Victory of Eagles

The first hardback edition of Naomi Novik's wonderful Temeraire series is VICTORY OF EAGLES. As with the previous three sequels to HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON, this book picks up soon after the events of the preceding novel - in this case EMPIRE OF IVORY.

Temeraire is under arrest at the dragon breeding grounds in Wales and Will Laurence is a prisoner on a ship in the Channel. Their unfortunate circumstances are the result of their actions in EMPIRE OF IVORY, but neither is broken by the situation. I hate to add more because it would ruin the fun of the book, but all of our favorite characters are there as well as some historical figures. Additionally, the characters continue to grow and change before our eyes. These are not the pulp novels like Doc Savage and the Avenger where nothing ever changes and no one evolves. Those may be fun reads, but this one stays with you and continues to challenge your curiosity.

Novik describes the passions and prejudices of Napoleonic-era England very well - particularly with the military and the Navy. Her story moves along crisply and reads much better than the previous two novels. This one could almost stand as the capstone to the series, but the possibility for adventure is still there. The customary abrupt ending does give credence that there will be more stories in the future.

This series is one that I recommend to my friends who may not like science fiction or fantasy because it intersects with the historical world very well. I may have won a convert last night when I described it to my neighbor's grandson.

While this book works better as part of the series, there is enough exposition, along with a solid ending, that it could stand alone. Thus it is a perfect read. The only drawback is that I now have nothing to read on my train ride home.