Robin Hobb is BACK!

She's BACK! After the lackluster Soldier Son trilogy, which I gave up on not even half way through book two, Robin Hobb returns to the world she does best: the land of Rain Wilds and Liveship Traders. Thank God!

Dragon Keeper picks up where the last of the Liveship books leaves off, with the sea serpents finally making their way up the Rain Wilds River to cocoon and hatch as dragons. If you read the Liveship Traders series, which I highly recommend you do, you'll remember that the sea serpents were old and decrepit by the time they reached their traditional cocooning grounds because their memories had failed to lead them where they needed to go. The awakening of what was thought to be the last living dragon, a queen named Tintaglia, helped them out and struck a deal with the Bingtown Traders (who have the Liveships) and the Rain Wilders, who supplied the special wood that the Liveships were constructed of, the legendary wizardwood. The deal was that the Rain Wilders & the Bingtown crowd would protect and take care of the serpents as the cocooned and hatched and Tintaglia would protect the Rain Wilds & Bingtowners from an invading army in a neighbouring country.

But because of timing and the age of the serpents, the dragons that hatch turn out to be weak, stunted, and very dependent. They cannot hunt for themselves, and resources and patience start running thin. Tintaglia disappears after finding a mate (which we see at the end of the Tawny Man series).

After years of being trapped, starved, poorly cared for, and resented by the locals, the remaining dragons decide they want to depart for a land they all recall from their ancestral memories, the fabled Kelsingra. The Rain Wilders agree to send a group of their people along to help them on their way, a selection of outcasts who are to care for the dragons, hunt for them, and generally look out for them as they embark on a journey with an uncertain destination and an even more uncertain end.

Hobb is definitely in her element with this setting, these cultures she created years ago, and the new characters she has drawn. Every character in this book is compelling, particularly the dragons, who are very sentient, have very strong personalities, and despite their physical weaknesses, all have an incredible drive to survive. The descriptions of the dragons, their way of conversing, and the details of their disabilities and hardships makes for excellent, entertaining reading.

I am totally stoked about this new series from an author I have loved for years but who had disappointed me with that dreadful Soldier Son series. And it looks like I won't have to wait too long for the sequel; Amazon says the next book, Dragon Haven, will be released in May! Take note, George RR Martin!