Series: Book 2 in the Rain Wild series
Rating: Not rated
Tags: EN-Fantasy, Lang:en
Summary
EDITORIAL REVIEW: 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.