*spoilers all books* Dragon Haven, Enjoy it? Hate it?

[Liquid Ice]

So what's your thoughts and opinions on Dragon Haven? What'd you think of the ending? How do you reckon the events in the book will effect Robin's next series and would you like to see any characters return in later books?

Personally I enjoyed it. It was addictive as all Robin's books are and it all mostly flowed smoothly. Some of the bits at the end could have been concluded more. But I guess its all left to make you think. Though one thing I didn't enjoy was it was kind of.... Anti Climax not really epic. If it wasn't for the large flood that swept everyone away it all would have been mostly a smooth enough ride. Jess the hunter died of quickly and Greft well, just died. So there wasn't really any villains that lasted. (not that Greft was a Villain but he had potential)

Maybe I'm just a little to use to bad things happening near the end but that was really my only complaint. I'd love to see Thymara return as a side char with her wings fully developed. And I'd love to revist Buckkeep see how the dragons affect the politics and ect there. Because there's definitely going to be some changes in the world. XD

[maulkin]

One of the interesting things about this story is that the real villains (such as Hest and Thymara's mother) are left behind before the voyage begins. It is their legacy that the major characters of the story must struggle against during the voyage. Hest is as nasty, in his own way, as Regal. He destroys the lives of everyone who falls under his influence, although his influence is more limited than Regal's because he is a merchant rather than a king. Having said this, even Hest is a victim of Bingtown's homophobia. One of the major themes of the story appears to be the ways in which people deal with their status as victims and outcasts. Some, such as Greft, allow themselves to become embittered and use their victimhood as an excuse to commit atrocities of their own. Others, such as Thymara and, eventually, Sedric, overcome their victim status to attain self-worth while preserving their empathy for others.

[Mervi]

I loved the book, even the predictable parts like Heeby's return. I now count Thymara as one of my favourite characters ever - I'm so happy she kept her head cool and did things her own way, even at the very end. And I loved Sedric/Carson as much as I loved Althea/Brashen when I first read the LST.

I wonder how much of the predictability is because we've read the previous books in the series? It was easy to guess from the beginning that Kelsingra was the same city we had seen before in the first trilogy. But that is not clear for those who have started reading Hobb's books from the Rain Wild Chronicles (and I've been surprised to hear that there are many people who have done so). For them it was always a mystery what waited at the end of the journey. For old readers it was more of a question of who will survive and how they will change along the way.

On a related note: it was interesting to see how the Bingtown folk were described by these characters as... well, not quite evil, but as a force that controlled and limited them and were even somewhat of an adversary. Well, at the end we see that the two sides, the "outcasts" and the "civilized" people will still have to find a way to deal with each other from time to time but it put an interesting spin to things because previously we've thought that the Traders are doing things right. This seems to be a theme that is repeated in Hobb's books: every culture/nation sees the others as "barbaric" or otherwise "wrong" and the Hobb shifts the viewpoint in another book and we find out that the Outislanders are not savages after all or that the Bingtown folk consider the Six Duchies to be quite primitive. I hope we'll get to see a proper Chalcedean point of view one day - there were interesting glimpses of that world in this story!

[Albertosaurus Rex]

I really liked The Rain Wilds Chronicles, although I do have to admit that I missed the more epic sweep of earlier novels.

It was easy to guess from the beginning that Kelsingra was the same city we had seen before in the first trilogy. But that is not clear for those who have started reading Hobb's books from the Rain Wild Chronicles (and I've been surprised to hear that there are many people who have done so). For them it was always a mystery what waited at the end of the journey. For old readers it was more of a question of who will survive and how they will change along the way.

How on Earth did I ever miss that? :blink: In my mind, the Rain Wilds were much farther to the south, so I thought they couldn't be the same city. (Sure, I did get the references to the river of silver, but I just assumed that there were more of them.) It still took some looking the map to piece everything togeher after what you just said.

This seems to be a theme that is repeated in Hobb's books: every culture/nation sees the others as "barbaric" or otherwise "wrong" and the Hobb shifts the viewpoint in another book and we find out that the Outislanders are not savages after all or that the Bingtown folk consider the Six Duchies to be quite primitive. I hope we'll get to see a proper Chalcedean point of view one day - there were interesting glimpses of that world in this story!

I noticed that theme too and I really like it. And I would kill to read a story from the Chalcedean point of view.

[Mervi]

I think there were mentions of the Map Tower and the well of silver stuff that the dragons dreamed of even in the first part (there certainly were in the second). The dragons described Kelsingra as a place that was built to accomodate both humans and dragons, and just from the overall layout (wide streets, fountains at intersections, river that runs through etc) it seemed like the same place Verity (and then Fitz) visited. And if I remember correctly, they went there through a Skill-pillar, so geographical distance isn't really a problem. :smile:
I don't know, it just seemed like a logical conclusion to me? (On the other hand, like I mentioned in another topic, I never anticipated Davvie to be anything more than a minor character mentioned in passing, so... )

[Manephelien]

Loved this one! It's been a while since I read the other Realm of the Elderlings trilogies.

There was some closure, but not enough. Is this the final book or is it going to be a trilogy?

[Mervi]

Rain Wild Chronicles is not a trilogy - it was actually written as just one book but the publisher decided it was too long and split it in two volumes. But interestingly, Robin just blogged that she's

writing every day on Dragon Traders

...so I hope there's more stories to come set in this world still!

(I hope that link works - if it doesn't, go to http://www.myspace.com/robinhobb and click on "Lots of news!")

[Albertosaurus Rex]

That almost sounds like a book or trilogy title: "The Dragon Traders". "Return to Kelsingra. Ten years after the events of the Rain Wilds Chronicles..." Or something like that, I'm just fantasising a little here.

Although I would like to see her try something new as well. (I haven't read The Soldier Son yet, so I don't know how that turned out.)

[Manephelien]

Oh, I do hope that there's more to come! I'd just love to see more of the story of these characters, how Thymara develops into an Elderling. I'd particularly like to see Hest get his comeuppance...

[miklc]

Oh my God, I didn't even make the connection that it was the same city, how stupid am I?!! That makes it even more awesome.

I loved this book more than anything she's done since the end of the liveships. The ending did get me a bit misty eyed.