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    City of Dragons
    City of Dragons
    City of Dragons
    Audiobook13 hours

    City of Dragons

    Written by Robin Hobb

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb returns to world of the Rain Wilds—called “one of the most gripping settings in modern fantasy” (Booklist)—in City of Dragons. Continuing the enthralling journey she began in her acclaimed Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven, Hobb rejoins a small group of weak, half-formed and unwanted dragons and their displaced human companions as they search for a legendary sanctuary. Now, as the misfit band approaches its final destination, dragons and keepers alike face a challenge so insurmountable that it threatens to render their long, difficult odyssey utterly meaningless. Touching, powerful, and dazzlingly inventive, Hobb’s City of Dragons is not to be missed—further proof that this author belongs alongside Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, and Lois McMaster Bujold in the pantheon of fantasy fiction’s true greats.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 7, 2012
    ISBN9780062115645
    City of Dragons
    Author

    Robin Hobb

    Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska. It was there that she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of five critically acclaimed fantasy series: The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons, Blood of Dragons), The Soldier Son Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Farseer Trilogy. Under the name Megan Lindholm she is the author of The Wizard of the Pigeons, Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. The Inheritance, a collection of stories, was published under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov's Readers' Award and she has been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.

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    Reviews for City of Dragons

    4/5

    536 ratings21 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I was surprised to find out this book existed because the first two volumes of the Rain Wilds Chronicles stood very well on their own, and because when they were first being published they were described as one big book cut in half because of the size. However, Robin Hobb thoroughly justifies this book's existence, engrossingly continuing and expanding the story. I am looking forward to the fourth book.
    • 4/5
      Here's another great book by Hobb. I don't think I've read anything by her that I didn't like. These books aren't action packed or fast reads, but instead focus on character development and an intriguing world. This third book in the series seems to be the lag in three books because there is a sense that not a lot happens. I think this is due partly to the fact that some POVs are from character's we haven't read about directly before, like Hest, Malta, and the sick Chalced Duke. Despite the feeling of less going on, there really was a lot covered in the book. And all important if I can make any predictions for the next and last book; which I'm really looking forward to. I believe it hits the shelves in another few months. Robin Hobb's writing is excellent and her rendition of people, dragons, greed, love, etc. are all very real. Sometimes love is not convenient. Sometimes people realize they are not the top of the food chain. Sometimes there is so much greed in the world it sickens you. These are all prevalent in this book. Also, these dragons are not like any dragons I've ever read about. There is one dragon who has many POVs, Sintara. The fact of the matter is I don't much like her. Not what I expected; I love dragons. But these dragons are unlike any other dragons. It makes sense though. When you really think about it, the way these dragons think about humans and how they treat them is psychologically logical. It's the same way we think of animals in regards to us. They can't even compare. Why is the life of a bird or a squirrel important to us? That is these dragons; arrogant, mean, egotistical; real. And for me at least, because Hobb's stories are so real they jump off the page. This series is excellent as a story as well as a lesson about men and women's own arrogance. Anyways, I love Hobb, I love this series, but this book itself did seem to be the slightly weaker link so far so I'm unfortunately giving it a four star. The book wasn't too long however so it doesn't take long to get through. Series is highly recommended for any fantasy fan. Looking forward to that last book and the confrontations sure to explode.
    • 5/5
      A must read for all that love dragons ? ?
    • 4/5
      Finally starting to get somewhere. Looking forward to the last book in the series. Slow going at times but hopefully worth it in the end.
    • 4/5
      City of Dragons picks up a little while after the end of Dragon Haven. But where Dragon Haven felt like a big improvement on Dragon Keeper in terms of character development and pace, City of Dragons goes back to the first book's slow plod through a plot that doesn't develop all that much from the start of the novel. There's also a fair bit of repetition, which doesn't help, and while we have some new character POVs to delve into, they don't really explore as much of those characters as I would've liked.There are a few exciting moments, but I got the feeling that it was all to make sure everything's in the right place for what I hope will be a thrilling final book in this quartet.
    • 5/5
      Just finished this third book in the dragon keeper series and dying for the next one. Kept me awake most of the night - so exciting.. I was so happy that we have some good news but also some terrifying happenings in this one!! Just hope the person who has book four booked out returns it to the library soon! Thanks again, Robin Hobb, for many great hours of entertainment :)
    • 3/5
      The third installment of the Rain Wild Chronicles, continues where the last book left it. Overall, this book didn't need to happen. It is completely a set-up book, which has some character development and a little bit of worldbuilding. The book is slower and very little interesting moments. I still enjoyed the book since I have gotten to know the characters. I'm looking forward to the last book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Excellent as usual. The City of Dragons is found in ruins. But, will it awake for the dragons? Meanwhile, once they learn of it, the traders will hurry to pull it to pieces to sell off everything. How to stop them...Hobb is so very good at mixing plot lines and creating such complex characters.
    • 3/5
      This one has too much of a meandering middle-book feel - plenty of developments, some more interesting than others, but no conclusions, and a good bit of repetition. I hope the fourth book (due to come out in April 2013) has more plot, and less fewer inner monologues.
    • 3/5
      After a long, hard journey, Kelsingra is within sight. Separated from their goal by a raging river that's too wide, too deep and too swiftly moving for the Tarman to safely cross, the dragons and their keepers make camp on the far shore as best they can. There is only one for everyone to reach the city: the dragons must learn to fly. Meanwhile, Captain Leftrin returns downriver to report on the expeditions success and stock up on much needed supplies. Rumors of the city's discovery traveled ahead of the ship. There is much speculation as to what treasures await to be uncovered in Kelsingra and how much profit can be made. In Chalced, the Duke's illness progresses and he grows more desperate for a cure. It is believed that dragon blood is what the Duke needs and he will stop at nothing to get it.City of Dragons is the third in the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb. I'm starting to see a pattern. Just as book one was the set up for book two, book three also feels like a setup for book four. Page time is split between the dragons and their keepers and catching us up on players in the rest of the world: Hest, Malta, Reyn, Seldin and the Duke of Chalced. This change put me off the story somewhat and slowed down my reading pace dramatically. Given the level of character building I expect from Robin Hobb the fact that this book clocks in at just under 400 pages is not much space for her to work with and I found the backgrounds for Hest and the Duke to be on the disappointing side. Yes the Duke is evil and we already knew Hest was a selfish ass based on mentions from Alise and Sedrec but we never really deep dive into their characters the way we did for the others. Malta, Reyn and Seldin are all characters we've known from the Liveship books so it was nice to see them again, if briefly. The chapters for the dragons and keepers I found myself devouring. Their story is what I'm most interested in and the parts we were given did not disappoint.There is no big climax or any sort of resolution to the story. The plot plods along. There are new threats to the keepers, their dragons and the city but none of it feels particularly urgent. Perhaps that's what this book was missing for me. It was still well written and an interesting read, just needed that little extra something that I missed from the last book.
    • 2/5
      I've read a lot of complaints about this series, but I think its ok. Is it groundbreaking? In a word, no. However, it is an enjoyable, fun read, and sometimes thats what its all about.
    • 5/5
      Buyer beware -- not one to start unless you can afford the all-night read sleep deprivation. This 3rd book is the best of series so far; moved quickly, engrossing and ... *gasp* ... approached Farseer levels! Surely not the last in the series although like other books not exactly a cliffhanger ending, just that you know there's a start to another adventure. Very action packed, well paced throughout and reader is just drawn more and more into the characters, including the dragons, who all do develop in very well written ways (one fault I found with earlier books in series is that the story arc built slowly in the beginning with all the really good stuff starting up at the last portion of the books).
    • 3/5
      Although this book moved the plot line along, I feel that it suffered from a slow moving plot and too many narrators. While I can understand wanting to bring Hest back to satisfy a previous storyline, being in his head was pretty offensive. That, however, is not my main quibble.

      I feel that Hobb tied together too many older narrators, e.g. Malta, Selden, and Tintaglia, in an attempt to bring the entire Elderlings Realm to a neater ending for the last book. This book does not stand well on its own and feels even more like half of a book than its predecessors did.

      I enjoyed it because I'm attached to the characters and I want to know how it ends, but the endless reprisals of what transpired before, the slow pacing, and the seeming attempt to bind everything together brought this book down in my estimation.
    • 3/5
      Good, but ultimately disatisfactory. I was hoping for an ending, or at the very least, anything conclusive. Now I am left hanging until the next book! Why could this not be a trilogy like all your other books, Hobb?
    • 3/5
      This is the third book of Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles series and unfortunately also my least favorite installment so far. That's not to say I didn't like it, but I'm also sensing a definite slowdown compared to the first couple of novels.The book picks up from where we last left our group of dragons, their keepers and their crew. After overcoming the treacherous dangers of the Rain Wild River, the expedition has finally found the legendary Elderling city of Kelsingra. And yet, due to the eruptions and bad flooding, the city can only be reached by flying -- a problem, as despite growing bigger and stronger since the start of their journey, many of the dragons' wings are still stunted, deformed and non-functioning. So close and yet so far!And so, we watch as the characters spend much of their time in the book doing...not much of anything. About a quarter of the book blows by before I felt the story picking up, like something interesting was actually happening. It was definitely a slow start, lots of setting up and reintroductions to characters and past events to get the reader up to speed. I'm notoriously forgetful of things that happened in previous books in a series (especially if it's been a while) so normally I would appreciate it when the author throws in the casual reminder here or there. But that left the remainder three-quarters of this book to blow me away, and honestly, it just didn't. I still enjoyed it, nonetheless...but the truth is I would have enjoyed it even more if it didn't feel so much like a "transition book", i.e. filler.There were some high points, of course. I liked that we finally got to see more of Hest and his perspective, despite the fact that he's a scumbag of a human being, but it was a nice change from our constant focus on the river and the dragons. And let's face it, sometimes it's the scumbags' perspectives that are the most interesting to read about! There were also large sections featuring Reyn and Malta who are starting to get more attention in this series, though I think I would have been more excited about that if I'd read some of the previous books in Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings universe in which they also appear.There continues to be interesting and dynamic developments in the relationships between the characters. Couples are pairing off, people are sleeping around, jealousy abounds, etc. etc. etc. More secrets are uncovered about Elderlings and Kelsingra. The dragons and their keepers are all growing and moving forward as characters go. All that's great, because it means there's still a point to this novel. But still, I can't help but feel that the book lacks a certain direction.And the ending! I'm not sure what to make of that. Let me go on the record to say that I think Robin Hobb is a great writer and that I love her style, but there really doesn't seem to be much logic when it comes to where and how she ends her books. This one was abrupt, but not not exactly a cliffhanger. It makes me wonder if this book and the fourth and final book in the series were meant to be read as one, but then split into two for whatever reason. That could also explain its relatively short length. In any case, I did not expect the book to end this way, limply dangling in the breeze like that.Regardless, I have one more book to go in this Rain Wild Chronicles series and I'm looking forward to see how it all ends.
    • 4/5
      City of Dragons is where the series really starts to pick up, in a bunch of ways. The adventurers have found the city they have been searching for, but making any use of it will require everyone to change and grow (sometimes literally.) Meanwhile, back home, news of the expedition is making waves - waves that might turn into a tsunami, if you forgive the metaphor. And we finally get a glimpse of where Tintaglia has run off to!

      There are a lot of threads here that are interesting, or look to be leading to a real dramatic showdown at the end - some of which I am dreading, like the confrontation between Mr. Megalomaniac and his barely-recovered abuse victims. But the next book should really have a ton of payoff.

      (I was more than a little annoyed when I realized this was book 3 of at least 4, not the end of a trilogy, but that's entirely my fault.)
    • 4/5
      I was surprised to find out this book existed because the first two volumes of the Rain Wilds Chronicles stood very well on their own, and because when they were first being published they were described as one big book cut in half because of the size. However, Robin Hobb thoroughly justifies this book's existence, engrossingly continuing and expanding the story. I am looking forward to the fourth book.
    • 2/5
      OK so I cheated and read some other reviews until I found this term: "transition piece". Oh, yes, what a piece of transition this is--if you don't have much time to read, try to find a five-page synopsis of this book and move on to the next.
    • 3/5
      First, I'd like to clarify that I'm a big fan of Hobb's writing. And, until that book I was a big fan of Hobb's publisher. I admire consistency and the ability to control one's greed - rare traits with fantasy publishers.Until now, all of Hobb's Six Duchies/Bingtown/Rain Wild books were neatly arranged in trilogies. Not too short, not too stretched (Wheel of time, anybody?).But here come the Rain Wild Chronicles' 3rd book - one would expect closure, no matter how many pages it's going to take. Did one get closure? Not even slightly! The book basically stops in mid-step. Some people (relatives of the publisher) might say it's to build up suspense... I'd say: Sheer greed. I find that greedy way of doing business rather despicable. Yes, I'm going to buy the 4th book when it comes out, but here's a big thumbs down for the publisher.5 stars for Hobb's writing, one for the greedy publisher.
    • 4/5
      While I'm enjoying the characters and the overall themes as much as ever, this book feels more than a bit piecemeal: we touch down with characters and their stories in a fairly scattershot and sometimes repetitious manner, not enough happens overall to give it as much coherence as it should have, and like the previous volume, the point where this book finishes feels almost arbitrary. While it's obvious that this is part of a larger whole, I do think that middle volumes should be able to stand on their own more than this one actually does. Nevertheless, 'City of Dragons' has the same solidity and intelligence that grace all of Hobbs' books, and there's some great material in here, particularly about various societies in flux. It will be interesting to be able appraise this series as a whole when the next (and presumably final?) volume comes out next year!
    • 5/5
      City of Dragons deserves way more than 5 stars. This is a great series by Robin Hobb..you should definitely read her books!