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Empire of Ivory

(Temeraire #4)

Naomi Novik (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · Rating details · 20,774 ratings · 1,032 reviews

Tragedy has struck His Majesty’s Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defend England’s shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. An epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons’ ranks–forcing the hopelessly stricken into quarantine. Now only Temeraire and a pack of ne ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 404 pages

Published September 25th 2007 by Del Rey

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3.95 ·

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· 20,774 ratings · 1,032 reviews

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Dec 03, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-all, own

That ending though 👀

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May 04, 2017 Hailee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who love historical fiction, fantasy or dragons

This is the fourth book in the series but the first real review I’ve done for the series as I read the previous three last year when my reviews were one or two sentences long. The premise of these novels are simply: what would have happened if the Napoleonic Wars were fought with dragons?

I’ve enjoyed all four of the Temeraire novels so far. However I have seen lots of people mention that they haven’t found the second, third or fourth one as good as the first. Maybe I am biased because of my smal This is the fourth book in the series but the first real review I’ve done for the series as I read the previous three last year when my reviews were one or two sentences long. The premise of these novels are simply: what would have happened if the Napoleonic Wars were fought with dragons?

I’ve enjoyed all four of the Temeraire novels so far. However I have seen lots of people mention that they haven’t found the second, third or fourth one as good as the first. Maybe I am biased because of my small *but really very large* dragon obsession but I have liked them all. The novels are worth reading for Temeraire and Laurence’s relationship alone in my opinion.

Temeraire, the main dragon in the novel has such a distinctive character. He is stubborn, loyal and has a strong but unique outlook on morality. He also brings out the best in his rider/companion Laurence, who thanks to Temeraire’s black and white outlook on issues starts to see that even things he has spent his whole life accepting as ‘just the way things are’ actually need to be changed. Temeraire and Laurence’s affection and loyalty for each other never fails to make me smile. In fact I love all dragons and their riders, they each have their own personalities and relationships. This is the first novel since the first where we really see them all again and added a lot to my enjoyment of the novel.

Each sequel has taken us to a different exotic place so far. This time it was Africa and this was my favourite portion of the novel. This is where the loyalty of all the dragons is really showcased and as well beautiful descriptions of Africa itself. The reader also experiences the impact of slavery there and the author really hits you hard with the brutality of it but creates a fascinating idea for how African people could have tried to fight back if dragons really did exist. It really had me hooked.

Finally the cliffhanger at the end of this novel slayed me. I need to finds out what happens next!!!!

I really recommend giving this series a try, especially if you like fantasy, historical fiction and especially, if like me, you love dragons.
...more

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Sep 17, 2016 Anish Kohli rated it it was ok

Deal Breaker..!! This book is a complete deal breaker.

The 4th installment in the Temeraire series, comes as a shockingly hollow book. Devoid of any story line, this book left me thoroughly disappointed. I am quite literally sad.

When I picked this series initially, I was ecstatic. Such brilliant writing style with such flow and a very charming Dragon. What else could I ask for? But since then this series has been on the decline in terms of story line and this book in particular brings it to a gri ...more

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Sep 19, 2013 Fani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

“The very young hold up best, and the old ones linger; it is the ones between who have been dying. Dying first, anyway; I suppose they will all go in the end.”

In “Empire of Ivory” we are transported to Africa as we follow Laurence and Temeraire in their quest to find a cure for the epidemic that has spread to his fellow dragons.

I love the fact that with each book we explore a different place instead of just staying in the same setting every time. Since this book is set in Africa we have the chance to stop focusing on the endless war between England and France and explore other themes as well such as slavery.

Not only we see the struggles many people were having in their battle to abolish slavery, but we also see the tragic results for those who were stolen from their home countries and thrown into slavery.

It was really interesting to see the dragons become the biggest advocate of the slaves and completely understandable, given the fact that very often they were given the same treatment even though they were serving and protecting the country.

“It was no conscious malice, only the common unthinking assumption by which men treated dragons as inconvenient if elevated livestock, to be managed and herded without consideration for their own sentiments”

Despite all the bad treatment the dragons receive daily there are still people who care about them. We might not see their captains express their feelings regularly but after the epidemic broke out their love for their dragons really shows, it was so sweet seeing Laurence worry about Temeraire despite all his military training to handle difficult situations.

“Laurence? Laurence, pray do not worry; it does not hurt so much, and look, it has already stopped bleeding.”

You would think that with all those themes of war, slavery and disease this book would end up being dark, but the dragons, having their own ideas about manners and politeness, often refused to follow the human social rituals and provided this way comic relief.

Lily heaved a disgruntled sigh, and turning her lurid orange eye on Riley said, “Very well, then; but if you are unpleasant to Catherine, I will throw you in the ocean.”

...more

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Aug 29, 2015 Scott Sigler rated it it was amazing

The best yet in this series. Empire of Ivory delivers several gut-punches. I am so happy I started this series after it is mostly done, because after the cliffhanger ending in this book I would have been fit to be tied. As it is, I'm already listening to Book V, Victory of Eagles.

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Jul 16, 2014 Kaethe Douglas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, age-ya, colonization, dogs, dragons, fantasy, feminism, fiction, first-contact, friendship

2011 September 21

Yeah, she managed to slip penguins in there with the colonialism and the slavery and the dragon plague. It feels quite a bit as if she can read my mind and anticipate everything I might want to see and give it to me. I'd give her a whole extra star just for the 19th century epidemiology alone. And another star for Mrs. Erasmus. It's hard for me to think of another book, let alone a series, which deals so well with very weighty issues and is such insane pleasure to read.

Library c ...more

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Aug 19, 2015 Jack +Books & Bourbon+ rated it really liked it

Well, I finished book 4 with a bit of trepidation for future entries. Despite my love for the series, and the solid foundation that this alternate history tale was built on, THIS was the Temeraire book I didn’t even know I wanted. While the previous books in the series have all been good, Empire of Ivory definitely stands taller than the rest. My concern is that this is the pinnacle of the series, and that everything else that follows might not quite live up to the newly established standard. Li Well, I finished book 4 with a bit of trepidation for future entries. Despite my love for the series, and the solid foundation that this alternate history tale was built on, THIS was the Temeraire book I didn’t even know I wanted. While the previous books in the series have all been good, Empire of Ivory definitely stands taller than the rest. My concern is that this is the pinnacle of the series, and that everything else that follows might not quite live up to the newly established standard. Like the 4th season of Dexter, The Wall by Pink Floyd, The Empire Strikes Back, and Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey, this is THE tale, the one that really brings it all together. The struggles here really resonated with me, and the events within changed the whole damn game going forward. Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure the rest of the books will be great, and I am excited to get through them, but I don’t think that they’ll reach the lofty heights established here.

Compared to the previous 3 stories, this book is just dense. Not so much in number of pages, but rather in content. So much happens here. The Abolitionist movement (and the similarity between the treatment of black slaves and dragons by the English), the sickness of the dragons and the ensuing rush for the cure, the discoveries that take place on the African continent, and the big game changer at the end (and obligatory cliffhanger), all ensure that this particular book never has a dull moment.

Laurence's family ties to the Abolition movement play a big role here, and the parallels between slave ownership and dragon "ownership" is a great, albeit none-too-subtle, way to take the narrative beyond just the war. Temeraire is growing more and more as a character, and with his growing awareness of the world around him, he is truly beginning to question the rules of society and his place within the world of men.

I can say that while I miss Tharkay, I am glad for the new characters that enter the mix. Reverend Josiah Erasmus and his wife, Lethabo, are very welcome additions to the story, as are the native boys Sipho and Demane. This diversity is most welcome, as it helps expand the narrative beyond that of dragons and their aviators. And Iskierka…how I want more and more of her going forward. The Yin to Temeraire’s Yang, I chuckle everytime she makes an appearance. She really needs a moment to show just how dangerous she can be.

The action is this entry is pretty minimal, as the focus is more on the cure, the clash of cultures, and the difference between doing one’s duty and doing what is right. All the different shades that we’ve seen of Laurence through the first 3 books finally come into play here, and we feel for him as he makes a decision that, while morally correct, may still be his ruin. While the war, and the various battles that are part of the greater conflict, are definitely a great danger, the stakes are the highest they’ve been so far.

And really, that’s about all I can say here. The less spoilers the better for this particular novel. If you are a fan of the series, and haven’t read this one yet, then I say get on it! Empire of Ivory was just the thing to follow the (relatively) slow read that was Black Powder War. Now I get to see if my theory is correct…bring on Victory of Eagles. ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: histfic-alt-history, fantasy-misc, audiobook-would-recommend, 2017

3 stars, maaaaaaybe 3.5

It seemed like a lot of people were disappointed by Black Powder War and enjoyed this one much more. I'm the opposite. Loved Black Powder War and in comparison, Empire of Ivory... it just feels like not a lot happened. Yes, the dragons were sick. Laurence and Temeraire went to Africa to find a cure. Found a cure, brought it home, and voila! Dragons all better. The ending with Napoleon was mildly interesting, and I enjoyed their time spent in Africa thanks to Laurence's en ...more

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Dec 24, 2016 Simona Stoica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

LAURENCE! *sigh*

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Dec 01, 2017 Manisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 101-500, fantasy, historical-fiction, series-nonet, sff-adult, series-completed

RTC

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Dec 21, 2007 Corrielle rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Laurence and Temeraire's most recent adventure is a bit of a departure from their usual military and diplomatic adventures. This time, they're out searching for a cure for a draconic ailment that is lingering and eventual fatal. The entire Aerial Corps is at risk, and Temeraire is one of the only healthy dragons left. So, it's off to Africa, where they think the cure might be found.

I have always loved the different ways that cultures integrate dragons into themselves. We got to see the Chinese p Laurence and Temeraire's most recent adventure is a bit of a departure from their usual military and diplomatic adventures. This time, they're out searching for a cure for a draconic ailment that is lingering and eventual fatal. The entire Aerial Corps is at risk, and Temeraire is one of the only healthy dragons left. So, it's off to Africa, where they think the cure might be found.

I have always loved the different ways that cultures integrate dragons into themselves. We got to see the Chinese practices in the second novel, and in this one, we get to see how tribes in Central Africa do it. They believe that dragons are reincarnated spirits of people who have recently died, and when a dragon is still in the egg, it has its entire human life "told" to it in ceremonial chanting. So, the dragon hatches already having a history and a connection to the community it is born into. (This, I think, has the same effect as "harnessing" does for the Westerners. As long as the dragon is immediately somehow given a place in human society, it won't "go feral.")

At any event, things move slowly as Laurence and his crew search for a rare mushroom that proves to cure the illness, but pick up when they discover that the tribes in Central Africa have banded together with their dragons to stop the incursion of slavers into their lands. This is a point where the history of Temeraire's world suddenly went very differently than the history of our own. (Though it was quite cool that Temeraire made a friend and ally for his cause in William Wilberforce when Laurence's father convinces both of them to meet with a bunch of British abolitionists.)

A great many other things happened that deserve some comment... the issue of women in the Corps continues to give poor Will Laurence fits. There's Catherine Harcourt's complete ignorance of the rules of inheritance and her dalliance with Riley (who was quite insufferable for most of the novel) and the quick wedding (can't wait to see where that goes... a navy captain married to a longwing captain who is very sure of herself and used to being in command...), but then there's also Jane Roland, and the unfortunate misunderstanding that led to Will's father believing Emily to be his "natural child." I felt bad for him when Jane refused his proposal so matter-of-factly, but I think that it was for the best, seeing as how Will was asking for reasons of appearances rather than affection. Not to say that the tow of them don't care for each other... I'm even hoping that they're going to get closer as the books progress. Right now, they're mostly convenient friends with benefits (dear friends, even...). Besides, I don't think Will's quite ready for the kind of equality being in love-relationship with Jane would entail.

All of that aside... HOLY CRAP THE CLIFFHANGER. I couldn't believe it when I read that the Admiralty had basically, for lack of a better word, engaged in biological warfare by sending the sick French dragon back home without thought for the countless innocent dragons from enemy and ally countries alike that would fall ill and die because of it. With the shock of that still very fresh in my mind, within pages, Laurence and Temeraire are off committing (in my mind quite justifiable) treason by taking the French the cure. And Will, being the noble-minded Englishman that he is, is going back to England now that he's done what he felt was right. Though I have never been more proud of Laurence and Temeraire, the government is NOT going to be happy with Will, and how he's going to escape without a noose around his neck is anyone's guess.

Next book now, please?
...more

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Sep 26, 2007 Trin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, historicalfiction, american-lit

The fourth in the Temeraire series, and the one I've enjoyed the most since the introductory book. Which is to say, a lot. This one felt more tightly structured than the last, with the disease plot as a brilliantly chosen and terrifying centerpiece. I've never had a dragon, obviously, but the idea of losing one made me ache almost as much as the thought of losing one's daemon in His Dark Materials. The African setting really came alive; I love how we're getting to see how different cultures aro ...more

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Jun 16, 2016 Emily rated it really liked it

So.. I'm moving out of state in a few days and have been listening to a lot of books while I pack and clean. Since I was listening, I had no idea how far into a book I was. I felt like it was getting close to the end because a BIG THING was about to happen when....

the book ended.

I seriously thought there was something wrong with the file. But no. Fucking big cliffhanger ending.

It's been a year or more since I read a Temeraire book. I forgot how much I adore Temeraire and also the new baby dragon ...more

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Sep 30, 2014 Kerry rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, audiobook, dragons, female-author

Whaaaaat now that is a cliffhanger! Man.

This was once again a very nice little book. This one takes place in Africa for much of the time, which is fun. And it has a lady admiral! I know I've bemoaned in the past the lack of female characters in this series. But I have to admit that Novik is pretty good at having our hero be a product of his times, without being a huge dick. He seems more bewildered by women being able to, like, DO and THINK things, than really objecting to it. Which works for me ...more

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Dec 14, 2018 Bryce O'Connor rated it it was amazing

My favorite in the series thus far. An incredible commentary on everything from racism to war to sexism bundled up in an endless awesome world.

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Apr 12, 2017 Katy rated it really liked it

This one started a bit slow for me, but in the end I actually enjoyed this one as much as the first. Very nice addition for the series.

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Jan 14, 2008 Zen Cho rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, regency

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was really good -- perhaps the best of the Temeraire books so far, though I may just feel this way 'cos every time I read a new Temeraire book I find I'd forgotten how great they are. But I wish Harper Collins hadn't done such a damned shoddy job of proofreading. I kept getting tripped up by typos, grammatical errors, dangling sentence fragments, and once, the same word being used twice in the same sentence in a way that made me have to reread the sentence twice before I understood it.

Also ...more

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Feb 10, 2018 Joanka rated it really liked it

Shelves: women, usa, fiction, fantasy-scifi-and-co, favorites, europe, uk, africa

This volume is again one of my favourite from the series. I found the beginning really emotional and stressful in a very positive way, how can you not care for all the characters at this point? The pace is as fast as these books generally can be. Finally, I also got what I wanted for a long time – more of the rest of British captains and their dragons. This is one of the very few things that frustrates me about Novik’s writing – she introduces lots of characters that either make me curious or I ...more

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Oct 24, 2007 Meredith Galman rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

In terms of both theme and action, this book seems more like a direct sequel, and a worthier follow-up, to Throne of Jade than the rather pointless Black Powder War. Back in England, Laurence and Temeraire discover the fighting dragons have been devastated by an unknown plague. Since Temeraire seems to have survived it, he and others of his consort are dispatched back to Africa to try and find the cure. There they encounter several African tribes and yet another societal relationship between h ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Magdalena rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, smoki, pure-semi-trashy-fun

[4,5?]

Weszliśmy chyba na poziom "porządny antykolonializm", jej \o/ (Laurence się stara jak może trzymać w jakiś granicach prawdopodobieństwa historycznego, ale idzie mu coraz gorzej).

Dobrze było zacząć w Anglii, chociaż ten kontynent, w szczególności Botswana, działały mi lepiej niż Chiny czy Turcja, ale może to być też skutek tego, że nic tak na serio nie wiem o tym okresie w tych rejonach, więc wszystko było błyszczące i nowe. Dobrze, że orbitując wokół niewolnictwa udało się tu zmieścić ja [4,5?]

Weszliśmy chyba na poziom "porządny antykolonializm", jej \o/ (Laurence się stara jak może trzymać w jakiś granicach prawdopodobieństwa historycznego, ale idzie mu coraz gorzej).

Dobrze było zacząć w Anglii, chociaż ten kontynent, w szczególności Botswana, działały mi lepiej niż Chiny czy Turcja, ale może to być też skutek tego, że nic tak na serio nie wiem o tym okresie w tych rejonach, więc wszystko było błyszczące i nowe. Dobrze, że orbitując wokół niewolnictwa udało się tu zmieścić jakieś postaci, dla których rzecz jest mniej teoretyczna. Jak na serię, która uparcie nie chce porzucić punktu widzenia głównej postaci, to sporo, choć te ograniczenia pogłębiają moją tęsknotę za serialową ekranizacją - właśnie dlatego, że wtedy porzucilibyśmy punkt widzenia Laurence'a i wątki poboczne mogłyby by bardziej wybrzmieć (pani Erasmus!).

Nadal kocham smoki, lubię bohaterów, bawią mnie te zgrzyty kultowe między awiatorami a resztą wojska (i społeczeństwa; i Laurencem... ;)), choć przyznam, że tak jak bawił mnie mocno wątek romantyczny Harcourt, to bawił by mnie jeszcze bardziej, (view spoiler)

Końcówka, w ogóle, że tak to ujmę bardzo fachowo i konkretnie: <3

Kącik małego historyka:
- trochę się zirytowałam na starcie, gdy po trzech tomach, gdzie istnienie smoków historycznie nie zmieniło wiele (minus Chiny), padł akt zakazu handlu niewolnikami, który w rzeczywistości przeszedł, bo jednak nie po to czytam historyczne AU ze smokami, żeby grupom uciśnionym było gorzej, ale szybko to wybaczyłam, biorąc pod uwagę te druzgocące zmiany na południu Afryki. Mapa dzisiejszej Afryki w świecie Novik musi wyglądać z takim zawirowaniem zupełnie inaczej.

P.S. Co się stało z psem...? ...more

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Jun 18, 2018 Timothy Boyd rated it it was amazing

Shelves: shelfari-favorites

This book has talking dragons that serve in the military! How cool is that. but wait, it turns out that Africa is infested with a ton more dragons than Europe. The bad part is that they are now pissed off at the European nations and have decided to do something about that. This series has pretty much everything you need; action, humor, great characters and a very nice plot. Highly recommended

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Mar 25, 2017 Book Haunt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-haunt-review

Finally, Laurence & Temeraire and company have arrived home after more than a year away. Also in tow are the feral dragons, Tharkay, the rescued Huguenots and the baby dragon, Iskierka. The home front has markedly changed though and not for the good. Temeraire’s fellow dragons that were left behind in England have been hit by an epidemic, some kind of dragon consumption. The consumption has killed some and left others badly weakened, one of which is Maximus, who will not last much longer wit Finally, Laurence & Temeraire and company have arrived home after more than a year away. Also in tow are the feral dragons, Tharkay, the rescued Huguenots and the baby dragon, Iskierka. The home front has markedly changed though and not for the good. Temeraire’s fellow dragons that were left behind in England have been hit by an epidemic, some kind of dragon consumption. The consumption has killed some and left others badly weakened, one of which is Maximus, who will not last much longer without a cure. Also of consequence is the fact that England is desperately trying to keep Bonaparte from getting wind of the dragons’ sickness. Laurence is also quite interested to see that his father’s political friends are beginning the parliamentary campaign to abolish slavery. Somewhat to his consternation, Laurence also finds that his foreign adoption has been a bit embellished and he is somewhat of a celebrity.

(view spoiler)

I still think this is a great series for kids. They will get to explore the world through the eyes of dragons and learn some history as they read along. Each book is an adventure. That being said, there are spots where I feel this series needs to be revved up a notch. I feel a little as if I’m on repeat when reviewing these books. The author covers a lot of territory so why does it seem like such slow going when I’m reading? The series has become very formulaic and I still find that I am not as big of fan of Novik as most fantasy readers. This series is good but for me it’s just not great. I must admit that for a small amount of time I had even confused Jane Roland with Catherine Harcourt, so I may have drifted off a bit somewhere along the line. It seems that Roland has become an admiral and Harcourt has been embroiled in a romantic relationship! Luckily, I do like both Will and Temeraire and I was charmed by the first book so I still want to see where this is going. The saving grace in these books is the utter charm of Temeraire which is why the series is named for him I guess! That’s good because I still have five books left to review. I am also hearing rumors that Peter Jackson holds the film rights and I like the idea that with the publication of the 9th book this series does come to an end. Some series just go on too long and I just don’t know if Novik can recapture that feeling of newness the premise had in the first book. I am crossing my fingers that I can be won over more completely. ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 L.E. Doggett rated it really liked it

Not much to say about this one. It is a four star story. The writing is suburb: descriptions of events and setting, the plot is carried on as it should. There are a couple of details some readers may not like but they fit in. And this deals with an alternate setting for an event that really happened in our world in England. That history has a twist but so close to what we know too. Africa is different with dragons around.

I liked the fact that not every book is rewriting of the events in the pre ...more

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Aug 11, 2008 Jamie Collins rated it really liked it

Shelves: regency-napoleonic, time-travel-alt-history

I'm loving this series. This one has a sort of cliffhanger ending, which I don't in general care for, and I'm glad the next book is already available. I'm going to be really frustrated when I finish that one - I hate it when I "catch up" on a series and have to wait a year or more between books.

Novik's writing gets better and better. I kept going back to re-read sections that were particularly compelling, and there are some very funny scenes. I love the Regency-era dialog.

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Sep 21, 2007 Jenne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

I think this is the best in the series since the first one. The plot of this one was much more involving--more personal and less political, you could say.
I loved the dragons in Africa. I want to know more about them.
Also, the ending had a really great cliffhanger. I thought what Laurence did was completely in character, and it sets up an interesting conflict for the next volume.

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Apr 14, 2017 Kitvaria Sarene rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-all-subgenres, fantasy-no-subgenre, fantasy-ya

This one was really interesting! A desperate illness has spread around UKs dragons - and now the cure has to be found, before any more of the dragons might die from it...

This time we get to visit Africa, get a closer look at slavery and colonies, meet new dragons and a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end...

Definitely worth the read!

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Feb 09, 2019 Chameleon Bay rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one was just a mess and will be my last book in this series. And I'm NOT sorry to move forwards to other books. Don't get me wrong - I loved Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon) and would recommend it to anyone interested in history or, well, dragons, but these others were just too messy and unsatisfying.

All started well as Will Laurence and Temeraire finally after two books of going to China and getting back from there finally reached Britain and I sighed inwardly of relief. Now we can get ba This one was just a mess and will be my last book in this series. And I'm NOT sorry to move forwards to other books. Don't get me wrong - I loved Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon) and would recommend it to anyone interested in history or, well, dragons, but these others were just too messy and unsatisfying.

All started well as Will Laurence and Temeraire finally after two books of going to China and getting back from there finally reached Britain and I sighed inwardly of relief. Now we can get back to the point of Napoleonic wars, right? RIGHT? I mean I have nothing against travelling the world and would love to read a series of non-soldier of non-war-going-country to go to China just for dragonic cultural heritage or whatsoever - but that is hardly the case when your character is dragged against his will and is always wishing to go back. Hard to enjoy China as a reader when your characters only wish to go home.

But in their absence, all the dragons of the Britain are fallen sick, and I mean ALL OF THEM. And I mean sick like THEY ARE _ALL_ DYING for shit's sake. So much for the hearty homecoming. So Will and Temeraire are off to goddamn AFRICA to find the cure.

Yeah like after fifty pages I became suspicious of the books title; ivory is only originated from India and Africa so no of course they would head to either one of them and not at all stay where I wanted them to stay. So why not take a new delighting three-month seatrip with seven coughing dragons and bickering mariners and just to spice it up add some former-slaves just because the family of the ship's captain has slaves and thus Will and Riley, former best friends, can start hating each other over this "insult".

I mean, I would feel pretty insulted as well if the inhumanity of my secondary income was scrubbed against my face in a form of happy, formerly-slaved family.

But all the discomforts of the sea journey and mushroom-digging set aside, the cure is found, Temeraire's formation of dragons cured and the cure sent to Britain. So they can head back as well, right?

But nooooo they are kidnapped by some local tribe, dragged hundreds of miles to the middle of the continent, and kept prisoners for their crimes of slavery and thievery. They are kept is some dragon-build fortress, made to work for no pay (see the irony there) and spitted on just because they are white and all white people are slave-owners. I mean YES I see the reason why the locals would think that way but they would have gotten so much further if they had questioned them justfully, co-operated, gotten intel an perhaps ammunition and so on. Instead they are made barbaric and unintelligent savages who hear no reason and our crew is forced to escape *sigh*.

Like, this is at least fourt narrow escape in this series - what I would give for someone somewhere sometime just LISTEN TO REASON and let them out but no, in all of these books our crew is always treated badly, and are not listened even if they could help or give information or whatever. So the escape the dragon-fortress and well, the whole Africa because apparently all the slave-ports have been destroyed (good) and are forced to go back to Britain. Finally, am I right?

BUT. There is always a BUT. The British government or whoever has decided to send an infected dragon to France because dragons are little more than horses or ships in this series and they WILL ALL DIE and Napoleon wilk lose and Britain win and all is well. So in the last pages of this book Will is forced to commit treason, travel to France to get the cure to Napoleon and be hanged because of this treason.

Because of course his honor demands him to go back to Britain after this business, even if that means Temeraire kept against his will in breeding grounds by threatening his life (even if he propably dies but hey why tell the dragon because then he would not co-operate anymore) so I'm very content at leaving this series here and letting myself think that Will was hanged side by side with his honor and Temeraire goes back to China and lives happily ever after goodbye. ...more

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Jul 18, 2016 Mark rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I may have underestimated the aims of this series, which I had assumed, based on the first three books, to be following the history of our world - or at least Europe - more or less as it did for real, only with the various powers involved having dragons at their disposal. That's what it seemed to be: The Napoleonic Wars, only with dragons.

Here in the fourth volume, that basic concept is blown open. Escaping from the events at the end of the third book with French dragons nipping at their heels, I may have underestimated the aims of this series, which I had assumed, based on the first three books, to be following the history of our world - or at least Europe - more or less as it did for real, only with the various powers involved having dragons at their disposal. That's what it seemed to be: The Napoleonic Wars, only with dragons.

Here in the fourth volume, that basic concept is blown open. Escaping from the events at the end of the third book with French dragons nipping at their heels, Temeraire, his new feral allies, and a whole lot of Prussian soldier passengers barely make their way to England, where Temeraire and Laurence quickly learn the reason for the absence of the Aerial Corps in the previous battle: They all have come down with what seems to be in essence draconic tuberculosis, transmitted, in what's surely a bit of historical irony, by a Native American dragon recently captured and sent to the British breeding grounds. Every dragon except for Temeraire is sick. Some have already died, many others are suffering greatly.

So Temeraire, who seems to be immune, and the others of his formation, who are sick, are sent on something of a fool's hope journey back to the south of Africa to try to find a miracle cure for the disease. This is based mostly on the fact that some very, very smelly mushrooms helped to cure the cold that Temeraire contracted back in the second book, and they hope to find more of these mushrooms and see if they will cure the tuberculosis as well.

I don't think I'm spoiling much to say that of course they find the mushrooms and the mushrooms work as a cure; if you've read the first three books you know it's not a "all of the dragons are going to die" series. There are other, deeper mysteries to be revealed as they search farther into the interior of Africa in hopes of finding enough mushrooms to cure all of the Aerial Corps, and it's those mysteries being revealed that really starts to take the series in a different direction from the history as we know it. We get some slight inkling of this earlier on - Nelson, it seems, has survived Trafalgar after all, and has returned to England, where he is in part responsible for torpedoing abolitionist legislation that Laurence's father had hoped to pass.

(view spoiler)[Turns out that the various tribes of Africa are displeased by the continuing slave trade, and they have dragons of their own, dragons which by tradition seem to be influenced in their eggs by memories of recently-departed tribal leaders, so that the dragons themselves wake up believing that they are those same leaders - and they are treated as such by the tribes. One thing that really helps this dragon-filled Earth seem so lively is how everywhere is just a little bit different with their dragons in Europe, and other places are very, VERY different. And Africa in the end rises up and throws out the colonial influences and slavers. So long, white man. They'll work it out for themselves.

The long, slow-burning yet inevitable conflict between Temeraire (and Laurence) and the British government finally comes to a head when the Government actively attempts to unleash a captured French patrol dragon - which has contracted the illness - back on the French soil, to spread the disease (where only the British have the cure) to wherever it might go that dragons are susceptible to it. This last bit Temeraire cannot stand, so of course he and Laurence steal the cure, go rogue, and deliver it practically into Napoleon's hands. Temeraire doesn't much like Napoleon but he can't stand the idea of all of the dragons being wiped out. None of the other dragon commanders much like the idea either, but it's only Temeraire and Laurence who risk their necks... launching us into the next phase of the series in subsequent books, I assume.

One thing I haven't appreciated so much in the previous books is how this series is funny in kind of a subversion of the Jane Austen comedy of manners sort of way. Laurence, man of tradition that he is, is continually bewildered by the women of the Aerial Corps, and this is hilarious. He basically can't even handle that Harcourt has no interest in marrying Riley after she becomes pregnant by him; Laurence ends up talking her into it if only because of entail politics meaning that a legitimate son of Riley would stand to inherit a great deal of money, could she deny her son that for her pride? "No, but if it's a daughter, she shall be a Harcourt" and she won't leave the Corps no matter what.

Laurence then impulsively and somewhat spontaneously proposes to his own paramour, Jane Roland, who, before they got involved, jokingly said that if only her daughter Emily were a little older she'd probably get set up with Laurence to set up another generation of fliers. Ha! And Jane's response to the proposal, "Why, no, dear fellow." But she's amused he asked!

Further slapstick when referring to dragons and sex. Temeraire is very proud when a female dragon - with whom he's induced to mate because he's told she wants to spawn an egg in case she dies later (she does in fact appear to be a willing partner) - tells him that she wouldn't have known it was his first time. Laurence, confused, doesn't understand what happened with the Chinese dragon if this is Temeraire's first time, and Temeraire is mighty exasperated as he announces a difference between mating just because and mating when an egg is involved. Oh, OK. Also: LOL (hide spoiler)]

The series really seems to be striking out in more of a different direction here and I am very curious to see where it goes for the rest of the way. Hopefully it'll have a new vitality as it breaks out more into what Temeraire wants to do, rather than just Temeraire and Laurence being passengers as history as we know it more or less plays out either in the background or right in front of them. ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 Kathleen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: animals, audio, fantasy-scifi, history-quasi, speculative-or-fantastical-history, dragons, british-navy

"It's a kind of consumption," Lord Lenton said tiredly, turning to the window.

“How widespread—?” Laurence asked.

“Everywhere,” Lenton said. “Dover, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough. The breeding grounds in Wales and Halifax; Gibraltar; everywhere the couriers went on their rounds; everywhere.” He turned away from the windows and took his chair again. “We were inexpressibly stupid; we thought it was only a cold, you see.”
(Ironically, the plague originated with American dragons, who are immune.)

Narrate ...more

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May 05, 2016 Marina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, own

This installment of the Temeraire series, the four book, was such a huge improvement upon the previous book.

When the dragons get sick, Laurence and the other handlers are desperate to get the cure before the dragons begin dying off. So Laurence, Temeraire and friends must go off to the deepest reaches of Africa to find the cure.

I'm so glad Novik brought back the characters the previous books, especially the female characters (there were several in this story - including a black woman!), and add ...more

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About Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik

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An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to partic ...more

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Temeraire (9 books)

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Quotes from Empire of Ivory

“Keynes, quite ignoring the covert gestures, the attempts at signaling, of nearly every senior officer, examined [Lily] and declared that she was perfectly fit to fly, "had better fly, I should say; this agitation is unnatural, and must be worked off."

"But perhaps," Laurence said, voicing the reluctance which the captains all privately shared, and they as a body began to suggest flights out over the ocean, along the scenic and settled coastline and back; gentle exercise.

"I hope," Catherine said, going pink clear up to her forehead in a wave of color, "I hope that no-one is going to fuss; I would dislike fuss extremely.” — 4 likes

“Proper circus you make,' Berkley said, with a snort of laughter Laurence considered unnecessary, when they landed in the clearing and set the dog down; it promptly went tearing around the parade ground yelling at the dragons. For their part they were only interested and curious until the dog bit a too-inquisitive Dulcia on the tender nip of her muzzle, at which she hissed in anger; the dog yelped and fled back to the dubious shelter of Temeraire's side; he looked down at it in irritation and tried unsuccessfully to nudge it away.

'Pray be careful of the creature; I have no idea how we should get or train another,' Laurence said, and Temeraire at last grumbling allowed it to curl up beside him.” — 2 likes

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