Blood of Dragons (The Rain Wild Chronicles #4)

Well, I made it through the entire series. Here’s my quick run through. Inasmuch as there are some characters that I really enjoyed getting to know and thus drove my continuation of the series…the whole thing was just too much, too dark for me..too constantly depressing. No one was ever happy, or elevated in any way, including the dragons. They were mean. There were constant fights, torture, abuse, graphic ugliness…it was a giant lead up of anger and turmoil for three and a half books..well, a bit more, and then magically the sun comes out and everything ends up exactly as you might expect. It felt so utterly rushed at the end, like the author realized, oops, I have to finish this story now, let’s just do it. She literally just goes down a check list and wraps up each situation in brief explanation and all of them working out on a ‘happy’ note. I felt cheated by this last book.
The shadow of the other Elderlings hovering over Rapskal and Thymara was confusing at best…but in the end, Boom! She can figure out the mystery of the silver suddenly. The whole deal with her having wings and then to come out on the last page with, ‘oh, I almost flew’ as the outcome…what? It would have been a surprise if she couldn’t have flown…but the way it happened was so not satisfying.

And of course, as a continuation from the first three books, the insane amount of editing errors is mind boggling to me. Misspelled words. The whole thing…for someone with such a following and the amount of work she’s has put out…and apparently a rather good support…I was less than impressed. I have to add…this is the harshest review I have ever done for an author. I write, so I know what it’s like to receive critiques on my work and how it can affect you, which is why I tend to go for the positive and see the good in the books I review…this one just ….well, I just had to be honest about my disappointment in this series. Sorry…

I actually bought my Kindle in order to read “Assassins Apprentice”, which was highly recommended but musty. I loved the “The Farseer Trilogy,” but think Robin Hobb’s writing has gone downhill since then. These four “Rain Wild Chronicles” books could have been easily condensed into two by removing a lot of the angst. It was feeling YA-y towards the end. However, I did very much enjoy the way she wrapped up the Hest plotline 😀

Never-the-less, I see there is a “Fitz and the Fool Trilogy” and am going to get that (from the library) after I reread “The Tawny Man Trilogy.”

Originally I picked up Dragon Keeper because I love anything dragon, not because it was Robin Hobb. In actuality truth be told I had never heard of her before. But now I am a total convert. I absolutely loved the Rain Wild Chronicles. Blood of Dragons is a wonderful ending to the series or is it? Could there be more? Sure but for now I will just have to be content with going back and reading her other books.

While I cant say too much as to not let go of the ending I will say that reading this book was like watching All My Children. There were so many things that just kept pulling me forward and had me on the end of my seat. What happens to Tintaglia? Will the baby survive? How will it end with Hest and Alise? Will Thymara make a decision already? What is happening to Rapskal and will he snap out of it? The Dragons. Will they get the silver they need, and at what cost? There are so many intricate details regarding the city that its hard to not be lost in the pages of Kelsingra.

There was really only one ending that would have been satisfactory for me and it was delivered. Hobbs really does immerse you in a whole new world with so much to explore.
The journey there is priceless and I for one hope that there is much more to come.

This series has drawn a good many complaints from those who think it’s all too slow.

Noticing the apparent importance of the word “chronicles” in the series title might help temper expectations.This series doesn’t present itself as say, Rivers of Acid, Torrents of Misery or Short Scaly Tales for Midnight Reading. Transformations: A Case Study? Not that either. Leisurely Character Studies Along A River, maybe?

The problem, I think, is that when the first book in this series came out, it was believed to be the first of two. As a fan of Robin Hobbs books in general, it seemed odd to me that a story paced that way COULD be part of a two-book tale, and sure enough, the story kept going, and going, and going. The pace she set at the start, is the pace she continues with, pretty much.

Right near the end, the author does indulge in a bit of paraphrase, but since I was more interested in the stuff she put in than the stuff she truncated, and was ready for her to wrap things up, I’m happy with it. I really didn’t need to read every bit of every scene from the perspective of every character we’ve met along the way, even if it might have been kind of satisfying to know the particulars.

In retrospect, and after having re-read the rest of the series in anticipation of this new title, overall, the pacing in the series is a bit slow, the author clearly could have condensed some of it quite a lot, and I wish that the general tone of the books were a bit less tortured, but over all, I’ve realized that I’m happy with the story she tells. It’s a long, leisurely character based ramble along a river. The villains and the war? Part of the story, but not the goal. If you’re looking for lots of fights, or something to translate into a movie, maybe read something else. (Though I do think this world would make for a great video game. Lots of fabulous locations, treasure to find, villains to foil, skills to develop, etc. Plus, the acidic river? what a great obstacle.)

Mercedes Lackey’s Chronicles of Valdemar has the same problem of pacing, I think, but I do wonder if Lackey even HAS an overarching story to tell. (I get the feeling that she’s just churning out Valdemar stories for the sake of selling books, not because she’s got anything especially interesting to say about Valdemar, the Companions or the people of Velgarth)

Robin Hobb clearly does have stories to tell here, slow as they might be, and she does a remarkable job keeping track of the details.

For those who haven’t read anything else of hers, give the rest a try. Starting at the beginning is kind of logical, (i.e., Assassin’s Apprentice) but I really do think that as long as you begin a series at the start, you shouldn’t have any trouble figuring out what’s going on. The Soldier’s Son series is set elsewhere, and has a somewhat darker, creepier tone.

As for newbies to this author, there are elements of this series that would probably be more interesting to those who’ve always wondered what’s going on in the mysterious Rain Wilds, which kind of implies that you have to KNOW the Rain Wilds exist in order to build up any wonderment, but if you’re in the mood for a leisurely read, this might fit the bill. Definitely start this series at the beginning.

I look forward to her next series, no matter where it’s set. She’s one of my favorite authors (I think Lois McMaster Bujold tops the list.).

What can I say I was totally enthralled from start to finish and felt an overwhelming sense of loss once I finished the Rain Wild chronicle 4 books.
I read the complete Liveship Traders Trilogy and really enjoyed this and decided to read the Rain Wild Chronicles, when I started to read this I was a little disappointed at first because the characters I had grown to know and love in the Liveship Trilogy were no longer the central point of the books but I persevered and was pleased that I did. I could not put the books down.
Robin Hobb writes with real magic and once you start to read you quickly get caught up in the books and the characters. I found myself laughing and crying and cheering when one thing I was waiting to happen finally did.
I am now reading the Assassin Trilogy and I have to say she has done it again.
Don’t know what I will do once I have read all the books. It is rare to find an author that weaves a plot so well with such imagination.

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