Naomi Novik’s beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon’s forces and the friendly—and sometimes not-so-friendly—fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason.
For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.
And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.
Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.
Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.
About Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of His Majesty’s Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory,Victory of Eagles, and Tongues of Serpents, the first six volumes of the Temeraire series, recently optioned by Peter Jackson, the Academy Award–winning director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 2007, Novik received the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at the World Science Fiction Convention. A history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era, Novik studied English literature at Brown University, then did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide. She is also the author of the graphic novel Will Supervillains Be on the Final? Novik lives in New York City with her family and six computers.
Editorial Review
Previously, Laurence was convicted of treason and transported for preventing the British from infecting the enemy French dragons with a fatal disease. As this volume opens, ambassador Arthur Hammond ends Laurence’s Australian exile, restoring his commission and appointing him to negotiate with a force of African dragons sent by Napoleon to Brazil. Along the way, Laurence and his companions endure shipwreck, capture, stranding on an island and a desperate journey through the Incan Empire (the local dragons prevented the conquistadors from succeeding in this universe, although the smallpox they left behind has proved fairly devastating). While there is some intriguing but sadly limited time spent examining the differing political, societal and spiritual roles played by dragons in various cultures, most of the plot is devoted to nonstop action. Underneath it all, however, Novik is ambitiously exploring what it is to be a moral man in a world where such a quality is considered inconvenient at best; a man who, despite the powerful leverage provided by his dragon, may never be able to fully triumph over rampant corruption and petty opportunism. – Kirkus Reviews
When so much thought and care has gone into creating a world, authors and readers both want to spend more than the span of one book exploring it. This is why it can seem almost impossible to find a good fantasy novel that’s not part of a series. Now, my editor did tell me I couldn’t include books that happen to be number five or six or 12 in a series. But what can I do when there’s a new Naomi Novik book out?
Consider this selection a bonus.
Crucible of Gold is the seventh volume in the globetrotting Temeraire series, which is probably best described as “Patrick O’Brian with dragons.” Novik paints a vivid picture of the Napoleonic wars, except that these Napoleonic wars involve an air force of massive dragons, crewed and armed much like warships of the day (midwingmen, ahoy!).
She has the elegant language of O’Brian’s books down pat, but more than that, she’ll make you fall in love with the characters. Temeraire is the young dragon at the heart of the series, and watching him grow up and discover his Chinese heritage — and develop the beginnings of a dragony political conscience — is just as fascinating as the well-drawn aerial battles.
UnBound: Battle of the Half-Angels
The Nephillim Chronicles – Book One by Ronnie Massey
Justin and Theo are just normal teenagers with their teenage problems, until the day they meet their biological fathers, Michael and Uriel, two of the few remaining archangels. They learn, they are nephillim, the half human offspring of angels, and they learn they are not the only ones. In the days of old, nephillim walked the earth. Now heaven’s misfits may be all that stands between mankind and the wrath of Lucifer and the Fallen. But how will a handful of teenagers react when they find out, not only are they not human, but they are the most powerful soldiers in heaven’s army? How will they deal with their newly found powers? And will they be able to stop Lucifer?
We are the only country that makes guns, including military-style assault weapons, available to anyone who wants to buy them. This is not freedom. It is a tyranny of death and destruction — a tyranny of which the National Rifle Association is proud. The Washington Post
UnBound: Battle of the Half-Angels
