Monday 23 April 2012

FANTASY REVIEW: The Rain Wild Chronicles 3: City of Dragons - Robin Hobb

Release Date: 23/04/12

SYNOPSIS:

Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the third instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. Kelsingra awaits for those brave enough to enter! The dragons and their keepers have discovered Kelsingra but so far only Heeby has succeeded in flying over the river to enter the fabled city. The other dragons, with their deformed wings and feeble muscles, are afraid to risk failure and humiliation. But wondrous things await in Kelsingra, a city built for dragons and their Elderling keepers. Alise, overwhelmed by the treasures she finds there, records her finds for posterity. Once the rest of the world knows about the riches the city contains, nothing will ever be the same again. Already, rumours of the city's discovery have floated down the Rain Wild River and reached envious ears in Bingtown and beyond. Adventurers, pirates and fortune hunters are coming in droves to pillage what they can from the city. As is Hest Finbok, Alise's husband! Meanwhile, Selden Vestrit finds himself a prisoner of the ailing Duke of Chalced, who believes him to be some sort of dragon-man whose flesh and blood may work miracle cures. Where is Tintaglia, the great sapphire-blue dragon, when all have such need of her? Has she really abandoned her beloved Selden and the fledgling dragons forever? Or will she too return to seek the wonders of Kelsingra?


REVIEW:

Whilst in the past I have enjoyed Robin Hobb books, the more recent ones have left me feeling more Meh, than compelled to keep going as, for me, they feel more like writing by numbers than with passion. Don’t get me wrong, there will be people that love this series but when it feels like more of the same with very little resolved in one form or another and all in as a reader you’ll end up wondering it was left feeling incomplete.

Add to this predictable patterns which when backed with simplistic twists and a predictable pattern and for me I’ll be sticking with her earlier books which are still favourites of mine. All in a great shame and whilst the prose are sharp it just feels like there is a lot of repetition with no resolution in not only the arcs but the characters.

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