Solid continuation of the series -- the main characters are as intriguing as ever

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	• Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5) Naomi Novik Del Rey, 2008 - 342 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Just as good

I think that naomi has done a very good job on this book in the series and I can only wait for the next installation of the series.

Solid continuation of the series

The latest in Naomi Novik's series starting with His Majesty's Dragon continues the troubles of Captain Laurence and his Celestial dragon, Temeraire. I won't give away the plot, but the fifth book in the series picks up almost immediately from the end of the preceding novel, as our two heroes fight Napoleon in the second French invasion of England.

What's interesting is how certain points made in book 1 must be taken up, and Ms. Novik has the courage of her convictions to have her characters have the courage of their convictions. The issue of how British high society, the Admiralty and the Parliament should treat dragons is, in a fair way, a substitute for the abolition argument that raged in that time, and Novik uses that as a starting point for presenting whether dragons should have rights as sentient creatures -- and if not, whyever they should feel 'patriotic' for a society that mistreats them. Clever, clever, and filtered (mostly but not completely successfully) through 19th century minds. This adds to previous novels that looked at the treatment of women (e.g., Jane Rowland) who fight for the country but are denied recognition.

One other reviewer questions why we shouldn't root for Napoleon. That's precisely the point: Napoleon, brutish as he might be in conquering other countries, displays an enlightened attitude (or a ruthlessly mercenary one, take your pick, and Novik lets you) in the relationship of man to dragon. Struggle with that one as you read Temeraire's exploits, and you begin the see the cleverness in this series -- it's not about dragons, it's about how we humans see the world.

One star off: the middle-third of the books sags some. Novik could do with some time off before her next book, as much as I'd like to read it.

Overall, a very solid continuation of the series. Novik is an excellent writer, and she's created a world that is at once familiar and alien. That's a neat trick for a sci-fi/alternative history/fantasy writer.

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first rate

Novik gets better with each book. Her characters show more depth, her plots are well developed, and it becomes easier to suspend disbelief so necessary for fantasy fiction to work. She deserves to be published in hard copy now, having made the transition from paperback.

Solid continuation of the series -- the main characters are as intriguing as ever

Even though the preceding volume in this ongoing series ended on a cliffhanger, with Napoleon about to invade Britain, the real story here has to do with the developing relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. That's what's holding me to the story, and will keep me anticipating each new volume. The Temeraire series is light reading, but is more than merely a guilty pleasure.

Novik does a marvelous job describing the ongoing battles and intrigues -- and obviously has done a great deal of research. Little details stand out in the midst of elaborate descriptions -- I was struck by her description of a cannon ball that had been fired on the ship where Laurence was imprisoned. It was moving at a pace where the guard thought he might stop it with his foot -- but it had built up enough momentum that it ripped cleanly through his foot and a wall before ceasing to roll.

Where the book really shines, though, is in its attention to the evolution in Laurence's attitudes and response to situations -- his commitment to a sense of honor and dignity in the face of the indignities he suffers -- and in its tracing of an evolution in Temeraire's understanding of himself and of the world. Temeraire was born intelligent and able to speak -- a situation quite different from that of human beings who have to grow into reason, and for whom habituation and norms come prior to elaborate self reflection. He can't understand Laurence's peculiar sense of pride and dignity in the service of duty -- and why he would be willing to be executed for treason when he did what was obviously the just thing. What I found most intriguing in this book were the ways he tried to make sense of Laurence's values -- even as his experiences began to call for some of the same skills as Laurence.

Apart from its alternative history, the series is clearly moving in a direction where Temeraire will begin to develop an independence and autonomy from Laurence -- that is essential to his development. One of the primary reasons offered in the series why the dragons -- while sentient and intelligent -- are not free is the fact that humans have exploited the fact that they imprint so strongly to a master. If Temeraire is to live up to his promise to be a leader among dragons, he will have to find a degree of autonomy and independence in spite of this.

The series looks as though it could go on for a while -- and that's not a bad thing. I look forward to the future exploits and adventures and growth of both Laurence and Temeraire.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Naomi Novik?s triumphant debut, His Majesty?s Dragon, introduced a dynamic new pair of heroes to the annals of fantasy fiction: the noble fighting dragon Temeraire and his master and commander, Capt. Will Laurence, who serves Britain?s peerless Aerial Corps in the thick of the raging Napoleonic Wars. Now, in the latest novel of this dazzling series, they soar to new heights of breathtaking action and brilliant imagination.

It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service?and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason.

For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon?s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon?s prime objective: the occupation of London.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon?s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon?s foothold on England?s shores can become a stranglehold.

If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain?s scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before?for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her would-be conquerors?

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