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Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships---rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her---a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim.
With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Robin Hobb crafts intricate fantasy tales featuring larger-than-life characters and exotic landscapes. Nevare Burvelle was born to be a soldier in the Gernian army. But as Nevare's career takes off, his worldview alters considerably. Corruption and nepotism reign, and now Nevare questions his own ideals, wondering why he continues fighting for the empire.
With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well. Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news.
High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed---the final hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trading dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Only young Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, manages to escape.
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships---rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her---a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim.
With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Robin Hobb crafts intricate fantasy tales featuring larger-than-life characters and exotic landscapes. Nevare Burvelle was born to be a soldier in the Gernian army. But as Nevare's career takes off, his worldview alters considerably. Corruption and nepotism reign, and now Nevare questions his own ideals, wondering why he continues fighting for the empire.
With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
Minalan gave up a promising career as a professional warmage to live the quiet life of a village spellmonger in the remote mountain valley of Boval. It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well. Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news.
High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed---the final hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trading dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Only young Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, manages to escape.
Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer. Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom. And Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people.
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian - leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies. Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
An orphan's life is harsh---and often short---in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains---a man who is neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans---a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards.
Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.
It has been 20 years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs, once thought of almost as gods, were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets.
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister - unseen by most and unspoken of by all. The Red Queen's grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth - drinker, gambler, seducer of women - is one who can see The Silent Sister.
Telryn "Trip" Yert has always been a little odd, with hunches that are too accurate to explain. Magic is feared and forbidden in Iskandia, so he's struggled his whole life to hide his eccentricities. As a boy, he was forced to watch his mother's execution. Her crime? Witchcraft. Understandably, Trip wants nothing to do with the power that lurks within him, always threatening to reveal itself. Instead, he dedicates himself to serving as an officer in the king's army, to battling pirates and imperial conquerors. He longs to become a soldier as respected and renowned as General Zirkander.
Author Mark Lawrence has won over audiences everywhere with Prince of Thorns, his exciting debut novel. Nine-year-old Prince Jorg is forced to watch as his mother and brother are slaughtered. Fleeing the palace, Jorg joins a bloodthirsty band of thugs. But he’s determined to take back what’s rightfully his, so he returns to the castle a few years later - unaware of the dark and powerful magic that awaits.
When Soren is plucked from the streets and given a place at the prestigious academy of swordsmanship, he thinks his dream of being a great swordsman has become a possibility. However, with great intrigues unfolding all around him, Soren discovers that he is little more than a pawn to the ambitions of others.
When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father, Larsin, sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world. Where he's dying of a mysterious plague. In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father.
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting, and bloody confrontations with ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dreaded Claw assassins. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, their lone surviving mage, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities, yet holds out.
It started out simple: Get to Falang-Et, find the mirror, find what truth it may hold. But nothing is simple for Gorel of Goliris... When Gorel forms an uneasy alliance - and ménage à trois- with an Avian spy and a half-Merlangai thief, things only start to get complicated. Add a murdered merchant, the deadly Mothers of the House of Jade, the rivalry of gods and the machinations of a rising Dark Lord bent on conquest, and things start to get out of hand.
After many years, dragons have hatched again outside the ancient city of Cassarick. But something is wrong with the creatures; each is inferior or weak in some way, and many die. Tending these stunted dragons has left the people of the surrounding area weary. The Traders Council, the city's leadership, fears that if the Rain Wilders stop providing for the young dragons, the hungry and neglected creatures will rampage and destroy Cassarick. To avert catastrophe, the council rules to relocate the young dragons to "a better location" up river, and residents are recruited to escort the valuable yet fearsome creatures on the arduous journey. Among them are Thymara, an unschooled Rain Wilds girl of sixteen, and Alise, a wealthy, educated, and deeply unsatisfied Bingtown Trader's wife.
Witnessed from the viewpoints of these two very different women, Dragon Keeper tells the story of this disparate band of humans and dragons as they make their way along the toxic and inhospitable Rain Wild River in search of their new home---the ancient, long-lost city of Kelsingra.
Where does Dragon Keeper rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Dragon Keeper is in my top 10% of the hundreds I've read/listened to.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon Keeper?
I don't do memorable moments - I like the entire story or else I don't like it, and I love this one.
What does Anne Flosnik bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I had a hard time getting used to this reader in the Live Ships series, but have come to appreciate her excellent continuation of voices even in this series. She is talented, but different. Different is not negative.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes - but sure couldn't!
Any additional comments?
I strongly suggest that potential readers listen to Hobb's Live Ships series first. The Dragon series is an indirect completion (or continuation?) of that first series and a greater understanding and appreciation will be the result of reading Live Ships first. The Live Ships series is one of the most inventive I've ever read. I don't think I would have appreciated this as much had I not already known the roots.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
Robin Hobb is an author I can never get enough of. I love how her adventure tales are character driven and always tinged with bittersweet. This one is no different and I look forward to part 2. I really like how she gently reminds the readers of details in books past without turning it into an obvious summary. I haven't read Liveship Traders in years, but her hints refreshed the plots instantly. I do suggest you read the Liveship tales first before starting on this book.
My main issue with the book is how abruptly it ended! I realize Hobb always writes in series and expected this to be continued, but this wasn't even a cliffhanger. It just seemed to skid to a halt in mid-scene. I was so confused I made sure I didn't have a chapter in my Library left to download. Very unsatisfying not to have some little mini wrap-up so the reader knows that yes, this section of tale is coming to an end.
The reader was mostly good. She has an odd vocal habit of drawing out the last syllables of words in the end of paragraphs. For example: "...we have been richer, that's for surrrreee". or "...the final killing shalloooows." The city name Kelsingra often sounds like "Kelsingraaaaa", especially when she is voicing the dragons. Perhaps it has to do with her English accent, but I found it rather distracting in an otherwise excellent reading.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
This is the first book that I have read/listened to by this author. I tend to be a bit hesitant about unfamiliar authors as I am quite picky. Fortunately, this book became very interesting early on and I soon became addicted. The plot jumps back and forth between the important characters and I found myself yearning for them to all come together. Each one was interesting in its own right, and this kept me enthralled. I am just as pleased with the 2nd book in this trilogy. I am dying for the 3rd book to be published! The wait is terrible, but worth it.
A lot of people don't seem to like this narrator, but I actually decided on this book because of the narrator. She narrated a few books by Jacqueline Carrey (whom I adore), and I fell in love with her voice and cadence.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
What did you like best about Dragon Keeper? What did you like least?
I liked the characters of the book - none are perfect, and all are well delineated. Each has their own troubles to over come.
The narration was horrendous. The narrator was over-wrought and it made this book incredibly difficult to hear. The first time I attempted to play the book, I listened for 5 minutes and couldn't handle it, so stopped the book. It took me 4 attempts before I actually could get past the narrator's absurdness to be able to pay attention to the story.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anne Flosnik?
Anyone.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anne Flosnik?
When I first started listening to this book I wasn't a fan of the narrator. I have read the book before so liked the story. Eventually she grew on me. Give the book at chance cause it is a great story.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Not up to Robin Hobb's earlier books. Narrators voice makes the book difficult to listen to.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed the book, however I believe that the book ended too suddenly. I always expect a cliffhanger to entice me to purchase the next book in the series but felt like the book ended in mid chapter,or mid paragraph. I looked in my library for another section in case I had not downloaded the entire book although I was sure I had downloaded all parts. This was very disappointing.
I personally disliked the narrator's reading and hope the next book will be narrated by someone else. I think the accent did not fit with the story and distracted as I listened. I found myself rolling my eyes through out the reading because of her accent and the drawing out of the words. Although I would purchase the next book I am not sure I would buy the audio, depending on the narrator I may just wait for the paperback and read for myself.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The narrator is horrible, her voice is actually ok, but the way she prolongs words at the ends of sentences drives me nuts.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Robin Hobb always amazes me with how well she develops characters. Her ability to accurately portray a variety of unique points of view is verging on unparalleled, and this new series is the pinnacle of said skill. While the plot isn't particularly fast paced, or full of swashbuckling action, the characters emotional and mental journeys are the driving force behind the narrative. A definite must read for anyone interested in seeing a master at work.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is my first read of one of Robin Hobbs' books. The foreshadowing of events is magnificent, as well as the character development. My major issue, is the lack of geographical knowledge, and perhaps that is because I have started with the wrong set of books.
As to the comments about the Narrator, I envision Dragons to have very different voices and pronunciations then we do, so the accent works for me.
If you are debating listening to this one, I suggest you give it a shot. I was unsure at first, and actually for several hours into it. But I couldn't stop. I could see the shadows of the future, but had to go on to see how it all came together. I'm looking forward to the next one.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful