Dragon Keeper

Wow. That's my first statement, the only thing I can really think to say about this book. Wow. I was expecting a fantastic piece of fantasy, but Robin Hobb just gets better and better with every trilogy she releases. It was a stay up until two in the morning sort of book, despite the fact I wasn't feeling well, and was absolutely shattered. I couldn't bring myself to stop. The first one she's done in third person, but none of the richness of the characters is gone. Nor have the settings suffered. In fact, I expect this will be her greatest trilogy yet (though out of my love for Night Eyes and Fitz I have to say that the Farseer trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy are both awesome). But this just took the experience to a whole new level. It's in the same world, set after the Tawny Man trilogy, but it's a whole new set of characters. And wow. I know I keep saying that, I'm sorry, but if you read this book you will completely understand why I describe it as a wow book. It's a broader book than her others have been, spreading over a period of several years and encompassing a vast swathe of characters.

The dragons have hatched, the first set of dragons in living memory. But all is not well. They emerge from their cocoons as broken scraps of creatures, not a single one free from defects. And so they remain, sat at the bottom of a city. A handful of lives are picked out from the world in which they inhabit, lives that have been changed by the dragons.

Absolutely amazing. I can't recomend this book enough. Although I supply one warning (other than the fact that it'll keep you up until you've finished it). The third book of the trilogy is not out yet. The second has only just be released (though I've seen it in the Harris library! yay!). Actually, looking at Amazon, it appears that there might just be the two this time... Any rate, I'm convinced that Robin Hobb is just about the greatest fantasy author ever.