Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
Summary:
After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. 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. 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. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.
My Review:
My love of Naomi Novik’s vision in dragons was not only reaffirmed but doubled in Black Powder War. My dislike in reading books centered around warfare, however, was magnified a bit.
There is a lot of strategy in Black Powder War. There is a lot of travel. There is quite a bit of loss, death and bleak landscapes. And just when I thought things couldn’t get more disheartening in the story and when I was starting to feel myself getting lost and floundering in all of the heavy dialog between Capt. Laurence and his crew and companions.. Novik hits me up the side of the head with a disguised insinuation regarding Temeraire and his “fun” in the bath which had me snorting with laughter and refreshed, ready to read on.
Over and over this cycle continued. I’d feel bogged down with the descriptions and the strategies and then get hit once again with a comical action taken by Temeraire or other dragons.
What I loved most about this book was Temeraire’s continued growth and his outspoken manner in which he campaigned for the better treatment of dragons. So spirited were his arguments and so keen his disappointment that I felt myself heartbroken and longing for him, this mythical creature in an alternate history novel. That’s the kind of character building I look for – and I’m even willing to trudge my way through Napoleonic warfare to get it.
