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Temeraire #9
League of Dragons
The final adventure in the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series that started with the beloved His Majesty’s Dragon which has won fans of Napoleonic-era military history, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels, and Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring adventures.
The deadly campaign in Russia has cost both Napoleon and those allied against him. Napoleon has been denied his victory…but at a terrible price. Lawrence and the dragon Temeraire pursue the fleeing French army back west, but are demoralized when Napoleon makes it back to Paris unscathed. Worse, they soon learn that the French have stolen Termeraire and Iskierka’s egg. Now, it is do or die, as our heroes not only need to save Temeraire’s offspring but also to stop Napoleon for good!
The deadly campaign in Russia has cost both Napoleon and those allied against him. Napoleon has been denied his victory…but at a terrible price. Lawrence and the dragon Temeraire pursue the fleeing French army back west, but are demoralized when Napoleon makes it back to Paris unscathed. Worse, they soon learn that the French have stolen Termeraire and Iskierka’s egg. Now, it is do or die, as our heroes not only need to save Temeraire’s offspring but also to stop Napoleon for good!
380 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2016
720 people are currently reading
13279 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Novik
70 books36k followersAn 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 participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,418 reviews
January 22, 2019
I have NEVER read anything that screamed 'I'm bored of this series and want it to be OVER' as much as this book. I've read books where the author was clearly bored of the universe (hello GRRM) and It just became kinda long winded or bland, but none of them have actively dropped the ball like this did. This was so disappointing it circled around from being a terrible experience to one that was entertaining to bitch about. Like, how much lower could it go??? But that disappoints me too! That's not at all what I wanted from a Temeraire book, let alone the final one.
I have a lot to say, so I will start with the things I liked. I did like how appropriately terrifying Ning was, and the fate of Napoleon, Lien and France. I did like the broad strokes of the ending, where dragons now have seats in Parliament, where the Inca and Tswana Empires ended up strong and represented, and where Novik gave me the 'Laurence, Temeraire and Tharkay live together' fanfic ending
But then there were many, many things that disappointed me. Overall, this entire book was just a lot of... well written, vaguely entertaining nothing, at best, and interminable, badly written nothing at worst. For the final book, the plot should be a tight and focused tie-up of all the loose ends of the previous books, culminating in an exciting climax! Rather, we got a meandering exploration of a bunch of new elements in a half-assed manner.
Part One was the vaguely entertaining, still well written nothing. I expected a much more dramatic portrayal of that winter, following through with that cliffhanger by giving me a dramatic opening. Instead, it cut to black, Tharkay left offscreen, Laurence had one battle, the aftermath fizzled out… into a strange comedy of manners that went nowhere, had no prior investment from the readers and had no further impact on the plot.
Part Two was the most enjoyable, wherein it featured a lot of previous elements while forwarding the plot... but it was less than 100 pages, and it ended in another lazy cut to black. Novik could have easily used the pages she spent on the Lithuanian peasant girl describing their flight across the channel, fighting the Fleur-de-Nuits. Easily.
It all just spiraled into a bunch of boring nothing from there, and the last half of the book. The biggest failings of this book lie in this part, wherein it lacked entirely what made Temeraire an enjoyable series to read - exciting build up and action sequences, and fun moments from the established cast of characters. It should have been so exciting! Like the climax of Victory of Eagles! But it was just meandering and uninterested! I am adamant that Novik should have cut this plot about the mutinous captains - new characters only introduced in the second half of the last book, so, WHO CARES - under Laurence's charge and trying to supply the dragons with porridge and whatever the fuck else, and had it been Laurence (or, maybe, you know, his superior, Catherine Harcourt...) with the formation, Granby, Demane and Tharkay leading the Prussian campaign.
Literally no familiar characters were around, bar Laurence and Temeraire, from the 60% mark to the last 20 pages, and that was so disappointing. So, so many characters and subplots have been put into this series and weren't at all satisfyingly resolved or even paid due. The Harcourt Formation got crumbs - sorry, how did Granby get Admiral over these guys? They're all his seniors and/or direct superiors? and where DID Granby go? I'm stunned Laurence didn't get a nice final scene with him, like, no character other than Tem and Laurence have been around as long as Granby. Ferris disappeared by the second half, to my immense disappointment - I had really hoped this book would have him finally get some NICE THINGS in his life. Emily and Demane were being very nicely built up in the previous books and we get nothing about how they're doing. Sipho was not even mentioned - even a line from Laurence about how amazing his essays are at school, ANYTHING, to maybe resolve the fact that for about FOUR BOOKS we got snippets from the books Sipho wrote as an adult.
The most blatant non-resolution was Tharkay. Sorry, I mean Tharkay the International Super Spy????? I had to check with a friend that I hadn't literally forgotten or skipped this info being given in a previous book, because… ??? what? sure I can believe he's been a spy all this time but… it's been six books and he's been a spy all this time and IT NEVER CAME UP? OKAY? for who? how long? nope none of those questions got answered and never will. And never mind that, Tharkay literally disappeared after part 2! altho clearly that is why he kept leaving without saying goodbye, or the book even mentioning him leaving, is because he is a sneaky spy!! I guess it's nice that this lawsuit got resolved I GUESS.
And, oh, never mind Tharkay. LIEN. The main antagonist! Even more dastardly than Napoleon! She had ONE SCENE with lines in this book, I cannot BELIEVE.
So, there's all these characters I can think of off the top of my head who got hardly any mention, but... Dryhern got loads of page time and Edith got a lovely final scene with Laurence? Okay? Sorry, but who the fuck asked for that. I doubt anyone would have read this book and gone 'wow where is Edith, why did we get all those scenes with Maximus and Lily - really dropped the ball there Naomi!!!' What are these priorities? I like Edith, but ending the series with her and Laurence having a lovely conversation instead of, idk, Granby, just felt really out of place for me. I was glad Perscitia and Requiescat came back, though? That was nice.
All this to say - ok. Novik is obviously into military history, and so am I! But the ninth book of a series should really resolve things for characters too! This really lacked the lovely and funny character moments this series usually has loads of, and really lacked a satisfying conclusion of all of their arcs - hell, even a furthering of their arcs. The only big, significant development and resolution for me was that Granby was confirmed to have long hair at last. Amazing.
Speaking of disappointing, the amount of jumps and cut-to-blacks happened in action and plot scenes. There was no huge thrilling climax. Novik, if you're going to go full on military fiction on me, make it interesting - instead it was genuinely poorly written. Tharkay disappeared, Granby teleported across the British Isles within a chapter... the final confrontation between Temeraire and Lien, built up from the second book CUT. TO. BLACK. I believed that was solely the kind of genuinely bad writing I've only seen in self-published M/M """fantasy""" books, not Temeraire.
So where do I think it all went wrong? I think, honestly, Novik had way too many characters plot points to resolve and absolutely no interest in resolving them. I genuinely wondered how she was going to resolve everything in this book, but I didn't expect it to be resolved like THIS, with a kind of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ shrug.
I think that's a fault of the trajectory in which she has been taking the entire series since ToS, wherein increasingly she has been failing the balance the three big plot themes: the Napoleonic Wars, Dragons Rights and European Colonialism. I've always said this, but the series was at its strongest when the Harcourt Formation and the Napoleonic Wars were featured most predominately; and not coincidentally, these were the most important plot points in the first book. Now, I really liked the plots exploring colonialism, and Dragons rights! I thought they were a good touch, and liked how the books after VoE, while not being as high in quality, built on what was explored by Tharkay's character in BPW and the Tswana in EoI - that Novik committed to and carried out this examination of non-European countries in the 19th century to the point where Western Imperialism and Dragon exploitation became the secondary antagonistic forces in the series, alongside Napoleon and Lien. While not the most compelling parts of the series to me, I appreciated it. It challenged our protagonists' values and beliefs, and it created a fun alt-history dynamic to the series.
But.... they were mostly travelogues, to explore how dragons lived all over this alt-history world. Which was… cool? but could have just been put in a 'Dragonology' type side book, instead of ultimately creating a bunch of… filler books, where nothing was really progressed other than one or two major things, like Anahuarque and Ning. (I did ultimately like books 6-8 because of the really fun character moments we got, though)
Honestly, I think the ending of this series would have been vastly better if the first two parts of BoT were cut, and we had two final books focusing entirely on the Russian Campaign and the eventual defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. I'm tempted to say the same of CoG and the Incas, even though I really like Anahuarque. The entire series has always wandered between being a character-driven post-colonialist travelogue and straight up military alt history, but it hasn't been very well balanced in the last few books at all. Novik put a lot of odd emphasis on elements that weren't really present beforehand, especially in this book - she really should have recognised what made the first few books successful, like, dramatic fight scenes, rather than military planning, and mad sure this book really capitalised on that. But I don't think she cared.
I'm also going to Discourse over Laurence/Jane and Laurence/Tharkay. Because I'm a huge queer and goddamn it Novik.
I'm sorry, there's literally no way to see Naomi Novik's fanfiction account - in which she's written over 300 porny male/male slash fics - and then look at the multitude of scenes between Laurence and Tharkay and think 'she was writing these with the intent of portraying them solely as good friends'. Any other author, sure. But Novik was very deliberately writing scenes with queer subtext. and you know what, I thought that was great fun! I need my fantasy books to be gayer - what a pleasant surprise!
Funnily enough, these scenes increased in frequency around the same time as all romantic/sexual elements of Jane and Laurence's interactions seemed to disappear. In my review of BoT I said I was genuinely surprised when a character referred to them as lovers in present tense, because I had stopped thinking of them as such books ago.
so, I genuinely believed this story would end in a very open ending in regards to romance - if not actively having Tharkay and Laurence, like, settle down together, at least have their futures going along the same path. Which did happen! I was vaguely pleased with that! However, it would have been amazing for Novik to have actually gone there, because it's 2016 and portraying a queer relationship shouldn't be shocking - and she was clearly building some kind of subtext.
I did NOT expect Naomi Novik to actively go 'no homo!' and resurrect the Jane/Laurence plot, that no one really cared about anymore, with the series' only explicit sex scene, halfway through the book, with no build up or any follow through. I tend to read too fast, and when Laurence got his huge erection for Jane at the end of their pages-long discussion of military matters I had to double-take. Um?? it was not well executed at all. And you know what, this is actually the textbook definition of queerbaiting, and shame on Novik. Even with the ending it was still crumbs for the ~shippers compared to, once again, as always in the history of the universe, what the straights get. Even though she ended this series with Laurence deciding to live with Tharkay, did she place this elaborate explicit sex scene mid-way through the book just to assure us all there's NO WAY Laurence could be queer nah? What was the actual point? No endgame romance actually resulted from these explicit sexy times, and it wasn't very interesting. Napoleon expressed more deep affection for Laurence than Jane. It didn't develop anything, we're just right where we were in book 1.
How dare she pretty much exclusively write gay porn for her fanfiction yet actively reject the possibilities of queer protagonists in her published works, lest it possibly affect her professional prospects! queer stories are clearly only worthy of being published in a dark corner of the internet! god I lost a lot of respect of her over this. I genuinely do not know what her intent behind these scenes were.
And in addition, I honestly don't know why we cut a cut to black on Iskierka and Temeraire vs three Fleur-de-Nuits and Temeraire vs Lien when this unnecessary sex scene was so lovingly written out. It was a few hundred words that could have been used better elsewhere.
This is way too long and in depth critical, how embarrassing. This review is my Tyra Banks rant. I'm just really disappointed; it was a boring, ill-resolved, queerbaiting mess, and I know Novik can do better. All in all I'd still really, really recommend this series to people (I even did so at work the other day, hah) but genuinely, stop reading at Tongues of Serpents and pretend Laurence and Temeraire retire in the Blue Mountains. Or at the end of Blood of Tyrants, and then pick up some non-fiction about the final years of the Napoleonic Wars, insert dragon battles mentally, then go read some post-canon Laurence/Tharkay on AO3, Naomi's very own website!
EDIT: for everyone reading this thinking/commenting saying I'm reading too much into Tharkay and Laurence's relationship, Novik pretty much confirmed there was something from Tharkay's side in Golden Age and Other Stories. There is nothing heterosexual about this.
I have a lot to say, so I will start with the things I liked. I did like how appropriately terrifying Ning was, and the fate of Napoleon, Lien and France. I did like the broad strokes of the ending, where dragons now have seats in Parliament, where the Inca and Tswana Empires ended up strong and represented, and where Novik gave me the 'Laurence, Temeraire and Tharkay live together' fanfic ending
But then there were many, many things that disappointed me. Overall, this entire book was just a lot of... well written, vaguely entertaining nothing, at best, and interminable, badly written nothing at worst. For the final book, the plot should be a tight and focused tie-up of all the loose ends of the previous books, culminating in an exciting climax! Rather, we got a meandering exploration of a bunch of new elements in a half-assed manner.
Part One was the vaguely entertaining, still well written nothing. I expected a much more dramatic portrayal of that winter, following through with that cliffhanger by giving me a dramatic opening. Instead, it cut to black, Tharkay left offscreen, Laurence had one battle, the aftermath fizzled out… into a strange comedy of manners that went nowhere, had no prior investment from the readers and had no further impact on the plot.
Part Two was the most enjoyable, wherein it featured a lot of previous elements while forwarding the plot... but it was less than 100 pages, and it ended in another lazy cut to black. Novik could have easily used the pages she spent on the Lithuanian peasant girl describing their flight across the channel, fighting the Fleur-de-Nuits. Easily.
It all just spiraled into a bunch of boring nothing from there, and the last half of the book. The biggest failings of this book lie in this part, wherein it lacked entirely what made Temeraire an enjoyable series to read - exciting build up and action sequences, and fun moments from the established cast of characters. It should have been so exciting! Like the climax of Victory of Eagles! But it was just meandering and uninterested! I am adamant that Novik should have cut this plot about the mutinous captains - new characters only introduced in the second half of the last book, so, WHO CARES - under Laurence's charge and trying to supply the dragons with porridge and whatever the fuck else, and had it been Laurence (or, maybe, you know, his superior, Catherine Harcourt...) with the formation, Granby, Demane and Tharkay leading the Prussian campaign.
Literally no familiar characters were around, bar Laurence and Temeraire, from the 60% mark to the last 20 pages, and that was so disappointing. So, so many characters and subplots have been put into this series and weren't at all satisfyingly resolved or even paid due. The Harcourt Formation got crumbs - sorry, how did Granby get Admiral over these guys? They're all his seniors and/or direct superiors? and where DID Granby go? I'm stunned Laurence didn't get a nice final scene with him, like, no character other than Tem and Laurence have been around as long as Granby. Ferris disappeared by the second half, to my immense disappointment - I had really hoped this book would have him finally get some NICE THINGS in his life. Emily and Demane were being very nicely built up in the previous books and we get nothing about how they're doing. Sipho was not even mentioned - even a line from Laurence about how amazing his essays are at school, ANYTHING, to maybe resolve the fact that for about FOUR BOOKS we got snippets from the books Sipho wrote as an adult.
The most blatant non-resolution was Tharkay. Sorry, I mean Tharkay the International Super Spy????? I had to check with a friend that I hadn't literally forgotten or skipped this info being given in a previous book, because… ??? what? sure I can believe he's been a spy all this time but… it's been six books and he's been a spy all this time and IT NEVER CAME UP? OKAY? for who? how long? nope none of those questions got answered and never will. And never mind that, Tharkay literally disappeared after part 2! altho clearly that is why he kept leaving without saying goodbye, or the book even mentioning him leaving, is because he is a sneaky spy!! I guess it's nice that this lawsuit got resolved I GUESS.
And, oh, never mind Tharkay. LIEN. The main antagonist! Even more dastardly than Napoleon! She had ONE SCENE with lines in this book, I cannot BELIEVE.
So, there's all these characters I can think of off the top of my head who got hardly any mention, but... Dryhern got loads of page time and Edith got a lovely final scene with Laurence? Okay? Sorry, but who the fuck asked for that. I doubt anyone would have read this book and gone 'wow where is Edith, why did we get all those scenes with Maximus and Lily - really dropped the ball there Naomi!!!' What are these priorities? I like Edith, but ending the series with her and Laurence having a lovely conversation instead of, idk, Granby, just felt really out of place for me. I was glad Perscitia and Requiescat came back, though? That was nice.
All this to say - ok. Novik is obviously into military history, and so am I! But the ninth book of a series should really resolve things for characters too! This really lacked the lovely and funny character moments this series usually has loads of, and really lacked a satisfying conclusion of all of their arcs - hell, even a furthering of their arcs. The only big, significant development and resolution for me was that Granby was confirmed to have long hair at last. Amazing.
Speaking of disappointing, the amount of jumps and cut-to-blacks happened in action and plot scenes. There was no huge thrilling climax. Novik, if you're going to go full on military fiction on me, make it interesting - instead it was genuinely poorly written. Tharkay disappeared, Granby teleported across the British Isles within a chapter... the final confrontation between Temeraire and Lien, built up from the second book CUT. TO. BLACK. I believed that was solely the kind of genuinely bad writing I've only seen in self-published M/M """fantasy""" books, not Temeraire.
So where do I think it all went wrong? I think, honestly, Novik had way too many characters plot points to resolve and absolutely no interest in resolving them. I genuinely wondered how she was going to resolve everything in this book, but I didn't expect it to be resolved like THIS, with a kind of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ shrug.
I think that's a fault of the trajectory in which she has been taking the entire series since ToS, wherein increasingly she has been failing the balance the three big plot themes: the Napoleonic Wars, Dragons Rights and European Colonialism. I've always said this, but the series was at its strongest when the Harcourt Formation and the Napoleonic Wars were featured most predominately; and not coincidentally, these were the most important plot points in the first book. Now, I really liked the plots exploring colonialism, and Dragons rights! I thought they were a good touch, and liked how the books after VoE, while not being as high in quality, built on what was explored by Tharkay's character in BPW and the Tswana in EoI - that Novik committed to and carried out this examination of non-European countries in the 19th century to the point where Western Imperialism and Dragon exploitation became the secondary antagonistic forces in the series, alongside Napoleon and Lien. While not the most compelling parts of the series to me, I appreciated it. It challenged our protagonists' values and beliefs, and it created a fun alt-history dynamic to the series.
But.... they were mostly travelogues, to explore how dragons lived all over this alt-history world. Which was… cool? but could have just been put in a 'Dragonology' type side book, instead of ultimately creating a bunch of… filler books, where nothing was really progressed other than one or two major things, like Anahuarque and Ning. (I did ultimately like books 6-8 because of the really fun character moments we got, though)
Honestly, I think the ending of this series would have been vastly better if the first two parts of BoT were cut, and we had two final books focusing entirely on the Russian Campaign and the eventual defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. I'm tempted to say the same of CoG and the Incas, even though I really like Anahuarque. The entire series has always wandered between being a character-driven post-colonialist travelogue and straight up military alt history, but it hasn't been very well balanced in the last few books at all. Novik put a lot of odd emphasis on elements that weren't really present beforehand, especially in this book - she really should have recognised what made the first few books successful, like, dramatic fight scenes, rather than military planning, and mad sure this book really capitalised on that. But I don't think she cared.
I'm also going to Discourse over Laurence/Jane and Laurence/Tharkay. Because I'm a huge queer and goddamn it Novik.
I'm sorry, there's literally no way to see Naomi Novik's fanfiction account - in which she's written over 300 porny male/male slash fics - and then look at the multitude of scenes between Laurence and Tharkay and think 'she was writing these with the intent of portraying them solely as good friends'. Any other author, sure. But Novik was very deliberately writing scenes with queer subtext. and you know what, I thought that was great fun! I need my fantasy books to be gayer - what a pleasant surprise!
Funnily enough, these scenes increased in frequency around the same time as all romantic/sexual elements of Jane and Laurence's interactions seemed to disappear. In my review of BoT I said I was genuinely surprised when a character referred to them as lovers in present tense, because I had stopped thinking of them as such books ago.
so, I genuinely believed this story would end in a very open ending in regards to romance - if not actively having Tharkay and Laurence, like, settle down together, at least have their futures going along the same path. Which did happen! I was vaguely pleased with that! However, it would have been amazing for Novik to have actually gone there, because it's 2016 and portraying a queer relationship shouldn't be shocking - and she was clearly building some kind of subtext.
I did NOT expect Naomi Novik to actively go 'no homo!' and resurrect the Jane/Laurence plot, that no one really cared about anymore, with the series' only explicit sex scene, halfway through the book, with no build up or any follow through. I tend to read too fast, and when Laurence got his huge erection for Jane at the end of their pages-long discussion of military matters I had to double-take. Um?? it was not well executed at all. And you know what, this is actually the textbook definition of queerbaiting, and shame on Novik. Even with the ending it was still crumbs for the ~shippers compared to, once again, as always in the history of the universe, what the straights get. Even though she ended this series with Laurence deciding to live with Tharkay, did she place this elaborate explicit sex scene mid-way through the book just to assure us all there's NO WAY Laurence could be queer nah? What was the actual point? No endgame romance actually resulted from these explicit sexy times, and it wasn't very interesting. Napoleon expressed more deep affection for Laurence than Jane. It didn't develop anything, we're just right where we were in book 1.
How dare she pretty much exclusively write gay porn for her fanfiction yet actively reject the possibilities of queer protagonists in her published works, lest it possibly affect her professional prospects! queer stories are clearly only worthy of being published in a dark corner of the internet! god I lost a lot of respect of her over this. I genuinely do not know what her intent behind these scenes were.
And in addition, I honestly don't know why we cut a cut to black on Iskierka and Temeraire vs three Fleur-de-Nuits and Temeraire vs Lien when this unnecessary sex scene was so lovingly written out. It was a few hundred words that could have been used better elsewhere.
This is way too long and in depth critical, how embarrassing. This review is my Tyra Banks rant. I'm just really disappointed; it was a boring, ill-resolved, queerbaiting mess, and I know Novik can do better. All in all I'd still really, really recommend this series to people (I even did so at work the other day, hah) but genuinely, stop reading at Tongues of Serpents and pretend Laurence and Temeraire retire in the Blue Mountains. Or at the end of Blood of Tyrants, and then pick up some non-fiction about the final years of the Napoleonic Wars, insert dragon battles mentally, then go read some post-canon Laurence/Tharkay on AO3, Naomi's very own website!
EDIT: for everyone reading this thinking/commenting saying I'm reading too much into Tharkay and Laurence's relationship, Novik pretty much confirmed there was something from Tharkay's side in Golden Age and Other Stories. There is nothing heterosexual about this.
June 24, 2016
3.5 stars, with sublime narration. Thus endeth the storied glories of Temeraire the Celestial Dragon and his most honorable companion, Captain Laurence. And thus endeth Napoleon's relentless pursuit of world domination.
A fairly good story. Most of my hopes came true, even though I wasn't completely satisfied. Recommended series!
Quibbles: In Russia, the duel debacle went on and on, yet went nowhere. The pretty peasant girl scenes went nowhere. I'd have rather spent time with key characters from prequels, both dragons and humans. It made little sense for Laurence to get a new crew for the most critical battles ever. We saw very little of Maximus and Lily and the old formation. The writing became choppy, skipping right over some key scenes. Temeraire never got to have his final showdown with the albino celestial, Lien. Laurence was cheated out of a solid gold victory by politics: Hammond, Talleyrand, and Meternich's machinations. Temeraire and Iskierka's egg hatched, but I was disappointed in the dragonet Ning, despite her fearsome abilities.
What did I hope for, you ask? See my original "wish list" below. I won't spoil it by checking off the items that actually occurred, but quite a few did, one way or another.
************
The long-awaited sequel to Blood of Tyrants. I've been waiting on this frozen Russian cliff for so long, and my talon sheathes offer cold comfort. Why are there NO dragon pavilions in Russia? Only lots of ghoulish ferals, poor starving beasts.
I've been thinking — waiting here so hungry, so cold — where is that annoying Iskierka when we need her? The least she could do is fly over for the weekend and build up a blazing hot fire. In fact, send a whole league of dragons to finally rout Napoleon and his annoying Celestial albino, Lien.
Summon a league! Lily and her British formation, with Kulingile the colossal cross-breed. Arkady and the Turkistani ferals. South African beasts from Tswana. Some brightly feathered Incans from Lake Titicaca, courtesy of Old Curicuillor and Churki. Call forth canny old Celeritas and clever Perscitia. Muster the sleepy dragons from breeding grounds everywhere, including Dyhern's Prussian heavyweight, Eroica. With the Emperor's Chinese dragons, we'll have a league. A bloody league, to wipe Napoleon right off the map!
Announce the call to muster! Send out Lung Shen Li, that super-fast new messenger breed from Tongues of Serpents. Then we shall see!
And when you finally publish this book -- my memoirs -- do remember to provide a perfectly lovely life for dear Laurence and Tharkay. And for Granby, of course (but no more gold for that greedy Iskierka!) We must redeem my friend Ferris, too. And Laurence says we must not forget about Forthing, but do give him a clean shirt.
Nor have I forgotten about my cross-bred egg, waiting to hatch in China! Do write a happy future for my first progeny. And pray be kind to dear Lady Allendale, in England! And to Mei, my beautiful and brilliant imperial amour.
If Laurence must marry, I suppose Jane will do. But I'd rather keep him to myself, and he can breed with Jane whenever they wish. Why, whatever could be wrong in that?
Pray, don't forget to pay us, and drape great golden medals on our chests, and pave wider roads for us. Make us full citizens. Give us the vote. And pavilions, with heated floors, and soaring roofs, and — oh — do pray include great spouts of warm water to shower upon us. That would be of all things splendid. (Only go see how they look in China.)
Of course I shall be happy to take a seat in Parliament. Is there a House of Nobles? Perhaps of Noble Dragons.
A fairly good story. Most of my hopes came true, even though I wasn't completely satisfied. Recommended series!
Quibbles: In Russia, the duel debacle went on and on, yet went nowhere. The pretty peasant girl scenes went nowhere. I'd have rather spent time with key characters from prequels, both dragons and humans. It made little sense for Laurence to get a new crew for the most critical battles ever. We saw very little of Maximus and Lily and the old formation. The writing became choppy, skipping right over some key scenes. Temeraire never got to have his final showdown with the albino celestial, Lien. Laurence was cheated out of a solid gold victory by politics: Hammond, Talleyrand, and Meternich's machinations. Temeraire and Iskierka's egg hatched, but I was disappointed in the dragonet Ning, despite her fearsome abilities.
What did I hope for, you ask? See my original "wish list" below. I won't spoil it by checking off the items that actually occurred, but quite a few did, one way or another.
************
The long-awaited sequel to Blood of Tyrants. I've been waiting on this frozen Russian cliff for so long, and my talon sheathes offer cold comfort. Why are there NO dragon pavilions in Russia? Only lots of ghoulish ferals, poor starving beasts.
I've been thinking — waiting here so hungry, so cold — where is that annoying Iskierka when we need her? The least she could do is fly over for the weekend and build up a blazing hot fire. In fact, send a whole league of dragons to finally rout Napoleon and his annoying Celestial albino, Lien.
Summon a league! Lily and her British formation, with Kulingile the colossal cross-breed. Arkady and the Turkistani ferals. South African beasts from Tswana. Some brightly feathered Incans from Lake Titicaca, courtesy of Old Curicuillor and Churki. Call forth canny old Celeritas and clever Perscitia. Muster the sleepy dragons from breeding grounds everywhere, including Dyhern's Prussian heavyweight, Eroica. With the Emperor's Chinese dragons, we'll have a league. A bloody league, to wipe Napoleon right off the map!
Announce the call to muster! Send out Lung Shen Li, that super-fast new messenger breed from Tongues of Serpents. Then we shall see!
And when you finally publish this book -- my memoirs -- do remember to provide a perfectly lovely life for dear Laurence and Tharkay. And for Granby, of course (but no more gold for that greedy Iskierka!) We must redeem my friend Ferris, too. And Laurence says we must not forget about Forthing, but do give him a clean shirt.
Nor have I forgotten about my cross-bred egg, waiting to hatch in China! Do write a happy future for my first progeny. And pray be kind to dear Lady Allendale, in England! And to Mei, my beautiful and brilliant imperial amour.
If Laurence must marry, I suppose Jane will do. But I'd rather keep him to myself, and he can breed with Jane whenever they wish. Why, whatever could be wrong in that?
Pray, don't forget to pay us, and drape great golden medals on our chests, and pave wider roads for us. Make us full citizens. Give us the vote. And pavilions, with heated floors, and soaring roofs, and — oh — do pray include great spouts of warm water to shower upon us. That would be of all things splendid. (Only go see how they look in China.)
Of course I shall be happy to take a seat in Parliament. Is there a House of Nobles? Perhaps of Noble Dragons.
August 8, 2016
3.5
C'est fini.
I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this series. It has been a mixed bag of nine books, some of which were fantastic and others so bad I nearly gave up the series. Overall, however, I think I like the idea of the Temeraire series better than the actual series. Because while I really, really liked the concept, the execution left a lot to be desired.
This final novel, League of Dragons, was just okay.
The readers who have stuck with the series for the last ten years will mostly likely be slightly disappointed after waiting so long. It has been a long journey and while there is closure for a lot of the issues that our heroes have faced along the way, I definitely felt cheated out of others.
For example, the Western governments are finally willingly to recognize that dragons are sentient beings that deserve respect, and not just brutal beasts to be used as you would a trained dog. On the other hand, the reader does not get to see the final showdown between Lien and Temeraire. I thought maybe it was left out of the ARC, but I noticed other reviewers saying the same thing. Novik just skips forward in time just as they're about to engage and we are only told that Temeraire defeats her, but not how, or what it involved. Which is a real cop-out on Novik's part, considering we have been building up towards this event since book two. Besides, I'm fairly certain Lien would have fought to the death rather than be captured. It feels like Novik just didn't know how to write it, which is really strange considering she spent over a decade on this series. I mean we get a stupid duel and waste the beginning with a peasant girl and Novik spending half the book reminding us just how tragically honorable Laurance is - only to later have him undertake something criminal. It was a real let-down.
Besides that, there was again a lot of politics - some of which were really fascinating and others really boring. And not really enough action, I was expecting for the final stand to take most of the book, but it barely takes a 1/5, with other skirmishes here and there, meant to distract from the main plot - which I thought was really unnecessary at times.
There also appears to have been only slight character development overall for the heroes. The dragons remain somewhat petulant yet intelligent toddlers, while Laurance is stubbornly, at times, stupidly honorable - which was sometimes more irritating than endearing. There's a difference between being honorable and a doormat. The strange thing was that we barely see very important characters from earlier on in the series and instead (once again) get a bunch of new ones that no one needed or appreciated. Lily, Max, Kulingile, Arkady and the Turkistani ferals, where were they? They barely if at all mentioned. Where is Demaine? What of his relationship with Emily (who even if she is practically an officer, was barely mentioned and you forget she's even there!)? I mean Jane mentions that she's fine with it, but others might not be, and that's that. His brother isn't even mentioned once the two brothers leave. I mean, she felt the need to bring back Edith and hint that she and Laurence may pick up where they left off, but we don't get to see loyal friends and people who have stuck by Laurence?
Overall, I'm somewhat mollified with the ending, but I expected more. So much more.
------------
Okay, okay, I feel like the luckiest reader in the world. You know why?
Because I literally just started reading this series a month ago. Then I find out it's not done yet and I panic mildly, but then I relax when I find out that the next book comes out in June. But something makes me check and I look at when the last book was published, and the wait between them was three years!!! I can't believe early fans had to wait three years for this book!
And here I am, a boob, just got into the series and then I see the Arc of this one after I finished the 8th one and I'm like Holy Shit. So, I request it, then go on twitter and subtweet my hopes to the publisher in hopes they'll approve me, and VOILA. They did.
I'm a lucky, lucky girl. Will post review as soon as I finish, probably a couple of days.
C'est fini.
I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this series. It has been a mixed bag of nine books, some of which were fantastic and others so bad I nearly gave up the series. Overall, however, I think I like the idea of the Temeraire series better than the actual series. Because while I really, really liked the concept, the execution left a lot to be desired.
This final novel, League of Dragons, was just okay.
The readers who have stuck with the series for the last ten years will mostly likely be slightly disappointed after waiting so long. It has been a long journey and while there is closure for a lot of the issues that our heroes have faced along the way, I definitely felt cheated out of others.
For example, the Western governments are finally willingly to recognize that dragons are sentient beings that deserve respect, and not just brutal beasts to be used as you would a trained dog. On the other hand, the reader does not get to see the final showdown between Lien and Temeraire. I thought maybe it was left out of the ARC, but I noticed other reviewers saying the same thing. Novik just skips forward in time just as they're about to engage and we are only told that Temeraire defeats her, but not how, or what it involved. Which is a real cop-out on Novik's part, considering we have been building up towards this event since book two. Besides, I'm fairly certain Lien would have fought to the death rather than be captured. It feels like Novik just didn't know how to write it, which is really strange considering she spent over a decade on this series. I mean we get a stupid duel and waste the beginning with a peasant girl and Novik spending half the book reminding us just how tragically honorable Laurance is - only to later have him undertake something criminal. It was a real let-down.
Besides that, there was again a lot of politics - some of which were really fascinating and others really boring. And not really enough action, I was expecting for the final stand to take most of the book, but it barely takes a 1/5, with other skirmishes here and there, meant to distract from the main plot - which I thought was really unnecessary at times.
There also appears to have been only slight character development overall for the heroes. The dragons remain somewhat petulant yet intelligent toddlers, while Laurance is stubbornly, at times, stupidly honorable - which was sometimes more irritating than endearing. There's a difference between being honorable and a doormat. The strange thing was that we barely see very important characters from earlier on in the series and instead (once again) get a bunch of new ones that no one needed or appreciated. Lily, Max, Kulingile, Arkady and the Turkistani ferals, where were they? They barely if at all mentioned. Where is Demaine? What of his relationship with Emily (who even if she is practically an officer, was barely mentioned and you forget she's even there!)? I mean Jane mentions that she's fine with it, but others might not be, and that's that. His brother isn't even mentioned once the two brothers leave. I mean, she felt the need to bring back Edith and hint that she and Laurence may pick up where they left off, but we don't get to see loyal friends and people who have stuck by Laurence?
Overall, I'm somewhat mollified with the ending, but I expected more. So much more.
------------
Okay, okay, I feel like the luckiest reader in the world. You know why?
Because I literally just started reading this series a month ago. Then I find out it's not done yet and I panic mildly, but then I relax when I find out that the next book comes out in June. But something makes me check and I look at when the last book was published, and the wait between them was three years!!! I can't believe early fans had to wait three years for this book!
And here I am, a boob, just got into the series and then I see the Arc of this one after I finished the 8th one and I'm like Holy Shit. So, I request it, then go on twitter and subtweet my hopes to the publisher in hopes they'll approve me, and VOILA. They did.
I'm a lucky, lucky girl. Will post review as soon as I finish, probably a couple of days.
August 16, 2018
Temeraire and Laurence... I will miss you so. 🐲❤️
(I did it! Nine books down! Whooooo!)
(I did it! Nine books down! Whooooo!)
September 17, 2019
[3.5/5 stars] Whelp, I finally finished this series. I can’t say League of Dragons knocked my socks off, but that’s pretty much par for the course for most of the series. The conclusion had a lot of fun story components, but ultimately it lacked any sort of momentum.
I think I was expecting more of a climactic ending. Anything, really, to make me FEEL something… but League of Dragons was just as casual in its events as most of the books before it. Things got going towards the last 25% of the book, but it didn’t carry out. Just my imaginings on what I thought could happen were more eventful, and I’m generally not very creative when it comes to plot design.
Saying I didn’t feel anything at the series ending isn’t precisely true. I felt a bit sad that I wouldn’t get anymore time with Temeraire and the other dragons. They’re really where the magic of the series lies, and I’ll miss the fun they brought. If you could par everything down to just the bits involving them, you’d have pure gold. They exude personality and animation, with this humorous, sometimes frustrating practicality that only Novik’s dragons embody. I love that their rationale and thinking is so different than ours. It makes them authentic. And delightful. They saved some of the slower books entirely for me and they’re the only reason I don’t feel remorse at spending so much time with this series. They’re also why I’m continuing to recommend at least the first three books.
I look at this series with affection, despite its flaws, but it definitely isn’t perfect. As I’ve mentioned, it’s missing a sustainable plot beyond the first three books, but it also suffers from lack of character depth. We very seldom get more than a surface-level emotion or reaction from the characters. Novik is usually more focused on what’s happening than what it feels like to go through it. The descriptors help us know the characters are feeling things, but beyond the first trilogy I never felt anything but arm’s-distance as a reader.
Recommendations: overall, despite a few flaws, I think the series is worth reading. I only felt a deep connection to the first book, and found rest to be fun, light reads with not much depth. So if you’re going to read fantasy fluff (beyond the first three books, which I believe was only initially intended to be a trilogy but got picked up for more because of its popularity), choose this one because, you know, dragons!!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
I think I was expecting more of a climactic ending. Anything, really, to make me FEEL something… but League of Dragons was just as casual in its events as most of the books before it. Things got going towards the last 25% of the book, but it didn’t carry out. Just my imaginings on what I thought could happen were more eventful, and I’m generally not very creative when it comes to plot design.
Saying I didn’t feel anything at the series ending isn’t precisely true. I felt a bit sad that I wouldn’t get anymore time with Temeraire and the other dragons. They’re really where the magic of the series lies, and I’ll miss the fun they brought. If you could par everything down to just the bits involving them, you’d have pure gold. They exude personality and animation, with this humorous, sometimes frustrating practicality that only Novik’s dragons embody. I love that their rationale and thinking is so different than ours. It makes them authentic. And delightful. They saved some of the slower books entirely for me and they’re the only reason I don’t feel remorse at spending so much time with this series. They’re also why I’m continuing to recommend at least the first three books.
I look at this series with affection, despite its flaws, but it definitely isn’t perfect. As I’ve mentioned, it’s missing a sustainable plot beyond the first three books, but it also suffers from lack of character depth. We very seldom get more than a surface-level emotion or reaction from the characters. Novik is usually more focused on what’s happening than what it feels like to go through it. The descriptors help us know the characters are feeling things, but beyond the first trilogy I never felt anything but arm’s-distance as a reader.
Recommendations: overall, despite a few flaws, I think the series is worth reading. I only felt a deep connection to the first book, and found rest to be fun, light reads with not much depth. So if you’re going to read fantasy fluff (beyond the first three books, which I believe was only initially intended to be a trilogy but got picked up for more because of its popularity), choose this one because, you know, dragons!!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
May 17, 2025
Although there was lots battle time and lots of politics, many dragons (good and evil ones), lots of action and backstage politics and a few exciting moments it seems there was always something missing.
Temeraire's son is an *ssh*le which leaves a bad aftertaste. I wouldn't love Temeraire less if his son were a sweet dragon.
I couldn’t understand the rewriting of history. It didn’t bring the world any improvement as one might have expected. I am no writer, but if I were one, I would rewrite History in a way that would make the world a better place. Even if it were only inside that book. I would give my writers that blissful moment of perfection where the world was really heaven...
Lawrence's situation at the end was still dubious. At the the end he keeps tormenting himself despite the rightfulness of his past actions. We all know he was right, but his actions are never acknowledged as they should have been by the ruling class or himself.
Well, I've finished the series. I still love Laurence and Temeraire. And these three stars are for these two wonderful characters. The rest?...
Temeraire's son is an *ssh*le which leaves a bad aftertaste. I wouldn't love Temeraire less if his son were a sweet dragon.
I couldn’t understand the rewriting of history. It didn’t bring the world any improvement as one might have expected. I am no writer, but if I were one, I would rewrite History in a way that would make the world a better place. Even if it were only inside that book. I would give my writers that blissful moment of perfection where the world was really heaven...
Lawrence's situation at the end was still dubious. At the the end he keeps tormenting himself despite the rightfulness of his past actions. We all know he was right, but his actions are never acknowledged as they should have been by the ruling class or himself.
Well, I've finished the series. I still love Laurence and Temeraire. And these three stars are for these two wonderful characters. The rest?...
April 15, 2020
Five years after I started this series, I've finally finished it. Thanks for a fantastic ride, Ms Novik & Mr Vance!
February 6, 2017
Of course I loved it. The last Temeraire! How could I not? And Ning! So great! And so many ends tied up nicely! And Jane and Lawrence back together (as much as they ever are)! Yay!
If you haven't read this series, please, please do. It's a must for history buffs, fantasy buffs, dragon buffs, people who just love fun stories!
If you haven't read this series, please, please do. It's a must for history buffs, fantasy buffs, dragon buffs, people who just love fun stories!
October 2, 2021
No doubt about it—this was a solid 5. I'm sad it was the last book of the series, but I'm glad she had such a strong ending. The battles were well-plotted, and the characterization of both major and minor players (both human and dragon) was as thorough as it was entertaining. How I will miss these relationships—Laurence and Temeraire; Granby and Izkierka;Laurence and Tharkay;Laurence and Granby, etc.
The continual reminder of the act which happened so many books ago, and which has made life so difficult for our Laurence and Temeraire, is always wrenching but drawn very realistically. This is how it would be for them.
After the wonderful characters, that's what I've loved most about this series—how realistic she made a story about dragons. Her thoroughness with the different breeds and cultures has never been over-explanatory or dull. It's just worked into the plot so seamlessly the whole history seems perfectly plausible—an aerial corps of dragons with their captains and crews in every country's militaries during the Napoleonic wars—here's how it would be. It's a fantasy that feels like a history—Novik pulled it off beautifully.
I don't re-read much anymore, but this series is on the to-be-re-read pile for sure. I will miss these characters, this world, too much to stay away.
The continual reminder of the act which happened so many books ago, and which has made life so difficult for our Laurence and Temeraire, is always wrenching but drawn very realistically. This is how it would be for them.
After the wonderful characters, that's what I've loved most about this series—how realistic she made a story about dragons. Her thoroughness with the different breeds and cultures has never been over-explanatory or dull. It's just worked into the plot so seamlessly the whole history seems perfectly plausible—an aerial corps of dragons with their captains and crews in every country's militaries during the Napoleonic wars—here's how it would be. It's a fantasy that feels like a history—Novik pulled it off beautifully.
I don't re-read much anymore, but this series is on the to-be-re-read pile for sure. I will miss these characters, this world, too much to stay away.
August 17, 2024
The final book and it turns out to be the weakest of the series. The relationship between Temeraire and Laurence was still a highlight but the other regular characters were not as involved, with some hardly featuring and none having any resolution to their story arcs.
Expecting a big, climatic showdown between Temeraire and his arch nemesis Lieng ended up taking place off stage,as it were and then the whole thing just meandered to a point where the book just finished.
The action when it happened was very good as in the previous books.
On the whole I did like League of Dragons but, for a conclusion to what’s been a wonderful series ,it was somewhat underwhelming.
Expecting a big, climatic showdown between Temeraire and his arch nemesis Lieng ended up taking place off stage,as it were and then the whole thing just meandered to a point where the book just finished.
The action when it happened was very good as in the previous books.
On the whole I did like League of Dragons but, for a conclusion to what’s been a wonderful series ,it was somewhat underwhelming.
June 28, 2016
I didn't know when I started that this is to be the last book in the series. I am content with the overall ending but I am very disappointed in the book as a whole. The writing is disjointed and important scenes are skipped. There were jumps in the story, in the logic of the story and in the character of the protagonists. Several times we have a build up to an action scene but suddenly we have skipped the action and are somewhere else. Lawrence goes from a tolerated out of necessity officer to having a command with no logical explanation of how it happened. Having attained a command he tolerates insolence and insubordination from the officers under him to keep from making waves which is completely out of character for him. He is in the position he is in at the beginning of the book because he does what he feels to be right despite the consequences. One officer under his command even has a sword to Lawrence's throat at one point and suffers no consequences that we know of. Then we spend time on things that are irrelevant to the overall story like the recovery after the duel, the other duelist trying to take advantage of the young woman in the farmhouse etc. I think the author tired of this series but had to finish it. I am sorry to see the end of the series but if this is the quality of what we are left to expect it is time to say goodbye.
May 18, 2017
I can't believe that's the end... I'm gonna miss Lawrence and Temeraire!
I did really enjoy the story, but the end did feel a bit rushed. At first it felt like the was so much left open, and then just like a flick of the fingers it's all over and there's some "what happened after". I wish there'd been some more depth to the last pages as it is the final book in the series.
Also this one has the first written out sex scene. I did like the series for NOT having romance or sex. (besides some implied scenes). And it had me wondering... As he is a bit "fast" and then apologising for being like a schoolboy (and making up for it with his hands... ) - where might he have gained his experiences, as he wouldn't endanger a ladies reputation, hates it when a rich guy tried to seduce a farm girl, and he is against the use of whores... *hm*
I really could have passed on that thoughts. ;)
All in all still a really entertaining read, and while not all I hoped for in the finale it was definitely fun to read!
I did really enjoy the story, but the end did feel a bit rushed. At first it felt like the was so much left open, and then just like a flick of the fingers it's all over and there's some "what happened after". I wish there'd been some more depth to the last pages as it is the final book in the series.
Also this one has the first written out sex scene. I did like the series for NOT having romance or sex. (besides some implied scenes). And it had me wondering... As he is a bit "fast" and then apologising for being like a schoolboy (and making up for it with his hands... ) - where might he have gained his experiences, as he wouldn't endanger a ladies reputation, hates it when a rich guy tried to seduce a farm girl, and he is against the use of whores... *hm*
I really could have passed on that thoughts. ;)
All in all still a really entertaining read, and while not all I hoped for in the finale it was definitely fun to read!
August 14, 2017
Trigger warnings: war, death as a result of war, death of a parent. I think that's all?
3.5 stars.
I always forget how long it takes me to get through these books... I picked this one up expecting to fly through it, and then LOL NOPE it took me four freaking days to plough my way through. It probably didn't help that I read book 8 approximately forever ago and had forgotten almost everything that happened in books 4-8 due to only owning books 1-3. But whatever.
Was it a satisfying conclusion to the series? Yes and no. Yes in that it wraps up the Napoleonic war side of things very nicely, and I actually really enjoyed the way Napoleon's story played out. But no in that I wanted more of the characters I knew and loved from the first three books and a more conclusively happy ending for the protagonists in particular, but also a bunch of the secondary characters.
So in short, it came out at enjoyable but largely forgettable, unfortunately.
3.5 stars.
I always forget how long it takes me to get through these books... I picked this one up expecting to fly through it, and then LOL NOPE it took me four freaking days to plough my way through. It probably didn't help that I read book 8 approximately forever ago and had forgotten almost everything that happened in books 4-8 due to only owning books 1-3. But whatever.
Was it a satisfying conclusion to the series? Yes and no. Yes in that it wraps up the Napoleonic war side of things very nicely, and I actually really enjoyed the way Napoleon's story played out. But no in that I wanted more of the characters I knew and loved from the first three books and a more conclusively happy ending for the protagonists in particular, but also a bunch of the secondary characters.
So in short, it came out at enjoyable but largely forgettable, unfortunately.
March 17, 2018
I really wanted to love this book, and parts of it were great (like Temeraire and Iskierka scheming about saving their egg), but other parts were so long and drawn out and ultimately had no point (like the duel and the stay at the farmhouse). I listened to 80% of this as an audio book and then when I started on the ebook I was shocked that the end was so close and it didn't seem like anything was ramping up to an ending. Sure enough, the ending felt rushed and I didn't get the closure I wanted .
I also wish that we got more of a goodbye with some of the characters like Iskierka and Granby and Emily/Demaine.
PS - the guy that reads this series for the audiobooks is fantastic. It's the only time where I have gone out of my way to listen to a book versus reading one.
I also wish that we got more of a goodbye with some of the characters like Iskierka and Granby and Emily/Demaine.
PS - the guy that reads this series for the audiobooks is fantastic. It's the only time where I have gone out of my way to listen to a book versus reading one.
forthcoming
August 10, 20158/7/15 - Cover up:
On sale May 10, 2016 by Del Rey.
On sale May 10, 2016 by Del Rey.
November 22, 2018
Although I knew the series had to eventually end as it was based in the Napoleonic war time frame I was very sorry to see an end to the Dragon's adventures. If you are a fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels you will really enjoy this series. Excellent character and writing. Tons of action and humor. You find yourself at the end of the book before you know it and then start looking for the next volume. My highest recommendation.
July 4, 2016
Very sorry to see this series end. It's so rare for me to read an entire series, and especially one this long. A real treasure.
May 11, 2018
I honestly loved this. It was everything I need from a Temeraire book, and I'm just so sad it's over. Think I'll start rereading now... XD
March 23, 2017
I remember falling in love with this series like it was yesterday. Dragon in various shapes and sizes, flying in formation, harnessed to carry complete navy-like crews, fighting pitched battles across the continent, during the period of Napoleonic wars. I devoured the first three books in less than a month and patiently waiting for the other six in a span of seven years. Until now I am still completely obsessed with Temeraire's formation, led by Lily (a Longwing), and aside from Temeraire consisted of Maximus (a Regal Copper), Immortalis and Messoria (both Yellow Reapers), Dulcia (a Grey Copper) and Nitidus (a Pascal's Blue).
The fact that I still remember those breeds (and many others) are the testament of my addiction.
The series has its ups and downs. The middle books except Victory of Eagles are complete fillers disguised in worldbuilding travelogue. Then again like a proper addict I kept on wanting more. Why? The bond between Temeraire and his captain/soulmate Laurence. The superbly written battle scenes. The repartee between the dragons and their crew members (flight and ground). The social commentaries on dragon's rights as citizens/soldiers. The battle scenes. The dragons' various (and often hilarious) antics. The fact that women could captain and crews dragons and became admirals. Temeraire fussing about his crew all the time like a mother hen.. Umm have I mentioned the battle scenes?
So. The last book. Upon reflection, I decided 3.5 stars would be fitting. It is not as good as the first and fifth books. The low points in this quite annoyed me, such as the marriage scheme in the early chapters following a weird duel that led to...nowhere actually. And then a lengthy back and forth discussion about logistics. And the lack of Temeraire's old wingmates. Lily and Maximus only got one line each! And where were Messoria, Immortalis, Dulcia and Nitidus? Please tell me they were okay?! Last but not least, the somewhat abrupt, unsatisfactory ending.
The most infuriating of all were This is the final novel, for Kutuzov's sake.
What I did love from this:
- Iskierka met her match in the form of Ning (surely the strongest dragon in the world with her both divine wind and fire breathing skills)
- Dragon became more politically savvy - even in Russia
- Laurence being so cool in critical moments
- Poor but brave Fidelitas
- Dragon's porridge time
- Temeraire's namesake (yes, the ship).
There were lots of good moments. Sigh. Can't believe this is the end. I need to reread my favorite books from the series and relive all the best funny and battle scenes.
Fare thee well, Lung Tien Xiang.
The fact that I still remember those breeds (and many others) are the testament of my addiction.
The series has its ups and downs. The middle books except Victory of Eagles are complete fillers disguised in worldbuilding travelogue. Then again like a proper addict I kept on wanting more. Why? The bond between Temeraire and his captain/soulmate Laurence. The superbly written battle scenes. The repartee between the dragons and their crew members (flight and ground). The social commentaries on dragon's rights as citizens/soldiers. The battle scenes. The dragons' various (and often hilarious) antics. The fact that women could captain and crews dragons and became admirals. Temeraire fussing about his crew all the time like a mother hen.. Umm have I mentioned the battle scenes?
So. The last book. Upon reflection, I decided 3.5 stars would be fitting. It is not as good as the first and fifth books. The low points in this quite annoyed me, such as the marriage scheme in the early chapters following a weird duel that led to...nowhere actually. And then a lengthy back and forth discussion about logistics. And the lack of Temeraire's old wingmates. Lily and Maximus only got one line each! And where were Messoria, Immortalis, Dulcia and Nitidus? Please tell me they were okay?! Last but not least, the somewhat abrupt, unsatisfactory ending.
The most infuriating of all were This is the final novel, for Kutuzov's sake.
What I did love from this:
- Iskierka met her match in the form of Ning (surely the strongest dragon in the world with her both divine wind and fire breathing skills)
- Dragon became more politically savvy - even in Russia
- Laurence being so cool in critical moments
- Poor but brave Fidelitas
- Dragon's porridge time
- Temeraire's namesake (yes, the ship).
There were lots of good moments. Sigh. Can't believe this is the end. I need to reread my favorite books from the series and relive all the best funny and battle scenes.
Fare thee well, Lung Tien Xiang.
August 16, 2016
Enjoyable end to this brilliantly world building series, but I am left wanting more from this world. Well worth reading the entire series.
July 26, 2020
This was 'Fantasy - Dragons - Historical Fiction' all rolled into one. This was also the 9th book in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. I've read them all and most have been a solid 4 stars and so was this one. I like this little dragon named Temeraire, well he hasn't really been little for quite sometime. The author has brought him to life as he has grown up in this series. I also like his human. They are a perfect pair. Sometimes they feel a little too perfect but they just belong together. I love their bond. I also like their moral compass. That has been refreshing all throughout the series as they have had to navigate the amorality of others.
I listened to the audio and the narrator was fabulous, as always. I think that helps when it comes to the enjoyment factor. So 4 stars.
I listened to the audio and the narrator was fabulous, as always. I think that helps when it comes to the enjoyment factor. So 4 stars.
October 20, 2021
Türkçesini okusam muhtemelen daha cok severdim...eh isteydi...sonuna bir epilog koysaydi keşke yani 9 kitap okuduk arkadas bir bölüm okusaydik geleceklerini...
Want to read
January 14, 2018Okay, just weird...I KNOW I read this....and yet....???????????????
June 12, 2018
I'm sad that this series is over. I've been reading it since 2016 and I'll miss it. However this is definitely a series that will go on my reread list.
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4.5 stars
I think the most important question about League of Dragons, the ninth and final book in the series, is whether or not it is a satisfying conclusion. Does it wrap up all the lose ends neatly? And the answer is yes, I think it does. It certainly brings the Napoleonic war aspects of the storyline to a neat ending, a little bit to neat in my opinion but that isn’t too much of a negative point.
I think the personal relationships between characters could have done with an epilogue so that we can find out exactly where some of the ‘smaller’ but no less beloved characters had ended up. However on the whole the main characters had their own versions of ‘happily ever after’ so I was satisfied.
If Naomi Novik ever decides to write any more novels in this world I’ll be first in line to read them.
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4.5 stars
I think the most important question about League of Dragons, the ninth and final book in the series, is whether or not it is a satisfying conclusion. Does it wrap up all the lose ends neatly? And the answer is yes, I think it does. It certainly brings the Napoleonic war aspects of the storyline to a neat ending, a little bit to neat in my opinion but that isn’t too much of a negative point.
I think the personal relationships between characters could have done with an epilogue so that we can find out exactly where some of the ‘smaller’ but no less beloved characters had ended up. However on the whole the main characters had their own versions of ‘happily ever after’ so I was satisfied.
If Naomi Novik ever decides to write any more novels in this world I’ll be first in line to read them.
July 24, 2017
Well, that’s it. The last book in the Temeraire series! I thought the ending was satisfying. It wasn’t particularly surprising, maybe, but I was happy with how things ended up and I enjoyed the last book as much as I had enjoyed the previous books. The rest of this review consists of general, spoiler-free comments on the series as a whole.
I really enjoyed the whole series even though, in retrospect, it lacked some of the things that are most likely to earn my enthusiasm for a book. In particular, Novik used a straight-forward and consistent story-telling style. There were surprises here and there, but this isn’t a twisty story with an intricate plot that keeps you confused and anxious to learn what the heck is going on. I do normally prefer a twistier story, but it held my interest well anyway. I would be surprised though if somebody who isn’t crazy for the books from the beginning were to change their mind if they tried to keep reading. The things that made the series enjoyable for me from the start are mostly the same things that sustained my interest through to the end.
Novik writes action scenes well, and she also does very well with making characters likeable and sympathetic. She writes the interactions between characters well too. I was happy that there wasn’t much romance in the series; I think that would have taken away from the more interesting relationships and been more a source of annoyance than anything. There isn’t anything too deep here, but I liked the theme of duty versus morality that showed up throughout the series, forcing our characters to decide which should take precedence when those two things were in conflict and to deal with the consequences of their choices. Even though the series is set during a war, it has a fairly light tone. Bad and discouraging things happen, but there’s also a decent amount of humor and optimism.
I plan to keep an eye out for future books the author publishes, and I’ll read the new anthology (Golden Age and Other Stories) sooner or later. Right now I only see a $25 hardcover available for pre-order so I’ll either borrow it from the library if it’s available, or I’ll purchase it when there’s a reasonably-priced Kindle edition available.
I really enjoyed the whole series even though, in retrospect, it lacked some of the things that are most likely to earn my enthusiasm for a book. In particular, Novik used a straight-forward and consistent story-telling style. There were surprises here and there, but this isn’t a twisty story with an intricate plot that keeps you confused and anxious to learn what the heck is going on. I do normally prefer a twistier story, but it held my interest well anyway. I would be surprised though if somebody who isn’t crazy for the books from the beginning were to change their mind if they tried to keep reading. The things that made the series enjoyable for me from the start are mostly the same things that sustained my interest through to the end.
Novik writes action scenes well, and she also does very well with making characters likeable and sympathetic. She writes the interactions between characters well too. I was happy that there wasn’t much romance in the series; I think that would have taken away from the more interesting relationships and been more a source of annoyance than anything. There isn’t anything too deep here, but I liked the theme of duty versus morality that showed up throughout the series, forcing our characters to decide which should take precedence when those two things were in conflict and to deal with the consequences of their choices. Even though the series is set during a war, it has a fairly light tone. Bad and discouraging things happen, but there’s also a decent amount of humor and optimism.
I plan to keep an eye out for future books the author publishes, and I’ll read the new anthology (Golden Age and Other Stories) sooner or later. Right now I only see a $25 hardcover available for pre-order so I’ll either borrow it from the library if it’s available, or I’ll purchase it when there’s a reasonably-priced Kindle edition available.
January 18, 2022
Temeraire is one of my favorite series of all time. I love all of the characters and the overall story. Plus, the narration for the audiobooks is spectacular.
The series had some slow bits and sometimes the opposite happened where the story felt rushed. Occasionally the story jumped forward without transitioning well between the scenes. For example, the characters would be in the middle of a suspenseful scene, the chapter would end, then the next chapter would pick up a week later in a completely different situation and slowly the reader would be let in on what happened to get the characters to where they were at present.
Overall, this is an amazing series and it kept my interest well. I'm happy with the ending, and I'm looking forward to reading the short stories and novellas that Naomi Novik wrote for the series.
The series had some slow bits and sometimes the opposite happened where the story felt rushed. Occasionally the story jumped forward without transitioning well between the scenes. For example, the characters would be in the middle of a suspenseful scene, the chapter would end, then the next chapter would pick up a week later in a completely different situation and slowly the reader would be let in on what happened to get the characters to where they were at present.
Overall, this is an amazing series and it kept my interest well. I'm happy with the ending, and I'm looking forward to reading the short stories and novellas that Naomi Novik wrote for the series.
January 17, 2023
I think if your main draw to this series was the war with Napoleon you would be very satisfied but if it was all the side characters you learned to love you might be disappointed like me. We barely see half of them! I wanted a more detailed wrap up of not just the war. Not just one throw away sentence per character.
July 5, 2016
3.5 stars. A reasonably satisfying end to a fun series.
March 5, 2022
I've been struggling to write this review for a while, and one of the reasons is that I'm trying to separate my feelings on League of Dragons as an individual book versus as the capstone of a nine-book series, and it's hard to do. The final book in a series is inherently built upon what came before, of course, but in this case in particular I found there's quite a difference in how much I liked this particular book versus how much I liked where the series ended.
The biggest weakness of this installment was its pacing, and that was a problem literally from the first page. Now, readers who were picking up each book as it came out might not have been as thrown by this, but I came straight from Blood of Tyrants. Here's the last paragraph of that book:
BoT literally ends with Laurence, Temeraire, and their allies barely surviving, with Russian dragons decamping to join the French, with Napoleon marching on their position...
...and then LoD opens with Napoleon's army in full retreat, from one of a bare handful of defeats in this entire series, which we never see on the page. It's a jarring jump, and while I know that the fate of Napoleon's army in Russia's winter isn't exactly glorious, I can't help feeling cheated that after all the dragging losses of BoT, readers didn't even get to experience the relief of the moment when Napoleon's forces began to turn around.
So. Off to a weird start. And honestly the pacing kept being weird and felt kind of muddled - personally, I think this could have been neatly avoided by nixing the pointless amnesia plot in BoT and using that space to actually resolve the Russian campaign, and then beginning LoD in the aftermath of the retreat - and yet, despite that, this book still delivered on some things I'd been hoping for in a satisfying way.
I have some issues with how the question of draconic rights was addressed (or not addressed) throughout the series as a whole, but I can't levy that as a criticism of this book, because this is the installment in which progress actually starts to be made. It felt like things happened a little faster than they should have, but on a single-book level I'm willing to accept that for the fact that the series concluded in satisfying place.
I have to talk about one spoilery thing: the book's biggest Chekov's Gun, or Chekov's Egg in this case.
I've realized while writing this review that I have to downgrade my rating by a star because, as much as I liked some elements of how this book ended, there's actually more I didn't care for than I realized. Napoleon is an antagonist in the most literal definition of the term, but he's not a villain and, honestly, the first 50% or so of the book had me rooting for him more than anything else. Lien, who had potential to be a much more significant and personal threat to Temeraire and co, gets sidelined and accomplishes very little. Characters and conflicts built up over the last 2-3 books don't really get resolution, and Laurence's reunion with Jane Roland was just... awkward, as it's been clearly established that she has not caught feelings but it seems like he definitely has.
I liked the direction that both Laurence and Temeraire are headed at the end of the book, and I'm glad that after hundreds of pages of Britain's Government being dicks about dragons, they sort of got their shit together. But ultimately... I think this book might have actually been kind of a hot mess. Huh. That's kind of a weird thing to realize, and sad. I really do love this setting, and I'd read more books set in this world in a heartbeat (seriously, the future of this timeline is full of fascinating potential) but this final installment just wasn't as well-written or well-constructed as it could have been.
The biggest weakness of this installment was its pacing, and that was a problem literally from the first page. Now, readers who were picking up each book as it came out might not have been as thrown by this, but I came straight from Blood of Tyrants. Here's the last paragraph of that book:
"I'm sorry, sir," she said, quietly, "but there's a dispatch," and handed him the note; he broke it open and read: Napoleon's army had begun to move south, along the Kaluga Road. He was coming. He had chosen the great gamble. A cold and stinging wind was blowing into Laurence's face; he rubbed away sleep, and found his hand wet; he looked up. Snow was falling.
Winter had come.
BoT literally ends with Laurence, Temeraire, and their allies barely surviving, with Russian dragons decamping to join the French, with Napoleon marching on their position...
...and then LoD opens with Napoleon's army in full retreat, from one of a bare handful of defeats in this entire series, which we never see on the page. It's a jarring jump, and while I know that the fate of Napoleon's army in Russia's winter isn't exactly glorious, I can't help feeling cheated that after all the dragging losses of BoT, readers didn't even get to experience the relief of the moment when Napoleon's forces began to turn around.
So. Off to a weird start. And honestly the pacing kept being weird and felt kind of muddled - personally, I think this could have been neatly avoided by nixing the pointless amnesia plot in BoT and using that space to actually resolve the Russian campaign, and then beginning LoD in the aftermath of the retreat - and yet, despite that, this book still delivered on some things I'd been hoping for in a satisfying way.
I have some issues with how the question of draconic rights was addressed (or not addressed) throughout the series as a whole, but I can't levy that as a criticism of this book, because this is the installment in which progress actually starts to be made. It felt like things happened a little faster than they should have, but on a single-book level I'm willing to accept that for the fact that the series concluded in satisfying place.
I have to talk about one spoilery thing: the book's biggest Chekov's Gun, or Chekov's Egg in this case.
I've realized while writing this review that I have to downgrade my rating by a star because, as much as I liked some elements of how this book ended, there's actually more I didn't care for than I realized. Napoleon is an antagonist in the most literal definition of the term, but he's not a villain and, honestly, the first 50% or so of the book had me rooting for him more than anything else. Lien, who had potential to be a much more significant and personal threat to Temeraire and co, gets sidelined and accomplishes very little. Characters and conflicts built up over the last 2-3 books don't really get resolution, and Laurence's reunion with Jane Roland was just... awkward, as it's been clearly established that she has not caught feelings but it seems like he definitely has.
I liked the direction that both Laurence and Temeraire are headed at the end of the book, and I'm glad that after hundreds of pages of Britain's Government being dicks about dragons, they sort of got their shit together. But ultimately... I think this book might have actually been kind of a hot mess. Huh. That's kind of a weird thing to realize, and sad. I really do love this setting, and I'd read more books set in this world in a heartbeat (seriously, the future of this timeline is full of fascinating potential) but this final installment just wasn't as well-written or well-constructed as it could have been.
November 14, 2022
I'm in awe of the momentum this series managed to carry over nine books, and so sad it's come to an end! Temeraire will always have a place in my heart, and I can't wait to reread these books someday.
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