Victory of Eagles

Amazon received

Loved it as much or more as the earlier books, but it is rather grimmer than the first couple. Plenty of deaths and grim war, though this is set during this world's equivalent of Waterloo; plenty of cynicism with officialdom, though Wellington comes out slightly less tarnished than Nelson.

Lots and lots of Temeraire being clever-but-not-human, which is pretty cool; and other dragons also being as clever as him, which is good. ( )

Another great entry in the series--maybe not quite as fun as the last one since it's all set in England, without the exotic locations and all.
There's kind of a lot of stuff about military strategy and supply lines, but I liked that because it was realistic. If you have these huge animals fighting with you, obviously you're going to have to feed them. A lot.
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a return to form. set in England, with Napoleon invading. Temeraire learns politics, and Lawrence does penance. the dragon characters have more distinct personalities and conversation than the homo saps, which is amusing, there are a lot of epiphanies and even seachanges as their situation and their thinking propels rapid change in the field of war. ( )

Victory of Eagles, fifth in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, finds both England and William Laurence in dire straits. Laurence has been condemned to death for treason (supplying the French with the cure to the fatal dragon epidemic deliberately spread to them by the British). But it isn’t so simple to execute a traitor when that traitor is an aviator whose dragon will wreak havoc upon his captain’s demise. And so Laurence is a sort of limbo prison, while Temeraire is exiled to the breeding grounds, his good behavior surety for Laurence’s life.

All of this changes when Napoleon lands in Britain and takes London. Laurence is recalled to duty under the press of necessity, and he and Temeraire are given an assignment so distasteful, it isn’t even officially stated. They are to lead a company of dragons in killing the unprotected French forces raiding the countryside to feed their dragons. No prisoners.

It’s a bleak tale, matched by the bleakness of Laurence’s soul as he comes to grips with what his heroic treason has cost him. Temeraire, too, finally begins to understand and to regret that he insisted on the treasonous act. Several characters from earlier books resurface—Tharkay, Edith, and Edith’s husband Woolvey—and play important parts in the story. We even get a quick glimpse of mad King George.

There are also some important strides made in the struggle for dragons’ rights, as Temeraire organizes and takes command of the dragons of the breeding grounds, leading them into battle of his own volition with no human officers whatever present. Laurence is able to negotiate wages for the dragons with the new British commander, Wellesley (later known as Wellington). But it’s wartime; who can say how things will really pan out when peace comes?

Though not my favorite of the series, this is a solid addition and I am looking forward to the sixth book. Highly recommended! ( )