As this 6th book in the Temeraire series opens, our favorite dragon and his captain, William Laurence, arrive in Australia; transported for their 'treason' at the end of Victory of Eagles. They are accompanied by 3 dragon eggs which are to be the foundation for a new covert.
Of course, the local politics soon embroil the dragons and their people. The English arrive as Gov. Bligh (of Bounty fame)has been 'deposed' and the Rum Rebellion leaders are now in charge. For starters, Bligh wants the dragon crew to restore him to power. Understandably, they are reluctant to get involved.
So they turn to survey work--find a way over the Blue Mountains into the interior of the continent. Boring work, but it keeps them out to trouble. The eggs must go with them; they are too valuable to leave behind. One hatches early on the trip and then, horrors! one is stolen.
The big middle of the book is the chase across the continent to recover the stolen egg. We are given a good look at the Australian outback and how bizarre the landscape must seem to the Europeans. We even get to meet 'bunyips'--creatures who are not happy with our travelers at all!

The best part of these books continues to be the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. Novik continues her excellent work at making the dragons seem 'other'--they do not think like people and find us just as baffling as we find them.
The surprise developments at the end of the chase are certainly a good set up for the next book or two.
The war is now global and heading further and further away from our history.