9.13.2013

 

Blood of Tyrants

by Naomi Novik, 431 pgs, hardcover
Series: Temeraire book 8
Overall Grade: A 

It's hard to tell if this is truly the penultimate book in the Temeraire series, but until further clarification I will act as if it is.

When last we parted ways from Laurence, Temeraire and company, they were headed to China from South America. Novik spares us the tedium of narrating the trans-Pacific crossing and suddenly dumps the reader and characters on and near Japan. Laurence has somehow been washed ashore in feudal Japan, and for those readers not also enamoured with Japanese history/culture that was an era when Japan was so isolationist that Westerners were only allowed in one port and were likely to be executed if they turned up anywhere else. And if that isn't torturous enough, he has amnesia and doesn't remember any of the past ten or so dragon-ful years of his life. Meanwhile everyone else is stuck on a ship stuck on the rocks in inclement weather. Thus begins the story!

'Blood of Tyrants' is broken up into 3 parts taking place in Japan, China and Russia sequentially. Unlike several of the other novels in the series (I'm looking at you 'Throne of Jade' 'Black Powder War' 'Tongues of Serpents'), Novik is light on the travel narration. This means that the story does take some geographic and chronologic jumps. (I would have read it w/o jumps but then I adore Patrick O'Brian's novels and The Silmarillion :-P  ) In hindsight, I felt this rushed the pacing of the novel, but it doesn't feel that way during the reading when it seemed like they spent forever in Japan and I just wanted them to get to China already. Is this pacing a signal of the series headed into denouement? The novel does end with Laurence and Temeraire in the midst of fighting Napoleon's forces in Russia. (I don't feel like that is a spoiler because, while Novik has and is re-writing some history she's not completely ignoring how the Napoleonic Wars went.)

How will it all turn out in the next book? I don't know, but I will have The 1812 Overture queued for epic dragon warfare!

Haha! Look how much I've written! Temeraire books get such thorough reviews from me!

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 11:03 PM

5.12.2012

 

Crucible of Gold

by Naomi Novik, 323 pgs, hardcover
Series: Temeraire book 7
Overall Grade: A

Yes, it has been months since this book came out. Yes, I will use the excuse that I have been busy with classes and "savoring" this book that I only finished it just. Moving along...
'Crucible of Gold' was worth the two year wait. Novik again introduces us to a new continent of dragons - South America - which have their own version of how dragons are incorporated into their culture and society, just like we saw in China & Africa in previous books. This gives Temeraire more IDEAS, which I am sure will come back to bite Laurence in later chapters.
The plot begins with Hammond (who was he? oh yeah - that British diplomat guy from when they were in China) catches a dragon flight down from China to Australia (see 'Tongues of Serpents' if this is something unfamiliar) where he deposits himself upon Laurence and Temeraire saying that they will be reinstated to the Dragon Corps and Laurence gets his rank back, if only they go over and help the situation in South America, where the French are sending Tswana (African) dragons over to terrorize the Portugeuse empire in Brazil. Knowing reinstate sounds too good to be true, Laurence & Temeraire set off anyway, picking out a questionable crew from the Sydney before sailing off on the 'Allegiance' with Iskierka, Kulingile, their respective captains and crew.
You can imagine things are going to go well because the route of the Allegiance stops part way across the map at the beginning of the book. Then there's lots of flying, foreign dragons, being stranded on an island, meeting the Inca & their dragons (or should I say, the Inca dragons & their people?), more travel, and a bid to stop the Incan empress from marrying Napoleon. And if you like Granby whumpage? Oh man, stick around! There is plenty physical pain and emotional turmoil to be had for this captain.
By the end it looks like Laurence and Temeraire will be headed back to China, possibly overland?! Are we finally going to see the pair set foot in North America/the United States? Has the Louisiana Purchase even happened in this alternate history? When will the next book come out??

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 12:50 AM

11.18.2010

 

Tongues of Serpents


by Naomi Novik, hardcover 274pgs
Series: Temeraire book 6
Overall Grade: A
Sequel to 'Victory of Eagles'. One of the highly-anticipated books over my summer secluded at camp. I can only fault it for being thinner, and hence shorter, than I had hoped. Temeraire and Laurence arrive in Australia to begin their exile, only to learn Australia lacks many things, even an imperial governor after the convicts mutiny 3+ times. Get a clue, Bligh! Also, one of the dragon eggs that had travelled with them from England gets stolen by natives, so off Temeraire and company go to chase it down, hopefully before it hatches. We get to meet quite a few new named dragons, learn what Australia has instead of indigenous dragons, and just to what extend the Chinese are willing to go to smuggle their goods into British markets.

Related news, this is book 6 in a series of 9. We're 2/3 of the way done now! Wah!!

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 2:22 AM

6.16.2009

 

Victory of Eagles


by Naomi Novik, 329pgs, hardcover
Series: Temeraire book 5
Overall Grade: A+
I adore this book. The fifth in the Temeraire series. Following Laurence and Temeraire's treason at the end of the last book (Empire of Ivory), both are moldering away awaiting Laurence's execution at some indeterminate time in the future. Then Novik takes a bold roll of the alt.history dice and has Napoleon invade England. So you know at that point that Laurence and Temeraire are going to be reunited and fighting for King and Country, despite King and Country holding a sword over Laurence's head.
Oh, woe is Laurence. You can't seem to escape these period novels without duty-bound male angst. Nevertheless, there were many squeeful moments during reading when I wanted to cuddle my cheek against the pages because Laurence and Temeraire were being so adorable. Probably my favorite of the series so far!

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 3:12 PM

5.26.2009

 

Empire of Ivory


by Naomi Novik, 404 pgs, paperback
Series: Temeraire book 4
Overall Grade: A 

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 3:19 PM

3.08.2009

 

His Majesty's Dragon


by Naomi Novik, 353 pgs, paperback
Series: Temeraire book 1
Overall Grade: A
Dragons + tall ships = love. What can I say? When you combine two of my favorite genres (fantasy & Napoleonic-era British navy) you're bound to get something good. The gist: Cpt. Laurence and the crew of the H.M.S. Reliant take a French ship as a prize. On board they find a rare dragon egg, and Laurence is the lucky one whom the dragon takes as his captain. So Laurence must leave his beloved navy and join the aerial corps in the effort to break Napoleon's war effort.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 9:21 PM

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