Summary:
When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.
My Review:
One of the things I enjoy most about reading is getting the sense that time is just pausing and that everything around you – the noise and chaos just falls away. Then, when you are deepest into the story and your imagination is filled with the incredible things being described and you can hear the voices of the characters and the sounds of the cities or oceans or landscapes they are in… the author drops a simple little comical thing that tips everything over the edge and you end up laughing hysterically because that is life.
Throne of Jade is the journey of Temeraire the dragon and Captain Laurence to China. Temeraire is a special breed of dragon, a dragon given only to Emperors and their descendents, yet this lowly Captain, originally of His Majesty’s Naval Force, is the one Temeraire has chosen. The book begins with a trial and an attempt to separate these two personalities that feed off of each other.
Most of the story takes place on the sea with the fierce battles I’ve now come to expect of Novik and the fascinating historical descriptions. Everything is treated so carefully that sometimes I find myself wondering at how easy it would be to imagine Napoleon astride his own dragon, leading the French to war against England.
But in the midst of battle and death, of polities and intrigue there is heart, emotion and laughter. From a comical moment in which a man spits a fish out of his mouth during the heat of battle to Temeraire falling in love when it was.. most inopportune, I found myself smiling and feeling the release of the tension that had been building up and I was able to fall even more deeply into the story.
This was a beautifully written, well-paced story and I’m very much looking forward to book 3.
