time - and I have not begrudged a single cent!

I agree with others that this second volume is superior the the first - simply because it builds so wonderfully on the first volume, so if you were disappointed by the first volume, don't give up. I didn't expect the turns that it took, and I loved the way all the characters developed and changed, including the dragons. In fact, this book is so rewarding that I have read it many times. I have even found it difficult to read other books afterwards - Hobb's story-telling and imagination is just masterful and other books seem unsatisfying in comparison...

Well, you likely get the point. I really really liked it :-)

I will firstly admit to being a very eager Robin Hobb fan. My first Hobb books were the Liveship Trader books and that is when I fell in love with her character creation and world building. I went on to read her other books and loved them as well. I had lost a lot of faith in her after her Soldier Son trilogy, which lacked enough story to keep me engaged even if her character and world were strongly intact.
Then the Rain Wilds came out and I was right back to how I felt about her when I had originally discovered Hobb so many years ago. A perfect balance of plot and character, world and story. It does leave the feeling of a pair of books that really should have been one much heavier book but still work well as a set.
If you enjoyed Robin Hobbs previous books and felt a little let down by her Soldier Son trio then you can feel safe jumping back into the waters with the Rain Wilds.

This review is based on an "Uncorrected Proof Not For Sale" copy provided as part of the the store Vine Program.

I'm a big fan of Robin Hobb. I thoroughly enjoyed the Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies. I liked the Liveship Traders books, although not quite as much as the trilogies in the other part of this world. Just before reading Dragon Haven, I read Dragon Keeper. This is an interesting series, as it only contains two volumes. The first book was good, and Dragon Haven has just gotten better. She continues her tradition of fantastic character exploration, and brings back some of the exciting action from the Farseer books. If you're a fan of Robin Hobb, this is a must read. If you're a fan of fantasy in general, give Robin Hobb a try. The Rain Wilds Chronicles is sure to excite.

After Hobb's less than exciting Soldier's Son series, she is back in spades with her Dragon series! These books pick up where the LiveShip series leaves off so you will want to read that series first. This book is the 2nd in the new series and while some readers say the first book was slow, I didn't think so. There are new character to learn about and Hobb is the master of creating new and compelling characters. I found this second book to be as great as the first. Can't wait for the third.

I do have a few issues however, there is a big focus in the first part of the book on Thymara's "coming of age" as she realizes the other Keepers, have begun paring off romantically. We are subject to just too many pages of her lamenting and feeling betrayed, angry & confused, etc.. I got the picture after the first few pages but it did get a bit tedious.

Also, there is an underlying current of homosexuality in the book, several characters are "secretly" gay and the sheer gullibility of the other main characters just confounds me. Ok, Hobb does earn points for at least including alternative lifestyles in a fantasy book - something very few other major authors have ever done.

Best part of the book was Cedric standing up for the copper dragon. That was very well done. Cedric went from fairly useless to actually noble and honorable. He and his dragon teaming up to fight off aggressors... shudder. Well done!

After reading the first Vol. in this series, I was filled with curiosity, Was there such as city as Kelsingar? So I just had to purchase Vol. 2 and find out what would happen to these Dragons.
Robin Hobbs is very detailed with her descriptions, which I loved. It gave me a greater understanding of of what she wanted to relate to the readers of this series. I began to feel as if I was traveling with this group of Dragon's and their keepers, who are only teenagers. But these are not ordinary teens as they bear scaling on their bodies from birth and are considered outcast each looking for somewhere they would not be looked down on or shunned. Each character has it strengths, just as the Dragons do.
Overall it was a fun read. could not put it down.

I really enjoy Sci-fi/Fantasy novels. Allow me to over simplify a large portion of this genre of writing as "adventure books with DRAGONS!...(and maybe a little romance)." This series, from Robin Hobb, is "romance books, devoid of adventure...oh and some dragons." If you read book 1, you know EVERYTHING. I made a comment halfway through the first book that I knew what would happen. And that required no skill on my part. I have never read a more obvious story in my life. As I continued to read (a decision I question) the story unfolded without suspence, excitement or intrigue. I have absolutely loved books written by Robin Hobb. This series was not written for me. This series is not written for people who want to read about adventure. That is not to suggest that there is no target audience for this book, I am sure there is. I am just not a part of it. For fans of this series, apparently there is a third installment on its way. Two was more than enough for me.

Too many descriptions with little actual storyline makes this a boring read. The events in this book could have been covered in a fifth of the pages in the book. The rest is naive and obvious emotional rationalizations of the characters...
I expected more from Robin Hobbs latest....

While it took me awhile to get into Dragon Keeper (the first installment of this series) I was immediately immersed in this book. Two nights of staying up extra late reading and I was finished. The characters seem to grow so much more in this book than in the first. And in their growth you start to see the people you wanted them to be. The dragons get very little face time in this book because it focuses much more on the keepers and the people on the Tarman. I look forward to reading more from this series. I would definitely recommend reading these books if you enjoy adventure, exploration, and characters who grow with the story.

I enjoy this author over all, her ideas are new and I respect that in a fantasy novel. I've read all her previous novels, but this one I couldn't get into. I've started it a couple of times and it just didn't capture my attention. I'll update this review in the future if I finish the book, which I hope to do one day, as I'd like to read the whole trilogy.

Robin Hobb created a world so rich in detail, loaded with its own culture, history, lifestyles, superstitions, wildlife, traditions, old wives' tales, that the reader has to drown in it. Before I start a Robin Hobbs book (especially one involving the dragons and the rain wilds), I take a deep breath and prepare to be submerged in her world for several days. Approach these books with the proper respect!

I really enjoy Sci-fi/Fantasy novels. Allow me to over simplify a large portion of this genre of writing as "adventure books with DRAGONS!...(and maybe a little romance)." This series, from Robin Hobb, is "romance books, devoid of adventure...oh and some dragons." If you read book 1, you know EVERYTHING. I made a comment halfway through the first book that I knew what would happen. And that required no skill on my part. I have never read a more obvious story in my life. As I continued to read (a decision I question) the story unfolded without suspence, excitement or intrigue. I have absolutely loved books written by Robin Hobb. This series was not written for me. This series is not written for people who want to read about adventure. That is not to suggest that there is no target audience for this book, I am sure there is. I am just not a part of it. For fans of this series, apparently there is a third installment on its way. Two was more than enough for me.

I like the story. I find it to be very interesting. My only pang is, that sometimes the explanations are to much detailed, and repeated in different parts of the book. This is annoying, when we are eager to learn the next stirring happenings, but nevertheless the book worth its price and the time we spend to read it.

Too many descriptions with little actual storyline makes this a boring read. The events in this book could have been covered in a fifth of the pages in the book. The rest is naive and obvious emotional rationalizations of the characters...
I expected more from Robin Hobbs latest....

While it took me awhile to get into Dragon Keeper (the first installment of this series) I was immediately immersed in this book. Two nights of staying up extra late reading and I was finished. The characters seem to grow so much more in this book than in the first. And in their growth you start to see the people you wanted them to be. The dragons get very little face time in this book because it focuses much more on the keepers and the people on the Tarman. I look forward to reading more from this series. I would definitely recommend reading these books if you enjoy adventure, exploration, and characters who grow with the story.

I enjoy this author over all, her ideas are new and I respect that in a fantasy novel. I've read all her previous novels, but this one I couldn't get into. I've started it a couple of times and it just didn't capture my attention. I'll update this review in the future if I finish the book, which I hope to do one day, as I'd like to read the whole trilogy.

Robin Hobb created a world so rich in detail, loaded with its own culture, history, lifestyles, superstitions, wildlife, traditions, old wives' tales, that the reader has to drown in it. Before I start a Robin Hobbs book (especially one involving the dragons and the rain wilds), I take a deep breath and prepare to be submerged in her world for several days. Approach these books with the proper respect!

Ms Hobbs seems to have taken that wisdom to heart in the 'Rain Wilds Chronicles' series and proceeds to "say nothing", in the maximum word count possible.
It really is a shame, because buried within the series, there is a compelling storyline that could have been told in one novel. Instead, the reader is subjected to four overly long, verbose books that leaves me longing for the days when the story and not book sales was paramount. Unfortunately, that seems to be a disturbing trend among fantasy and science fiction writers of late.
I have nothing against trilogies and in fact love a well written long story. If the story takes three books to tell... then that what it takes.
However, seeing how long the writer can string out the reader for purely monetary reasons, seems unworthy of a writer of Hobbs' obvious talents.
For an example, where one writer might say, "he pointed his finger at a tree", Ms Hobbs inflates that simple phrase into several paragraphs. "Did he really mean to point his finger at the tree...was there a deeper meaning behind the gesture..perhaps is was sexual in nature..it made him angry, sad, happy that he had pointed his finger", etc. These introspective musings, besides being irrelevant and do nothing to further the story, are tedious and almost painful to read once you recognise their purpose.
The rare times that the introspective insights are used to further character development say, Ms Hobbs bludgeons you over the head with it, by repeating them endlessly. Okay...We get Hest is a bad guy, already! We don't need another example of how he made you 'feel' at a restaurant, belittled. At the park, belittled. On a ship, belittled. In the bedroom, belittled...
Another thing that bothered me about this series was the amount of sexual content. At times, it reminds one of the "dime romance novels" (but much more expensive), perhaps a publisher's demographic to attract a particular reader?
For myself, I have stopped reading the series with the end of volume two. If Ms Hobbs and her publisher want my money, they will have to earn it honestly. A good, well written story...without the 'soap opera' mentality, that has become all to prevalent in fantasy and science fiction literature.

Loved this book. If you read the first book,Dragon Keeper, then you know sort of what to expect. There were some surprising twists that I didn't expect and some that I did. Overall, very good book and I look forward to the next one!

More than enough what?

1) Words. Repititious use of words such as "rueful". While I did enjoy Hobbs overall, personally I know that there are better ways to describe things. If it so obvious as to be picked up by a reader, it's been said one too many times

2) Characters who have flashes of brilliance only to revert to a form of being intellectually thick. Either they are intelligent or they are not, but please choose one or the other

3) Irrelevant introduction of moral angst. Is Sedric really even a necessary character? I skipped most of his internal dialogue and found that the story actually progressed better. The same went for Alise. Where are the morally upright characters, or is it always a moving target?

4) Social issues. Adultry. Homosexuality. Abortion. Underage sexual relations. etc. At times they almost seem random and at others you cannot help but see into the mind of the author who appears to be looking to use an interesting story line to make the world morally relative.

There are other issues, and truly you can tell where this author chose to go back and stretch out the story when less fluff was needed. Kudos for using this platform to continue working as a money-maker, but little applause for dragging out a story with the same reprocessed characters and issues from the previous 9 books.

Got the book as part of a competition and had not read the first volume. I still found it easy to follow and with a very good story line. I loved the descriptions of the dragons and giving them all individual characteristics made for some very interesting reading. Recommended Read..

I earlier reviewed the first novel of this two part series, and found it to be disappointing, because all of the characters seemed miserable, angry or ineffectual. In this second book, most of them (dragon and human) come into their own. Nonetheless, it would have been better as one book, with some of the tedious travel, slogging up the river and hunting taken out. Certainly in a journey and quest story, you can't leave the quest out, but it did drag on. Further, for a two part series, it's clear that the best is yet to come, and I wish there had been more of a resolution in this book.

Wow, this is quite below the usual Robin Hobb quality.

The amount of time given to the character's sex lives (both homosexual and heterosexual) was horrible and made me cringe inside and want to shower off my soul. Every third page detailed people having sex, wanting to have sex, not wanting to have sex, joking about others having sex, watching people having sex, insinuating they'd like to have sex, trying to deter someone from having sex...about the only creatures exempt from the lewdness was the dragons themselves (thankfully).

The plot was painfully predictable. As an example, at one point in the book a depressed and remorseful character plans to hurt himself. I stopped reading and said to myself, "I bet so-and-so will come along at the last second and stop him". Turn the page and **surprise** so-and-so came along at the last second and stopped him...and then the scene degenerated into men kissing.

The reason the plot was predictable (and probably the biggest change from previous novels) is that there was absolutely no element of suspense or uncertainty for the reader. Nothing to puzzle out. Nothing intriguing to draw you onward. It's a book about people and dragons going up a river...to a dragon haven. The end.

Finally, the excess of nameless characters allowed Robin Hobb to orchestrate some convenient plot arrangements (too minor to call them plot twists) that will make you cringe and the Pollyanna ending was uninspiring.

All of this combined made for a book that for another author would have been mediocre to poor but for a writer of Robin Hobb's calibre is downright terrible and tasteless.

This was the final installment if the Rain Wilds books I'm sorry to say. I've been reading fantasy and science fiction for years and somehow I missed this series. Excellent character development and cad guys you love to hate. Great fun.

Dragon Haven is Robin Hobb's conclusion to her Rain Wilds Chronicles, begun with Dragon Keeper. In reviewing the first book, I said it was a difficult task to judge Dragon Keeper as it was clearly mostly setup for what was to come (I believe it was originally supposed to be one novel but had to be split into two books for size). So now that it's complete, how does the whole story hold up?

I've begun to wonder over the course of Hobb's recent books if she is exploring just how much story she needs in her novels to actually have a "story." There is a lot of action in her earlier books, such as the Farseer Trilogy (and subsequent Fool's books) and her Liveship Traders group. Then, in Soldier Son Trilogy, there was almost none, with it mostly being a slow (too slow) study in character and culture (or culture clash). The Rain Wilds Chronicle seems to be a middle ground between the two. It's almost as if she's feeling her way to as quiet and minimalist a style (in terms of action, not language) as possible.

The reason, of course, that Hobb can get away with less plot than many authors is that she does character so damn well. While her earlier books, as mentioned, were full of action, their true draw lay in their characters (including characters made of wood--you think that's an easy thing to pull off?). In Soldier Son, the main character was I'd argue was sharply drawn but too unlikable over too many pages while her secondary characters suffered from a lack of depth, unusual for Hobb. That, coupled with a slow plot, made that series a difficult read and one where it's hard to say if its strengths outweigh its weaknesses.

Here, Hobb has once again given us multiple fully fleshed characters, some likable and some less so, but nearly all of them interesting and several quite compelling. Which is good, because not much actually happens action-wise. In Dragon Keeper, a group of deformed dragons and equally deformed ("marked") Rain Wilders join with a Liveship crew to travel up the Rain Wild River toward a mythical city. In Dragon Haven, the journey continues and then ends (I won't say where). That's pretty much it. They don't fight any pitched battles along the way, don't come across ancient cities or tombs to explore deeply and accidentally uncover horrifying plot points, don't save the world from some apocalyptic event or Dark Lord. They travel together and sometimes they fight among themselves and sometimes they come closer to one another. About the only major "action" is a short-lived flood wave that changes things around a bit. But even that is mostly a reason for further character development rather than a major plot event.

What keeps the reader going is the interpersonal action. Will the Rain Wild group, all of whom were supposed to be killed when born so marked, continue to accept their society's old rules and its perception of themselves or will they modify them or create their own society? Will characters cling to their old selves or move into the new selves slowly being molded by this journey (in both a literal and metaphorical sense)? Will they cling to old relationships or find new ones? Old mores or new ones? Old biases or new tolerances?

Oh, there are plot questions that create suspense and tension throughout: who is the "mole" in the group spreading dissension, will anyone give into greed and carve out pieces of dragons to sell, will they ever find the mythical city, will the dragons every become true dragons, what are these odd physical changes in the dragon keepers, and so on. But in reality, they pale beside the character issues.

Beyond character, Hobb has her usual mastery of language here, whether it be dialogue or description. She offers up her usual themes: clash of culture, prejudice, the clash between change and tradition, the clash between the individual and the group and does so smoothly and subtly and thoughtfully.

So what the reading experience comes down to is whether you're the reader who needs things "to happen" or if reading about people (even if the people are sometimes dragons or ships) is enough for you. To be honest, I did enjoy Hobb's Farseer and Liveship books more with a more traditional blend of action and character. But while I found Soldiers Son overly slow and free of action, I was quite drawn into the character world of the Rain Wild Chronicles and didn't feel the need for more things to happen, except at the very ending, which seemed a bit abrupt, a bit anti-climactic, with perhaps as well a bit of deus ex machina to it. But that was a minor complaint and in some ways, the ending, though disappointing, was quite appropriate to what had come before.
In the end, I was quite happy to drift down the river and spend some time with these characters and I suspect anyone who enjoys these sort of character-driven, "quiet" stories will as well. Happily recommended.

Book synopsis: Travel up a river, hunt, fight, repeat. This book is definitely better than the first, but still really shy of what she is capable as a storyteller. Check out her earlier books and you won't be disappointed.

Robin Hobb is an intelligent descriptive writer who will keep your attention throughout the series. A must read with a blend between each series of books. Start at the very beginning or read each trilogy/ series separately. Her writing blends so beautifully yet stands alone in these fantastic reads. My favorite writer of all time. Start with the very beginning!

This is ostensibly a sequel but in fact it's a rewrite of the first book other than the omission of the earliest parts of the first book. I kept waiting to reach the end of the first narative but no, it went on to exactly the same ending. I've never seen anything like this. Nevertheless I enjoyed it and I'm giving it four stars. My advice to anyone who hasn't read the first book is don't bother it will be a complete waste of time. You'll get virtually the complete experience by reading the "sequel".

Dragon Haven is an excellent second book in the Rain Wild Series. Many unexpected twists from Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles, Vol. 1).

This story-minus about 90 percent of the character's repetitive bickering, self-flagellation and maudlin reminiscence-would have been a good single book to start a series. I have read all of Robin Hobb's other books. I LOVED the Liveship, Farseer and Tawny Man series. The Soldier Son series dragged on and I had to talk myself into finishing the 2nd and 3rd books, hoping that they would get better (they didn't). I agree with other reviewers that this 2nd book of the Rain Wilds Chronicles was much better than the first. Even at that it was mediocre at best. Character development was lacking, the character's low self-esteem was written about in way too much detail, the plot was thin, not to mention predictable, and the ending was disappointing. I will have a hard time getting excited about Robin Hobb's subsequent writings.

I have read so many of her books and love her writing. However I am floored as to how much homosexual content is included! Not what I want to read about nor can I recommend this book to others or any young adult. Truly disappointing

This is the last Robin Hobb book I am ever buying, this could have been a great series except that she used it as a podium to beat us about the head with her gay lifestyle issues, pro gay issues and ideas that she is trying to program into the poor kids who only wanted to read about Dragons. She seems to have brought up gay issues in all her other books but I am sick and tired of seeing authors trying to sway young minds to their own way of thinking through what a kid might be reading. Kids do not need to be programmed for this kind of warped thinking or lifestyle.

This is a book that is out of print. The publisher claims it's worth 27.99 but they're giving us a bargain at 14.99 and somehow they think they can convince me I'm saving money.

I won't buy it.

And with this publisher I probably wont by another Robin Hobb book. Maybe I'll find an old paper copy in a used book store but I'm not going to pay 15 dollars for an out of print book that will take me a day or two to read and can't be saved anywhere but on the store.com servers.