Blood of Tyrants: a novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik

This next to the last book of the Temeraire series is truly dazzling. While the idea of having Will Laurence, captain of the dragon Temeraire, get hit on the head and forget the last eight years of his life seems a bit fanciful at first, in its execution Novik masterfully replays for us and Will all that has happened to him since he became an aviator and how his life changed so dramatically, from being a British sea captain to an aviator in his Majesty’s Aerial Corps. In Novik’s alternate telling of the Napoleonic Wars, dragons, which are capable of speech and reasoning, are harnessed to be the countries’ aerial forces.

Laurence has always been tremendously sympathetic as someone who, when thrust into an unexpected situation, grasps (almost always) the essential dignity and character of whoever he is faced with - be they a dragon, a female fighting as a soldier, even his archenemy Napoleon Bonaparte. And if he is mistaken in his assessment, he is always quick to acknowledge his error.

Novik realistically portrays Will suffering from amnesia, without any insight into dragons or how countries make use of them, and also without his hard won experience of how governments may abuse power, taking any means at their disposal.  As he learns more and more about his life, we, the readers, are taken again over the terrain of these conditions which changed him. We already know him (and Temeraire), yet this helps us to know him better. Novik has used Will as our sounding board, for how he knows Temeraire and all of the others, and this plot device serves her well.

The scenes of this book are many - feudal Japan, a China challenged to take her place in the global economy of trade, and a Russia which boasts European culture yet oppresses its workers, human and dragon alike. The pace is swift, as we are accustomed to with Novik, with abrupt changes of fortune. Yet some developments continue steadily onward, such as Laurence’s realization of his present life, his attachment to Temeraire, and Napoleon’s march into Russia.  

To see the book in our catalog, click here.

Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

This is the seventh of the Temeraire series, set in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Novik has made some changes in the events of that time, and also determined that those mythical creatures, dragons, are a strategic component of many countries’ military might. Western nations have Aerial Corps, using dragons instead of planes for battles both on land and at sea. A captain in the Aerial Corps forms a bond with a dragon when it is hatched from the egg, but each dragon also has a crew that rides it by locking onto a web of harnesses, dropping bombs and firing weapons. While the concept sounds a bit whimsical, Novik’s detailed knowledge of that historical era, coupled with her ability to spin an exciting narrative, makes the series a success.

The dragons are fully capable of thought, speech and action when they are hatched, although they are able to mature with experience, like humans. They are characters in their own right and Temeraire, who the series is named after, is both noble and yet touching in his desire to help his own captain, Will Lawrence be successful and be looked up to both in the Corps and in society at large.

What has stymied Temeraire’s goal is the corruption and treachery that is part of human endeavor, so that Will and Temeraire both have found themselves outside the Corps and even banished from England. In this novel they have been asked to join the Corps again to help fight against Napoleon’s latest venture in Brazil. Many African dragons closely bound with village communities in their native country suffered the depredation of the slave trade, losing men, women, and children taken by the Europeans to the New World. (In an earlier book, Empire of Ivory, we met one of those dragons.) Napoleon has enlisted the African dragons to attack and lay waste to Brazilian colonies, giving them the inducement of finding and recovering their lost villagers.

In South America we see a culture permeated with dragons, like China, but with a different slant. Novik is not content to leave dragons (or people, for that matter) in one state of development, but keeps devising historical scenarios that allow for new characteristics to emerge. Because so many native peoples were stricken and died by disease brought to them by Europeans, the dragons set great store on those that remain, and care for those in their community like brooding hens, eager to have them raise descendents to continue their close companionship.

All of this makes for some complicated plots and subplots, yet the careful reader is rewarded with a panorama of political intrigue and simple soldiering that rings true. We can feel how long it takes to sail at these latitudes, in those ships, and how long it takes to struggle through mountainous passes. The series is rumored to be drawing to a close, and I will not be the only reader sorry to have it end.

Click here for catalog listing.

The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters / by Andy Andrews

"Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world."

Among the less heralded heroes of the Civil War was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a college professor with no prior military experience who rose through the ranks of the Union army ultimately making Brigadier General by the war's end. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the then Colonel Chamberlain did one of the most daring (some would say stupid) things any commanding officer could ever do: he ordered a charge of his infantry unit--dwindled down to only 80 men and all out of ammunition excepting their bayonets--down from their elevated post towards the oncoming Confederate brigade of well over 400 men, all armed with adequate ammunition. The gamble paid off. Chamberlain and his men were able to hinge in the Confederates, capturing a multitude of troops and securing the strategic high ground known as Little Round Top. Historians have pinned Chamberlain's charge as the critical juncture in the battle which turned the tide in favor of the Union army who ultimately won the Civil War, preserved the United States as a nation (not a conglomeration of federated states like Europe which it is speculated that America would have become had the South won) and aided in establishing the "America" of today. Chamberlain's charge changed the course of American and, in effect, world history, making him one of the most recognizable cases of one rather ordinary individual altering the course of human events.
.
Most people are familiar with the theory of the Butterfly Effect in which a butterfly flapping its wings in Asia can indelibly alter the shifts in wind currents thousands of miles away so much so that a hurricane is started in Africa. For some, this has been translated to mean that the smallest human actions can have the largest impact on mankind. Andy Andrews certainly thinks so. The author and motivational speaker was once homeless, living on the streets in various towns along the Gulf Coast at his lowest point. In the last twenty years, he's transformed his poverty into prosperity, inspired numerous people struggling through hard times and been featured on various media outlets throughout the country. In addition to charming stories like the one above involving General Chamberlain, Andrews latest inspirational book includes other anecdotes on individuals who've made a difference simply by taking a stand for what's right and acting as opposed to doing nothing in times of crisis. Actions matter is what Andrews tries to get across in this very tiny book which could probably be read in one 15-20 minute sitting. What you do matters so much so that sometimes it can alter the course of history. (158.1 ANDREWS)

Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

The latest book in the Temeraire series, book 6, finds Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire in Australia, at the time of the Napoleonic wars. The author Novik is a history buff and writes convincingly of the details of war as waged at that time. However, this is an “alternate” history, and these Napoleonic wars, while covering much of the same territory as their real counterparts, differ significantly in events, such as Napoleon actually invading England in Victory of Eagles, Book 5. While many praise Novik for her realistic portrayal of historical settings, and others imply that readers who simply love dragons are lining up at book signings, in my opinion the strength of these books goes far beyond possessing those two elements. Her ability to pull you into the action and circumstances of each chapter, without your noticing it, shows what some reviewers have commented on – prose that carries no excess weight or dreary detail. What I have found tremendous is her consummate skill in ending chapters, so that just as you feel as despairing of circumstance as Temeraire or Laurence might be feeling, in one stroke all is changed.

The two are in New South Wales, a British prison colony, since Laurence was condemned as a traitor to Britain and Temeraire along with him. Neither are prisoners, however, since Laurence’s sentence was changed to being deported. While they continue on adventures with British forces, their status has changed and they might, if they wished, leave it all behind and retire to a farm in the interior. Somehow you know this will not happen. Novik likes showing the underside of politics --- how fine or not so fine intentions of leaders or countries end up being implemented with consequences brutal to both soldiers and civilians. This book has struck some readers as dreary, as there is a long overland passage involved, as in Book 3. In my view, Novik is depicting how tiring and numbing such journeys can be. And if I can’t actually be there, I appreciate feeling as if I am. (there are some nice excerpts of an interview with Naomi Novik at io9.com/5634183)

Black Powder War (Temeraire, Book 3), by Naomi Novik

Although I started this series with book three, that was no obstacle to my enjoyment. While I might have been briefly confused as to plot, the main character, Captain Will Laurence, is quickly caught up in one predicament after another, and my interest in his fortunes never waned. Naomi Novik has created an alternate history fantasy series, which is set in the time of Napoleon. The actual flavor of that era and its military details felt authentic to me, due to Novik’s special interest in that era. The only difference is that dragons are present and utilized by different countries in different roles. The Captain is British and acquired his dragon, Temeraire, by chance as chronicled in the first book of the series, His Majesty’s Dragon. England does not afford its dragons the respect and rights as China does, and one of Temeraire’s main concerns is to rectify that situation. But first the Captain receives orders to leave China, where the book opens, and to travel to Istanbul to pick up three dragon eggs and transport them to England.

Temeraire’s character and his close relationship with Laurence are some of the most delightful aspects of the book. All the dragons and companions are well-sketched, with surprises at every turn throughout their journey. With the first two books to be read, as well as two more now following in the series (Empire of Ivory and Victory of Eagles), I look forward to spending many more entertaining hours in her characters’ company.