Cbr18bingo Wheels
This is the second book in a four-book series. I reviewed Volume 1 Dragon Keeper here. In Dragon Haven, a group of Rain Wilds youth, outcasts due to their physical “deformities”, are now functioning as Dragon Keepers (or shepherds, if you need something for the sheep square). Their job is to guide the dragons, who emerged deformed from their cocoons, up river, away from people and civilization, on a quest to find the fabled lost city of Kelsingra. In an ancient past, when dragons ruled the skies, certain humans who had tended them were given special marks by their dragons. These people became “Elderlings,” humans with dragon like features and magical powers. According to ancient scrolls and lore, Kelsingra represented the height of Dragon/Elderling civilization, but this was eons ago and natural disasters have since destroyed other Elderling cities. For the dragons and their keepers, it’s Kelsingra or bust; there is nothing for them in the Rain Wilds cities. But this journey up river, past the point where previous explorers have travelled, will bring out both the best and worst in the members of the traveling party. Secrets will be revealed, tensions will explode, and there will be blood.
As expected, the secrets that Sedric — a Bingtown fop and lifelong friend of Alise — lead to pain and heartache. Part of Sedric wants to get back to Bingtown and his cushy life as Alice’s husband’s (Hest) secret side piece. In order to get back there as a rich man (thinking that if he is richer than Hest then he and Hest can just run away and be together somewhere else where they won’t have to hide), Sedric makes a terrible deal with a black market trader; he promises to bring back dragon scales, blood, teeth — whatever he can get his hands on — because they are highly valuable and thought to have magical healing powers. Alise has no idea her husband is gay or that Sedric is more than his secretary. Alise is a self-educated dragon expert who, as part of her marriage contract, was promised a trip to the Rain Wilds to study dragons. Hest, who is a nasty piece of shit, finally agrees to let her go after Sedric argues with him about it, but he also makes Sedric go with her as punishment for defying him. As Sedric journeys upriver, he makes his plans to “assist” Alise with her dragon studies but really is just using it as a cover to get close to the dragons and try to steal from them. However, after one of his successes, he makes a choice that will forever alter his life. Sedric’s secrets, if discovered, could lead to complete alienation from his friend Alise and even to his own death.
Alise, meanwhile, is falling for Captain Leftrin, and it is completely mutual. Everyone can see it and no one is bothered by it except for Sedric. The journey upriver alongside a man who respects her and her knowledge and who finds her beautiful sparks Alice’s awakening. She starts looking at her life in comparison to other women on the ship, women who don’t live sheltered, coddled lives, and she realizes they have what she wants. But if Alise makes this choice, there is no turning back. And there is no guarantee that this journey to find Kelsingra, which her husband never agreed to, will be successful. Should she just turn around and go home before it’s too late?
Tensions among the teenaged dragon keepers are running high. Greft, who is older, appoints himself their leader, much to the irritation of Thymara and Tats. Greft talks to the other keepers about building a new society with their own rules once they get wherever they’re going, but it’s clear that Greft would put himself at the top of this new society and dictate what the rules would be. It’s also clear that some of his rules are pretty sexist. Thymara, who is a rule follower, does not like Greft’s attention. She was raised to believe that, given her physical “deformities” claws, scales) she should not marry or have children; not only does society not want to see more children like her, but odds are, such children would not survive long. When Thymara learns that her fellow keepers are pairing up, it bothers her immensely, but it gets even worse when Greft informs her that she has to choose a partner. Otherwise, he says, the boys are going to fight. There is a pretty great scene where Thymara and Greft get into an argument about this, and I loved the way Thymara stood up for her right to choose no one. There’s also a powerful scene later in the story involving pregnancy; I won’t go into detail but Hobb writes about a delicate, heartbreaking topic quite powerfully.
And finally, there are dragons. Just as there are strong personalities and animosities amongst the teenaged keepers, so there are amongst the dragons. Some dragons seem to have a close bond with their keepers and have even promised to make them Elderlings. Others, like Thymara’s dragon Sintara, are overbearing and aloof. As the party makes its way up river, changes become evident amongst the keepers — physical changes related to being near dragons and changes that happen because the dragons consciously decide to change their keepers. Meanwhile, the dragons are also changing. As they wade up river and spend more time in the natural world, they grow stronger, their colors deepen, and certain dragon powers begin to emerge.
Of course, this trip up river is not just about paddling and moving a barge up river. Along the way, the party encounters unusual and dangerous wildlife as well as the vagaries of weather. There is a harrowing weather-related scene that had me on the edge of my seat and that leads to some dangerous outcomes. It was a thrill to read. And there is tension among the passengers on the barge Tarman, as it becomes clear that there is a blackmailer in their midst who seems to know a lot of secrets.
One of the things I forgot to mention in my previous review is the clever device Hobb uses at the beginning of each chapter. Bingtown (major trade port responsible for the financial and military support of the Rain Wilds) and the cities of the Rain Wilds maintain correspondence via carrier pigeons (if you need something for the bird square), and messages between Erek, keeper of the birds in Bingtown, and Detozi, keeper of the birds in Trehaug, reveal to the reader a bit about everyday life in their towns, political and economic problems, their own personal concerns, and professional advice about caring for their birds. Delightfully, they also show the growing long distance friendship between Erek and Detozi. It is completely charming.
Anyway, I loved this second installment of The Rain Wilds Chronicles. Hobb juggles multiple story lines with ease and she gives her readers plenty of excitement, danger, and compelling relationships among her characters. I can’t wait to get on with Volume three.
