City of Dragons (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 3)

Good quality book. Robin Hobb is my favorite author and This was a series that I was yet to collect. Will be buying other books in the series shortly

It took a long, long voyage down the River Wild before the dragons reached the ancient city of Kelsingra. But... they're still not there."City of Dragons: Volume Three of the Rain Wilds Chronicles" is very much a "middle" book, with Robin Hobb juggling many established plot threads without actually bringing resolution to anything. It feels sort of like the first half of a book -- there are some intriguing scenes and potentially exciting subplots, but by the end nothing much has actually happened.The dragons and their keepers are close to Kelsingra, but it can only be reached by air -- and only one of the dragons is able to fly for any significant distance. The city itself turns out to be a wondrous place, filled with strange lingering magic and beautiful buildings -- and the new Elderling teenagers begin to discover more about themselves and their new role.But there are other problems in the outside world. Alise's estranged husband Hest is threatened by the brutal Chaldeans, and must deliver them dragon parts or Else. Leftrin travels back to Trehaug, and reveals that there is treachery in the Council. And after a heavily pregnant Malta runs afoul of the Chaldeans, she and her husband must make a desperate trek to Kelsingra to save what is most precious to them...Not a lot actually HAPPENS in "City of Dragons." Robin Hobb does introduce a couple new subplots into the half-dozen she's juggling around -- the Chaldean conspiracy, Malta's pregnancy, the love triangle around Thymara, the new Elderlings, Alise ditching her old life, Sintara being prissy and prideful, and the exploration of Kelsingra.But Hobb seems to be slowly building these plot threads towards a climax, and that's what most of the subplot development is -- slow build. It's like we're in the middle book of a trilogy.However, the lack of travel woes in "City of Dragons" allows her to flesh out the history of Kelsingra, and infuses it with an haunted, otherworldly magic that really entrances. And a couple of the subplots have a faster, more thrilling air to them, such as Malta's encounter with a pair of Chaldean murderers, Selden's imprisonment, or the ever-vile Hest's schemes and dilemmas.Hobb also reintroduces some familiar characters -- Tintaglia the dragon and Malta the Elderling among them -- and starts integrating them into the established cast of grizzled, good-hearted sailors, outcast teens and the often-grumpy dragons. The downside of the characterizations is that I'm getting a little tired of Thymara and Tats' teen soap opera, and the question of who is hooking up with whom."City of Dragons: Volume Three of the Rain Wilds Chronicles" isn't a bad book, but it is a rather lightweight one, with several subplots being set up for the grand finale.

There’s been a moment in each of the series within the Elderlings series books since the Farseer Trilogy where we see characters or callbacks to one of the previous ones. A crossover of the core storylines which ties things together even closer than simply setting them within the same world/lore. City of Dragons offers the clearest of these moments in The Rain Wild Chronicles. At least so far in my reading as I’m just moving on to the fourth book.Those links help strengthen my enjoyment of the individual books even as I’m already enjoying the progress of the core story and characters introduced at the start of this section of the series. It’s like when the spin-off of a long-running series welcomes guest appearances from the original. But, like good spin-offs where it’s done sparingly and in keeping with the plot and is just a welcome bonus for fans who’ve been there all along.For this there’s a very small callback to Fitz as the dragon keepers find a place he travelled to through the skill stones in Assassin’s Quest. I was pretty sure it was the same place, and I loved the subtlety of how that was made certain by referring to the same broken window Fitz had noticed on his visit.A stronger callback is made to the Liveship Traders books, unsurprisingly as they are set in the same parts of the world as the whole of the Rain Wild Chronicles. But, Malta and Reyn Khuprus and Selden Vestrit all enter the core plotlines of this book. It’s great to see how these characters have grown up, and their additions help to drive the maturity of this series forward, away from a standalone journey story to a central part of the Elderlings mythology and the vision for a world where dragons rule the skies again that the Fool has fought so hard for.I continue to be awed by the effortless way the storylines and characters come together in this. I’ve had a few people comment on previous reviews that they’ve never read a Robin Hobb book because they’re not into fantasy fiction. I know it sounds daft because of all the dragons and portals and talking ships and telepathy, but I don’t think of these books as fantasy. They are simply facts of the world in which the story is told, it’s just a way of living you have to open yourself up to learn about as you read in the same way as you do for historical fiction or books set in a different country than the one you know well. It’s the way the story is told and the characters it is told through that are important, and Robin Hobb always offers an excellent read on both counts.

The third book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles and twelfth overall in Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series feels shorter and much more character focussed than most of the earlier books.Rather than following a quest, as many of the other books in the series have, this book follows the daily lives of the characters from the previous two novels as they continue from the point these books brought them. It makes some interesting points about prejudice, society and childrearing, and the ensemble cast makes the drama feel more real and rounded than ever before.The plot feels simple despite the array of threads that run through the book, and for the most part each is split into its own chapters, although there are some where the narratives are intertwined, which is a nice variation. I really love the asides between chapters that Hobb uses to expand the world in which her stories are set, and they provide a humorous and interesting companion to the main story.While it felt a calmer story, I was really hooked by this book and can't believe how quickly I read it compared to some of Hobb's other books. I really enjoy spending time with these characters and hope that Hobb will find more stories to pen once this one is complete.

Latest novel from fantasy writer Robin Hobb. Also latest in her series 'The Rain Wild Chronicles.'Normally she writes trilogies, but the final book in this one got somewhat large and ended up being split into two. Thus this is technically the first half of one book, although it isn't billed as such and does feel relaively self contained. But it's by no means the end of the story and thus there's lots unresolved come the end.There's no exposition to bring new readers up to speed, so there's no point in reading this if you've not read the earlier books in the series. Start with  Dragon Keeper (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 1) .A little knowledge of her other stories will also help as well - there is a familiar face from one of those in here - but it's not required.This volume is divided into fifteen chapters plus a prologue and an epilogue, and runs for four hundred and twenty five pages.It picks up from the ending of book two, with the expedition having reached it's destination.Some early moments come from the viewpoint of Dragons, and show us the main threat to them. The Duke of Chalced. Who needs Dragons in order to prolong his life.Whilst those on the expedition and their Dragons get ever closer, and go through great changes as a result, the mysteries of the city await to be uncovered. A trip back to the start of their journey brings fresh problems for one character. Others draw closer. And nobody will be able to keep what they've found hidden forever.There's lots going on, and quite a few plot strands.The lack of opening exposition does mean that if it's been a while since you read the second book this does take some time to really get into. As a result, it takes a while to get going, and only really clicks close to page eighty or so.But once it does, it becomes as readable as what has come before.If you read Robin Hobb's books, you will know how good her prose and characterisation can be. And this volume is no exception in delivering that.It doesn't feel like half of a bigger book. It feels like a book in a series. Which does what those need to do. Move things along and set things up for the finale. This it does very well, and it does at just the right pace for a volume of this length, meaning it reads very nicely and the pages flow. Once you get into it.The fact that it takes a while to get into does stop it from being five star material. But even so, it's a very good read in an entertaining series. And it made me want to know what will happen next. So it did it's job.To find out what does, read  Blood of Dragons (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 4)Dragon Keeper (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 1)Blood of Dragons (The Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 4)

Just love this writer- paints a scene in a fantasy world of dragons and elderlings in a world that is just believable, far away from our reality and near enough too. It transcends me! Thanks Robin!

The biggest problem with an author like Robin Hobb is.....the books are just too GREAT! I cannot put them down and once you read the first one of any of the series, you have to read the others right away. Robin, I NEED SOME SLEEP! Not only are the story lines fantastic, the books are so well written that you believe you are in the world of the Rain Wilds. I feel the pain and joy of all the characters and crave more. In fact, I think I shall go and read another chapter now....