Dragon Haven (The Rain Wild Chronicles, #2)

by Robin Hobb

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the second instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy.

The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage up the treacherous Rain Wild River. They are in search of the mythical Elderling city of Kelsingra, and are accompanied by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and a group of hunters who must search the forests for game with which to keep the dragons fed. With them are Alise, who has escaped her cold marriage to the cruel libertine Hest Finbok in order to continue her study of dragons, and Hest's amanuensis, Bingtown dandy, Sedric.

Rivalries and romances are already threatening to disrupt the band of explorers: but external forces may prove to be even more dangerous. Chalcedean merchants are keen to lay hands on dragon blood and organs to turn them to medicines and profit. Their traitor has infiltrated the expeditionand will stop at nothing to obtain the coveted body parts. And then there are the Rain Wilds themselves: mysterious, unstable and ever perilous, its mighty river running with acid, its jungle impenetrable and its waterways uncharted.

Will the expedition reach their destination unscathed? Does the city of Kelsingra even exist? Only one thing is certain: the journey will leave none of the dragons nor their human companions unchanged by the experience.

• ISBN13: 9780007376094
• Publish Date: 31 March 2011 (first published 4 March 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 21 November 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperVoyager
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 560
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Dragon Keeper Part 2: Drama, Death and Destination I had fun poking fun at my fangirl self while writing The Dragon Keeper's (The Rain Wild Chronicles #1) review but I'll try to be more serious and helpful this time around.
 
Continuing Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven sees the cast and crew evolve under extreme conditions. It's not just the river they have to fear, but there's danger from within. We are talking about people and dragons, aka reptilian flying cats with higher intelligence than humans and magic. ~Drama~
I get confused reading other reviews where they say nothing happened, because plenty did. While there is more action than Dragon Keeper, it's mainly about the characters. They aren't in a (wait for it…) war, court intrigue, or piracy like previous Elderling series.
They are on a journey and as the clique goes it's not about the destination. I can't imagine this ragtag group finding Kelsingra as they were, let alone reaching it. I've now finished the series (I'm surprised I could stop to take notes…) and yeah, ewwww. Let's not think about that depressing scenario. Every step, every setback, every change is necessary. And I don't mean because it gives me more Hobb to read.
Hobb has confirmed Dragon Keeper and Haven were written as one so think of it as Keeper Part 2. And it's the first book in a trilogy. What's the first book in a trilogy do, especially Hobbs? Set up and laying the foundation for the build up of the middle book, and the bomb-dropping conclusion of the third.
 

 




Pros




Young adult love angles that I love, it’s logical, genuine, and arresting.




So emotional, I kept tearing up




Unexpected twists




Ends in smart places that feels like natural




Character growth galore




New perspectives introduced that bring new depth without bogging down or overwhelming




Basically, everything I said in my Dragon Keeper review applies as well




There’s always progress made, not just towards the larger overarching plots and character arches, but minor ones that feel like accomplishments as well




Love how Hobb’s fantasy worlds don’t stay static in technology or culture, there’s always people striving forward, which makes Hobb’s world feel more real, like it adds another dimension




Dying to know…everything & YAY when we discover more but there’s plenty to ponder before and after reading, which I find exciting rather than frustrating because their world is so rich, it’s full of discoveries to make




Loved the Cast of Characters descriptions (e.g., “Grisby: Ship’s cat. Orange and obnoxious.”) but I’ve never had a problem remembering characters when reading Hobb. I hadn’t even realized how many I was keeping track of until browsing the list.




Love seeing more of Reyn, Malta, and Seldon since I’ve read (and loved) the Liveship Traders trilogy. I adore Malta’s character growth and them being an old married couple is adorable. Here’s to hoping more Althea and crew sightings as well.




I fucking loved the journey and the payoff is so, so worth it at every book ending along the way. I cried at Dragon Haven's last sentence. I went back to my notes and highlights, re-read it months later and cried again.
For those of us who've read and loved previous Elderling books the discoveries in Dragon Haven are earth shattering. (And we get more of it in the next two as well.) Like answers you've always wanted: How are humans, elderlings, and dragons connected?
DUN-DUN-DUUUUN!!!
The Lords and Ladies of...Romance?
They're fully underway and finally making hefty realizations. Including that they're a bunch of teenagers that were told to never have sex on a co-ed journey with no one to tattle or reprimand. Oh, boy.
I wouldn't worry so much about love triangles, it's certainly not the stereotypical kind I've ranted about in young adult fiction. It's more like a web, with the lines crossing every which way, breaking, and realigning.

Beyond just feelings of heart, brain, and genitals, they're dealing with survival (the avoiding death type, not just high school), politics, and freedom for the first time. It's fascinating in a Lord of the Flies kind of way.
 Thymara, Thymara, Thymara, my girl. I love you but you've got some issues, dear. I suggest you work those out promptly because hearing you and others spout bullshit regarding your “rival” is tiresome.
I don't think Dragon Haven is flawed but I did see a missed opportunity here and it continues in City of Dragons...
Sexuality, Sex Education and Lesbians
 
[spoiler]
I’m not a fan of Thymara and company’s attitude toward Jerd’s sexuality but it’s authentic. Even Greft the reprehensible got depth of character and understanding yet Jerd is just the selfish whore who learned nothing. Her perspective is something I’m itching to see because it’s unlike Hobb to leave characters so flat and plain awful for conflict’s sake.
Considering everyone’s growth it’s just a matter of time before this is resolved and Hobb’s given no reason to doubt before. I’m sure it’ll work out in a non-slut-shaming kind of way, which is why it doesn’t bother me so much. I’m cheering for Jerd to find peace on her own path and for Thymara to find hers.
Characters talking about birth control and pregnancy in their world is fascinating even though it’s merely a passing remark. I was waiting for the older women to step up and do some teaching, instead of just fear mongering. Lecturing the girls about using birth control while not helping procuring it seems silly.
Further, I was wondering why the talk of masturbation and sex acts without mating didn’t occur. There’s no world where abstinence only sex education works so either the adults want it to happen (yeah, right) or something’s missing. It’s impossible that in this world it’s penetrative sex or nothing, so why the gap?
I think Thymara learning to love herself sexually (no, I’m not talking about making it graphic or anything necessarily) would’ve helped her character arc since she takes so long to take one step forward and two back. If her sticking point is fear of pregnancy and not wanting to choose a partner yet wanting to have sex (all valid and relatable), then masturbation seems like the next logical step.
It’s possiblibly simply page constraints and the information would bog the story down or other such concerns. However, considering these problems follow throughout the last three books, I was surprised and disappointed this education didn’t happen. It’d flesh out the world more and provide another interesting aspect missing from most fantasy worlds, even those more progressive ones. If it didn’t come from the expedition, Chalced was another opportunity to go where few tread and fewer succeed. Admittedly, I could be grievously wrong and it could’ve failed but if anyone can do it right, it’s Robin Hobb. Therefore, I’ll keep looking for proper 
treatment of these subjects elsewhere, and lament the lost opportunity of Hobb’s deft hand.
Dragon Haven and City of Dragons are still fantastic books with impeccable execution, miles above most, so it doesn’t feel right to mark down for wild fangirling conjecture on my part. It doesn’t suffer for not including my wild idea but I felt like sharing.
[/spoiler]
 



 
Recommended for:
if you want a vibrant fantasy realm with lifelike characters on an epic coming of age journey, The Rain Wild Chronicles are perfect. Hobbs remains my favorite author and highly recommend her books to anyone.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Although I really enjoyed Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, it took me quite a while to pick up Dragon Haven. Now, I seriously wished I had picked it up sooner, because it was so good!

The dragons, their keepers, the liveship Tarman and his crew are making their way up the Rain Wilds River to look for the long-ago lost city of Kelsingra. The dragons remember Kelsingra, a place that was once home to Elderlings, a place built to welcome and accommodate the dragons they loved. It's the only place these dragons will find any hope of room and some kind of independence. But it is a perilous journey, with discord among the keepers, with some on board the Tarman wanting to steal dragon parts to sell, with Tarman starting to make his awareness and opinions known. But the worse danger comes from their very environment. When an earthquake causes the Rain Wild River to flood, bringing a huge wave of acid down on the company, human and dragon are scattered in its wake, either lost or dead.

I enjoyed Dragon Haven so much more than I did Dragon Keeper, and I thought that was pretty awesome! All of the characters are together now, for the most part, so the narrators are not here, there and everywhere, seeming unconnected, like for most of Dragon Keeper. As they are all together, the overall story is coming together, and my interest grew, as they interact with each other, seeing the subplots of the various characters interconnect. However, having multiple narrations, we can see that some of the assumptions of the characters about others thoughts and intentions are often wrong, and misjudging is taking place. With the third person narrations, we get into the heads of most of the important characters, so we know the truth, meaning sometimes other characters assumptions are annoying. Alise can be naive about her "good friend" Sedric, yet Sedric himself is too suspicious and judgemental of others, especially Captain Leftrin.

With Thymara's narration, Dragon Haven is almost like YA. Thymara is one of the teenage dragon keepers, and the group of keepers for the most part keep to themselves, are almost separate from the crew on Tarman. The various teenage keepers feel like characters from a YA novel, and their subplot, although different from anything I've read in YA so far because of the world they live and the situation they find themselves in, still feels familiar. Being the teenagers of Trehaug heavily "touched" (read: deformed) by the Rain Wilds, they have been sent to be the dragon keepers. At home, they were on the receiving end of bullying for their scales and growths, and there were rules about what they could, or rather, couldn't do. Getting married and having children being the main one. "Mating" is completely out of the question. But there are some among the keepers who feel they can now make their own rules now they're away from Trehaug with no-one to tell them what to do. Being one of very few females in the group, Thymara is on the receiving end of a lot of unwanted attention, and has to deal with Greft, the self-appointed leader of the keepers, telling her she has to one of them to prevent fighting among the boys. It's a difficult situation to be in, and a lot of pressure to be under, especially when she feels the rules are in place for a reason

I love the LGBTQ subplot in this story! It was possibly spoilery to discuss in my review of Dragon Keeper, seeing as the gay relationship, if it can be called that, was between Sedric and Alise's husband, Hest, but it's fine to do so now. Hest is such a disgusting man, and treats both Alise and Sedric awfully, but Alise is stuck by her marriage vows, the contract she made, even being so far away and having developed reciprocated feelings for Leftrin, and Sedric is blinded by love. It's awful to see the things Sedric will do, how he'll betray his old friend Alise in so many ways, how he'll plot and scheme, just so he can be with someone in the end who feels nothing for him. Sedric's storyline in Dragon Haven is one of the ones I was so interested in, because so much happens to him. I really didn't like him in Dragon Keeper, but I think by City of Dragons, the third book, I might be a fan of him.

Before each chapter, there are notes that are sent by bird from Bingtown to Trehaug and vice versa. These are so cute and such a good idea! Not only do the notes give us a sense of time that's passing, with the date, but they also give us a rough idea of what's happening in Bingtown and Trehaug in the company's absence - including, in some, the reactions of Hest, Alise's family and Sedric's family over how long they have been away without news, and wanting to know where they are and what's happened to them. Also, the two keepers of the birds at each town, Detozi at Trehaug and Erek at Bingtown, send their own notes to each other along with those they are asked to send. Most of their notes are about various bird breeds and the speeds at which they deliver, but as the book goes on, they form a friendship through their notes to each other. I didn't think much of the notes in the first book as there didn't seem much point to them, no real connection to the story, but as Dragon Haven has gone on, I've been intrigued by their friendship, too, wanting to know how they were doing, and how they were affected by the flood and the quake.

Dragon Haven is such an awesome book! I enjoyed it so much, I've already bought the third book, City of Dragons, and I can't wait for it to arrive so I can dive right back in!