Saturday, 25 June 2022 10:33 pm
Book Review: Black Powder War
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deckardcanineThis was one of two dragon-related novels I got for my latest birthday. I gave priority to the safer bet in the wake of a gloomy story. Sad things can happen in the Temeraire series, but they don't cast a pall over the whole read.
At the end of Throne of Jade, Temeraire agrees to return from China to England, partly to please his human bestie Captain Laurence and partly to let his old dragon comrades know how much better they could have it. Now, before they can start sailing home, they receive orders to escort three purchased dragon eggs from the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to a fire on their ship, the only way they might get there in time for the hatching is by crossing the desert and mountains with the orders' shady courier, Tharkay, as their guide. Not only is this trek an ordeal, but Lien, dragon of Laurence's late enemy, is flying ahead to seek vengeance. And Napoleon (who finally makes an appearance in this volume) has been winning so many battles that some would-be allies of England can no longer be trusted not to take his side preemptively.
I find Tharkay interesting as the fictional human characters go. Being half English and half Chinese in the early 19th century means he is an outsider to basically everyone, and he figures that if he'll be widely distrusted anyway, he might as well behave in ways that keep people guessing what he'll do next. I can't say I'd do the same, but only someone who'd been in his shoes could know for sure.
Despite my prediction, Temeraire does not rebel yet. It pains Laurence, who comes from a family of abolitionists, to urge him to delay his campaign until after the war, on the grounds that a Napoleon victory would make matters worse for dragons. Having no counterargument, Temeraire doesn't get angry at Laurence, but he is glummer than in prior entries. The young dragon ("dragonet" in their parlance) is slowly maturing.
This is also the first time we meet wild dragons. Temeraire doesn't exactly envy their undisciplined desperation, but he is intrigued at their culture, including a language not spoken by humans. Might I say, his moments of fascination are pretty adorkable.
The writing herein uses more archaic (and perhaps more British) turns of phrase than I ever noticed before. I had to look up "make a leg," for instance. Perhaps Naomi Novik got better at capturing the setting.
Alas, our heroes' battles have gotten more difficult. So far, nothing has come close to killing Temeraire, but in the presented scenarios, his most powerful attack is generally impractical. And if an army marches on its stomach, no wonder they're in trouble. I have mixed feelings about such visceral moments.
When I got to the last page, I thought, "That's it?" Sure, a lot had happened, but it hardly felt resolved. To call it a stopping point is generous. Now I have to put the sequel on my wish list.
For a brief interlude, I'm reading The Little Prince. High time I knew more about the classic juvenile story than what I'd gleaned from a few sources, including the barely faithful movie.
At the end of Throne of Jade, Temeraire agrees to return from China to England, partly to please his human bestie Captain Laurence and partly to let his old dragon comrades know how much better they could have it. Now, before they can start sailing home, they receive orders to escort three purchased dragon eggs from the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to a fire on their ship, the only way they might get there in time for the hatching is by crossing the desert and mountains with the orders' shady courier, Tharkay, as their guide. Not only is this trek an ordeal, but Lien, dragon of Laurence's late enemy, is flying ahead to seek vengeance. And Napoleon (who finally makes an appearance in this volume) has been winning so many battles that some would-be allies of England can no longer be trusted not to take his side preemptively.
I find Tharkay interesting as the fictional human characters go. Being half English and half Chinese in the early 19th century means he is an outsider to basically everyone, and he figures that if he'll be widely distrusted anyway, he might as well behave in ways that keep people guessing what he'll do next. I can't say I'd do the same, but only someone who'd been in his shoes could know for sure.
Despite my prediction, Temeraire does not rebel yet. It pains Laurence, who comes from a family of abolitionists, to urge him to delay his campaign until after the war, on the grounds that a Napoleon victory would make matters worse for dragons. Having no counterargument, Temeraire doesn't get angry at Laurence, but he is glummer than in prior entries. The young dragon ("dragonet" in their parlance) is slowly maturing.
This is also the first time we meet wild dragons. Temeraire doesn't exactly envy their undisciplined desperation, but he is intrigued at their culture, including a language not spoken by humans. Might I say, his moments of fascination are pretty adorkable.
The writing herein uses more archaic (and perhaps more British) turns of phrase than I ever noticed before. I had to look up "make a leg," for instance. Perhaps Naomi Novik got better at capturing the setting.
Alas, our heroes' battles have gotten more difficult. So far, nothing has come close to killing Temeraire, but in the presented scenarios, his most powerful attack is generally impractical. And if an army marches on its stomach, no wonder they're in trouble. I have mixed feelings about such visceral moments.
When I got to the last page, I thought, "That's it?" Sure, a lot had happened, but it hardly felt resolved. To call it a stopping point is generous. Now I have to put the sequel on my wish list.
For a brief interlude, I'm reading The Little Prince. High time I knew more about the classic juvenile story than what I'd gleaned from a few sources, including the barely faithful movie.
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