Black Powder War (Naomi Novik)

I raced through Black Powder War almost too fast - I was so excited to have it in my hands and so eager to find out what Temeraire and Lawrence did next. I had to remind myself to slow down. (When will the fourth book be released? Can it be twenty times as long, please?)

Basic plot - Temeraire and Lawrence receive orders and make their way from China to Turkey to retrieve dragon eggs purchased by Britain. They then detour to Prussia and take part in battles there against Napoleon's army.

I think this is the darkest of the three volumes so far - there are a couple of devastating battles, and Temeraire and Lawrence constantly encounter setbacks. Novik brings to life a terrible war and a sense of impending doom very well, I thought. Right at the end, they receive terrible news from England, which didn't really sink in until I closed the book and thought, "Oh my GOD. Where the hell is she going to take all this in the fourth book?" Terribly frustrating having to wait.

Throne of Jade (Naomi Novik)

Just like the book that came before it, Throne of Jade made me sigh, and smile, and wish I had a dragon of my very own. Thankfully, it did not make me cry, much to Prince Valiant's relief. He didn't know he was signing up for a fiance who cried over fictional dragons.

In my defence (I always have something to say in my defence), Naomi Novik's characters - and yes, the dragons are very definite characters of their own - practically tap-dance their way into your brain, they're so real. I think, if anything, I enjoyed Throne of Jade more than Temeraire. We need no introduction into the world of dragons, or the air corps - we can relax and enjoy the many characters and political intrigues that litter Throne of Jade.

In this novel (and I realised when reading an interview with Novik that it's not just a trilogy, but a never-ending series! Well, a very lengthy one, anyway. Joy, happiness, etc), Laurence and Temeraire make their way to China, after a lengthy voyage, where they discover that dragons there lead very different lives to those in Britain. Temeraire meets his mother, and Laurence tries to deal with various plots to entice Temeraire away from him.

I thought Novik's writing really improved in this book - there were no moments of clunkiness, and I didn't feel that I was reading a YA novel, as I occasionally did while reading Temeraire. It's a smoother, cleaner production. I will be reading Black Powder War as soon as I can get my hands on it, and then will be psychically urging Novik to write faster, please, because there are some of us who need a Temeraire fix quite regularly. (There's a short story on the Temeraire website, for those who need more.)

Temeraire (Naomi Novik)

I burst into terrific sobs towards the end of this book, so you can be sure that it was a story I enjoyed, or at least was intensely involved in. To distil Temeraire into one sentence - it's a book set in the Napoleonic wars, with one small difference - dragons.

Naomi Novik's dragons are wonderful. What fantastic creations - probably my favourite fictional evocation of dragons, I think. And the way they're used in warfare - I spent a lot of time while reading this book gasping, "Wow, that's just so cool."

I suppose my one quibble with Temeraire would be that I felt at times like I was reading a YA novel (which I don't think it's intended to be). I just felt at times that the dialogue could be more complex - but perhaps its written that way intentionally - it generally fits into the period Novik's trying to evoke. It feels a little "Boys Own", but I think it's meant to - and it's certainly not difficult to let yourself be utterly drawn into Novik's world.

So, despite a few tiny quibbles, I loved and adored it, and can't wait until the sequels arrive at the library. This is a series I'm sure I'll end up buying for myself, as I can tell it's one I'm going to want to re-read many times in the future. Delicious.