He gradually began to see the plight of dragons in Europe through Temeraire's eyes and is evolving more and more into the world's first human activist for dragon rights.

The colorful and prickly Sultan and his court, the addition of dragon eggs to be protected and cared for, a vengeful Celestial bent not on killing Temeraire, but on stripping him of everything in his life he values were compelling story elements and very exciting to read about.Īlso, Lawrence's evolution of mind was the most interesting aspect of the book.

That being said, there was much about this book I loved. The endless descriptions of troop movements and the crushing weight of poor conditions and lack of food on the troops were given too much attention and slowed down the pace of the book. The second part of the book, the Prussian campaign, dragged considerably. I'm sorry to say I think the author fell prey to her own fascination with the military history of the time and lost sight of what the reader's personal interests might be. This was another foray into the foreign culture and politics of the Napoleonic era, this time exploring first Istanbul and the Turkish people and then moving north to the crushing military defeat suffered by the Prussians at Napoleon's hands. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte's implacable army? Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn-thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master's death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.

Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. In the third novel of the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series, Captain Will Laurence and his dragon transport precious cargo while fending off enemies on all sides.Īfter their fateful adventure in China, Captain Will Laurence of His Majesty' s Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain.

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik