I agree about the importance, and the fascination, of the setting and unfolding history being vital to the series as a whole. It's a huge part of what kept pages turning for me. But, damn, it's just so good. Seems to me that without the comparison to her other work, this would be an esteemed series. The disdain it receives shows me the utter unfathomability of reader subjectivity, which is an important lesson to absorb for those of us who create. Wonderful summary. Thanks. Hope your year-end chores are wrapping up nicely.

I agree with your take, Rain Wild Chronicles is the least good of the RotE series but that doesn't make it bad! Just want to mention the bird keeper plotline, which is my favorite part of the books. It's colmpletely unrelated the the rest of the plot, but so cute and sweet that it melts my heart.

Glad you get your thoughts on this series! I agree that it definitely should not be skipped. The world-building is so important, and there are points in the final trilogy that won't have as much impact without having gone through this series. Although it's my least favorite of the 5 series, I still think of it fondly! Subpar Hobb > just about everyone else

I am a Rainwilds defender. I read this series long before I discovered booktube, and I was completely unaware of the hate that it gets. I guess I agree that the other Farseer series are better, but Rainwilds is still good. I mean, who doesn't like the Hest ending!? I do not believe you can skip Rainwilds and get the full RotE experience.

Always wonderful to hear your thoughts on Robin Hobb! Even with the little I've read by her so far I would agree that she is a superb character builder and it's nice to know that this continues through the series. Thanks for this interesting overview, Philip!

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Rain Wilds Sir,this video is very helpful for me because I just have started,today,only one chapter in and it's at least interesting but I keep my expectations pretty low. Didn't know about the flashbacks,not a huge fan of those 😅. I loved the first three trilogies,never felt that it dragged for me. If Fitz and the Fool is as good as Tawny Man,this will become my second favourite series of all times,overtaking Stormlight and only behind The Lord of the Rings. Liveship Traders might be the best trilogy I've ever read.

Great video Phillip! I really enjoyed the Rain Wild Chronicles as well and do not understand all of the hate it gets. Glad you had a good time with it. Hope you have a good day!

Hello Dr. Chase, I made it! Got through the “worst” series 😂 And I think I felt literally exactly the same as you did. On every point, and overall feelings. Great but not incredible. I also noted the use of flashbacks seeming more prevalent, and also what I felt was repetitive backstory we already know. Was only slightly annoying at times tho, not a huge deal And yeah the characters are good but not amazing. I didn’t hate the love triangle stuff as much as a lot of people do, but it wasn’t particularly gripping or anything SPOILERS . . . Like you, Kelsingra and everything about the magic and dragons was easily the best part of the series. And there’s so much of it!! What really blows my mind is all the dots that were connected - Silver is the Skill?? Dragons CREATE Elderlings??? That is just so freaking cool. And I have to wonder how much of this Hobb planned from the jump, writing Farseer. I have to assume she did NOT plan all this, and that would honestly make it more impressive to me, because it hangs together incredibly well And now, on to Fitz and the Fool, which is of course bittersweet… very exciting but also I’ll be done with RotE 😮 😞 See you on the other side!!

I may go into a series overwhelm next year, but I already got Assassin's Apprentice for next year! Let's see how that fairs--I didn't know it was first person, though. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the analysis Dr Fantasy, your reviews are always quite useful!

Enjoyed the video, Philip. I also liked the series, but it does rank at the bottom for me out of the entire Realm of the Elderlings. I also agree that the love triangle was tired and unnecessary; she could have just as easily explored the themes and issues centered on Thymara's character without including a love triangle. I know that some people found some of the dragon personalities off-putting, but they do cause to reflect on human hubris. Plus, not all of the dragons were quite so heavy. I think Hobb did a great job of building a growing dragon culture as they reawakened to it in Kelsingra. I'm looking forward to your review of Fitz and the Fool.

I'm so glad you took the time to offer thoughts on this section of the work as a whole. When I read ROTE, I basically binged all the books consecutively as they were already published. I knew that even though they weren't my favorite entries, the Fitz & The Fool was right around the corner. I agree, the minor cameos were nice. I do believe the first 3 trilogies helped this section considerably as I'm not sure these books work without the surrounding stories. And now I want to clean my office because your space feels productive even through the screen!

Great review!

I loved this series a lot.

Glad you enjoyed it, Philip! I loved the series, personally. Kind of unrelated, but I also loved the Soldier Son trilogy - one of my favorites, I don’t get the hate it gets 🤷🏻‍♂️

Just finished The Way of Edan. Great fun! Thank you for writing and publishing your work and for you dedication to your KZfaq content.

Thank you for this review Philip! I’m still excited to visit the Rainwilds again when I get there, but it’s nice to know what to expect.

I feel bad that I’ve not read any Hobb yet. I’m getting through Deadhouse Gates right now and loving it.

Thank you for restoring my confidence in this sun-series. I’ve just finished Liveship Traders and it’s heartening to hear there will be cameos down the road.

I’m on Fools Fate right now. Hobb is on my Mt Rushmore of Fantasy authors already. Also met her a couple weeks ago at a signing and she’s a wonderful kind person. Can’t wait for Rain Wilds. Love love love your ROTE content.

There have been times this year when I've considered myself more of a settings-driven reader than a character-driven one. Haha! It just depends. This makes me feel more excited about this quartet stop on the journey. It's always wonderful hearing your thoughts, Philip!

Just halfway through Assassin's Apprentice (and loving it!), and it's good to hear your opinion on this. I always thought to skip Rain Wilds Chronicles and just read some summaries, but now I think that I will at least give it a try when I get there eventually. Sadly, my patience for books I don't really enjoy is very low, but let's see! There are still a lot of books between now and then haha

Enjoyed your thoughts on this. I definitely agree with it opening up the world A LOT...esp from what we see/know in AQ.

I have about a 100 pages left of Fool's Fate. I don't think I'll start Rainwild until Spring next year.

I enjoyed this series quite a bit. More than most, but I really do think the final volume was a let-down. There was a lot of stories that were just dropped or hurried to an end I though. The final book should have been longer, more Robin Hobb size, and I suspect if she had it longer, it maybe been better. I really liked first 3 volumes. I wish we could see more of Kelsingra though. The real character of this book is the city they find, and I really wish we could have spent more time exploring that. The entire Chalcead arc felt rushed and poorly wrapped-up.

I’m slowly working my way through Hobb. I’m on book 2 of Farseer Trilogy. One day I will get to Rain Wilds. I love these books though.

Lmao 😅my momma always said if I don’t have anything nice to say…..

Well, I'm really enjoying Liveship Traders, especially after the surprisingly fast paced tome Wall of Storms, but my plan is to take a break after Tawny Man to recalibrate expectations for Rainwilds... and to recover from whatever trauma Hobb will likely put me through haha

I think its my second least favorite but as you say its still amazing. I love Thymara, all the boys kinda suck though

Haven't watched yet so really curious how you'll like this series. Heard many bad things about it lol, which is a bit offputting since Farseer is one of my favorite trilogies ever so far (still working through book 3 though).

I enjoyed this series a lot, at least partially due to the lowered expectations going into it. I think Alise is iconic, a great character on par with some of the other greats of RotE. Definitely think the publisher should've let Hobb write it the way she wanted to in the beginning instead fo pushing the YA agenda on her, but oh well. we have what we have. I also, personally put some of the Liveships storylines from the last trilogy in these books in a perfect world, but it is what it is

To me, this series felt like YA love triangles but for adults lol

Here are mine: WOOF.

U speak dramatically

Wonderful review that more than does the series justice! I personally really enjoyed Rainwilds, though I think it also might have helped that I could connect more to the younger and more emotionally-driven characters as I am closer to them in age still. I was also just so captivated by the setting and the lore here though, there's so much rich world building to sink your teeth into! Oh and btw, I love how the name 'Kyle' just sends shivers up my spine every time I hear it mentioned, hahah. Talk about effective character work, for better or worse 🤣🥲