The fourth book in the Temeraire series, Naomi Novik’s EMPIRE OF IVORY, continues the remarkable tale of Capt. Will Laurence and his special charge, a Chinese Celestial dragon named Temeraire, and their joint service in England’s Aerial Corps in the Napoleonic era. For those who miss the departed Patrick O’Brian, it’s a cliché to say that this series is much like the Aubrey/Maturin books with a lot less naval detail and a heck of a lot more dragons.
But there is a special cachet to the series, in that the dragon lore is what tugs at the reader’s heart. Novik has gone to great lengths to explain dragon ecology and behavior, and they are a varied lot, ranging from flighty, distracted, shallow beasts to the intellectual and military giant Temeraire, who is quite comfortable thinking about calculus.
The author also delights in having the English government treat their dragons abominably, which seems counterintuitive. While the Corps respects the mighty beasts, governmental flunkies and the citizenry largely distrust dragons and their companions, so there are constant slights and offenses visited upon the animals.
While this was a good dramatic technique in the first book – HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON – by the time this book takes place, Temeraire already has visited China, where dragons are revered, and learns that the supposedly evil Napoleon is building a modern France that also respects and honors their greatest military weapons. It makes one wonder if we even want England to win the coming war.
The main plot is concerned with a plague of sickness that is devastating the English dragon forces. Temeraire seems unaffected, and so he is recruited to help find a cure, which occupies the bulk of the story. The book ends in a rather shocking cliffhanger that seems to have gone a step too far for the fate of everyone involved, but does set up the next book nicely, which apparently will involve Napoleon’s invasion of England.
This novel doesn’t have the same emotional impact of the first, and there seems to be less natural history of the dragon, which tends to flatten the effect of having them in the first place. Still, Novik’s lush style and careful consideration of realism of her world make this a fascinating and enjoyable series. Start with the first book and work your way forward. This tale may be just an interlude to the next one, which will bring war to English shores, and an ultimate test of the dragon forces. –Mark Rose
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON by Naomi Novik
