Rain Wild Chronicles

Hobb said that in writing about dragons, she was motivated by a "what-if" scenario: "What if the human race had to contend with another set of intelligent beings, ones that would compete with them for territory [...] What if they didn't respect our claims to own things any more than we respected the claims of elephants or wolves or – dare I say it? – indigenous, so-called primitive people?"[4] She originally conceived the story as a single, standalone book, but due to its length, it was published as two volumes: Dragon Keeper (2009) and Dragon Haven (2010). Hobb then planned to write one more title in the same setting, but a similar issue occurred with its length, resulting in the release of two further entries, City of Dragons (2012) and Blood of Dragons (2013). All four books were published by HarperCollins Voyager in the UK, with covers illustrated by Jackie Morris. The series is variously titled as the Rain Wild Chronicles and the Rain Wilds Chronicles.[5][6]

The series is set in the Rain Wilds, a forested region where people live in houses built in the branches of trees. Below the trees runs the Rain Wild river, whose acidic waters make the region inhospitable; disfigurement and scaly skin are commonly experienced by the residents of the region. As the series begins, a set of dragon eggs given to the people hatch, but the dragons turn out to be stunted, with ill-formed wings, and are unable to fly. A group of dragon keepers is tasked with transporting the eggs to a mythical, long-lost city: Kelsingra, the ancient home of dragons and their servants, the Elderlings.

Memory is a recurring motif in the magic system of Hobb's world: the dragons, in particular, retain memories of all their ancestors.[7] The series explores ecological themes, as the return of the dragons is seen as important to maintain the natural balance.[8][9] Mariah Larsson writes further that the series is ecocentric in nature, as while the dragons help enable the utopian civilization of the Elderlings, they also deplete natural resources, have an adverse, mutative effect on the humans around them, and are a stronger and more intelligent predator than humans.[10] She argues that the thematic role of dragons in the Elderlings world is to "give competition to the human drive to dominate", and thus the series challenges anthropocentrism, or the supremacy of man's place in the world.[11]

Hobb's return to the setting of the Liveship Traders was welcomed by reviewer George Williams, who referred to her as "the modern queen of the fantasy trilogy" and felt that the Liveship Traders was her best work.[12] Writer Lisa Goldstein found the Rain Wilds a "strange and fascinating place", highlighting its treetop dwellings set above the deadly Rain Wild River, and said that the setting differentiated the series from the typical fantasy novel.[1] Nisi Shawl agreed, writing that Hobb's world was "delightfully complex", and commented that readers would be drawn in by its "marvelous interplay of power, magic and beauty".[13]

Dragon Keeper's "flawed characters" drew praise from Williams, who suggested that their weaknesses made their victories "all the more remarkable and precious".[12] Goldstein took a more mixed view, writing that while Hobb's human protagonists were interesting, they repeatedly emulated "the Cinderella story" in being unhappy outcasts.[1] Author Elizabeth Bear criticized the first book's characters as "self-absorbed and static" and felt that it had a young adult tone,[14] but praised their evolution in Dragon Haven, which she described as "highly successful" and centered around character development.[2] The Contra Costa Times' Clay Callam agreed, writing that the second book in particular saw Hobb "on top of her craft".[15] Reviewing the third book, Shawl commented positively on the protagonists' "appealing stubbornness and bravery",[13] and a Free-Lance Star review of the fourth book added that Hobb's talent lay in creating "characters that feel real".[16] Bear also highlighted the conversations between pigeon keepers in the background of the series, calling it a "deeply entertaining political gloss".[14]

According to fantasy scholar Lenise Prater, while the Rain Wild quartet "promotes acceptance of queer relationships", it is limited by "conservative impulses".[17][18] She notes the existence of several gay relationships in the series and remarks that the gay couple Sedric and Carson have a bond that deepens over the course of the books. Sex between gay characters is described as explicitly as with heterosexual couples. Yet she concludes that the series is conservative, because all its relationships – whether gay or straight – are "monogamous and based on romantic love"; characters who stray from this notion, such as the promiscuous Jerd, are portrayed negatively. She also comments that child rearing is limited to heterosexual couples and that gay women are absent.[3]

Hobb's portrayal of dragons was well-received. Bear expressed delight at their snarkiness, and their "crabby, whiny, self-centered, vain, and generally unprepossessing" nature.[14] The Monroe News-Star commented that Hobb's dragons were different from the ones typically seen in fantasy, as they blended dragon-like "mystical grandeur" with human flaws arising from their stunted nature, which made them unable to fly.[19] The reviewer found their growth in the second book interesting, writing that they had progressed closer to the beings of myth but retained flaws which he compared to "the chink in Smaug's armor".[20]

The pacing of the first book was criticized by multiple reviewers.[14][21] Williams faulted its unresolved nature, suspecting that it was part of a larger story that had been cut into two parts.[12] In a more positive review of the second book, Bear praised Hobb's "sheer inventiveness" in consolidating plot threads, and highlighted how changes in the setting mirrored internal developments in Hobb's characters.[2] Goldstein agreed that the pacing had improved and labelled the second book "exciting, full of adventure", but found the ending predictable and concluded that it left her with "a vague taste of disappointment".[22] Callam praised Hobb's "command of narrative" in the third volume,[23] and a review in The Age remarked on her "talent for action sequences".[24] Reviewing the concluding volume, the British Fantasy Society reviewer Elloise Hopkins called it a "superb end" to the series.[25]

The first book's prose was critiqued by Bear, who said that Hobb was typically a "fine stylist", but felt that her writing in Dragon Keeper suffered from too much exposition.[14] Goldstein agreed, describing Hobb's prose as "a little tired" in Dragon Keeper,[1] but commented that the second book featured tighter writing.[22]

• The Rain Wild Chronicles series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database