【 THRONE OF JADE 】

book #2 in the Temeraire series

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Audience: Adult
Author: Naomi Novik
Published: April 2006
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 398 (paperback)

Raise your hand if you’re absolutely loving this series! *raises all the hands* Despite vast stretches of this book leading to the comment “will they ever get off this boat?”, I found this super enjoyable and I cannot get enough Temeraire in my life.

After the exciting events of book one, I was so ready for more Laurence and Temeraire action, and to see how Temeraire’s personality develops. Of course, this instalment, as hinted by the blurb, is focused solely on a voyage to China and difficult relations with the Chinese Imperial family about Temeraire’s “rightful home”. And I won’t lie to you, much of the book is the actual voyage to China, despite the blurb making it sound like we’re going to hit the ground running in China.

But fear not, if there’s one thing that Novik does well, it’s mercilessly entertaining us with thrilling battles, exciting scenes and incredibly tense dinner parties. I particularly enjoyed the dangers that came with dinner. There were always just two possible outcomes: the ruination of the relationship between Britain and China, or death by over-eating (not literally). The number of times Laurence suffers from over-indulging in this book is honestly quite funny.

One of the most interesting developments we get to sink our teeth into in this instalment, is Temeraire’s growing awareness of whether he has any choice in his role and whether he can count himself above a slave. There’s a lot of philosophical musings along this line, and in fact, if forms one of the key backbones of the plot as Laurence is forced to reflect on these points himself, every time they are raised by Temeraire. And I think that was wonderful, the amount of introspection Laurence is forced to do because of the thought-provoking conversations he has with Temeraire.

I have to make a small note to say that the action was sublime. There is one particularly fierce battle scene involving a sea serpent that deserves to be described as Jurassic Park-like. Though, I’m increasingly concerned about getting too attached to any character who isn’t Laurence or Temeraire because lordy lordy, does the life expectancy of an aviator seem short or what? People certainly get chomped, shot, thrown overboard or spontaneously blown up left, right and centre. Thrilling (and stressful) stuff.

There is also an enjoyable amount of scheming, attempted murder plots and unexpected, full-blown battles to be enjoyed within these pages. I won’t give any spoilers, but a round of applause to Laurence’s men for that one particularly gruelling and almost-unbelievable feat they pull off. If you know, you know.

I’m very much so looking forward to the next book, and I’m also 100% prepared for it to mostly be simply the voyage back again. This series might just give Tolkien a run for his money for being a Book Where People Went from A to B. But no shade thrown really – I think we can all agree that if Novik wrote a book of Laurence actually just reading poetry to Temeraire, we would all still read that and promptly rate it 5 stars at the end. These characters can do no wrong, and I sure am glad there are so many books in this series.

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Title: Throne of Jade
Series: Temeraire
Author: Naomi Novik
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When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.