Blood of Dragons, by Robin Hobb

(Rain Wilds Chronicles #4), 4 stars

We’ve finally come to the end of our journey and as our dragons and their keepers work to wake up the Elderling city of Kelsingra and uncover its hidden secrets, boats bearing Hest and the Duke of Chalced’s minions are also making their way up the river hoping to slaughter the dragons in order to release themselves from the Duke’s subjugation. Also hoping for relief is Selden, languishing in ill-health at the Duke’s abode where he’s unwillingly providing a temporary cure for the Duke’s old age in the form of his ‘dragon-man’ blood. But the Duke of Chalced is soon to discover that ordering a dragon’s slaughter is far easier than doing so, and that there are consequences– huge, flying, venomous, deadly consequences.

Finishing a Robin Hobb series always leaves me feeling a little bereft, as happened again here. And while this series never quite hit the giddy heights of the Fitz and Liveship trilogies, it also wasn’t anywhere near as emotionally devastating (though, perversely, that’s also probably why I haven’t rated this one quite as highly) and it also give me some moments of wild glee along with some brilliant characters that almost began to feel like real people to me (despite the fact that they were sometimes, y’know, dragons).

Robin Hobb has a real talent for building worlds that I never want to leave, and I’m already eagerly anticipating my next visit.

City of Dragons

(Rain Wilds Chronicles #3), 4 stars

With our dragons and keepers now settled, albeit on a different side of the unpassable river to Kelsingra, they and Tarman have fulfilled their contract with the Cassarick Trader's Council. Sadly,  the Council isn't keen on paying them their dues and news of their find has inflamed most with greed, ensuring that as Leftrin tries to make his way back to the colony (accompanied by some of our old friends, who have themselves fallen victim to Chalced's thirst for dragon parts) he does so with more than a few followers. Meanwhile, both dragons and keepers alike are discovering that there's more to Kelsingra than meets the eye.

Giving us some new viewpoints to consider (the bastardly Hest and the infinitely hateable Duke of Chalced - the man who most wants our dragons carved up), City of Dragons gave us a better view of how our group and their discoveries fit into their wider world, as well as reminding us that said world is about to rudely intrude on the one they're making for themselves.

I'm slightly concerned at the title of the next and last in the series - Blood of Dragons - but that's not going to stop me from diving right in.

Dragon Haven, by Robin Hobb

(Rain Wilds Chronicles #2), 4 stars

Accompanied by the livebarge Tarman and his crew, the dragons and their keepers are continuing their perilous journey toward the Elderling city of Kelsingra - if it still exists. But acidic water, flash floods and hunger aren't the only danger they must face - there's also those that come from within the group, and not just from those planning on enriching themselves through plundered dragon parts. 

As both groups are altered by the bonds between dragon and keeper, so are the relationships around them: as Alise is apprised of the true nature of her marriage and Sedric discovers just how wrong his previous notions of the dragons (and Hest) really were, Thymara is finding herself increasingly at odds with the 'choices' being imposed upon her by Grest's assumed leadership. Meanwhile, the dragons are growing stronger, and more dangerous, every day.

I love how Hobb takes things we already know, such as the Rain Wilds environment and its effect upon those who live there, and gives us a new light in which to see them, and I'm as intrigued by the metamorphoses of the keepers as I am by where we may go now we've reached this point in the journey. I can't bear to be outside of Hobb's world any longer than necessary, so I'm heading straight into City of Dragons.

Dragon Keeper, by Robin Hobb

(Rain Wilds Chronicles #1), 4 stars

Every time I read a Robin Hobb book I think there's no way I could possible become as invested as I was in her last and then, within a few hundred pages, I find I've almost forgotten that there's a 'real' world that exists outside of hers, and that I'm more invested in her characters than many of the actual people that I know. 

Dragon Keeper has continued that trend (Note: Those new to Hobb would probably find much to enjoy here, but I'd definitely recommend having at least read the Liveship Traders Trilogy first or risk missing out on the thrill of crossing paths with old favourites - hi, Paragon! - as well as the richness of the back story of this world).

Catching up with events in the Rain Wilds since the end of our journey with the Liveships, we find the ancient serpents, guided by Tintaglia, are now cocooning ready for the transformation into dragons. But they've spent too long in their old forms and reached the beach too hungry and too late in the year to emerge as anything but starving, stunted creatures that are soon an unwelcome burden to the humans who'd agreed to care for them. Stirred by ancestral memories of the Elderling city Kelsingra, the dragons manipulate the human's greed into a plan to transport them, along with a group of young Keepers (those most touched by the Rain Wilds, whose populace would like to be rid of such outcasts) on a quest to find the fabled city.

Newbies may find Dragon Keeper something of a slow start, but I relished the chance to really get to know our characters before their lives are irrevocably changed. Ahhh, the characters - the real gift to the reader in any Robin Hobb book and, much like with the Liveship Traders, the fantastic female characters were something I particularly revelled in. In this we have Alise, married to a man she doesn't like, let alone love; Thymara, a Rain Wilds outcast unable to shrug off the rules that have governed her world until now; and Sintara, the imperious dragon under Thymara's care who's haunted by memories of what she should have been.

I'm now desperate for Alise to launch herself into an affair with Leftrin, the barge captain who I still don't quite trust, for nothing but wonderful things to happen to Tats, and for someone to eat Hest (this one's for you, Hest):

But...I'm also very aware that Hobb's characters tend to get shat on by life, and so I'm diving straight into Dragon Haven with a little worried feeling in the pit of my belly.

Best Animal Companions

Reading a recent Guardian piece on animal companions in kid's literature, I couldn't help but get pointlessly annoyed at the inclusion of Bartimaeus - an admittedly awesome djinni who however doesn't really ever even so much as take on an animal form. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it did make me start to wonder who my own favourite animal companions were, whether they be found in books, on telly or on the big screen. And so, without any further ado....

Muttley - Wacky Races

Animal companion to one Dick Dastardly and also an ace pilot, Muttley is easily the more intelligent of the two. He also has all the best catchphrases, and one of the world's best laughs.

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Pantalaimon - His Dark Materials

While not strictly an animal but Lyra Belacqua's daemon, Pan at least spends his time flitting between animal forms with his favourites being an ermine, a wildcat, and a mouse. The physical manifestation of her soul, Pan acts as the level-headed, cautious voice of reason for the passionate and reckless Lyra.

Nanook - The Lost Boys

As well as being the best looking dog to have ever graced the cinema screen, Nanook will also save you from vampiric siblings.

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Dog - Good Omens

A Hellhound acting as the Antichrist's protector and companion, Dog started put as a large and ferocious beast.  But Adam, swapped at birth and unaware of his origins, wishes for "one of those dogs that’s brilliantly intelligent and can go down rabbit holes and has one funny ear that always looks inside out" and so Dog soon becomes a small, fun mongrel, along with appropriate attitude adjustment.

Rothko - My Wrongs

Things can go very, very wrong when you're with a dog that thinks it's your lawyer. This one is probably the animal companion most likely to see you get jailed.

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Backup - Veronica Mars

Is our pint-sized PI going to take back-up with her? Of course she is, look at that face! Veronica's wingman on more than one investigation, Backup can inspire caution in even the biggest criminals.

Mouse - Dresden Files

Mouse is a Temple Dog with apparently divine origins. Having entered the life of one Harry Dresden in Blood Rites and deciding to stay, any who recognise Mouse for what he is are usually astounded that he chooses to hang out with Dresden. A huge beast of a dog with incredible intelligence - to the point of fully understanding human speech and battle plans - who emits a faint blue nimbus in battle, possesses supernatural speed and healing and a bark you wouldn't believe, no-one messes with Harry if Mouse has got anything to do with it.

Nighteyes - Robin Hobb's Assassin series

Thanks to the Wit, Robin Hobb's awesome Assassin books starring Fitzchivalry Farseer are also home to some of the best animal companions around. One of the series' main strengths was, to me, how Hobb gave each of the animals distinct personalities and voices. This was particularly true for Nighteyes, the wonderfully sarcastic and pragmatic wolf with whom Fitz shares a bond and who, it turned out, was also capable of completely shredding me emotionally:

"Wait for you? Not likely. I've always had to run ahead of you and show you the way." (Fool's Errand)

Meep.

Ghost the Fox - Grizzly Man

Some of the loveliest moments in Werner Herzog's incredible Grizzly Man come when Timothy Treadwell is hanging out with Ghost, the playful fox. It should be noted here however that, no matter how awesome they are, bears are NOT companions.

 

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Drogon - Game of Thrones

When I first drew up this list it was going to include Ghost, Jon Snow's albino dire-wolf, but then I remembered that when the choices include dragons, all other answers are wrong.

There are three of Danaerys' 'children' to choose from, but my favourite has to be the fantastically lairy Drogon, the largest and most aggressive of the three. He's already saved Dany in the Houses of the Undying and roasted a slave-master, but if the series is staying faithful to the books then he's about to become even more of a handful.

 

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Marcel - Friends

Everyone knows that monkeys are by far and away the very best animal there is. Make him a capuchin with a penchant for copulating with your friends belongings and refusing to listen to anything but his favourite song, and you've just hit the animal companion jackpot.

 

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Dangerous Women

edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois - 3 stars

A big, fat book of short stories (although not all of them feel that way, *cough* Virgins *cough*) from a variety of genres, as with any collection this one is something of a mixed bag and I'd argue that quite a few are barely about women, let alone dangerous ones.

Many of those included would appear to be side-trips in previously established worlds (some of which I'd read, and some I hadn't) and some were more successful than others at allowing the casual reader as much enjoyment as devoted fans. There are some 5 star stories in here, but the reasons above (as well my anal insistence on individually scoring and then working out the average) brought the whole down to a 3.

Starting out well with Some Desperado from Joe Abercombie (starring Red Country's Shy South who, like many an Abercrombie character, should never be underestimated even when outnumbered), other high points for me were Cecilia Holland's Nora's Song (probably as I'm still a little obsessed with the court of Henry II after Alison Weir's Eleanor of Aquitaine), Jim Butcher's Bombshells (though I should have got up to date with Harry as I found that he not only has a protege, Molly, but might have taken a turn for the dead. While worrying that this meant no more Bob either, I still enjoyed the ride which at least starred some kick-ass ladies), Megan Lindholm's Neighbors (not surprising as this is also Robin Hobb, who seems able to suck me in to whichever world she chooses), Shadows for Silence in The Forests of Hell from Brandon Sanderson (who shows as great a flair for character names as he does titles, and whose predatory forests and awesome bounty hunter posing as an inn landlady makes me eager to read more from him), Caroline Spector's Lies My Mother Told Me (set in the Wild Cards universe and not mattering that I'd barely read much of that world before) and, of course, George RR Martin's The Princess and The Queen (giving us a taste of Targaryen/Westeros history and awesomely featuring rather a lot of dragons, although I did get a little "Which Aegon is this, now?" at times and, although I am well aware that GRRM is not my bitch...

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...I still couldn't help wishing every now and then that I was reading about what's happening with them now).

On the other side of the coin, I've no idea what I thought Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series was about (I had vaguely sci-fi notions, I think), but I'd never have guessed it was 18th century Scots. Although it seems to have a hefty fan following, going by Virgins I won't be joining in. My enjoyment of Sharon Kay Penman's A Queen in Exile doesn't bode well for the copy of Here Be Dragons that's awaiting me on my shelves, and Lawrence Block's I Know How To Pick 'Em, with an incestuous mother and killer son, made me want to scrub my eyes in bleach to remove the taint.

Still, this was well worth a read even if not all its inclusions were my flavour, and it's already helped me find some new worlds to start spending time in (Amazon will be so pleased).

The Tawny Man, by Robin Hobb

5 stars

This isn't the first time I've talked about Robin Hobb here, and it probably won't be the last, but before you read this series, you need to go and read The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest) as this follows the events and some of the characters we met there. Go on, I'll wait....

Done? Good. Now go and get yourself a box of tissues. Also, consider this a warning - mild spoilers will abound...

Fool's Errand

Crying rating: 

In the long years since the events of the Farseer Trilogy, Fitz has been living a quiet life as Tom Badgerlock. Away from Buckkeep and all he loves save for the now elderly Nighteyes and Hap, a foundling he's taken in, and with no visitors save for the occasional tryst with Starling (who's become even more of a selfish, nasty bitch in the intervening years) he's become an old man before his time. A sort of peace has settled over the Six Duchies in the wake of the Red Ships War, but the legacy of the cruel reign of Regal still haunts the land, with the persecution of those suspected to be Witted now more widespread than ever before.

So when Prince Dutiful (heir of Verity and, kinda, Fitz) goes missing before his betrothal to an Outislander narcheska, there's more than just the uneasy truce between those previously warring lands to consider - the Prince is rumoured in certain quarters to be Witted, and may have become a unwitting tool to be used against the Farseer line.

Heralding a welcome return for my two favourite characters - Nighteyes and The Fool - this was just as engrossing as the previous series, and perhaps even more bittersweet. Hobb never hurries to tell her story, but lets it unfold at its own pace and gives us enough time with her characters for us to feel they're more intimate acquaintances than figures from a book. Once again I found myself hollering at people, or wanting to jump into the pages to either protect or (especially in the case of Starling) smack them in their nasty mouths. This time spent with our characters also let my sense of foreboding grow in regard to Nighteyes (though he would have hated my stealing his 'now' with worries of what was to come) and by the time we reached the inevitable I'd become something of a watery-eyed emotional wreck.

The Wit remains for me one of the strongest points within this series, and I loved the different voices given to various animals, all with their own distinct identities and thought processes that seemed true to them rather than as humans cloaked in fur (the amusingly arrogant Fennel reminded me of my own cat).

With Fitz, as Tom, now drawn back into the life and intrigue of the Six Duchies, I had to dive straight in to the next book.


Golden Fool

Crying rating: 

The second book in the series and the plot not only thickens, but upsets me more at every turn.

Prince Dutiful has been returned to Buckkeep in time to meet his potential future wife, Elliania - an imperious young girl from the Out Islands - along with her entourage. Fitz as Tom is struggling to get used to life without Nighteyes, while being pressured to become Dutiful's tutor in the Skill and trying to protect Nettle from being called into his service. A delegation has arrived from Bingtown, needing an alliance against Chalced and help raising Tintaglia's fledgling dragons, and the Queen is struggling to stop the persecution of the Witted within her realms as the Piebalds try to stir up further resentment of the Farseers from within their ranks. And to make thing worse, Fitz is busy alienating those around him - and none more so than The Fool, which makes me want to jump into the book and slap him silly.

Containing a ton of action, a wealth of emotion, and enough tantalising and yet terrifying hints as to what might be coming next, I both can't wait and dread getting stuck in to the last in this series. 


Fool's Fate

Crying rating: 

The final instalment and my, what an ending it is - I must have spent virtually the last third sobbing, until I ended the day with swollen eyes and a slightly throbbing head, and minus a whole roll of tissue.

Still serving the Farseers, albeit in his guise of Tom Badgerlock, Fitz leaves Buckkeep to join Prince Dutiful's betrothal quest to behead the dragon Icefyre - a quest that turns out to be rather unpopular with the rest of the Outislanders, adding another worry to Fitz's already huge burden along with the nursing of Thick (who's really not a fan of sea journeys and is making Fitz pay for dragging him on one) keeping an eye on Swift, Burrich's Witted son (whom he's sworn to protect) and dealing with his betrayal of the Fool in an effort to protect him from his fate.

Hobb continues to excel at buidling and developing her world, tying together things that have happened in past series as well as adding new angles from which her world and characters can be seen, letting them grow in new and sometimes surprising ways. Her attention to detail carries over into the characters' relationships, and I'm hard pressed to think of any world I'm quite as emotionally invested in as this. And while she tends to like making things bleaker and bleaker at every step (this instalment was no slouch in that department) she still manages to somehow pull you back from the brink by the end, wrapping the story up with a satisfying, if bittersweet, end.

If I've got any quibbles they're with myself rather than the books - as noted above, I am ridiculously emotionally invested in these characters, to the point that I've found myself nearly overwhelmed with depression during some of their hardest times. This time around I nearly scurried back to the doctors for better antidepressants until I realised that my depression had lifted a few hours after finishing....oops!

The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb

5 stars

Earlier this year I read my first Robin Hobb series - The Farseer Trilogy. Immediately won over, I've now set myself the mission of reading every Robin Hobb I can get my hands on. My second foray into her world, The Liveship Traders, did not disappoint, and soon became one of my favourite fantasy series (keeping George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie in good company).

Aside from the fantastic world built by Hobb, and the fantastic storytelling talent she brings to the table, one of the reasons I so loved this particular series was down to the women. In a genre that can quite often be something of a sausage-fest, it's both very refreshing and very awesome to come across a series that not only features a wealth of strong women but has them at the heart of the books, driving the action. Because of this, I've given this series a theme song:

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Jumping up and down on my chair while twirling my bra might be a little over the top, and unpleasant for any witnesses, but it's a complete joy after also spending so much time in other genres (cough, paranormal/YA, cough) with heroines who make my shit itch.

Interested? Then read on for my reviews of each book in the series...


Ship of Magic
(read in April 2013)

A fantasy sea adventure starring Liveships - sentient ships crafted from wizardwood and each bound to a blood member of the families that own them - I wouldn't have thought I'd find myself feeling so strongly for what are, essentially, a bunch of boats, but that's where I found myself, to the point I even blubbed on their behalf on more than one occasion (especially poor, tragic Paragon).

I'm even more invested in the other characters - Althea, and her quest to retrieve her rightful ship, her bullying brother-in-law Kyle and his desperately-in-need-of-a-good-slapping daughter Malta, Amber (who I desperately want to know more about), and all of the others. Not forgetting the buccaneer who'll stop at nothing to own a liveship and become King of the Pirates - Captain Kennit, who despite himself can't help but make people love him and things change for the better, all while being a manipulative, conniving, selfish and hilarious bastard. At this point, I have as big a crush on him as Etta does.

I have no idea where things are going to go from here, but I'm expecting to grin, rage and weep my way to the end just like I have in this. I'd try and eke the experience out a little, but I'm way too greedy for more. I'm rushing right back to my Kindle for the next.


The Mad Ship

Brilliant, for all the reason why I loved the first so much, and more.

Captain Kennit finally has his hands on a liveship, and though Wintrow has his doubts Vivacia is both thrilled and enamoured with her new captain, while at home Althea embarks on a rescue mission on our other favourite liveship, and Malta is forced to grow up.

As engrossing, compelling and emotional as its predecessor (including one part where I nearly threw the book across the room)...

...this entry gave us more of the bigger picture, making clear the relationship between the great sea serpents and the liveships, and making sure that all of its characters get to grow and learn while you understand things from all points of view, making the 'right' outcome very un-black and white.

I'm also completely fangirling over the journeys of both Malta and Keffria - if you'd told me how much I'd love Malta after the first book I'd have laughed in your face, but Hobb has done a fantastic job of showing the growth of her character, and from beginning as a spoilt little shrew she now promises to become a truly formidable woman.

On to the next!


Ship of Destiny

We've finally reached the end of this brilliant, emotionally bruising trilogy that I've raged, snarled and sobbed my way through. The Vivacia is still in the hands of Captain Kennit, leading Althea, Brashen and Amber to sail off in pursuit on board the Paragon. Bingtown is being torn apart by the Chalcedeans, as well as the strife between the groups of people living there, and having fled the danger there Malta now finds herself lost with the Satrap in the aftermath of the ruin of Trehaug.

Laid clear is the dark truth to the relationship between the liveships and the serpents, the bond between Paragon and his missing part, and that I was a complete fool to have thought that Kennit was a fun, if bastardly, character who did good things accidentally, as he crossed the line into you're-dead-to-me bastardry. 

This series was very well put together with a world and characters that felt real (even if I didn't like them all), to the point that while reading these books I've turned into a little ball of stress and anger, railing at every injustice I come across. 

A big investment, both time-wise (these are big, fat books) and emotionally (see above), I highly recommend this series. I'll be coming back to Robin Hobb as often as I can.