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Product Description
Review
Praise for Naomi Novik and her novels of Temeraire
“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“These are beautifully written novels: not only fresh, original, and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.”—Peter Jackson
“A gripping adventure full of rich detail and the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”—Entertainment Weekly
“A new writer is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”—The New York Times
“[This is] a glorious series whose future status as a genre classic is now assured.”—SF Reviews
“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“These are beautifully written novels: not only fresh, original, and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.”—Peter Jackson
“A gripping adventure full of rich detail and the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”—Entertainment Weekly
“A new writer is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”—The New York Times
“[This is] a glorious series whose future status as a genre classic is now assured.”—SF Reviews
Product Description
Naomi Novik’s beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon’s forces and the friendly—and sometimes not-so-friendly—fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason.
For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.
And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.
Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.
Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.
For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.
And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.
Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.
Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Fantastic Tale of Temeraire Courtesy of Naomi Novik,
By
This review is from: Crucible of Gold (Hardcover)
Demonstrating again that she has become one of the best prose stylists in fantasy fiction, Naomi Novik's "Crucible of Gold" is one of the most compelling chapters in her fantasy and alternate history "Temeraire" series. Prior comparisons with Patrick O'Brian are definitely most apt here, in her mesmerizing accounts of Pacific tropical isles and South American rain forests, that rank easily alongside those depicted in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Equally commendable is her extensive description of Incan society and culture, which figure prominently in "Crucible of Gold", the 7th novel in the critically acclaimed, quite popular, "Temeraire" series. Though I admire the late Anne McCaffrey's work, including the "Dragonriders of Pern" series, that fine oeuvre is being surpassed by Naomi Novik's , since she has displayed consistently, a higher literary standard in each of her "Temeraire" novels. Without question, Novik is a writer worthy of comparison not only with McCaffrey, but also, with the likes of Neil Gaiman and Michael Swanwick; her latest novel brilliantly reaffirms that.Restored unexpectedly to his former rank and seniority in His Britannic Majesty's Aerial Corps, Captain Laurence, Temeraire and their friends - both human and dragon - are compelled to take a hazardous sea voyage to South America, once more escorting diplomat Arthur Hammond, hoping to aid the exiled Portugese royal family in Rio De Janeiro, besieged by both the French and the Southern African Tswana dragonriders (The native people described in "Empire of Ivory", the fourth "Temeraire" novel). Enduring shipwreck, capture by the French, and attacks by savage beasts and enemy military dragons, Laurence and Temeraire find themselves engaged in yet another epic struggle against the French, who are seeking to add South America as yet another large chunk of their vast worldwide empire. Laurence, Hammond and Temeraire will be compelled to have a battle of wits with a vainglorious emperor of the Old World and a mysterious empress of the New, setting the stage for an unexpected return to another great empire, seeking an ally willing to join Great Britain's solitary struggle against the Napoleonic French Empire.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews) 25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Fantastic Tale of Temeraire Courtesy of Naomi Novik,
By John Kwok - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crucible of Gold (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Demonstrating again that she has become one of the best prose stylists in fantasy fiction, Naomi Novik's "Crucible of Gold" is one of the most compelling chapters in her fantasy and alternate history "Temeraire" series. Prior comparisons with Patrick O'Brian are definitely most apt here, in her mesmerizing accounts of Pacific tropical isles and South American rain forests, that rank easily alongside those depicted in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Equally commendable is her extensive description of Incan society and culture, which figure prominently in "Crucible of Gold", the 7th novel in the critically acclaimed, quite popular, "Temeraire" series. Though I admire the late Anne McCaffrey's work, including the "Dragonriders of Pern" series, that fine oeuvre is being surpassed by Naomi Novik's, since she has displayed consistently, a higher literary standard in each of her "Temeraire" novels. Without question, Novik is a writer worthy of comparison not only with McCaffrey, but also, with the likes of Neil Gaiman and Michael Swanwick; her latest novel brilliantly reaffirms that.Restored unexpectedly to his former rank and seniority in His Britannic Majesty's Aerial Corps, Captain Laurence, Temeraire and their friends - both human and dragon - are compelled to take a hazardous sea voyage to South America, once more escorting diplomat Arthur Hammond, hoping to aid the exiled Portugese royal family in Rio De Janeiro, besieged by both the French and the Southern African Tswana dragonriders (The native people described in "Empire of Ivory", the fourth "Temeraire" novel.). Enduring shipwreck, capture by the French, and attacks by savage beasts and enemy military dragons, Laurence and Temeraire find themselves engaged in yet another epic struggle against the French, who are seeking to add South America as yet another large chunk of their vast worldwide empire. Laurence, Hammond and Temeraire will be compelled to have a battle of wits with a vainglorious emperor of the Old World and a mysterious empress of the New, setting the stage for an unexpected return to another great empire, seeking an ally willing to join Great Britain's solitary struggle against the Napoleonic French Empire. 18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best one yet?,
By Vickie T. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crucible of Gold (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
I always hesitate to make pronouncements like "best one yet" about the latest book in a series, especially if it has been a while since I have read the early books. However, even if I'm not absolutely certain that this is the best one yet, I can confidently claim that this is the best of the more recent books. I have been just a tiny bit (holding up thumb and forefinger just barely apart) disappointed in some of the more recent books, but after reading Crucible of Gold, I'm back on the bandwagon. I loved this book.Crucible of Gold is much more about exploration than about fighting, although the ongoing war with Napoleon certainly frames the story and is ever present. On the larger scale of exploration, our heroes meet and learn about the Incan dragons and their culture. On the smaller scale, the characters, both human and dragon, learn more about themselves and each other. This book zips along at a quick pace and is full of twists and turns that take both the reader and the characters by surprise. I had a hard time putting it down and finished in 3 nights - turning the TV off and heading to bed early the last two evenings to read. If you are a fan of this series, then of course you should read this book, even if you haven't been wild about the past few books. If you are new to the series, you can probably enjoy this one without reading the others, but really, why would you want to start here? Go back and start at the beginning. You won't regret it. 11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
For Fans of the Temeraire series only (Spoiler-Free Review),
By Eric L. Fletcher - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Crucible of Gold (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
If you are new to the Temeraire series stop: go purchase In His Majesty's Service which is the first three books in the series in a collection for you. Those are the best of the series by far, and worth every penny.This is the kind of series which you cannot jump into at the end and really enjoy- there are so many references to prior books that this one will make little sense at times for those new to the series. That said, for fans of the series, I imagine your questions are: is it as good as the first three books? Or as bad as the last two? The answer is neither. While not a return to the stellar first three, it is much improved over the last two which had many fans worried for the future of the franchise. Especially after the lowest average reviewed book of the series being the last one, Novik had a lot on the line. Another book like Tongues of Serpents: A Novel of Temeraire (Temeraire Series) would probably kill the series for most fans. Fortunately, Novic scored with a solid return to form. In many ways this reminds me of Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Book 4) which is a good thing. More action, more plot development and a bunch of well executed twists and turns- I would strongly suggest avoiding spoilers at all costs, as your enjoyment is likely to enhanced by your virtue. And at the end, the plot is set up well for the next book and I for one am now looking forward to it. Recommended for fans of the series. Everyone else, go buy the first three books. Now! Trust me! |
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