3.94 AVERAGE


So.. I'm moving out of state in a few days and have been listening to a lot of books while I pack and clean. Since I was listening, I had no idea how far into a book I was. I felt like it was getting close to the end because a BIG THING was about to happen when....

the book ended.

I seriously thought there was something wrong with the file. But no. Fucking big cliffhanger ending.

It's been a year or more since I read a Temeraire book. I forgot how much I adore Temeraire and also the new baby dragon that spits fire (no idea how her name is spelled) - she was hilarious, especially when she started acting like a dragon pirate.

I'm giving this one a 4.5 I don't have any complaints really except that the narrator made Lawrence sound like an old man. I've rekindled my interest in finishing this series - especially with the last book coming out soon (or maybe it's already out).

But for now - back to packing.

The turns in the final quarter of this book made this another great entry in the Temeraire series. Kudos for Novik for writing about 18th Century England (with dragons!) and then choosing to expand that outward to think about what it would mean for the rest of the world if there were intelligent, speaking, dragons during this time. For instance, what would be the impacts on the slave trade, and how would dragons view it? What role would dragons play in the Africans' fight against European colonizers? These are thoughtful books.

I'd go so far as to say this is one of the best Temeraire books yet. Cultural additions are pretty great.
adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Temeraire goes to Africa!
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: No

Ich hätte gerne eine Karte von Afrika gehabt, um den Weg dort nachvollziehen zu können. Bei den Wasserfällen dämmerte es mir zwar, dass es sich um die berühmten Viktoria - Fälle handeln muss, aber dies wird erst sehr weit am Ende bestätigt durch eine Niederschrift der Geschichte der Tswana (damaliges Königreich; Bevölkerung von Botswana wenn ich es richtig nachvollziehen konnte), wobei mir hier auch Google/Wikipedia weiter half.

Davon abgesehen: damn, das Ende ist sehr abrupt. Eben liest man noch über die Beiden, dann kommt die Niederschrift der Geschichte der Tswana (was man irgendwie als Zwischenstück ansehen könnte, wenn man nicht auf die Seitenzahlen achtet) und dann kommt ganz plötzlich die Danksagung.

Ich muss aber gestehen: ich mag die Darstellung Napoleons nicht. Sie ist zu ... überzogen, da er so dargestellt wird als hätte er nur das Beste für jeden Menschen und Drachen im Sinn. Auch wenn es ausgedacht ist, so finde ich, dass die Darstellung doch ... falsch ist. Aber das ist eine persönliche Einschätzung.