The Dragon Keeper "Controversial?" Hobb and sexuality. *Major Spoilers up to RWC!

[maulkin]

The thing about the relationship between Beloved and Fitz was that it remained unrequited and unconsummated. While I have no problem with this, I can see why Hobb wanted to include a physical, sexual relationship between two men in a subsequent story. Otherwise, she might have been accused of cowardice. Maybe this "making a point" but it is a point worth making, in my opinion.

As for the number of gay characters in the Kelsingra expedition, there were four: Sedric, Davvie, Carson and one of the keepers (whose name I can't remember off the top of my head). Davvie was brought along by Carson because he was gay. Carson found himself in the position of a loner with no family and few ties to society also because he was gay. Sedric found himself accompanying Alise to Kelsingra as a result of his relationship with Hest i.e. because he was gay. The only character who just happened to be gay was the keeper and in his case, it is not clear that he was exclusively homosexual. He might have been bisexual and just happened to fall for Davvie, rather than one of the female characters. Hobb chose to make homosexuality a theme of this story and included several gay characters to play out that theme. As I mentioned before, although the ratio of gay:straight characters is high, I do not find it unrealistically high. I have found myself in groups just as small and containing just as many gay people.