Audiobook Review: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Series: Temeraire #2

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: April 2006

Narrator: Simon Vance

Author Info: www.temeraire.org

Wendy's Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

Two important things I must establish before getting on with the actual review:

1. This is absolutely one of the best Simon Vance performances I have ever listened to. His Temeraire is not what I imagined when I read the first book myself, but it forever will be now. Vance expertly captured every nuance of the young dragon with Chinese roots.

2. This is what Temeraire looks like in my head. Deal with it.

As I discovered in reading the previous book in the Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, this is not necessarily an action/adventure fantasy. Yes, there are skirmishes that Temeraire and the other dragons participate in and there are several other moments of action, but at the heart of this story is a beautiful friendship between man and beast - only, this beast is a massive, highly intelligent dragon.

Throne of Jade picks up right where the previous left off, with the Chinese demanding the return of their Celestial Dragon. Laurence risks the stockade with his adamant refusal to simply relinquish the dragon he has come to adore, much less lie to Temeraire as his superiors and the Chinese emissaries suggest. And Temeraire feels much the same way. But circumstances eventually force the pair into a seven month voyage from England to China in hopes of pleading their case before the Emperor himself.

The beauty of this series is in watching Temeraire grow and learn and watching Laurence grow and learn with him. If there was any doubt before, Laurence's friendship with the dragon has clearly moved well beyond that of master and pet to a very deep bond that is thoroughly tested as Temeraire learns more and more about his homeland of China. Not the least of which is the vast difference in the treatment of dragons. The way Novik winds dragons into history is already fascinating, but now we get to see them within an entirely new environment and culture.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I am curious to see what Temeraire and Laurence will do with what they learn in China.

Story

Narration

Mogsy's Book Haul

My books, audiobooks, and library loans that came in this week. Hmm, I'm sensing a particular theme?

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service–and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason.

For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon’s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon’s prime objective: the occupation of London.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon’ s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon’s foothold on England’s shores can become a stranglehold.  

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb  

Once, dragons ruled the Rain Wilds, tended by privileged human servants known as Elderlings. But a series of cataclysmic eruptions nearly drove these magnificent creatures to extinction. Born weak and deformed, the last of their kind had one hope for survival: to return to their ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanied by a disparate crew of untested young keepers, the dragons embarked on a harsh journey into the unknown along the toxic Rain Wild River. Battling starvation, a hostile climate, and treacherous enemies, dragons and humans began to forge magical connections, bonds that have wrought astonishing transformations for them all. And though Kelsingra is finally near, their odyssey has only begun.

Because of the swollen waters of the Rain Wild River, the lost city can be reached only by flight—a test of endurance and skill beyond the stunted dragons’ strength. Venturing across the swift-running river in tiny boats, the dragon scholar Alise and a handful of keepers discover a world far different from anything they have ever known or imagined. Immense, ornate structures of black stone veined with silver and lifelike stone statues line the silent, eerily empty streets. Yet what are the whispers they hear, the shadows of voices and bursts of light that flutter and are gone? And why do they feel as if eyes are watching them? 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. 

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan  

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.  
 

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

If you’re looking for an action read involving war dragons, this isn’t it. There are a few skirmishes, but they are far between. Instead, this is a book about the relationship between a very unique dragon and a naval officer snatched out of the life he was used to when chosen by the dragon to become his master and friend.

The book takes place over a year, during which time, Temeraire grows and learns, while Laurence grows and unlearns. Their relationship is endearing and drives the story wonderfully. The descriptions of the various dragons and the processes and people involved with making them part of the various aerial forces is very interesting.

I love the unusually treatment of dragons in this book. They aren’t the typical force of darkness or mysterious wisdom. They are feared by those who don’t understand them but utterly loved and respected by those that do.

Side note: Weight is certainly an issue, but you’d think more would be done to armour the dragons to better protect them against each other.

Side note2: Head canon says that Temeraire looks exactly like this.

4 of 5 stars