Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5) by Naomi Novik
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Book Reviews of Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5)
Book Review: More great dragon fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
More Temeraire goodness. Great series of alternate history with Dragons, how can you not be intrigued? Really sharp and historically accurate books with a great premise to explore. This particular book was a bit depressing, with the situation that Temeraire and Lawrence start in, and some incidents that happen along the way, but excellent character development and a feeling of realism make this an enjoyable read.
Mention in some of the notes that Peter Jackson (Director of the Lord of the Rings movies) has optioned the story... how cool could movies based on these books be??
Book Review: Maybe Napoleon really deserves to win
Summary: 5 Stars
Napoleon has invaded England. Using tactics recommended by his dragon-advisor, and providing dragons with far more rights than those enjoyed by English dragons, Napoleon demoralizes the English army, outmarches and outfights them, and forces them to flee to Scotland. Meanwhile, one of England's top officers has been condemned to death for treason for his part in bringing a cure to the disease that threatened to wipe out Europe's dragon population (and at the same time eliminate the threat of Napoleon's invasion). Without Captain Laurence, and his dragon Temeraire, England seems to have no hope.
Inspired by the example of Chinese dragons, Temeraire intends to have dragons recognized as people, with rights to pay, freedom, votes, and to make their own decisions. Napoleon's invasion gives Temeraire far more bargaining power than he'd held before--his corps of wild dragons and dragons retired to stud just might be strong enough to hold Napoleon's invading hordes off. Still, England dare never admit it made a mistake in condemning Laurence--indeed, by their own standards, they acted properly, although Laurence couldn't have made any other decision.
Author Naomi Novik continues her look at the Napoleonic Wars from viewpoint of a world with dragons. With Temeraire's help, the English do their best to turn England into a smaller, but still deadly version of Napoleon's long march back from Moscow, in the face of growing resistance and bitter cold. English control of the seas means that Napoleon cannot bring in food for his growing armies, and Temeraire's irregulars manage to make life miserable (and short) for Napoleon's foraging parties.
Novik manages to make Napoleon look pretty good. He's quick to adapt new tactics, even if these are suggested by others, he's open to granting dragons the kind of rights Temeraire has no hope of achieving through the English government, and he's honorable to his opponents. In contrast, the English attempt to introduce a plague that would largely destroy a continent's worth of sapient creatures, including those owned by her own allies, demand that Laurence save their cause with no thought that his doing so might commute his sentence, and continue to think of dragons as a kind of beast rather than as intelligent beings--ignoring all evidence to the contrary. Temeraire and Laurence are the protagonists, but I find myself pulling for Napoleon.
Book Review: Another great installment
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought the book continued the excellent pace, and turned some ideas on its head, making England more like Russia for Napoleon. As for the rest of the spoilers, you'll have to read it yourself.Book Review: Nice, but not great
Summary: 3 Stars
I've enjoyed all of Novik's Temeraire novels, but I think she's fallen int a trap of her own making. By creating a period piece set in a fantasy universe version of the Penninsular War, she's inviting comparison to books like Cornwell's Sharpe series, Forester's Hornblower, and O'Brian's Aubrey, among others.
These books take real, historical situations and inject fictional characters and events. They also tell fairly action-oriented stories that, while self-contained, lead us through the history of the time.
Novik's trap is that she isn't willing to tell a self-contained story. Oh, each book, including War of Eagles, does tell a story, but she appears to be posing more questions for future books than answering them within this one. I found Victory of Eagles enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying. I want to find out more about the characters of Novik's world, and what's going on there, and I want to anticipate enjoying the next book in the series BECAUSE of these characters and situations, not because the author has left me hanging.
Yes, I would recommend this book, and the entire series, to anyone who asks, but I would like to see Novik more confidently tell stories knowing she doesn't have to hold back to keep her audience for the next novel.
Book Review: Temeraire: Victory of Eagles
Summary: 3 Stars
The first few books in the series were great, and volume four seemed to be a peak. This fifth installment is perhaps not as good, but still enjoyable and interesting. The war finally hits England, and Lawrence and Temeraire struggle through their own difficulties during the melee. We see a lot of the dragons here as Temeraire makes some headway with fighting for dragon rights, and the over-all story of the series moves on as the Napoleonic war swings right across Britain and back again.
Some of the reviews on Amazon are very negative, and I wish I could disagree with most of what they are saying. The story is not as strong as some of the other volumes, leaving it feeling a bit like an "inbetweener" novel. Fans of books 1-4 will still enjoy it, and it's a worthwhile read.