League of Dragons

This was the final installment of the adventures of Captain Laurence and his celestial Dragon, Temeraire. It is sad to think that Temeraire is no longer fighting against the injustices aimed at the dragons in this alternative Napoleonic history. The battles told and the friendships forged make one wonder why that aren't such magnificent creatures in our world. Ah, but books can bring so much to life!

I hank the author Naomi Novik for his wonderful series, and wish her success with her future writings - I will be checking them out! ( )

Note: Some minimal spoilers for previous books.

This is the ninth and concluding volume of Novik’s historical fantasy series set during the English/French Napoleonic Wars, with each side mustering aerial forces made up of dragons and their navigational teams. The saga in particular centers around the naval captain Will Laurence, who unexpectedly becomes an aerial captain of a dragon, whom Laurence named Temeraire (pronounced, according to the author, as Tem-uh-rare).

In this book, we learn of the final battles against Napoleon, and of how the dragons came to terms with their new numbers, as well as with their new relationship to mankind.

I wondered how Novik would conclude her long series, and it was no doubt inevitable that she would end it with Napoleon’s exile to St. Helena. Many other issues are similarly “resolved” but for the most part I was somewhat disappointed in them. Ning, the hatchling from the mating of Temeraire and Iskierka, is a bit of a terror, which I suppose must be imagined, considering the mother, but she did not seem to have any of the redeeming qualities of Temeraire. And whereas the immediate fate of Laurence and Temeraire is laid out, there are open questions about the rest of their crew, their friends, and about Laurence’s future with anyone aside from Temeraire; I did like the windup of the relationship with Tharkay, however.

In all, I felt this book was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t totally disappointing, of course; one is glad, after all the previous books, to get back together with “old friends” and see how they are faring. But the action was a bit slower than other books, and I must admit I shared with Temeraire the desire to see Laurence with some hatchlings of his own.

Evaluation: Much from previous books is brought to a satisfactory conclusion in this last of the series. Nevertheless, one can't help but be sad to see the series come to an end. ( )

Wow. The series is over. This was a series that I began to like more and more the longer I read it. It's an evolution of character development over a long time period. I enjoyed seeing it and the more it evolved the more my esteem of the whole series went up. It's had it's ups and down and at times it seemed to just drag by. This last installment was full to the brim of action and battles. I do feel like there were a few loose ends not taken care of, but perhaps a novella will be written later on or something. Overall, a great addition to the fantasy genre and a great read for anyone who enjoys fiction about dragons. ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Every time I’ve read one of the books in this series, I’ve been delighted, and League of Dragons is no exception. The hard part will be explaining why without spoiling any of the tension filled moments.

Which brings me to the aspect of this book I loved the most. There’s an ongoing tension between those who refuse to recognize the dragons as people and those who are happy to manipulate that shortsightedness, but what draws the most attention to this fact is the dragons themselves. It is wonderful how Novik brings the dragon mentality to play here. It’s not how most humans think, but neither is it so distant that I couldn’t understand it. A purely alien perspective that nevertheless offers clarity and humor to many moments in the story. The descriptions here were often flowery and focused on appearances, which would often lead me to skim. Instead, they offer a fascinating insight into the dragon perspective.

Another part I appreciated was the portrayal of Napoleon himself. From what I know of the history, this portrayal is rather accurate to the man’s true nature despite the introduction of dragons and the many ways that changes each encounter. He’s an interesting person with many likeable characteristics that do not in any way excuse his warmongering and expansionist mentality.

However, while he’s cast the villain, League of Dragons does not paint the “heroes” with a saintly brush either, giving a glimpse into the complexities of any war where even the side I would agree with commits acts that are heinous and without reason. Laurence (the main character along with his dragon Temeraire) is at the heart of this complexity. He is the one person everyone needs and everyone loves to hate…well, not everyone.

He is both a strong tactician and strategist, but where this could have won him every accolade, he adds to it a firm moral sense that gets him in trouble. Many of the troubles he faces in League of Dragons are a direct consequence of his actions in previous books along with his somewhat unique position as the adopted son of the Chinese emperor.

So, yes, this is right in my sweet spot with culture clash, diplomacy, and even well written battle scenes that were interesting enough to keep me from skimming, all wrapped up in an alternate history of an era that interests me. Sociology plays a big part in this novel, as much as politics, and it offers many nuggets for those wanting to gain a better understanding of the twists of government and self-interest.

In case it wasn’t clear, I loved the way the dragon perspectives are well thought out, as well as how they learn and adapt, but the same can be said for the human circumstances. Laurence is not the only one to be put in an awkward position because of the choices he’s made, and there are several points where actions, even well meaning ones, have unintended consequences, again speaking to the complexity of the narrative.

League of Dragons offers characters you will grow to love and hate; cultural and loyalty conflicts that put both people and dragons in awkward positions; and an intricate narrative that never lets you settle into a comfort zone for long before adding some new twist. Definitely worth the read and ample demonstration of why my sister and my sons have been after me to read the whole series for years.

P.S. I received this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )

Wrapping up the wonderful story of Lawrence, now an Admiral, and Temeraire, we rejoin them as they chase Napoleon back to France. Word has reached them however, of an enormous collection of dragon eggs waiting to be hatched behind French lines. How do they expect to feed and train all those creatures?

Warfare these days is much simpler since large engines of war do not have a sense of pride or love of trinkets. And dragons sure do have a love of trinkets. Temeraire uses this to bring ferals and other dragons together to finally bring an end to Napoleon.

It has been an interesting ride and I wish that I had been in a frame of mind to appreciate it more. I seem to have had enough of the bickering creatures and battle scenes. ( )