| Tongues of Serpents | ||||||||||
| Naomi Novik | ||||||||||
| Del Rey / HarperVoyager, 288 / 348 pages | ||||||||||
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A review by Rich Horton
Australia has recently undergone a sort of revolution, with the local landowners deposing the cruel and
incompetent Governor Bligh (of the Bounty, yes). But this cannot stand, and Bligh angles for restoration
to his seat, while the new leaders of the colony, who face hanging when the proper British authorities arrive,
hint at help from Laurence and Temeraire. The whole situation is insupportable, especially to one of
Laurence's temperament. But his real duty seems now to accompany an expedition into the interior to try
to establish a new nesting ground for dragons, in particular as they have custody of three eggs, each
nearly ready to hatch.
So the bulk of the book follows this expedition, which ends up extended rather beyond their original
intent. All the eggs eventually hatch, but in each case a certain disappointment (at least so far
as the Navy's expectations goes) attends the dragon's choice of human to which to bond.
And one egg is stolen, which
causes the unusual extension of the journey -- all the way across Australia, by the end.
On the way they encounter a great deal of hardship: sandstorms, unfriendly natives, even bunyips. And
by the end, of course, further discoveries are made, changing again Laurence's understanding of the greater
dragon society (and that of other magical creatures), and changing the political landscape as
well. Laurence seems poised perhaps to break completely with his home country -- we will have to
wait for further volumes to see where that goes.
The books remain very enjoyable, though for me Tongues of Serpents dragged in places. But the new
political and social understanding, and the suggestion of further upheavals, give the books considerable
interest, beyond the still quite enjoyable adventure aspects, as well as the satisfying portrayals of
the main characters, Temeraire in particular. I'll definitely be looking forward the next book as eagerly
as I awaited this one.
Rich Horton is an eclectic reader in and out of the SF and fantasy genres. He's been reading SF since before the Golden Age (that is, since before he was 13). Born in Naperville, IL, he lives and works (as a Software Engineer for the proverbial Major Aerospace Company) in St. Louis area and is a regular contributor to Tangent. Stop by his website at http://www.sff.net/people/richard.horton. |
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