Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Book 4)
by Naomi Novik
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Book Reviews of Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Book 4)
Book Review: The Dragon Riders of Britannia Return!
Summary: 5 Stars
Empire of Ivory is the latest volume of what is informally called "the Dragon Riders of Britannia" and, like the previous three, is a joy to read. The premise of the series is that dragons exist and coexist with humans. It is the height of the Napoleonic Wars and the great battles which are fought on land and sea are also fought in the air with each combatant nation deploying squadrons of dragons.
The changes that have been wrought are subtle, mainly having to do with dragons being a great equalizer between European countries and countries, such as China, which fell under European domination in our time line. For instance, the history of the slave trade takes an unexpected turn when an African kingdom shows up with its own dragons. There is reference to an Incan country, apparently unmolested by the Spaniards.
The great dragon Temeraire and his rider, Captain Will Laurence (a man with a far greater social consciousness than Hornblower or Aubrey), are faced with a crisis as a mysterious plague sweeps through the dragons upon which Britain depends for her defense. Their quest for a cure takes them to unexpected places, but in geography and in the human (and dragon) heart. Meanwhile, Napoleon and his undefeated legions await across the Channel.
There's loads of historical detail, with appearances by such people as Admiral Nelson (having survived Trafalgar) and the great reformer Wilberforce. The story, with the before mentioned cliffhanger, makes one aching for the next volume.
Book Review: As with the others, warning of cliffhangers...
Summary: 4 Stars
This was an excellent light read, and much more of the world was explored.
The issue is that Naomi Novik bit off a pretty hard cliffhanger. While her attempted style is to have some of the traditional taste for cliffhangers a la Dickens et al, I believe she unintentionally escalated the tension. People are best advised to wait for the next book first before purchasing this book.
The ending wasn't a bad place to stop, on face. The novel, though, had really changed character. Novik changes this from a parallel history with dragons to a much more alternative history axis. A major battle was dragged 15 years into the past, changed ethnic groups, and changed the pyhhric nature of the battle into a kind of massive Pearl Harbor. Also, the British does something that is different from the normal pace of the Napoleonic Wars, and well, there is now some thought as to how this will end.
It's not as if it hasn't always been a truly alternative history. Spain is a weak power, apparently having only control of Mexico. We don't really hear anything about the southern colonials, even though we hear about Halifax and the Dakotas. The Qing Empire doesn't exist, and more of a extended Ming empire is still around. The Incas are still around. So around the edges, this isn't a kind of magical version of history, like Harry Turtledove's rendition of WWII.
So in effect Novik has gotten her novel going to breakneck speed (and a very good ride it is!), only to crash at the end...
Book Review: EXTREME Cliffhanger!! Easily 4 stars except for the ending
Summary: 2 Stars
First off I think that Naomi Novik is an excellent writer and I was instantly impressed by her talent when I read the first Temeraire book.
As I was reading Empire of Ivory I was still impressed that it was as good as the first three and that the quality had not fallen off like so many other writers, BUT, and this is a big BUT and also the reason for the two stars, there is an unbelievable cliffhanger at the end. I am an avid reader of almost anything I can my hands on and this has to be one of the worst cliffhanger endings I have ever encountered. Most series while leaving you with enough suspense to keep you interested enough to buy the next book will still give you a somewhat satisfying ending, this one did not. This is a wonderful book easily 4 and 1/2 stars if not 5 stars, but I cannot give it that rating because it feels to much like only a piece of a larger story(which of course it is)not a whole book in it own right. It doesn't even end in a lull it just stops right in the middle of a scene like a scratched DVD that skips right before the climax. As I read the last lines my only thought was "NOOOO!!! Where is the ending!?!?" if not to the series at least to this book. My advice would be to wait to read this book until at least the next book is in print, then it will be a solid 4 and a half star read (assuming that the next installment isn't a horrible cliffhanger as well) or you will most likely be as dissapointed as I am.
Book Review: illiterate
Summary: 1 Stars
This fantasy writer came up with this "what-if:" What if the Napoleonic Wars were fought with huge dragons, too? So it's Anne McCaffery meets Patrick O'Brien. The dragons are, alas, just anthropomorphic humans a la Disney, the characters of every species are two-dimensional and so there are no insights or surprises of the type I like in fiction, though there are plenty of plot points and the thing moved along in that sense. Though it was shelved in the adult section of my library, it really is more appropriate for 12-14 year olds. But what made me put this novel down before the end was the egregious sub-remedial grammar and punctuation errors. Finally, I couldn't see the story for these copious errors, and I stopped to count: 68 commas misplaced in five pages. That would be hard to do if I were trying! Also, the author doesn't seem to understand adverbs, using "clear" when she meant "clearly" and "real" when she meant "really." I could go on and list more errors, but I won't. If you wish to be a writer, you have exactly one tool: language. You really should know how to use that tool correctly (or, as Novik might have it, "you real should know how to, use that tool correct") before you go swinging it around in public. You could put out an eye that way! And shame on the publisher for not hiring a copy editor. Really, what would that have cost, $1500 per book? Cheapskates. Don't give them your money.Book Review: What's so wrong with a Cliffhanger Ending???
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, I enjoyed this latest installment. I thought the drama was intense, the issues continue to be complex and difficult, the partnership between men and dragons also complex but moving.
Things have been changing... Napoleon and other big-wigs make an appearance, and very strange civilizations in Africa... It's no longer just Sea Adventure with Dragons--but then, it never really was. The history has diverged from the familiar books ago. And some will miss that gradual loss of the familiar, but there's also something exciting about it. We are heading more into the parts of the map Where There be Monsters, which makes a kind of sense given the Dragons!
I used to be someone who was annoyed at cliff-hangers, but nowadays, with so many continuing series and books that rarely stand alone, I have to say, "get over it!" Things don't always wrap up in one book--in fact, in fantasy these days, they rarely do! If we want the intricacy of a long-running series, we get stuff like cliff-hangers! I've seen a number of them this year and I no longer count it against a good book in a good series. Just have some patience and read on if the stories are good, I say. I'm only briefly annoyed if I think the book is a stand-alone. But does anyone think this series is NOT a series??? I think it's made pretty clear by now. Plus the fact that the last book had cliff-hangers in it, too! (Duh!!!)