The bunyips are spooky as hell.
** spoiler alert ** Man, Novik’s really sticking it to British Empire. It’s beautiful to see.
The tone of this sixth novel is a little depressing, though, and the plot a little tedious, which has Laurence and Temeraire et al wandering around the Australian outback about as long as Harry and Hermione and Ron wandered around in the woods in the Deathly Hallows. Sydney is not a lovely place, yet, and the disgrace of treason weighs heavily on Laurence and perforce on Temeraire, suffusing the narrative with gloom and too much of Temeraire’s, I’m sorry to say, whiny interior dialogue. But the characters are as wonderful as ever (a new dragon called Caesar is a riot), and so is the writing, and there is a rousing battle scene toward the end, with sea serpents, that is terrific, and the bunyips are spooky as hell.
First Novik liberated Africa, now she’s in the process of liberating Australia. I think South America might be next, because I don’t think the British are going to be able to invade America in 1812, not when America is fielding their own dragons in the air in such numbers as to make the British officers spill food down their fronts. This series is fun for the revisionist history alone.
And coming on January 9, 2020, the 22nd Kate Shugak novel.
Click through the image below to pre-order.
Book Review Monday Chatter Uncategorized naomi novik Tongues of Serpents
Was the recipe for Fry Bread in the last book somewhere? I preordered in August when it was first offered, was supposed to get a signed copy. My copy came, I have already read it, but I saw no recipe for Fry Bread. I ordered another copy of the book to be signed…..it is important I have signed copies now as I am recollecting the entire set of books to reread. I keep giving my paperbacks to others to read so I am down to 5 books again. I really enjoy your writing, it is suspenseful, just the right amount of sex and love, love the interplay with Mutt and Jim, and Katya and I could go on and on. Did I get a hint Kate might be pregnant?
Thanks for compliments, Lynn! As regards the fry bread recipe, it was a separate card included only with the signed first edition of the hardcover from the Poisoned Pen. If you bought your book from the Poisoned Pen and didn’t receive the recipe, you should contact them, poisonedpen.com.
I love Temeraire (even when he is whiny). Some of the books I enjoyed more than others … and the death of the little dragon Levitas affected me more than most of the other losses of life in the series. The audio versions are wonderful. Have gotten those slowly as they are scarce. The characters as Novik draws them are very personable and almost real – even the dragons. Science fiction has not always captured me (Stabenow and Novik excepted) but this series is on my shelf. I keep far fewer books now that I am in my 70’s and only those I think I will read at least 3 times: Stabenow, Novik, Hammond, Shute, Thane, Bowen are all complete sets.
I’m in pretty awesome company there. Thank you!