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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Empire of Ivory was a step up from the past couple Temeraire books. This had more of the feel of the original and was much more interesting.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've been trying to solidify my opinion on this series, and it is surprisingly difficult. On the one hand, I enjoy the pseudo-historical setting with dragons. The Napoleonic era is not as overdone as alternate history WWII or the Cold War, and what historical war wouldn't have been improved with dragons? Also, Novik's world-building is top-notch. She has seamlessly meshed real historical detail and politics with her imaginary dragonkind, and she carefully explores all of the moral implications of the real-world and fantasy elements. It makes for a living, breathing fantasy realm that is very absorbing.
On the other hand, her books leave me feeling drained and slightly depressed when I finish them. I couldn't figure out what was bothering me exactly, but I think I have nailed down what the problem is. Novik tends to build tension for a while and then solves it while almost in the same breath creating new problems. It was most obvious in this and the previous novel, but the pattern has been present throughout the series. Difficulties of travel, foreign politics, interpersonal relationships, and conflicts between Temeraire's naivete and Lawrence's uncomfortable knowledge of the injustices of the world are all allowed to build for pages of the narrative, but frequently these obstacles either have no payoff (Riley's and Lawrence's respective crewmen never grow in their understanding of each other) or it is supplanted by new tensions immediately (). Even central conflicts involving intense emotions (Will they discover a cure for the dragon sickness?) are barely resolved before insurmountable problems completely shift the novel in a new direction () The conclusion of this arc is particularly unsatisfying as the nailbiting tension of the first half is resolved for most of our characters off-screen and any lingering concerns are dismissed nonchalantly by an admiral as our main characters grapple with new insurmountable problems.
Novik barely allows time for readers to absorb that victory has happened before she is embroiling her characters in new difficulties, and this makes for an exhausting read in which her characters constantly seem to be losing. Often they are reactionary rather than active participants, and Lawrence frames many of their decisions as "I had no choice." I believe that Novik is trying for a picaresque style of narrative in the vein of various sea adventure novels, but that has always been my least favorite plot structure and I think that she handles it poorly anyway. Her novel is too serious and too tied to urgent central conflicts to really sustain the picaresque framing and the effort at switching from setpiece to setpiece just leaves her readers spent.
This series is still entertaining and interesting, but I find that I have to take breaks in between each installment before continuing to allow myself to recover. Ironically, I think one of the reasons I find it so difficult is because the characters are so engaging. I want to root for Lawrence and Temeraire, not watch them constantly outmanned by fate, foreigners, and feral dragons. Part of the reason that it is so depressing to read is because I genuinely care about these people. I will probably continue to read these novels, but they will always be tinged for me with shades of wistfulness as I think about what might have been, and they will probably not make it onto my list of favorites.
On the other hand, her books leave me feeling drained and slightly depressed when I finish them. I couldn't figure out what was bothering me exactly, but I think I have nailed down what the problem is. Novik tends to build tension for a while and then solves it while almost in the same breath creating new problems. It was most obvious in this and the previous novel, but the pattern has been present throughout the series. Difficulties of travel, foreign politics, interpersonal relationships, and conflicts between Temeraire's naivete and Lawrence's uncomfortable knowledge of the injustices of the world are all allowed to build for pages of the narrative, but frequently these obstacles either have no payoff (Riley's and Lawrence's respective crewmen never grow in their understanding of each other) or it is supplanted by new tensions immediately (
Spoiler
from the third novel: as soon as they have successfully navigated the wilderness their flightmates commit a social solecism and they are imprisoned by a foreign powerSpoiler
They are captured by hostile natives and flown hundreds of miles from their allies.Novik barely allows time for readers to absorb that victory has happened before she is embroiling her characters in new difficulties, and this makes for an exhausting read in which her characters constantly seem to be losing. Often they are reactionary rather than active participants, and Lawrence frames many of their decisions as "I had no choice." I believe that Novik is trying for a picaresque style of narrative in the vein of various sea adventure novels, but that has always been my least favorite plot structure and I think that she handles it poorly anyway. Her novel is too serious and too tied to urgent central conflicts to really sustain the picaresque framing and the effort at switching from setpiece to setpiece just leaves her readers spent.
This series is still entertaining and interesting, but I find that I have to take breaks in between each installment before continuing to allow myself to recover. Ironically, I think one of the reasons I find it so difficult is because the characters are so engaging. I want to root for Lawrence and Temeraire, not watch them constantly outmanned by fate, foreigners, and feral dragons. Part of the reason that it is so depressing to read is because I genuinely care about these people. I will probably continue to read these novels, but they will always be tinged for me with shades of wistfulness as I think about what might have been, and they will probably not make it onto my list of favorites.
adventurous
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Penasaran kan kenapa di buku sebelumnya Temeraire dan Laurence macam harus bertanggung jawab menghadapi kemarahan Prussia yang di php Inggris? Ternyata Inggrisnya sedang dilanda wabah pilekNaga yang sangat berbahaya. Temanya pas banget dengan kondisi pademik kita ya...
Karena jadi satu-satunya naga yang sehat jadi pasangan ini terpanggil untuk melakukan banyak misi harian. Dan saat itu gak mungkin dilakukan mereka terpaksa menjalani misi pencarian obat dan terapi sampai benua Afrika.
Memadukan issue perbudakan dan emansipasi para Naga itu ide yang cemerlang. Kota Naga di Afrika itu menarik banget, sayang gak di eksplorasi lebih dalam. Aksi maneuver diatas naga gak sebanyak buku sebelumnya karena lebih banyak berkecimpung soal politik militer dari dewan yang lemah.
Nah walaupun gak out of character tapi keputusan simalakama yang diambil Laurence demi Temeraire benar-benar membuat mereka terperosok jauh. Aku stress kan sekarang kepo pengen tahu gimana nasib mereka..
Karena jadi satu-satunya naga yang sehat jadi pasangan ini terpanggil untuk melakukan banyak misi harian. Dan saat itu gak mungkin dilakukan mereka terpaksa menjalani misi pencarian obat dan terapi sampai benua Afrika.
Memadukan issue perbudakan dan emansipasi para Naga itu ide yang cemerlang. Kota Naga di Afrika itu menarik banget, sayang gak di eksplorasi lebih dalam. Aksi maneuver diatas naga gak sebanyak buku sebelumnya karena lebih banyak berkecimpung soal politik militer dari dewan yang lemah.
Nah walaupun gak out of character tapi keputusan simalakama yang diambil Laurence demi Temeraire benar-benar membuat mereka terperosok jauh. Aku stress kan sekarang kepo pengen tahu gimana nasib mereka..
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Another extremely enjoyable entry in the Temeraire series. Upon returning from Turkey and Germany, Laurence and Temeraire learn that nearly all of the dragons in England have fallen prety to a tuberculosis-type illness, and there is great danger that England may be left undefended. This leads the pair to Africa, in a last-ditch effort to find a cure.
I didn't feel that this was quite so neatly plotted as the earlier books in the series; the story takes a while to get going at first, and then portions of the second half end up feeling a bit rushed. It's still wildly entertaining, and I devoured it speedily. I also loved Novik's exploration of what would have happened to the African slave trade if certain African tribes had powerful dragons to back them up and protect them; it's an intriguing twist, and I hope she continues to pursue it.
I didn't feel that this was quite so neatly plotted as the earlier books in the series; the story takes a while to get going at first, and then portions of the second half end up feeling a bit rushed. It's still wildly entertaining, and I devoured it speedily. I also loved Novik's exploration of what would have happened to the African slave trade if certain African tribes had powerful dragons to back them up and protect them; it's an intriguing twist, and I hope she continues to pursue it.