I conitnue to love this series, and am looking forward to finishing it. ( )

Third in the Temeraire series, Laurence and Temeraire are ordered home via Istanbul, to pick up a precious cargo. They set out on an epic overland journey from China, meeting feral dragons, and not a few unfriendly peoples and governments along the way.

A fast-paced, masterfully written continuation of the saga. This one doesn't hold up as its own story quite as well as the other two, but well worth reading to continue the story. Temeraire is a unique voice in fiction -- he is so innocent and guileless, but as he becomes more aware of the reality of the world and his own place in it (and his own abilities/power) the plot, as they say, thickens. This is not "mere" fantasy-fiction (which I have nothing against, incidentally) but a subtle political and social commentary wrapped in an irresistible package of adventure and alternate history at its utmost. ( )

It might have been just my mood, but I felt this was pretty boring. I had to force myself through the last half, because I found I really didn't care what happened to the main characters - no suspense. I knew they'd be OK. Those who die are bit parts, rarely thought of before hand & quickly forgotten afterward. The story line was rote. I actually guessed the route they'd take before they got there & I'm not that much of a historian. It was probably as well written as the previous novels, but just too much of the same for me to really enjoy. ( )

Summary: Laurence and his dragon Temeraire are still in China following the adventures of Throne of Jade when they receive an urgent message from the British Admirality: There are three dragon eggs that have been purchased from the Turkish Empire, and Laurence and his crew must retrieve them and bring them back to England. After an accident in port means they must make the journey to Istanbul over land, they must face the dangers of travel through the harsh deserts, only to meet with treachery at the Turkish court - because the Chinese dragon Lien has flown ahead of them. Lien blames Temeraire for her own master's death, and will do whatever it takes to bring him low... even allying herself with the French forces.

Review: A truth about myself that I learned long ago: I do not particularly enjoy reading about battles. Even if they're well-written, I just have a hard time visualizing large-scale battles, troop movements, maneuvers, etc., and so I typically just wind up skimming. This comes as somewhat of a hinderance, as epic fantasy and historical fiction (two of my favorite genres), both tend to feature big battles. And, as the Temeraire books are a hybrid of the two, it was really only a matter of time before we actually got to the battle parts of the Napoleonic war.

The first half, or even two thirds, of the book, is quite good - adventures in the desert, treachery, exotic locations, feral dragons, Temeraire being as charming as usual - all the good stuff. It's a little episodic and hence somewhat disjointed, but it moves along at a good clip and kept me interested. Unfortunately, the last part of the book is a lot more typical war stuff - troops moving here and there, supply issues, scouting and skirmishing and the dreaded big battles... and I'm sorry to say, I did find myself skimming. Totally a matter of personal preference, though; folks who enjoy battle scenes more than I do will probably find the land war an exciting addition. As for me, though, while it was still a fun read, I didn't like it quite as much as the previous two.

Recommendation: I still think the series as a whole is good for fantasy or historical fiction fans who are looking to branch out. While this volume hasn't been my favorite, I'm still looking forward to the rest of the series. ( )

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