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> The acclaimed *New York Times* bestselling author of *Dragon Keeper* returns with a second enthralling tale of dragons and humans, adventure and discovery, love and freedom Centuries had passed since dragons last roamed the war-torn world of the Rain Wild River. But as peace once again settled upon the land, a lost generation of sea serpents—ancient, half-starved, and weary—returned to cocoon, certain that they would be reborn as the beautiful and powerful dragons of legend. But their arduous journey exacted a heavy toll, and the proud serpents emerged as sickly, half-formed beasts, unable to fly or hunt . . . or thrive. For years now they have been trapped on a swampy riverbank between forest and river, hungry and barely alive, reliant on humans to provide for them. With their survival at stake, fifteen dragons—among them the wise golden Mercor, the haughty and dazzling silver-blue queen Sintara, and the delicate copper beauty Relpda—have set off on a dangerous trek into the unknown, up the Rain Wild River, in hopes of rediscovering the ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra, the lost haven for dragons and Elderlings alike. The dragons are accompanied by a disparate group of human keepers, rejects from Rain Wild society. They, too, yearn to find Kelsingra and create a home of their own, one in which they may make their own rules and decide their own fate. But is Kelsingra real or merely a fragment of a glorified past buried deep in the dragons' shared memories? No map exists to guide them, and the noble creatures find their ancient recollections of little use in a land changed by generations of flooding and seismic chaos. As the dragons, the humans—including the strong and defiant Rain Wild girl Thymara; the wealthy dragon scholar and Trader's wife, Alise; and her companion, the urbane Sedric—and their magical supply barge, captained by the gruff Leftrin, forge their way ever deeper into uncharted wilderness, human and beast alike discover they are changing in mysterious and dangerous ways. While the bonds between them solidify, starvation, flashfloods, and predators will imperil them all. But dragons and humans soon learn that the most savage threats come from within their own company . . . and not all of them may survive. Returning to the territory of her beloved Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies, *New York Times* bestselling author Robin Hobb creates a lush and ultimately triumphant tale set in an imaginative world of magic and wonder as compelling and emotionally resonant as our own. ### From Booklist *Starred Review* The second volume of the Rain Wilds Chronicles shows Hobb again working at the highest level of contemporary fantasy, to which her creativity with dragons adds additional—there's no other word for it—majesty. Battered, bruised, and lamed sea serpents have returned to the Rain Wild River to lay eggs that will hatch into dragons. But the dragon hatchlings are feeble, misshapen, unable to fly. They can't even survive without the assistance of human Dragon Keepers. Keepers and dragons make a perilous foray up the river in search of the long lost Elderling city of Kelsingra, which possibly holds the key to the dragons' survival. Tight bonds unite the humans to their ancient liveship Tarma, but as they voyage upriver they find the landscape hideously altered by earthquakes and storms. Starvation stalks them, and the bonds among humans, at least, fray even without any open treachery gnawing at them. The Rain Wilds is one of the most gripping settings in modern fantasy, highly to Hobb's credit, and an entire novel amid its lowering trees and rock formations would be impossible to put down even without Hobb's superior skills at characterization. Let us applaud, and shelve this with the rest of Hobb's magisterial fantasy fiction, though it won't stay on the shelf long. --Roland Green ### Review “Hobb’s characterization continues to be top-notch, particularly with Thymara, the outcast teenage girl. Her self-awareness and surety is a delight and her insistence on belonging to no one but herself is simply wonderful.” (Romantic Times ) “fast action, deep emotional bonds and a great ending...[I] encourage you to check out Dragon Haven” (Blogcritics.com ) “Hobb creates a completely alluring portrait of dragons and their culture.” (Bellingham Herald on DRAGON HAVEN ) “Hobb has a deft hand with accessible and sympathetic characters, regardless of their fantasy trappings, and he makes effective use of the divide between what the reader knows and what the characters know to build tension.…A quick and fun read” (Miami Herald on DRAGON HAVEN ) “A satisfying story” (The News-Star (Monroe, LA) on DRAGON HAVEN ) “Hobb’s strength has always been her ability to create compelling characters to inhabit her richly detailed worlds. The Rain Wilds Chronicles is no exception.” (Shroud Magazine Book Reviews on DRAGON KEEPER and DRAGON HAVEN ) SUMMARY: Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the second instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy.The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage up the treacherous Rain Wild River. They are in search of the mythical Elderling city of Kelsingra, and are accompanied by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and a group of hunters who must search the forests for game with which to keep the dragons fed. With them are Alise, who has escaped her cold marriage to the cruel libertine Hest Finbok in order to continue her study of dragons, and Hest's amanuensis, Bingtown dandy, Sedric.Rivalries and romances are already threatening to disrupt the band of explorers: but external forces may prove to be even more dangerous. Chalcedean merchants are keen to lay hands on dragon blood and organs to turn them to medicines and profit. Their traitor has infiltrated the expeditionand will stop at nothing to obtain the coveted body parts. And then there are the Rain Wilds themselves: mysterious, unstable and ever perilous, its mighty river running with acid, its jungle impenetrable and its waterways uncharted.Will the expedition reach their destination unscathed? Does the city of Kelsingra even exist? Only one thing is certain: the journey will leave none of the dragons nor their human companions unchanged by the experience. Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in the second instalment of high adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage up the treacherous Rain Wild River. They are in search of the mythical Elderling city of Kelsingra, and are accompanied by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and a group of hunters who must search the forests for game with which to keep the dragons fed. With them are Alise, who has escaped her cold marriage to the cruel libertine Hest Finbok in order to continue her study of dragons, and Hest's amanuensis, Bingtown dandy, Sedric. Rivalries and romances are already threatening to disrupt the band of explorers: but external forces may prove to be even more dangerous. Chalcedean merchants are keen to lay hands on dragon blood and organs to turn them to medicines and profit. Their traitor has infiltrated the expeditionand will stop at nothing to obtain the coveted body parts. And then there are the Rain Wilds themselves: mysterious, unstable and ever perilous, its mighty river running with acid, its jungle impenetrable and its waterways uncharted. Will the expedition reach their destination unscathed? Does the city of Kelsingra even exist? Only one thing is certain: the journey will leave none of the dragons nor their human companions unchanged by the experience.