Fantasy

Dragon Keeper

Dragon Keeper

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  • Create Date：2021-04-05 14:56:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Robin Hobb
  • ISBN：0008154392
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Summary

The first book in a four part series from one of the greatest writers in the fantasy genre。 Dragon Keeper returns fans to Hobb’s best-loved world， full of dragons， magical ships and unforgettable characters。

Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia， they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River， the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations。 Many have died along the way。 With its acid waters and impenetrable forest， it is a hard place for any to survive。

People are changed by the Rain Wilds， subtly or otherwise。 One such is Thymara。 Born with black claws and other aberrations， she should have been exposed at birth。 But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him。 Like everyone else， Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world。 Leftrin， captain of the liveship Tarman， also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed， Alise Finbok， who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons。

But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful， shining dragons of old。 Stunted and deformed， they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial。 Soon， they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done。 The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home。 But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers， hunters and chroniclers must attend them。

To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable， and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist…

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Reviews

Amanda Stajan ，

Fantastic！ Kept me in my toes。

Helbob ，

I cannot fault RH。 She manages to make these books comfortingly familiar with cameo appearances from previous main characters and wondrously new， with new characters that you instantly grow to love or hate。 I will have to be disciplined and not rush straight into the second book of the trilogy although it's going straight onto the reading pile。 I cannot fault RH。 She manages to make these books comfortingly familiar with cameo appearances from previous main characters and wondrously new， with new characters that you instantly grow to love or hate。 I will have to be disciplined and not rush straight into the second book of the trilogy although it's going straight onto the reading pile。 。。。more

Em ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 8/10Robin Hobb is a master character writer。 I love that this series has the dragons’ POV — their thoughts and reasoning are starkly different from humans。 Seeing the relationship from both perspectives makes it much more interesting。 I wish I found Thymara’s teenage emotional volatility less relatable， but hey， I was a teenager once and it’s hard， I get it。 I like her。 I think I will like Alise more as she gains more agency in her life。 I’m torn about Sedric。。。Hest has power over him and manipu 8/10Robin Hobb is a master character writer。 I love that this series has the dragons’ POV — their thoughts and reasoning are starkly different from humans。 Seeing the relationship from both perspectives makes it much more interesting。 I wish I found Thymara’s teenage emotional volatility less relatable， but hey， I was a teenager once and it’s hard， I get it。 I like her。 I think I will like Alise more as she gains more agency in her life。 I’m torn about Sedric。。。Hest has power over him and manipulates him and that imbalance in power makes Sedric do shitty things。 He has some positive qualities， though， and he does seem to have a deep capacity to care for others。 。。。more

Sharon Graff ，

Intriguing world and Denizens thereofI enjoyed the overall plot and the intermingling of characters from different cultures。 The motives are clearly drawn。 The descriptions are tiresome， giving a kind of checked boxes feeling。 As soon as a scene gets going， we’re bogged down with a thorough description of old oak doors or floors。 But it does move on eventually。

Jess R ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I would count the previous 9 books of the Realm of the Elderling series to be among my favourite books of all time and so I was excited to finally getting around to catching up on the rest of the series。 While this one was enjoyable to read， this book didn't reach the highs of the previous series including its most similarly related trilogy， the Liveship Traders which had amazing characters and an amazing plot。Plot:Following the events of the Liveship Traders， the serpents have metamorphosised i I would count the previous 9 books of the Realm of the Elderling series to be among my favourite books of all time and so I was excited to finally getting around to catching up on the rest of the series。 While this one was enjoyable to read， this book didn't reach the highs of the previous series including its most similarly related trilogy， the Liveship Traders which had amazing characters and an amazing plot。Plot:Following the events of the Liveship Traders， the serpents have metamorphosised into dragons， bringing dragons back into the world for the first time in remembered history。 However， they have hatched as deformed creatures incapable of flight。 Forced to live in squalid conditions and completely dependent on humans， a plan is made to get a group of outcasts and misfits of the Rain Wilds to act as dragon keepers and accompany the dragons upriver to the fabled ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra。 Meanwhile， a Bingtown woman living in a loveless marriage has spent years becoming the foremost expert on Elderlings and dragons。 She travels upriver to meet the dragons that have been the focus of her scholarly pursuits。This first book doesn't have much in the way of plot otherwise and seems to be paving the way for the next three books of the series rather than telling a story itself。 The previous books have never been shy about characters living through awful events and not always having a happy conclusion at the end of each novel。 This has usually meant that characters are more real and that the novel then has to explore how they deal with and change as people as a result of these events。 The extreme lows of the characters are always contrasted with highs and this makes for extremely compelling storytelling。 However， this book （and perhaps I will change my mind upon reading further into the series） stays almost entirely in the lows。 Every character （including the only dragon we get a perspective from） lives miserable lives， are miserable， are treated awfully by others， or treat other characters awfully themselves which although an interesting choice， can occasionally make for a dreary and dismal read。Characters:Robin Hobb always excels at writing characters however and I have enjoyed the main female characters， Thymara and Alise， and even the dragon， Sintara。 The two main male characters， Sedric and Leftwren， however， are。。。ehhhh？ Sedric is compelling character in that he is morally grey in this book but honestly， I find his personality really irritating。 I reserve the right to change my mind as Hobb has previously written characters I initially hated but as their character developed， they grew to be one of my favourite characters。 So we will see。。。Leftwren on the other hand is so far just a little dull and has had even less to do with the already thin plot so far despite having a voice and perspective in the novel。 Romance:Commenting on romance for this review as I feel it forms a large part of the novel。 While I don't mind romance in a fantasy novel （in fact， previous romantic relationships in the Elderling series have been some of my favourite pairings）， I felt that it went a little overboard in this novel。 Every single male character is described as "handsome but in a Rain Wilds way" by almost all characters which becomes repetitive and eye roll inducing。 While one could argue that a small， remote group of people would naturally pair， this book literally has the two main female characters being attracted to three separate male characters simultaneously with almost no development of any of these relationships （keeping in mind， there aren't aren't many characters to begin with）。 The character "growing warm just thinking about them" happens when they see multiple characters within literal pages of one another。 That being said， there is the possibility that this aspect will become interesting in light of the fact that the "Rain Wild touched" outcasts are forbidden from being in relationships or having children in the Rain Wild society。 I like that this novel introduces a gay couple where one member of the couple is a main character。 Not to mention that this relationship， although forbidden by the society of the world in Hobb's work， is otherwise introduced as any other relationship would be。 However， both characters in this relationship are jerks/semi-villainous so far and I am yet to form an opinion on whether this is an example of complex and multi faceted characters， or queer coding villains。 Let's see。。。Overall， although I'm a little disappointed in this book， I am keen to keep reading the next one in the series。 。。。more

Sam Wescott ，

That was fun！ It was about half the length of what I've come to expect from a Robin Hobb novel， but it was really exciting to catch back up with the dragons in the Rain Wilds。 We got a new cast of POV characters and， as usual， I'm more invested in some that others。 Whenever we brush up against a character from the Liveship Traders books， I get so excited and then get sad when we don't stay with their stories。 We got to see Paragon for a hot minute and I was devastated when he wasn't in the rest That was fun！ It was about half the length of what I've come to expect from a Robin Hobb novel， but it was really exciting to catch back up with the dragons in the Rain Wilds。 We got a new cast of POV characters and， as usual， I'm more invested in some that others。 Whenever we brush up against a character from the Liveship Traders books， I get so excited and then get sad when we don't stay with their stories。 We got to see Paragon for a hot minute and I was devastated when he wasn't in the rest of the book。 But， this is always how I react to the new trilogies and the new story is compelling enough as is， even though it feels a little simple。 I really like Alyse and feel really sympathetic to her conflicting self-image and ambition。 Sedric and Hest are each infuriating and interesting in their own ways。 And Thymara is a fun POV character。 It's not quite as packed full with powerhouse characters like the Liveship Traders， but I think it took me a book and a half to get super invested in that one too。 Overall， I'm excited to get more dragon characters to fill in the lore and it's been cool to see more of the Rain Wilds。 I'm not a crazy interested in the setting as I was with Bingtown and the Six Duchies， but maybe spending more time in it in the next few books will make me fall in love with this weird acidic river and the hapless folks traveling on it。 。。。more

Jonathan Arruda ，

Solid first half， but the last half was really boring。 I really liked the last chapter though。

Turquoiselynx ，

The series is amazing。 I love the dragons even the conceited ones。 It really gives character。 Especially， in the second book， people have problemes and they ignore them， but they can't be ignored forever and eventually resurface and be resolved in one way or another。 The series is amazing。 I love the dragons even the conceited ones。 It really gives character。 Especially， in the second book， people have problemes and they ignore them， but they can't be ignored forever and eventually resurface and be resolved in one way or another。 。。。more

strawberry ，

For a Realm of the Elderlings book， Dragon Keeper is actually quite a comfortable read。 Yes， there are ordeals and badly dealt cards and characters acting horribly， but not everything hurts， and everything isn’t an uphill battle and things don’t feel utterly doomed and impossible， and some people are actually pure in their sweet intentions。 It feels different in that sense， but nice all the same。（view spoiler）[Loving Alise。 Loving Tats。 Getting to love Thymara。 And those that I don’t love， at th For a Realm of the Elderlings book， Dragon Keeper is actually quite a comfortable read。 Yes， there are ordeals and badly dealt cards and characters acting horribly， but not everything hurts， and everything isn’t an uphill battle and things don’t feel utterly doomed and impossible， and some people are actually pure in their sweet intentions。 It feels different in that sense， but nice all the same。（view spoiler）[Loving Alise。 Loving Tats。 Getting to love Thymara。 And those that I don’t love， at the very least I find them intriguing。 I see all that glorious potential for character development that I’ve come to expect from Robin Hobb and I’m practically salivating。Low-key high-key so intrigued by Erek and Detozi – I was scandalized by Kim’s letter。And， oomph， it was so refreshing to see such a pure， wholesome and loving familial relationship in Jesup and Thymara。High-key screamed for the old cast。 PARAGON <3。 CLEF， being treated as the son of the captain！ ALTHEA！ BABY TRELL！ BRAAASHEN， my crush of all crushes， my fictional flame。 MALTAAAA！（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Owen ，

I found the world this book presented far more fascinating than the characters it introduced。 Many were actually quite unlikeable and it was difficult to really care what happened to most of them。 The world building was comprehensive and coherent， but it felt as if more time was spent building the world than inhabiting it。 During one section of the book， that felt totally out of place， I even stopped and told my partner that I seemed to be reading "Pride and Prejudice and Dragons。"The book even I found the world this book presented far more fascinating than the characters it introduced。 Many were actually quite unlikeable and it was difficult to really care what happened to most of them。 The world building was comprehensive and coherent， but it felt as if more time was spent building the world than inhabiting it。 During one section of the book， that felt totally out of place， I even stopped and told my partner that I seemed to be reading "Pride and Prejudice and Dragons。"The book even just ends quite randomly。 There's no build up。 No cliffhanger。 Nothing。 By the end of the book I didn't feel like a great deal actually happened。 There wasn't much in the way of drama， action or suspense。 I don't feel any urgency to read the next book in the sequence。 I want to know what happens next， but I'm not especially keen for these characters to relate it to me。 。。。more

Klara Toll ，

This was an alright start to the series。 Having read the previous trilogies there was a lot I already knew about the world and its workings so the first half of the book， which was very heavy on exposition， was quite slow and a little boring for me。 I understand that it's needed for the series to be able to stand on its own， but still。 I also didn't fall as hard for the characters as I've done with Hobbs previous books， but there is potential for them to grow on me！ This first book doesn't stand This was an alright start to the series。 Having read the previous trilogies there was a lot I already knew about the world and its workings so the first half of the book， which was very heavy on exposition， was quite slow and a little boring for me。 I understand that it's needed for the series to be able to stand on its own， but still。 I also didn't fall as hard for the characters as I've done with Hobbs previous books， but there is potential for them to grow on me！ This first book doesn't stand well on its own， it doesn't really lead to anything and there is no climax to the story。 However， I think it's an alright foundational book for the rest of the series， which I'm hoping to enjoy more！ 。。。more

Jon ，

Robin Hobb's novels tend to be a little difficult for me to read; in fact， I never did finish her Liveship Traders trilogy， just kept getting bogged down in depression halfway through The Mad Ship。 The characters in her books just get totally run through the wringer， physically and emotionally。 I did really enjoy her first trilogy， which begins with Assassin's Apprentice， but struggled with the rest。Dragon Keeper， first in the Rain Wilds Chronicles， takes up， evidently， shortly after the Liveshi Robin Hobb's novels tend to be a little difficult for me to read; in fact， I never did finish her Liveship Traders trilogy， just kept getting bogged down in depression halfway through The Mad Ship。 The characters in her books just get totally run through the wringer， physically and emotionally。 I did really enjoy her first trilogy， which begins with Assassin's Apprentice， but struggled with the rest。Dragon Keeper， first in the Rain Wilds Chronicles， takes up， evidently， shortly after the Liveship Traders， and the characters from those books play cameo roles in this one。 The dragons are finally hatching from their cocoons， but they turn out mostly to be stunted， deformed or mentally subpar， and the citizens of the Rain Wilds are bound by their agreement with the dragon， Tintaglia， to care for and feed them。 This gets old pretty quickly for them， and they scheme to find a way to be rid of them without violating the letter of the contract。Meanwhile， back in Bingtown， we get to know Alise， a rather plain young woman from a minor Trader family。 She hasn't been fortunate in the looks department， and lacks for suitors until a wealthy young Trader approaches her about a marriage of convenience。 If she will marry him and get his family to quit badgering him about producing an heir， she can live a life of ease， and have the funds she wants to acquire scrolls and other materials to further her studies of dragons and Elderlings。While she seems to be clueless about it， it's fairly obvious to the reader that her new husband， Hest， a cold and manipulative fellow， prefers men for his sexual dalliances。 In fact， his main lover is one of her childhood friends， Sedric， and when she demands to be allowed to travel to the Rain Wilds to study the newly hatched dragons， Hest sends Sedric to accompany and chaperone her。Another major character in the book is Thymara， another girl with poor marriage prospects。 She， like many of the Rain Wilds folk， had some major mutations at birth， and should have been left to die from exposure。 Her father loved her too deeply to let her go， however， so she has grown up without status in the community and will never be allowed to marry and have children。 When the Rain Wilds Council offers her a position helping the dragons to make their way to the fabled city of Kelsingra， which the dragons remember as a place of plenty， she jumps at the chance to make something useful of her life。There are lots of different agendas and intrigues afoot in this book， and though it did take me a while to finish it， it doesn't seem as much of a downer as Hobb's earlier books。 I'm definitely intrigued to know what the dragons will find when they reach Kelsingra， and wonder how Alise and Thymara will turn out when they've grown up。 。。。more

Steve Taylor ，

I disliked almost everything about this book。 I cannot even figure out what I'm supposed to have liked in it。 The plot？ Nothing happens。 The characters？ Unsympathetically naïve， bullies， or sometimes both。 The world？ If you like the idea of taking the elements from Fitz's stories and the Liveship books and removing the mystery and any other interesting parts， this is the book for you。 I hope nothing important happens in the remaining 1，300 pages of the Rain Wild Chronicles because I'm moving str I disliked almost everything about this book。 I cannot even figure out what I'm supposed to have liked in it。 The plot？ Nothing happens。 The characters？ Unsympathetically naïve， bullies， or sometimes both。 The world？ If you like the idea of taking the elements from Fitz's stories and the Liveship books and removing the mystery and any other interesting parts， this is the book for you。 I hope nothing important happens in the remaining 1，300 pages of the Rain Wild Chronicles because I'm moving straight on to Fool's Assassin rather than slogging through the rest。 Considering how much I enjoyed the other nine books I've read from Hobb--books with fascinating characters， intriguing plots， and wonderful worldbuilding--I am baffled that the same author managed to produce this。 。。。more

Nightrunner ，

It’s now been almost fifteen years since I first read one of Robin Hobb’s books。 When I started reading them， I was around thirteen years old and I only read as far as The Tawny Man。 Now I’ve reread the earlier books and this is the first of her books I haven’t read before。 SO EXCITING！ Actually， I’m mostly excited about continuing reading about Fitz， so I was skeptical picking this book up。 Nevertheless， a friend of mine said there would be some LGBTQ in it and also that it was important to kno It’s now been almost fifteen years since I first read one of Robin Hobb’s books。 When I started reading them， I was around thirteen years old and I only read as far as The Tawny Man。 Now I’ve reread the earlier books and this is the first of her books I haven’t read before。 SO EXCITING！ Actually， I’m mostly excited about continuing reading about Fitz， so I was skeptical picking this book up。 Nevertheless， a friend of mine said there would be some LGBTQ in it and also that it was important to know what happened to the dragons。 So here I am。 And honestly？ This got me hooked pretty fast！ If you’ve read the summarizing， you can expect that to basically capture the majority of this book。 But before that， there’s a loooot of buildup。 When I started reading， I first felt like someone threw me into a fantasy version of Bridgerton and Jane Austen books。 There was so much about “no offers of marriage”， ”spinster at 21” and such things … since I’m planning to read Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton soon， it had me all giggly。 It is however a rather terrible culture。 We’ve already seen it in Live Ship， but all the sexism still bothers me。 There’s mostly strong females in this story， even the dragon that’s one of the protagonist is female。 I appreciate that， even though I don’t appreciate the focus on finding strong husbands and males … （the Austen-feeling excluded）。 It might take a while to get into it， but the characters here are of a varied sort and I enjoy skipping between them。 Alise is probably my favorite， mostly because of her character development already in this first book。 There’s a lot of romance going on here， or maybe I ought to say almost-romance。 Because that’s what it is。 You can feel it in the air and between the lines， but it’s not plainly there。 It’s the first of several books though， so I guess this is where they establish all the attraction and the problems that can be solved later on … The queer relationship is very outspoken， which I guess is more than one usually could hope for in a fantasy book that was published in 2009。 But still… they’re closeted and can’t be open because of the laws in their country （this is a BAD trope…）。 But it gets worse。 I’m not even sure it’s a romance？ It’s more like … male attraction and domination at it’s worst。 I truly hope these two either change their ways or find other lovers， hopefully even love。 Hobb usually have some sex scenes in her books （mostly nicely censured ones with more feelings than physical descriptions， thank gods！）。 There’s a flashback of sex between these two， and it’s NOT pretty。 Honestly， I would consider that rape？ There’s more scenes balancing on the line of rape， and I’m glad that we today （at least in my country） have laws about consent。 Hopefully that will find its way into literature and movies too。 Other than that， I’m looking forward to the next book。 Hoping for some sweet romance， especially queer！ 。。。more

Annipanni ，

A study in fantastic character development that leaves no room for an actual plot。 I'm fine with that！ A study in fantastic character development that leaves no room for an actual plot。 I'm fine with that！ 。。。more

Mar ，

I love The Realm of the Elderlings。 The story so far， the world building， all of it is just phenomenal。That said， this story wasn't my favorite。 I think it had a lot to do with the character interactions。 I prefer when the characters are all on a mission together， against a common enemy or antagonist。 That wasn't the case in Dragon Keeper。 Instead， the conflict came from character infighting。 I find it frustrating to read pages upon pages of dialogue driven by selfish manipulation， that negative I love The Realm of the Elderlings。 The story so far， the world building， all of it is just phenomenal。That said， this story wasn't my favorite。 I think it had a lot to do with the character interactions。 I prefer when the characters are all on a mission together， against a common enemy or antagonist。 That wasn't the case in Dragon Keeper。 Instead， the conflict came from character infighting。 I find it frustrating to read pages upon pages of dialogue driven by selfish manipulation， that negatively affects the characters I'm rooting for。 I get that these situations encourage character growth， but I still cringe while reading them。It makes me think of Star Trek: The Next Generation。 Creator Gene Roddenberry apparently was the bane of many writers， because of his demand for characters that weren't in petty conflicts with each other。 And I love the result; It's an enjoyable to watch， with no "asshole" characters just stirring the pot to move the plot along。 Even if some writers hated it， I think the end result was worth it。 I think plot driven by miscommunication or manipulation is so frustrating because we， the readers， end up screaming at the characters "ugh， just stand up to them， he/she is just trying to manipulate you， they're only doing this for xyz， etc。" Of course the characters can't hear us， so we end up just venting in our head while this sort of infighting goes on for pages and the reading experience is an aggravating one。So， in short， here I go onto the next book。 I really hope a little more happens externally for the characters to react to， and I'm pretty optimistic because it's Robin Hobb and the saga has been amazing so far。 （Also at this point I'm 10 books deep in the Realm of the Elderlings， so I'm pretty committed to finishing this no matter what at this point。） But I do have a feeling this will be more like the Liveship Traders， which I didn't enjoy as much as the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies。 That's okay， still 100% worth reading。 。。。more

Anne ，

I know people have claimed this is one of the weaker books but I absolutely loved it！ Robin Hobb creates such unique and wonderful characters and worlds。

Jasmine Dimmock ，

I bought this book based on nothing more than a pretty cover and the promise of dragons， and I must say I wasn't disappointed。What really makes this book stand out is the detail: the scenery， the world building， the characters。 While I wouldn't say it's a necessarily fast paced story， the depth and purpose in every scene makes up for it。 And knowing nothing about the world that Hobb has used across many series， the amount of detail left nothing lacking despite not having read a single of these o I bought this book based on nothing more than a pretty cover and the promise of dragons， and I must say I wasn't disappointed。What really makes this book stand out is the detail: the scenery， the world building， the characters。 While I wouldn't say it's a necessarily fast paced story， the depth and purpose in every scene makes up for it。 And knowing nothing about the world that Hobb has used across many series， the amount of detail left nothing lacking despite not having read a single of these other books。 I had a thorough and clear image of what I imagined the world to be。My favourite aspect though was the character building。 Each character has their own complex motivations， detailed backstories， and realistic emotions: there's no clear good or evil， just basic human emotions that are sometimes flawed and selfish without harmful intent。As a huge fan of complex characters （and also dragons）， this book as got me going straight into reading the next one。 。。。more

Maui Sniffano ，

VARNING SPOILERS！！Sådana feels i boken mellan Hest och sedric， redan när de beskrivs för första gången och det känns nästan självklart。 När det sedan bekräftades i boken och kom upp till bevis blev jag ändå så väldigt glad。 När det handlar om sådant som är utanför normen， som ex。 HBTQAI kan vara så har en tyvärr lärt sig att inte vänta sig för mycket。 Här var det till och med mer än vad jag vågade hoppas på！Nedan följer utdrag ur boken。"What？""That's not Chalcedean。" Hest grinned。 "Try again。""W VARNING SPOILERS！！Sådana feels i boken mellan Hest och sedric， redan när de beskrivs för första gången och det känns nästan självklart。 När det sedan bekräftades i boken och kom upp till bevis blev jag ändå så väldigt glad。 När det handlar om sådant som är utanför normen， som ex。 HBTQAI kan vara så har en tyvärr lärt sig att inte vänta sig för mycket。 Här var det till och med mer än vad jag vågade hoppas på！Nedan följer utdrag ur boken。"What？""That's not Chalcedean。" Hest grinned。 "Try again。""What would you like me to say？"Sedric felt trapped。 Was the man mocking him or trying to make his acquaintance？ His conversation walked a knife's edge between taunting and friendliness。 "That would be good。 Yes。 Say 'Please， sir， what would you like？'It took a moment to phrase it in his mind。 When he spoke， the words came smoothly， but Hest shook his head and made a sad mouth。 "Oh， dear。 Not like that。 You need to open your mouth more。 They're a very voluble people。""What？""Say it again， but open your mouth more。 Purse your lips out"It was mockery。 Sedric was certain of it now。 He made his words brisk。 "I'm cold。 I'm going back to the traders concourse now。"But as he storde past him， Hest hand had shot out suddenly and gripped Sedric's left shoulder。 He'd tugged tim sharply， spinning the smaller man so that Sedric almost collided with him。 "Say it again，" he urged him pleasantly。 "In any language you like。 Say， 'Please ， sir， what would you like？'"His fingers were biting into Sedric's shoulder right through the formal trader's robe he'd donned for the occasion。 He tried to squirm away。 "Let go！ What do you want？" Sedric demanded， but Hest had responded by seizing his other shoulder。 He gave a sudden jerk that nearly pulled Sedric off his feet。 He was suddenly chest to chest with Hest staring down into his face。"What do I want？ Hmm。 Not quite the same as asking me what I would like， but it will do。 You should be asking what you want for yourself， Sedric。 I wonder if you've ever dared to ask that question， let alone answer it。 Because the answer is very plain to me。 You want this。" One of his hands suddenly grabbed a fistful of Sedric'srobe right below his throat。 The other shifted to grip on the hair of the top of his head。 Hest bent his head， and his mouth was hard on Sedric's， his lips moving as if he would devour him， his hard hands pulling as Hest shifted his grip and pulled his body tight against his own。 A sudden heat rushed trough him， a lust he could not conceal or deny。 Hest's mouth tasted of liquor and his cheek， though shaven， rasped against Sedric's when Sedric tried to pull away from him。 Sedric gasped for breath， smothered between the kiss and the truth of how badly he wanted this。 He put his hands against Hest's chest and pushed but could put no strength into the rejection。 Hest held him easily and his deep quiet chuckle at Sedrics feeble struggle vibrated through them， chest to chest。 Hest finally broke the kiss but continued to press himself tightly against Sedric。 He spoke by his ear。 "Don't worry。 Struggle as much as you think you should， or need to。 I won't let you win。 It's going to happen to you。 Just as you always dreamed it would。 Someone just needs to take a firm hand with you。"Let me go， man！ Are you mad or drunk？" Sedric's voice wavered uncertainly。 The wind blew harder but he scarcely felt it。Hest effortlessly pinned his arms to his side。 He was taller and stronger and he lifted Sedric， not quite off his feet but in a way that let him know he could。 He pressed his body against him and spoke through clenched teeth。 "Neither mad or drunk， Sedric。 Just more honest than you are。 I don't have to ask 'what do you want， please， sir？' It was written all over your face as you stared at the happy couple。 It wasn't the bride you were lusting after。 It was Prittus。 Well， who wouldn't？ Susch a handsome fellow。 But you'll never have him now and neither will I。 So perhaps we should settle for what we can have。""I didn't，" Sedric started to lie。 "I don't know。。。" Then Hest's mouth descended again， kissing him deeply and roughly， bruising his lips until Sedric gave in and opened them to him。 He'd made a small， involontary noise and Hest had laughed into his open mouth。 Then suddenly he had broken the embrace and stepped back from Sedric。 He'd nearly fallen then。 He'd stumbled back from Hest， and the night grove of trees had seemed to swing around him in a wide circle dance。 Sedric had lifted the back of his hand to his mouth， tasted the salt of blood fromhis stinging lips。 "I don't understand，" ha said faintly。"Don't you？" Hest had smiled again。 "I think you do。 All of this will be easier when you admit you do。" He stepped closer to him and Sedric hadn't retreated。 He reached for Sedric again and he han't fled。 Hest's hands had been hard and strong and knowing as he seized him and pulled him close。 Sedric had shut his eyes tight then， and again as he recalled it。 Every moment of that wild night under the cold and stormy sky was clear in his memory。 It was etched into him， defining him。 Hest had been right。 It had been easier when he'd admitted what he wanted。Hest had been merciless。 He'd teased him， and hurt him， then soothed and smoothed him。 He'd been rough and then gentle， harshly demanding and the sweetly urging。 The storm swept around them， making the trees bow and dance， but the cold couldn't reach them。 The deep bed of needles in the darkness beneth the low-swooping evergreen branches had smelled sweet when they were crushed beneath their weight。 Hest cloak had covered them both。 Time and family and the expectations of the rest of the world were blown away by the storm's breath。（s。 466-469） 。。。more

Malin ，

This was just a great time with everything I love about Robin Hobb's stories in it。I can see that it's not for everyone （especially because of a very little amount of action and a slow moving story in general）。 I personally completely loved this book。 I don't need much to happen in a book if I get to spend my time reading with interesting characters at a rich and beautiful place。 Also， I loved both the prose （beautiful as ever in the Realm of the Elderlings） and the themes addressed in this book This was just a great time with everything I love about Robin Hobb's stories in it。I can see that it's not for everyone （especially because of a very little amount of action and a slow moving story in general）。 I personally completely loved this book。 I don't need much to happen in a book if I get to spend my time reading with interesting characters at a rich and beautiful place。 Also， I loved both the prose （beautiful as ever in the Realm of the Elderlings） and the themes addressed in this book。 I can't wait to continue this atmospheric， vibrant journey up the Rain River。 。。。more

Vicki Gabriel ，

Learned a lot about dragons！ But the human relationships were left hanging。

Crystal ，

It was good but not as good as the previous trilogies。

Rowena ，

The ending was so good！ It was hard to read in places where it felt a lot but boi oh boi that ending。。。 such a cliffhanger but also spoke some truth about the real world and how humans act。

Eliza ，

Muy interesante， pero no le doy 4 estrellas porque a veces me parecía lenta。

Trent ，

While it is true that this book is very much Part 1 of a larger story （literally it ends on a chapter break; no resolution whatsoever）， I can't help but still rate it highly。 This story honestly captured my imagination much faster than Ship of Magic did。 I love the amount of lore that is fleshed out throughout the story， and the plot itself was interesting from start to end。 The Dragons are incredible and terrifying， the Rain Wild river is such an exciting frontier。 And I am so intrigued by the While it is true that this book is very much Part 1 of a larger story （literally it ends on a chapter break; no resolution whatsoever）， I can't help but still rate it highly。 This story honestly captured my imagination much faster than Ship of Magic did。 I love the amount of lore that is fleshed out throughout the story， and the plot itself was interesting from start to end。 The Dragons are incredible and terrifying， the Rain Wild river is such an exciting frontier。 And I am so intrigued by the concept of a lost Elderling city to discover。 And then of course there are the wonderful characters。 I would expect nothing less from Robin Hobb， but all these characters are three-dimensional and impeccably drawn。 I was particularly drawn to Alise and Leftren， but they were all great - even the antagonists。 Add in Hobb's beautiful prose， and this book is a winner。 I know that many readers skip these books to continue on with Fitz's story， but I hope I have convinced you not to。 The Rain Wild Chronicles are an integral part of this world as well， and deserve to be read。 Any book by Robin Hobb is highly recommended！ 。。。more

Gemma Cemetery。of。forgotten。books ，

🐉 I was excited to get to this series！ Who doesn’t love dragons？！？However， I had heard from many it was the weakness of all the Hobb series and so far I would have to agree。 A weak Hobb book is still an amazing book。 She’s a genius。Since this is the beginning of a quartet what you essentially get in this book is some further world building and some good story foundation that is ready to lead you into the next book。In this book we arrive back in the Rain Wilds to catch up with how the dragons are 🐉 I was excited to get to this series！ Who doesn’t love dragons？！？However， I had heard from many it was the weakness of all the Hobb series and so far I would have to agree。 A weak Hobb book is still an amazing book。 She’s a genius。Since this is the beginning of a quartet what you essentially get in this book is some further world building and some good story foundation that is ready to lead you into the next book。In this book we arrive back in the Rain Wilds to catch up with how the dragons are doing。 It would have been so easy for Hobb to just keep all the same characters。。。。 but no！ Any characters met before are footnotes and we get a whole house of new guys！ That’s the frustration with Hobb but also the absolutely excitement。 You know you are going to get whole new perspectives and a thrilling story just around the corner。I love the complexity of the drains in this book。 （I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t read any of the other realm of the Elderlings books） Yes they are struggling， but the death of their memories and their personalities shine through。⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 。。。more

Yeti ，

Love this series。。。 is a re-read for me but old friends returning after so much time is always beautiful！

Katyana ，

This one was a really slow start for me。 By the back half， I was into it。。。 But the first half was really a slog。Also， I hate Sedric so much I don't even know if I want to read on， given that I was reminded I wanted to continue Hobbs series by a friend reviewing the 4th rain wilds book， and from the review I know what happens to him。 I loathe him。 I don't care about his fucked up relationship with Hest， literally nothing on Earth excuses his actions， nor does it excuse his high-handed treatment This one was a really slow start for me。 By the back half， I was into it。。。 But the first half was really a slog。Also， I hate Sedric so much I don't even know if I want to read on， given that I was reminded I wanted to continue Hobbs series by a friend reviewing the 4th rain wilds book， and from the review I know what happens to him。 I loathe him。 I don't care about his fucked up relationship with Hest， literally nothing on Earth excuses his actions， nor does it excuse his high-handed treatment of Alise。。。 a woman he helps Hest gaslight。 A woman who thinks he's a friend， when he's really a piece of shit。He's worse than a piece of shit， actually。 I'd rather dress a piece of shit in a little outfit and carry it around all day as my friend than have Sedric in my life， that's how much I hate him。I want to like Alise， but she flip-flops and is stupid and spineless and allows Sedric - HER EMPLOYEE - to berate and belittle her and order her around like a child。 I can't take much more of her， honestly。 I love all the previous miniseries that make up this overall series， and I enjoyed this。 Under normal circumstances I'd already be starting book 2。 But I don't know if I have the fortitude for this right now。 Between life stress and COVID and work stress and etc， I'm leaning into books as escapism。 Not books that make me hope one of the main fucking characters gets eaten by a dragon。 。。。more

James Rushbrooke ，

Robin Hobb is a name I've seen on bookshelves for a long time and have never got round to reading anything by her。 When this popped up on Prime Reading I took the plunge and I'm really glad I did。 This is a great book containing a ready made world that I could easily access。 I know that this isn't the first book set in this world and that became evident the more I read。 The text is rich and the mythology is carefully crafted。 Although the characters behaved in a somewhat predictable way， I was s Robin Hobb is a name I've seen on bookshelves for a long time and have never got round to reading anything by her。 When this popped up on Prime Reading I took the plunge and I'm really glad I did。 This is a great book containing a ready made world that I could easily access。 I know that this isn't the first book set in this world and that became evident the more I read。 The text is rich and the mythology is carefully crafted。 Although the characters behaved in a somewhat predictable way， I was still engaged with their stories。 This book very much feels like a set-up for the next few books and I don't mind that at all， it's a journey I'm more than prepared to go on。 Robin Hobb can take my money！ 。。。more

Catarina ，

Dragon Keeper， or the Fellowship of the Dragons。 This book is mostly set-up and the abrupt ending is a bit jarring。 Apparently， the Rain Wilds Chronicles were supposed to be a duology and the publisher decided to break it into a quartet。 The series shows promise， though， and I’m completely under Hobb’s spell at this point。 If I didn’t have the second book lined up， I would be extremely upset。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dragon Keeper

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dragon Keeper&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dragon Keeper&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0