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Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Haven, Chapters 12-15

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Fork in the Road

***Spoilers for The Rain Wilds Chronicles through chapter 15 of Dragon Haven. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

I found it hilarious to jump into this section of chapters – directly after my groundbreaking speculations regarding Elderling transformations – only to have it all immediately laid out in the open.

At first, I felt a little silly for framing the possibility of Elderling transformations as some grand prognostication. But the more I sat with it, the more it felt like a testament to Robin’s masterful storytelling.

You see, I hit the point of needing to comment on the hints and signs we’d been fed at almost the exact moment she chose to bring the discussion fully into the open. That is some impeccable timing and buildup on her part.

It’s not that the information was hidden, or that I had cracked the Da Vinci Code. Robin’s brilliance isn’t in covert plotting and shocking reveals. She will often tell you exactly where the story is heading, and still blow your mind on the way there.

Which is what makes this Elderling lore reveal so satisfying.

Elderling transformations happening isn’t the interesting part; it’s the depth and detail that bring this world to life and place Robin among the all-time world-building greats.

So let’s review what we learn (or more accurately, what I can recall in this moment):

  • Humans can transform into Elderlings through an intentional process initiated by a dragon, or more incidentally through sustained contact with dragons.
  • The change carries significant risk and goes best when facilitated and monitored, by a dragon.
  • Relpda has gone a bit rogue by beginning Sedric’s transformation without oversight, to the horror of the other dragons. She’s taking the “I’ll do what I want” approach and essentially tells the others to MYOB.
  • There’s an ongoing information war, with wildly varying degrees of who knows what – and who’s willing to share it – across dragons and keepers.
  • The risks go both ways: dragons who spend too much time with humans risk hatching Abominations. (Shout out Treasure Island.)

Okay, we know a lot more than that, but those are the highlights rattling around my brain.

And of course, our two predominant transformations – Sedric and Thymara – sit on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Sedric, previously unmarked, is completely unsettled as his transformation begins to take hold. Relpda, meanwhile, is ushering it along full steam ahead.

Conversely, there’s Thymara. It’s not just her love life that’s complicated; her bond with Sintara remains fraught. Thymara’s changes are occurring without Sintara’s intervention or guidance, which leads Mercor to instruct Sintara to take charge of the process- or he will.

This may shock you, but Sintara does not respond well to this directive. She starts a fight, then stomps off.

May we never see a Sintara-Tintaglia confrontation.

Love is in the Air!

From one of this story’s most unique fantasy elements to a trope as old as time, let’s talk romance!

Listen, you can only isolate a group of young-ish people on a boat for so long before nature takes its course. We have officially entered our full Love Boat era (with the literal boat even helping to nudge things along in some cases).

Let’s check in on our couples:

Alise & Leftrin

Alise has a lot to process in these chapters.

First, Sedric drops the bomb that he and Hest have been lovers all along.

Understandably, her world is rocked. She takes time to process, but round two of their clear-the-air conversations makes it worse. She can accept they were together, but she needs to know just how big a fool she’s been. And Sedric has to admit that, yeah, basically everyone knew but her.

Yikes!

And the cherry on top of this shit revelation sundae is Sedric (wrongly!) telling Alise that Leftrin is using her and is actually just trying to sell off dragon parts. (RICH accusation coming from Sedric 😏).

Even more insidious is his use of her blindness regarding him and Hest to cast doubt on her ability to trust her perception of Leftrin. It comes from a place of care, but it’s still low. Sedric- I defend you quite a lot, but watch it, bub!

Alas, true love prevails.

Tarman gives a little dream nudge that sends Alise right back to Leftrin’s bed. This time, fully armed with the knowledge of her sham marriage and life back in Bingtown, she no longer cares who knows.

Everything is about to be out in the open – all hail boat mom and dad!

Sedric & Carson

Sedric and Carson’s turn to lovers was… a lot to digest.

After Part II of “Sedric Blows Up Alise’s Life,” he has officially hit rock bottom. His despair is wrenching, so much so that he decides to take his own life. Luckily, through his connection with Relpda and Carson’s unmatched observational skills, they coordinate to save him.

As Carson thwarts Sedric’s attempt to jump overboard, things pivot almost instantly into romance.

And I have to say- it was a little jarring to still be processing Sedric’s near-suicide and then get this line from Carson:

“He walked his fingers along Sedric’s jawline … He smiled a small smile. ‘Your beard is as soft as a puppy’s fur.'”

Carson. My guy.

Despite my continued misgivings about the dynamic, I’m choosing – cautiously – to move forward and accept Carson as a sort of anti-Hest. I will gingerly co-sign this relationship for now.

(Very quietly holding out hope for a Sedric-Selden end game based on absolutely zero textual evidence that they will ever interact, let alone have chemistry.)

Thymara and Tats

Live look:

And on that note… Musings!

Let’s Talk Tarman…

Allow me to paint a picture.

You are on a river journey searching for the lost dragon promised land. You come to a fork: one path continues the wide, acidic river you’ve been traveling. The other is new, fresh water, different.

Without a second thought, you decide to head up the ol’ status quo path.

Except your sentient, dragon-soul-embedded ship digs his literal feet in the mud and refuses to move. It then proceeds to send dreams of your destination to those onboard.

What could possibly be happening?!?!?!

You’re telling me not one single soul thought, “Hey, perhaps we’re going the wrong way”?

I cannot believe I am about to say this, but I think the leadership on this vessel needs less fucking and more thinking.

C’mon, Cap! Get your (correct) head in the game.

Tarman taking charge and steering everyone toward Kelsingra despite themselves was great. But it wasn’t even the most exciting Tarman moment in this section.

(Side note: Tarman is quietly one of my favorite characters. Love that froggy ship.)

We get the massive revelation that the dragon casing Leftrin used to craft Tarman’s lower appendages belonged to our beloved* Sessurea! 🤯

It feels safe to assume Mercor is indeed Maulkin. And I’ve long wondered whether Sintara might be Sessurea, but the parallels were never overt.

Instead, Sessurea – who never lost faith – has been infused into the dependable stalwart that is our river barge. Wowee!

I both love and hate this for her.

*Yes, we can forget I spent an entire trilogy complaining about the serpents.

Hestorcism Watch 2026

Last post I dubbed Alise and Sedric’s joint detachment from Hest as our Hestorcism.

Forward we march.

Both now have rough-and-ready river men lovers. This line from Sedric made my naming feel particularly apt:

“Hest seemed like a fading ghost. Thoughts of him triggered regret, but not in the way they once had. Sedric regretted not that he had lost Hest, but that he had ever found him.”

Unhinged Horny Moment Award

Gold goes to Carson with his puppy-fur beard comment noted earlier.

But I would like to award silver to Sedric for this line:

“Sedric had watched his hands, the blood on his wrists, the bits of flesh caught under his nails as he worked, and thought of those strong hands on his own body. It had put a shiver up his spine, a thrill of erotic dread.”

I spent way too long contemplating the phrase “a thrill of erotic dread.”

Perhaps these two are better matched than I’m giving them credit for.

Beautiful Prose Moment

Another line that struck me in its gorgeous simplicity:

“The framework that supported Sedric’s self-respect was missing from Carson’s life.”

To write a sentence like that.

Sedric, baby. You know I go to bat for you.

But there were two near-indefensible moments in this stretch:

Exhibit A

His reaction upon realizing Alise and Leftrin took things to the next level:

“She’d slept with the man. Slept with that smelly, ignorant riverman.”

Rich from someone approximately 1.5 chapters from shacking up with his very own smelly riverman.

Exhibit B

After his galley confrontation with Alise:

“He stood to leave and then looked back at the dishes on the table. He should tidy up after himself, stop being the spoiled Bingtown do-nothing he was accused of being. Tomorrow, maybe. Not tonight.”

I know you are at your lowest of lows, but this ain’t the Four Seasons. Clean your fucking mug up.

(Triggered in mom.)

The Realm’s Next Top Elderling is in full swing. Who will emerge gloriously transformed- and whose quest for splendor will fall short?

Let’s find out as we finish out Dragon Haven and pass the midpoint of The Rain Wilds Chronicles.

Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Haven, Chapters 6-11

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Where things ratchet up…

***Spoilers for The Rain Wilds Chronicles through chapter 11 of Dragon Haven. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

I knew these post-flood chapters would deliver, and boy did they. With so much action taking place, it feels only right to start with a character who has not physically appeared on the page since very early in the previous book: Hest. And while Hest may not be physically present in our story, his shadow certainly looms large- never more so than in this stretch of chapters.

Both Sedric and Alise cannot escape his insidious specter. Even as they’re finally free from his direct control – and experiencing real personal growth and self-awareness as a result – his influence still lingers in absentia.

But good news! They’re both making some serious progress.

For Alise, it’s a case of one step back, two strokes steps forward.

Caught in a liminal space – unaware of Sedric’s fate (and not loving the odds) – she discovers a locket bearing Hest’s image tucked inside Sedric’s pillow. I almost shrieked with joy that she was finally being let in on the “secret.”

That joy, however, was short-lived when it became clear we were not getting a moment of realization at all. She had instead reached peak delulu. I’ll let Alise’s thought process speak for itself:

“What did it mean? What could it mean?…
There could be but one explanation. Hest had had the locket made and entrusted it to Sedric to give to her. Why had he done such a thing?”

But one explanation indeed. 😑

If that’s our one step backward, a mere few chapters later Alise takes a giant leap forward by bedding Captain Leftrin in the very bunk of her presumed-dead friend – the same place the locket was discovered.

I was pretty concerned that the discovery of this “love token from Hest,” combined with her anticipatory grief for Sedric, would pump the brakes on her rapidly accelerating romance with Leftrin. Instead, it turns out to be more of a cat’s-away, the-mice-will-play situation – and I couldn’t be happier for her.

Rather than seeing Hest’s image in the locket and feeling a surge of guilt or renewed devotion to her vows, Alise essentially says: Fuck this Chad. He wouldn’t know an act of love if it bit him in the ass. But I do now – and I’m going to get a piece of my river man while I can.

Bravo!

Crossing proverbial paths: Alise entered this voyage with a love of dragons but a cold bed, while Sedric arrived giving two fucks about the majestic lizards and believing he had genuine human love back home.

Post-flood, Sedric finds himself risking his life to save his newly bonded dragon while reevaluating his relationship with Hest through an entirely different lens.

Sedric’s mistreatment by Hest is laid bare alongside his crumbling self-concept as he fights to survive- stripped down beyond even his most basic needs. Circumstances like these have a way of exposing uncomfortable truths:

“When had he let go of his own life? When had he become a bit of driftwood caught in Hest’s current, tossed and turned and shaped by him and then, eventually, washed up here with the other debris? Idly he watched Carson add a piece of twisted white wood to the pot. Yes. That was him. Fuel for another man’s flames.”

As predicted, our two Bingtown babies are deep in their respective journeys of self-discovery. They’ve each formed new intimate bonds – one a lover, and the other a mind-bridge with a dragon – and I’m here for all of it.

Let the Hestorcism proceed!

Okay, make way for MUSINGS!

I’ll admit: I’m a bit of a Sedric apologist. I can’t help but have a soft spot for our wayward boy du jour. Even so, I’m not sure I’ve ever related to a character more (Nighteyes’ annoyance with Fitz aside) than in this self-reflection moment from Sedric:

“He was known in all the better taverns to have a lovely clear tenor for drinking songs, and the wine shops saved their best vintages for him. No one could fault his taste in silk. Given charge of Hest’s itinerary, every voyage under his control went flawlessly.”

Nothing wrong with appreciating a well-planned trip and a fine textile.

From Thymara:

“…Captain Leftrin, who had seemed in an uncommonly generous mood that morning.”

BET.

I know I haven’t given much focus to the recent keeper dynamics (spoiler: they be fucking) and the new world order Greft is trying to establish. It’s not that I dislike the storyline – I’m interested, and always rooting for our girl Thymara – it’s just felt a little one-note at the moment.

That may be slightly unfair, but we’ve been sitting in this space of Thymara asserting her particular brand of willful ignorance for quite a while now, while Greft continues grappling for power.

And it’s not that I want Thymara to submit or be forced into partnership, but she does need to start looking at things through the lens of her new reality. So far, she’s been fairly unwilling to do that.

I appreciate her youth, her sheltered upbringing, and the fact that she’s never really had the opportunity to imagine a future for herself beyond the Trehaug restrictions. But that defensiveness toward everyone around her is beginning to hold back her growth.

Greft sucks – no doubt – but he makes some decent points about freedom. Thymara is earning her rank in the Stubborn Characters Hall of Fame, but I’m looking forward to the cracks in her shell deepening as she comes into her own.

(P.S. Speaking of cracks in her shell- we are getting HEAVY references to this gash in her back that refuses to heal. Methinks an Elderling transformation is erupting.)

(P.P.S. I’m expecting a few Elderling transformations as a result of this journey and the keeper-dragon bonding. We’ve had a good amount of discussion around the original Elderling race, dragons creating Elderlings, and the changes and bonds forming between keepers and dragons. Tintaglia was basically the Oprah of turning Elderlings – “you get to be an Elderling, and you get to be an Elderling” – but I don’t think Malta, Reyn, and Selden alone are going to propagate a whole new age.

This exchange between Sedric and Relpda in particular raised my hackles:

“Sedric my keeper. You will change.
‘I’m changing already,’ he admitted.
Yes. Change.“

Yeah… go ahead and write him in for a spot on the Elderling roster.)

Rapskal and Heeby continuing to be missing continues to be bullshit.

I am choosing to believe that they are surviving on their own at the moment. If ever a pair had a strong enough bond to survive together, it’s these two.

We don’t know a ton about Rapskal, but I went back and dug up these two clues about his upbringing:

“It took so little to make him happy. Her words didn’t have to be kind, even, just not cruel. She tried not to wonder what his early life had been like that mere neutrality seemed like friendship to him.”

And…

“He dug into his porridge with fervor. ‘Never got porridge for breakfast at home,’ he announced suddenly through a full mouth. ‘Grain was too expensive for my family. We always had soup for breakfast. Or gourdcakes.'”

Rapskal is sort of the Scrappy Doo of this world. Yes, he’s annoying. But he’s a survivor. I like his odds. I’m holding on to hope as long as I can.

Last post I stated I wasn’t picking up romantic vibes between Sedric and Carson. Naturally, things immediately shifted in that direction.

I like Carson. He seems genuine and kind. But I’m hesitant to hop on this ship (ba dum tss), because I don’t want Sedric jumping straight from one older man to another.

As Carson rescues Sedric, Sedric is already starting to view him as the more capable caretaker. I want Sedric to feel confident standing on his own feet before finding another man to prop him up.

This line in particular gave me pause:

“He was not, Sedric suddenly realized, that much older than he was.”

I’m open, but cautious.

Let’s stay with Sedric for a moment.

I’m realizing so much has happened I haven’t even touched on the fight with Jess, culminating in Relpda EATING JESS!!!

Fuck, yes. This was so satisfying. Proud of you, Sedric. Your budding relationship with Relpda is helping to fill the Rapskal-Heeby-shaped hole in my heart.

But let’s back up for a second…

Before we get to Relpda munching down Jess, what really struck me in this sequence is that Jess offers Sedric everything he’s been seeking- obstacles removed. All Sedric has to do is stay out of the way, and Jess will slay the dragon and get them safely to Chalced, where he can begin a new life with all the riches he could ever need.

“He could have everything he’d dreamed of. He’d paid dearly already. Would it be so wrong to take some small measure of happiness for himself? …
After all he had gone through, didn’t he deserve something for himself, some small bit of happiness? Didn’t he deserve to finally stop living in deceit?”

Sedric really struggles here and, for a moment, can see the easy path out. I love that he has to face himself there – because when what he’s been seeking is finally laid out on a platter within his grasp, it suddenly doesn’t look so appealing.

Sedric reflects:

“The price was too high. Hest wasn’t worth it.”

I love this gradual growth arc he’s on. It’s not some big aha moment, “I’ve seen the light”-type flip. It’s slow and uncomfortable- and it’s going to make wherever he ends up that much more satisfying (or devastating 🙃).

Alise and Sedric are about to reunite on the Tarman. Can’t wait to see their post-flood personas collide and what’s to come as the journey to Kelsingra resumes.

Onward!

Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Haven, Chapters 1-5

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Snakes on a Dragon

***Spoilers for The Rain Wilds Chronicles through chapter 5 of Dragon Haven. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

Ahoy, friends! I’ve returned from vacation and am delighted to jump right into book two of the Rain Wilds Chronicles with Dragon Haven.

After a week in the World of Disney, I found myself deeply relating to Sintara’s inner monologue regarding humans in the prologue:

“She would not have minded human sounds so much if they did not persist in spouting out their thoughts at the same time they tried to convey them with their squeaking. The dual annoyance sometimes made her wish she could just eat them and be done with them.”

Don’t get me wrong – we had a wonderful family trip – but Disney adult, I am not. (And as an adult who operates a blog with a fairly large focus on dragon mating, I am not yucking anyone’s yum either. Just different strokes.)

If you’ll allow one more personal update before I descend into my crazed ramblings literary analysis, I’d like to share some exciting news.

Now, devoted (theoretical) WWS readers will recall that at the end of my Tawny Man journey, I said goodbye to my longtime animal companion, Scampi the cat. I’ve since spent several months unmoored- a cat lady with no cats. Like Fitz without Nighteyes, it just wasn’t right.

With our January vacation on the books, we knew the only rational decision was to wait until we returned before adopting new animal companions. This created a hilarious dynamic in which our dream Disney vacation became less a vacation and more an obstacle between us and kittens (exactly what you want when you’re spending the equivalent of Igrot’s lost treasure on a trip).

A winter storm further delayed my return to my beloved blog – and new kitties…

…but alas, we made it home. And less than 24 hours later, my family expanded!

You may be wondering why you should give a flying fuck about my vacation and cat adoption. Fair. But the most important detail has yet to be revealed. May I delightedly introduce you to *drum roll* FitzWhiskery and his sister, Fifi!

FitzWhiskery (left) & Fifi (right)

Yes, folks. My dreams have come true. I brought the most adorable kittens into my family and got to name the boy Fitz- formally, FitzWhiskery.

A few acknowledgments:

  • Yes, Fifi is not a RotE name (though a Fifi popping up in the final six books isn’t impossible, no whammies). But I got one. A win’s a win.
  • This is admittedly a bold choice, given I still have an entire trilogy left in Fitz’s story. (We’ve all heard the cautionary tale of the Tamlin tattoo girl 😬.) BUT- I have put in a lot of time with my beloved Fitz. We’ve been through our ups and downs, but it’s hard to imagine having a full reversal.
  • Also, Fitz is an excellent cat name on its own. And it’s not like I named him Dumbledore. (In fact, I’ll be delighted if anyone ever connects him to FitzChivalry). And worst comes to worst, I simply stop my emotional canon at the end of Tawny Man and disown the rest. Foolproof.

If you made it through that, kudos! Shall we talk Dragon Haven?

As I continue through the Rain Wilds Chronicles, I keep reflecting on the cadence of the series as a whole and the impact of the broader Realm of the Elderlings experience. I understand why diversions from Fitz’s storyline can feel frustrating. It’s hard to be deeply invested in characters and then suddenly asked to care about someone named Tats.

I’d agree that Liveship and RWC (so far) don’t carry quite the same emotional grip as the Fitz-centric books, but that belies the brilliance of the structure. Three consecutive Fitzian trilogies would be an emotional marathon. His story is rich and beautiful, but the intimacy of living in his head for that long is intense. These slightly breezier shifts in perspective – while still deepening the world and adding texture – provide necessary breathing room before we head back north, ready for pain.

And to be clear: this is not dismissal. I adore these series. To suggest Liveship Traders is fluff or lacking depth would be criminal. This is about interplay- the way these series enrich one another and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

All of which is to say: I’m soaking in my time on this dragon sojourn. I know that when I leave the Rain Wilds, my heart will be ready to return to Fitz and Friends and face whatever awaits me in Fitz and the Fool.

And so, we pick back up on our journey as the trudge upriver continues. The quest is a slog, but the story is not. I continue to love the interpersonal – and interdragonal – dynamics unfolding. And with that, let’s jump right in with…

MUSINGS!

Alise and Leftrin

Alise and Leftrin remain trapped in their own Disney movie, growing ever closer. Never have two characters been more adamant that nothing could ever happen between them while being so clearly willing to jump each other at the drop of hat. Every scene with them:

Sedric

Sedric, meanwhile, is having a truly terrible time. After ending Dragon Keeper with an extremely tough look – stealing the blood of an ill dragon and leaving it for dead – karma wastes no time. He’s formed an unwanted bond with the lowly copper dragon, and I am fairly sure Tarman is poisoning him??

The dragon blood he drank on a whim (wild stuff) made him sick, but Tarman is also pissed off, too? Reader, it was late at night as I read this, so I may be a bit hazy here, but regardless, the vibes are bad.

And if being sick, paranoid, and bonded to a dragon with limited mental capacity weren’t enough, Sedric is also forced to confront his sexuality. He’s receiving a great deal of care and attention from hunter Carson and Carson’s nephew, Davvie. Sedric, unable to see five inches past himself, fails to pick up on what’s going on until Carson spells it out: young Davvie is infatuated.

Carson, armed with a gaydar Alise can only dream of, cautions Sedric to tread carefully with the vulnerable youngster. Frankly, it’s the conversation Sedric desperately needed someone needed to have on his behalf.

But Carson isn’t done with the keen observations. In a moment that edges slightly past the grounded realism that we love so dearly (yes, I’m aware I accept talking dragons), he essentially says: “Hey, you work for Alise’s husband, right? You two must be fucking, so let everyone else get some too” (paraphrased).

“I’ve known Leftrin a long, long time. Never seen him gone on a woman like he is on Alise. And she looks pretty gone to me, too. Seems to me that if her husband has been able to find a bit of joy in his life, maybe she deserves the same. And maybe Leftrin does, too. They might find that, if she felt free to look for it.”

What in the Nostradamus is going on with Carson? I can tell you this much: the man’s talents are being wasted hunting for these ragtag dragons. Get this man a job with the FBI!

Is Carson being positioned as Sedric’s gay mentor? I’m not picking up any strong romantic vibes (yet), so perhaps he’s more a wizened elder who has navigated this world. Have we found Sedric’s gay sherpa- someone to show him there’s more to life than Hest’s groomer ass?

Thymara and Alise

When these two first came together with their shared bond with Sintara, I immediately hoped for a sisterly bond to form. They had so much to offer each other based on their wildly different life experiences. It didn’t take off right away, but their bond skyrockets here at the opening of Dragon Haven.

From Thymara teaching Alise to fish, to Alise standing up for Thymara to Sintara, their burgeoning relationship was one of the highlights for me early in this book.

After surviving the flood together, I don’t see their bond weakening anytime soon. We know we can always count on Hobb to give us top-tier wayward boys to root for, so I’m loving the gals getting their time to shine and grow.

The Flood

Leave it to me to bury the major action set piece in the fourth bullet of my reflections, but here were are: the flood.

I predicted some kind of big event to shake up this journey, and boy has it arrived.

We start out with a regular evening: dragons, keepers, and barge docked along the riverbank. Sintara, Thymara, and Alise are locked in a girl huddle where Sintara more or less tells them to grow up and get laid. YOLO, humans. Time is a ticking!

Meanwhile, Leftrin is off-boat dealing with his Jess-shaped problem (more on that in moment).

And then – bam! Flood.

This isn’t six inches of water in your basement. This is a biblical river-gone-wild, tearing through everything in its path. We follow a harrowing sequence with Thymara, Alise, and Sintara as Sintara goes into beast mode, redeeming herself by keeping her humans alive and muscling her way to the safety of the trees.

Once intercepted by Tats and Sylve, they’re given the rundown: most of the keeper group are accounted for. A few dragons are missing. And then the gut punch:

Heeby and Rapskal: whereabouts unknown.

FUCK. FUCK. MOTHERFUCKING, FUCK!

Did I not recently write “Protect Rapskal and Heeby”? I don’t know what I even expected. Perhaps I should start rooting for Greft. Yes, Robin- protect Greft. Please.

FUCK!

Elsewhere, Leftrin gets put through the washing machine but comes out on top. And as we know, there is no bond like that between a liveship and its human- cue Tarman rescue mode activated! (Jess’s status: currently unknown).

Villain Reveal!

I don’t want to dwell too long on Jess, but he makes a quick rise to prominence. He’s revealed as the secret Chalcedean agent aboard – here to collect dragon specimens (lowkey crowding Sedric’s hustle) and interfere with Leftrin’s relationship with Alise.

His introduction was interesting. Suddenly he and Leftrin are having a nasty spat in the galley, and I briefly wondered if I’d missed something. But then we get Leftrin’s retrospective POV, explaining how we got here.

At first, I was unsure about receiving all of this through reflection rather than seeing it play out in real time. Ultimately, though, I appreciated the framing. Jess exists for us only through Leftrin’s eyes- how he views the threat, reflects on his own past choices, and considers possible solutions; while showing how far he’s drifted from the kind of schemes Jess proposes (including simply absconding to Chalced with Alise and starting a new life).

Jess isn’t here to be a character we care about. He’s here to illuminate Leftrin’s morality and shifting priorities. And of course, Leftrin does conclude that killing Jess (reluctantly) is probably his only option.

Tarman’s Feet!

I’ve been quietly obsessed with the mystery of what exactly Leftrin did to modify Tarman using the found wizardwood. I wondered if there might be some sort of underwater figurehead. Here we finally get the reveal- and I LOVED it.

“Paddling with all his might, Tarman was coming for him. The barge’s thick sturdy legs and webbed feet would propel him against the current.”

Tarman has feet! Thick, webbed, river-walking feet. Perfect. No notes.

The image of him wading and paddling upriver is deeply satisfying. This reveal was well worth the wait.

(This is where I try not to go full Hobb Snob™, but this is a perfect example of the subtle brilliance you’re missing if you can’t get into Realm of the Elderlings. Like, if you aren’t into a sentient barge with eyes and amphibian legs powering through a flood to save his beloved captain, I don’t know what to tell you.)

Ick!

God, did I love Sintara reacting to rasp snakes burrowing into her body like a human reacting to a bug on their skin.

Next up: flood fallout. Most prominent missing “persons” include Rapskal, Heeby, and Jess. Alise is clinging to a tree, convinced her river-rat prince is going to come to her rescue. (I’m liking the odds.) And nothing like a near-death experience and dashing rescue to push a romance forward.

Didn’t I predict some sort of terrible event would finally get these two over the hump to actually humping?

Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Keeper, Chapters 10-13

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Like A River

***Spoilers for The Rain Wild Chronicles through chapter 13 of Dragon Keeper. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

It might just be that I am writing this on December 26th, but the Island of Misfit Toys vibes have never been stronger.

There are two elements really jumping out to me so far:

  1. how rapidly my feelings keep shifting, and
  2. the amount of mirroring happening, on both a micro level within the story and a macro level across Hobb’s entire body of work.

Let’s start with my emotional whiplash.

Shifting Feelings:

In my last post, I had a lot of pep in my typing fingers. After Dragon Keeper’s bleak opening, the story started gaining momentum. Then I dove directly back into a Sintara POV and realized it was the lack of dragon experience that lightened things up. I mean, with lines like:

“And now they were masters of nothing, doomed to mud and carrion and, Sintara did not doubt, a slow death by slog up the river.”

… it’s hard to be buoyed by optimism.

As counterbalance to the dreary dragons, we have Captain Leftrin floating in the clouds with his crush on Alise. Sir- you are a grizzled, murdering (only once, but that counts), ruthless river man. Get ahold of yourself! As hard as I rode for their meet-cute, I have to admit I developed a smidge of an ick this time around. Leftrin is fucking gone for our girl, and Alise is relishing the attention, but it doesn’t feel like they’re on equal footing. Alise seems more lost on the sauce of someone being into her (rightfully!) than genuinely attracted to Leftrin, so surprisingly, I’m finding myself a bit worried for the captain’s heart.

It’s not just them- my feelings across the board have been shifting as rapidly as the Rain Wild River itself. Part of Liveship Traders’ brilliance is how Robin Hobb not only develops characters, but actively reshapes our perceptions over time. Most notably, of course, with Malta- going from the absolute worst to the Elderling queen we worship. In Malta’s case, it’s a long arc, but here in Dragon Keeper, I’m finding my opinions shift chapter to chapter.

Take Sedric. Sympathetic one moment, near-villainous the next. We learn he doesn’t care for animals (red flag), so Alise’s hackles are raised at his interest in assisting the dragons. She doesn’t know his actual motivations like we do, but she’s right to sense something is off:

“Oh, he shared some of her scholastic interest in dragons, but she had never seen him pet a dog or talk to his horse. And now he was going to assist this girl in doctoring a dragon? There was something here, and she felt she stood at the edge of a strange and perhaps dark current. Could he possibly be interested in the girl? She was so young and so peculiar looking. It would be very inappropriate.”

Alise’s ability to read a situation, as ever, remains unmatched.

Mirror Mirror

One of the clearest structural throughlines in Dragon Keeper is mirroring. In the overt sense, we have the dragons and their keepers; Alise and Sedric; Tats and Thymara. But there are lots of smaller examples too. My favorite odd pairing is Sedric and Thymara.

These are two characters who, outside the premise of this story, would never cross paths. Yet thanks to Sedric’s underhanded goal of bringing home dragon specimens (the little shit), he buddies up to Thymara with his sudden interest in veterinary medicine, offering to help tend one of the unpaired dragons. But the real gem of this combo comes when they are walking together and Thymara vents to him about the keeper dynamics:

“‘He behaves as if he can’t stand for me to have a friend, like it makes him less important. It’s almost as if he tries to drive a wedge between Tats and me. Why are some people like that?’
She hadn’t expected him to have an answer, but he looked startled, as if she had asked him something of great significance. When he answered, his words came slowly. ‘Maybe because we let them be that way.’”

Which triggers:

“It had snapped a stinging realization into his mind. Hest didn’t like him being friends with Alise. Hest didn’t want him to have conversations with her or have opinions about her…
He didn’t like thinking of all the implications of that. He pushed aside the thought of other friendships he’d neglected for Hest’s, even how he’d alienated his father by taking the position with Hest…”

It’s a tidy little lightning bolt of self-awareness. I maintain that Sedric has a lot of growth ahead, and I’m excited to watch it unspool.

The Gang’s All Here!

Our main characters have congregated in Cassarick. I’m enjoying how Dragon Keeper blends elements of Liveship Traders and our Fitz-centered series. We have a Liveship-like ensemble, but instead of scattering them across the map, Hobb drops them all into Cassarick to join a central mission. (The sort of shit quest we’re usually watching Fitz get sent on.) That doesn’t mean, however, our group is unified. Let’s examine:

Keepers/Dragons

There’s a lot of meat on the bone (not literally for the dragons, of course) when it comes to the dynamics of the keepers and their dragons.

Last post, my commentary on Thymara’s experience of becoming part of the keeper cohort got left on the cutting room floor. Her joy at feeling part of a community was so endearing. I mean:

“She looked from face to face and named them to herself, counting them off as if they were jewels in a treasure box. Her friends.”

Don’t get excited- the kumbaya camp vibes didn’t even make it to the next page. Fractures almost instantly materialize, and rivalries and power struggles continue to widen the gaps as we prepare to set off upriver.

But it’s not just the keepers facing division. There are a lot of fascinating social dynamics at play.

Sedric-Leftrin

They don’t trust each other, but these two have more in common than they realize beyond just caring for Alise in their own ways. Both are harboring secrets: Leftrin with his blackmail resurfacing via a mysterious note, and Sedric with his quiet mission to collect dragon specimens. Oh! And of course they hate each other.

Alise-Thymara (and Sintara)

Alise strolls in armed with Selden-level dragon flattery and immediately forms a bond with Sintara, stoking Thymara’s jealousy. Add Sedric slinking around, and there’s a lot simmering here. At first, I imagined a big sister/little sister dynamic developing between Alise and Thymara, but I think we’ve got some ground to cover before we get there. I’m hopeful that these castoff women (Sintara included) have a lot to teach each other about their worth.

Tats-Greft

Our clearest emerging conflict. Greft is wanting to assert leadership over the group, and while some are happy to fall in line, Tats (with Thyamara) is not especially keen to accept his authority.

Add in the fighting over Thymara, and these two are a real tinderbox. I haven’t even mentioned the other keeper chickadee simpering over Tats and fueling Thymara’s jealousy. Ahhh, the social politics of youth. Let’s make things as complicated as possible and then send everyone on a brutal river journey with ill-tempered dragons. What could go wrong!

Of course, we’re firmly Team Tats as a good-guys-versus-bad-guys dynamic seems to be taking shape. And I would like to go on the record that I am getting extremely bad vibes from Greft. Major concerns for what he’s capable of as the story progresses.

Musings!

Alise is the epitome of book-smart, not street-smart.

She interprets Sedric’s protectiveness around Leftrin as possible jealousy. She reminisces on her youthful crush on Sedric and muses:

“Was it possible that he had once cared for her? Was it remotely possible that in some corner of his heart, he still did?
Oh, it was a silly fancy, as silly as her timid flirtation with the captain. Silly and absolutely delicious.”

Oh, girl.

Her rise is going to be satisfying, but I fear she has a rough road to walk before we get there. Or Sintara is just going to bluntly spill the beans: he’s just not into you.

But for now, a girl can daydream (and hope she’s transformed into an Elderling with the power of gaydar).

For those who rode with me on my Liveship journey, you’ll know how important this line was to me:

“But the deal had been struck. Kalo had pressed his muddy, inky foot to a piece of parchment…”

I’m here for the talking ships. I’m here for the animal bonds. I’m here for carving giant stone dragons with one’s fingernails. I’m here for prophets, catalysts, forging, unforging- I’m here for it all.

But dragons signing contracts with muddy dragon footprints is pure absurdity.

I loved our time with Malta. She enters chewing the scenery in all her bitchy, Elderling glory. And if, during her arguments about why the dragons need someone advocating for their interests, you found yourself wondering why she isn’t down in the swamp tending them herself, we learn that after struggling to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term, she’s once again pregnant. 🤞

Last post I asked, where’s Wintrow? But the better question is: where the fuck is Reyn? Why is my gal spending hours advocating for the dragons alone? There may have been a passing line about what business he’s attending to, but it clearly wasn’t a good excuse because it didn’t stick with me.

Reyn- I want you present and doting, stat!

Protect Rapskal and Heeby!

They didn’t seem quite significant enough to mention in our list of most interesting dynamics, but I love these irritating little sweeties. Yes, Rapskal is endlessly annoying, but also deeply endearing.

(Greft is going to murder Rapskal, isn’t he? FUCK.)

Hard to believe, but we are approaching the end of Dragon Keeper. I’m sure all the issues will be ironed out and we will set off on our journey upriver smooth sailing.

‘Til then!

Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Keeper, Prologue – Chapter 5

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Suffering Succotash

***Spoilers for The Rain Wild Chronicles through chapter 5 of Dragon Keeper. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

Well, well, well. Here we are. It took me a month to recover from my life-altering Tawny Man journey, but I am finally ready to return to the realm. And where does Robin send me? Right back onto the motherfucking serpent struggle bus. And guess what? If you thought the suffering in Liveship Traders was bad, it’s even worse now! Sa almighty.

Hearing secondhand in Fool’s Errand that the dragon hatching didn’t go well wasn’t enough. We jump straight into the prologue with a new serpent POV of the harrowing trip up the Rain Wild River and the cocooning process. And let me tell you: shit. is. bleak. Dragging their exposed, chapped bodies through shallow water. Eating their fallen brethren along the way. Finally arriving at nesting grounds with neither the reserves nor the support needed to craft proper cocoons.

As the story gets underway, we witness an incredibly depressing hatching day where deformed dragons emerge unfit for survival. It’s hard to even crack jokes (though I’ll try, because I’m a pro) – it’s really just that sad. I actually struggled to keep reading at points because the scene is so relentlessly dreary. It’s like we’re being punished for the hopeful note Robin left us on at the end of Ship of Destiny. The pain man is here to collect!

After the excruciating hatching sequence, we jump a few years forward to check in on our cocooning serpent from the prologue, who now goes by her dragon name, Sintara. Hold on to your hats, folks- things haven’t improved.

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Reactions from the Realm: The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince

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No Stone Left Unturned

***Spoilers for The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince***

Everyone, buckle up… I’m going to say something shocking: Robin Hobb has once again impressed me. Ok, yes- me praising Robin is as guaranteed as the sun rising in the east. But with each expansion of the Realm, she continues to deliver awe.

And The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince is no different. With this installment, it’s not the story or characters themselves that particularly dazzled me – though they’re compelling on their own – but the immense color and context this tale adds to the world and the arc unfolding in Fitz’s story.

At the end of Fool’s Fate, I noted that I was getting answers to questions I didn’t know I had. Likewise, TWPATPP provides the deep clarity on the climate surrounding the Wit in the Farseer and Tawny Man storylines. It leads me to suspect there are no plot holes in RotE, only gaps in my own Realm-specific knowledge.

We’re given this story in two parts, related by Felicity, a Buckkeep servant with unusually close proximity to our titular royals. Let’s dig in…

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wizardwordship Programming Update! November 30, 2025

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The Keyboard Calls

Ahoy, mateys!

It is I, wizardwordship, checking in after a slightly extended post-Tawny Man trilogy break. While I’ve been enjoying some time focusing on life responsibilities without the gnawing desire to get back to reading and reacting my way through the Realm of the Elderlings, it hasn’t been a full abandonment: I’ve popped in for small maintenance tasks- cleaning up some early posts, tidying the archive, etc. But overall, it has felt a bit like sending my blog to overnight camp: I’m touching base from time to time, but taking a break from the heavy lifting of day-to-day care.

The recharge is working, though, and lately the call to return to my keyboard has been intensifying. I also completed a few reading side quests (more below) during my time away, but now I’ve found myself with nothing queued up, and the Rain Wild Chronicles are beckoning.

Yesterday, I noticed that my last Tawny Man post was published on October 29- almost exactly one month ago. I didn’t set out with a specific hiatus length in mind, trusting my body would tell me when it was time to pick the quest back up. And apparently, one month was the time I needed. So here I am – November 29 – back at my laptop and ready to quip, cry, and break down dragon mating rituals.

No Blog November is no more!

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Fate, Chapters 27-29

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Everything Everywhere All at Once

***Spoilers for the Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 29 of Fool’s Fate.***

I fear it’s not the most compelling analysis for me to come to the keyboard each week just to say that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever read. But what the fuck else am I supposed to say? The way this story continues to weave and build is truly unreal.

These chapters had me… affected. In every way possible. From an emotional parting and death that somehow gets relegated to a footnote, because everything else that happens overshadows it, to what I would argue is the most erotic scene I have ever read.

It feels like we’ve reached the crescendo of Fool’s Fate, so I’m curious what’s left for us in the remaining eight chapters or so. The way this volume culminates so many storylines begun all the way back in Farseer also makes me wonder what’s in store for the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. I know we still have some story left to tell, so I’ll save my reflection for the end. But are we going to get Molly before we close out Tawny Man? Or is Robin going to dangle her on the other side of an entire quartet? (I’m assuming Rain Wild Chronicles, like Liveship Traders, will be a separate storyline from the Fitz trilogies, with a little world-building overlap.)

Ok, enough filibustering. I need to get into what actually happened so I can get back to reading posthaste! It’s going to be hard for me to not just copy in 50% of Robin’s words, insert bow-down GIFs, and hit publish. The writing is that incredible. But I shall do my best to share actual thoughts.

Good news: The Pale Woman did not cut off the Fool’s head.
Bad news: She did mercilessly torture him and deliver him to an undignified death.
Great news: Fitz, with the wisdom of Yoda, realizes that death is life, and, possessing the magic of life, he can work with this.

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Fate, Chapters 22-26

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Me Want Dragons, Me Get Dragons

***Spoilers for the Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 26 of Fool’s Fate.***

So let me get this straight: I am supposed to just go about my regular life – work my full-time job (sadly, blogging for an audience of none doesn’t pay the bills), make dinners, drive my kids places, etc. – while Burrich is reuniting with Fitz on Aslevjal?

Oh, Robin, you sneaky little Hobb, you. When I saw the chapter title “Reunion,” I assumed it would be Fitz reuniting with Dutiful, Chade, and the rest of the dragon expedition gang. Never in a million years did I expect him to hobble back into camp and straight into Burrich’s strong embrace.

Did I have some questions about how Burrich – mostly blind and crippled – managed to make the harrowing journey across sea and glacier on his own? I did. But Burrich is the embodiment of “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” so I’m willing to go along with the “yada yada, he bumped into Longwick and made it to base camp” explanation and keep it moving. (I did at least appreciate Fitz questioning this seemingly impossible feat as well).

Their reunion is incredible, but there’s not much time to sit down and catch up, because, partially thanks to Web using his bird to tattle the slaying plans to Tintaglia, the situation with Icefyre has turned into a full-on pressure cooker. And when that cooker’s lid blasts off (barely a metaphor), it is on.

After attempting a controlled demolition of the ice encasing Icefyre, Fitz’s forgotten cask of explosive powder goes off unexpectedly, getting the job done (and taking out a few of those extraneous characters I’ve previously mentioned- RIP Eagle). Suddenly, we go from zero dragons to three in a matter of moments. First, Icefyre emerges in rough shape. Second, Tintaglia, punctual queen, arrives on the scene to collect her man. And third, because things can never go smoothly, the Pale Woman’s animated stone dragon, embodying the unhinged soul of Kebal Rawbread, awakens and clunkily hauls itself from the excavation pit.

Dragon Rawbread is given a clear missive from the Pale Woman: defeat at least one of the “real” dragons to prevent their procreation. (Gotta say, it’s handy having Fitz tuned into all the Skilling and dragon communicating throughout the battle. He’s basically our personal CB radio, picking up all the signals and keeping us in the know.) And so, a dragon battle ensues.

It was impossible not to think of Drogon and Rhaegar vs. the Night King’s undead Viserion during the Battle of Winterfell while reading this scene. (A rare Game of Thrones Season 8 bright spot. Well… not literally bright, but you know what I mean. I digress.) Icefyre is depleted but enormous; Tintaglia is comparatively tiny but fierce; and Dragon Rawbread is malformed but vicious. It’s quite the battle.

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Fate, Chapters 18-21

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In Our Horror Era

***Spoilers for the Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 21 of Fool’s Fate.***

Holy shit. Is this the peak of modern literature? I know we have a ways to go, folks, but this section of chapters blew my fucking mind.

Up until now, events on our dragon-slaying journey had been unfolding fairly mundanely. Something had to give. And that thing – as I so deftly predicted – was the ice. And once it broke, everything went nuts. The tonal shift that accompanied Fitz and the Fool’s fall from the glacier’s surface into the hidden world beneath was magnificent. Suddenly, we were in a horror story, and I was on the edge of my seat.

I know I am constantly glazing my lord and savior Robin Hobb and her mastery, but the culmination of storylines in this section was on another level.

So what all went down? (You know, aside from Fitz and the Fool, literally going down.)

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