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Loading... Black Powder War (Temeraire, Book 3)by Naomi Novik
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. While still a very good read, you can definitely tell that this book takes place in the middle of a series. In this third book of the Temeraire series, Laurence and his dragon are ordered from China to Istanbul, to collect three dragon eggs that are about to be hatched. I wasn’t as engrossed in the plot this time, but still very much enjoyed the characterisation. Laurence and Temeraire are ordered to Turkey to claim some dragon eggs which are promised to England. Becalmed, they decide to make the voyage overland, despite the dangers. I liked this a little more than Throne of Jade - although I liked to see the characters experiencing new places, I was glad they were on their way home Tharkay I'm as confused about as Laurence, though I was happy to see Granby get a dragon, particularly such an awesome one. 0.021 seconds to build listing no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0345481305, Mass Market Paperback)“A splendid series.”–Anne McCaffrey “Naomi Novik has done for the Napoleonic Wars what Anne McCaffrey did for science fiction: constructed an alternate reality in which dragons are real in a saga that is impressively original, fully developed, and peopled with characters you care about.” –David Weber, author of the Honor Harrington series After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty’s Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching. Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn–thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master’s death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army? (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:24 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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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. (