City of Dragons

Volume Three of the Rain Wilds Chronicles

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Robin Hobb - "one of the most important writers in 21st-century fantasy" (Contra Costa Times) - continues her enthralling fantasy saga of dragons and their keepers.

Once, dragons ruled the Rain Wilds, tended by privileged human servants known as Elderlings. But a series of cataclysmic eruptions nearly drove these magnificent creatures to extinction. Born weak and deformed, the last of their kind had one hope for survival: to return to their ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanied by a disparate crew of untested young keepers, the dragons embarked on a harsh journey into the unknown along the toxic Rain Wild River.

Battling starvation, a hostile climate, and treacherous enemies, dragons and humans began to forge magical connections, bonds that have wrought astonishing transformations for them all. And though Kelsingra is finally near, their odyssey has only begun.

Because of the swollen waters of the Rain Wild River, the lost city can be reached only by flight - a test of endurance and skill beyond the stunted dragons’ strength. Venturing across the swift-running river in tiny boats, the dragon scholar Alise and a handful of keepers discover a world far different from anything they have ever known or imagined. Immense, ornate structures of black stone veined with silver and lifelike stone statues line the silent, eerily empty streets. Yet what are the whispers they hear, the shadows of voices and bursts of light that flutter and are gone? And why do they feel as if eyes are watching them?

The dragons must plumb the depths of their ancestral memories to help them take flight and unlock the secrets buried in Kelsingra. But enemies driven by greed and dark desires are approaching. Time is running out, not only for the dragons but for their human keepers as well.

©2012 Robin Hobb (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Slowly Inching Forward

Which scene was your favorite?

When Sintara finally decided she was going to fly.

Any additional comments?

Of the three books I've listened to so far, the story hasn't really progressed...there's a lot of unnecessary back & forth of the same storyline among the different characters. I'm all for fleshing out the characters & getting their perspectives but sometimes it stretches the story out to the point of the reader being frustrated. Even though I know there's another book to follow, the way the book ended demands a better wrap-up of the loose ends--does Hest make it to Kelsingra to demand that Alise come back with him to Bingtown or does she continue to defy him & stay with Leftin? does Tintaglia get back so Malta can heal her? does the dragons help the newborn baby survive? do all the dragons finally learn to fly & bring back the splendor of Kelsingra? Not to mention the character, Seldon...he's Tintaglia's keeper but I don't know how he really figures into the story & whether or not he survives the voyage or does he get killed for his blood for the old Duke?Although I'm committed to finishing the last book in order to find the answers to these questions, I feel like it would have been better just to have 2 really long audiobooks instead of chopping it up like it is...

Feels cut in half

I liked the story, although this one felt a bit disjointed. The 2nd book wrapped up a story arc, so this 3rd book started up with some new story arcs, which felt like a weird transition from book 2. And this book ended very abruptly, to be continued in the next book (similar to how book 1 ended). Since these books are shorter than other books in the series, it makes me think that these 4 books instead should have been 2 books. Was this a cash grab? Anyways, on to the next book.

Great bridge to the next book

What a joy listening to this book. Hearing all the characters we have fall in loved with. Leaving us diving into the next book wondering what will happen next!!

Fill of action

This book was very fast moving. It went by so quickly! I love this narrator. She does such a great job!

Love these books

There are some weird boomer things going on in this series- but over all it’s such an amazing fantasy series!

Robin Hobb is a genius of storytelling

An amazing piece of fantasy. The epic tale of the 6 duchies and the rain wilds is one to enjoy over and over

Safe to call it Rain Wilds Chronicles Part 3A

I think some of the other reviews for this have been a little unfair.

City of Dragons is the third book in Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles. According to Hobb, the first two books (Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven) were actually intended to be one book, but were split due to length. And the third and (forthcoming) fourth books were the same. City of Dragons is not a standalone book—it has no climax, virtually no resolution to its myriad storylines, and in fact where you would expect things to be wrapping up it only spawns new plot threads. In a genre where Pat Rothfuss can publish The Wise Man's Fear and we get innumerable Wheel of Time doorstops I'd question whether splitting the story was really necessary, but, regardless, my rating and review are with the understanding that I'm only looking at part of a whole.

Hobb's trademarks are all there: an immersive setting, lush prose, and deep, sympathetic characters. But this book doesn't feel as dark or as desperate as Hobb's other writing. There are threats, such as the fear that with Kelsingra known it will be overrun by treasure seekers, and the mysterious Chalcedean conspiracy. And problems, like the shortage of food and supplies, or the fact the dragons can't fly and so are completely dependent on their keepers. But none of these things feels particularly urgent or unmanageable. Disaster is not imminent. There are a few exceptions, such as one very desperate scene on the dark branches of the tree city of Cassarick (you'll know it when you read it)—but even that scene feels brief and truncated.

The result is that City of Dragons isn't focused on the dragons and keepers like the earlier volumes. It is a much broader book, showing the rippling consequences of Kelsingra's discovery and setting into motion all the forces that will no doubt clash in the finale.

But not every book needs to ratchet up suspense to unbearable levels. The book is a process of discovery, learning about the past and hoping for the possibilities of the future. Will the ancient society be restored, Elderlings and dragons living in symbiosis? And it is very much about relationships (romantic and otherwise). People are constantly forced to make choices about who to trust, who to be with, and then dealing with the consequences of those choices. Combine that with all the threads Hobb left in motion, and the final book promises to be an exciting conclusion to the series!

Good Continuation of the Story

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

This narrator reads way too slow! I speed it up to 1.5x!

Any additional comments?

I liked the continuation of the story. I didn't care for the new character point of views, it seemed a little like just fillers. I can't wait to get more in to Kelsingra.

Great story

I’ve really enjoyed these books. The narrator improved on the second book on. I’m looking forward to four.

Weak sounding females

I love Robin Hobbes' wold and books. I like this particular series, but not as much as the Liveship or Fitz and Fool segments. I think unfortunately the rendition of all the female characters by the narrator turned me off. Every exclamation is delivered with a tone that is helpless or pathetic, rather than annoyed or forthright. I think some segments I would have interpreted as sarcasm, she interpreted as victimized. Maybe I have more expectations for strong women than she does, but I like my interpretations better. I will not buy more audio books with this narrator.