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| Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5) | 
 enlarge | Author: Naomi Novik
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 12100
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 342
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345496884
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345496881
ASIN: 0345496884
Publication Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Naomi Novik’s triumphant debut, His Majesty’s Dragon, introduced a dynamic new pair of heroes to the annals of fantasy fiction: the noble fighting dragon Temeraire and his master and commander, Capt. Will Laurence, who serves Britain’s peerless Aerial Corps in the thick of the raging Napoleonic Wars. Now, in the latest novel of this dazzling series, they soar to new heights of breathtaking action and brilliant imagination.
It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service–and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason.
For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon’s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon’s prime objective: the occupation of London.
Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon’s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon’s foothold on England’s shores can become a stranglehold.
If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain’s scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before–for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her would-be conquerors?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Series not yet back to its original glory July 11, 2008
14 out of 20 found this review helpful
While this book is a great page turner that I read in a few hours, I did not feel it was nearly as good as the first couple of books. As the series has gone on, I find that Ms. Novik's alternate history and the motivations of the characters become less and less believable. Fredtownward's review of Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Book 4) covers my thoughts very well.
I also find myself caring a lot less about the characters. You get some interesting insights into Temeraire's thoughts, and the scenes of dragons discussing things among themselves are very enjoyable. However, there are too many new and minor characters and not enough time is spent on characters introduced in earlier books.
Finally, unlike the noble Britain of Patrick O'Brian's or Bernard Cornwall's worlds standing against the tyrant Napoleon, the British in Temeraire's world don't seem worthy of devotion or loyalty. I am having a hard time understanding why the main characters - particularly the dragons - would feel such patriotism. It is very interesting that Ms. Novik has added enough complexity to her world that you often wonder while reading, "would it really be so bad if Napoleon won?" But, in the last couple of books I've actually been rooting for him.
I'll give this series one more book to get out of it's slump, but then I'm done.
break-neck pacing, but not much happens until the end... July 9, 2008
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
First, i'd like to say that i read this book cover to cover this morning, in one sitting. It's not terribly short, but it is a fairly easy read, and with the pacing so fast i just couldn't justify a break.
I noticed around page 150, though, that despite the constant action and constant motion, not much was happening. In fact, the only real plot movement took place in the last 50 pages or so. That's part of why i docked a star from this latest installment in a series i love dearly.
The rest of the star comes from the fact that Ms. Novik hasn't quite recovered the strength of voice she had in the first few books. Sure, Laurence is less of a stiff British naval officer than he used to be, but at times he's become so much like the other aviators that one forgets he ever was anything else. And at times Temeraire sounds like all of the other dragons. It's better than the mush from book 3, but still lacks the crispness of books 1 and 2.
Last, i suspected at the end (though 'sudden stopping point' would be a better description) of Empire of Ivory how Victory of Eagles would conclude, and was sorely disappointed to be right.
Despite all of these complaints, it's a great book in a fantastic series and i highly recommend anyone go pick up His Majesty's Dragon and get started.
 An interesting POV, plenty of action July 12, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
One of the best historical fantasy series to show up in recent years has been Naomi Novik's Temeraire. Full of historical details in a world that is very close to our own, set in a world where dragons are quite real, and captained by crews of humans, serve as part of aerial corps, fighting in wars.
The setting is unusual as well -- the Napoleonic Wars, and with the fifth novel and its ominous title, Victory of Eagles things are not looking too good for the British. In an appalling display of stupidity by the Admiralty, Temeraire and Laurence, his captain, have been separated after the events of the previous novel. Laurence is aboard a ship, locked up in a brig, and the threat of execution follows him everywhere. He knows that if he cooperates, that Temeraire will not be harmed, and so does his best.
And his beloved Temeraire? The Celestial dragon is off in the remote mountains of Wales, condemned to the breeding grounds while a perfectly good war is raging on. Instead he's stuck in a remote valley, with nothing but a pokey cave to live in, no books, and even though there's plenty to eat, all that there is to do is sleep and ahem, make an egg with a willing dragon.
Needless to say, Temeraire is less than pleased about the situation. And his new neighbors are not that interesting either, especially a Regal Copper that has decided that Temeraire's cave would make a very nice home for himself. And there's Gentius an ancient Longwing who is pleased to talk to Temeraire. Most of all, there are Temeraire's own thoughts, and a chance to look at the world through the dragon's eyes.
When word comes that Laurence's ship has been sunk by the French, Temeraire decides that the time has come to break free of all of the stuffy rules. After all, the British have broken their word, and he feels that there's nothing to hold him back. So in a daring maneuver, he rounds up the dragons in the breeding ground, and he will lead them into battle against Napoleon.
And Napoleon? The French emperor is on the march again, this time crossing the Channel and setting his sights on capturing London...
I won't reveal much more here, as so not to reveal any spoilers, except that there are several new characters here, as well as quite a few of the earlier ones make a return. Most interesting is the Iron Duke himself, Wellington, and even a glimpse of poor King George III. Iskierka and Granby have a prominent role, and we see the rather harried Jane Roland having to cope with military men who have not a clue about how dragons can be used in battle. The action is breakneck, along with the pacing -- very rarely does the story slow down.
One aspect that I have enjoyed very much is watching Temeraire?s evolution in the series, as he matures and grows in his abilities to both deal with people, and his own sense of justice and morality. There are times when you can feel his frustration with dealing with humans, or the confusion of why don?t they get it? It?s one aspect of Novik?s creation that she is able to breathe in new life to the rather hackneyed use of dragons. Here they are personalities, and sentient beings, with ambitions, thoughts, and emotions of their own, and sometimes they don?t always mesh neatly with those of humans.
As with the previous novels, this is definitely part of a series. For someone who wants to start reading here, I recommend that you don't -- there is so much in here that relies on the earlier novels, that it would be nearly impossible to understand the current story without going back and reading the first four books.
One thing that I wish the series had was some kind of directory to keep all of the various types of dragons straight. While the first book had some drawings and a few details, there's very little here to help visualize many of the creatures, and create a mental picture of the action and details. It's one oversight that I hope will be taken care of either in a separate volume or in future books. This is the only real disgruntlement that I've had with the series so far.
A warning however -- don't try to read this one late at night. The odds will be that you'll be up still at dawn turning pages and eagerly seeing what happens next. The ending, as with before, is a bit of a cliffhanger, and I hope is a sign that there will be more to come.
Four and a half stars, rounded up to five. Recommended.
Excellent Book, but not quite perfect July 9, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Well needless to say I could not wait to get my hands on this book. I've been a huge fan of this series ever since I picked up His Majesty's Dragon. I settled down to read this book yesterday (distractions be damned!) and read straight through in one go. My overall impression of the book was good-excellent action sequences, good emotional development for the characters, great plot. While it was quite satisfying, I do think that it could have been a bit longer. At times the pacing and the jumps from event to event felt rushed and almost unfinished. Of course I am a sucker for good, long books, since I read very quickly, and hence months of anticipating a book will lead to about 3 hours worth of reading time for me. I love how we got to get more into Temeraire's head this time around-his character is so lovable and interesting that at times it was almost an annoyance to jump back to the other character's viewpoints! Laurence's emotional turmoil throughout was quite wrenching and lent a lot of feeling to the story. I am impatiently waiting for Temeraire and Lien's big showdown (so close, only to be foiled again! I feel your pain, Temeraire) and am left hanging about several other things as well. Why hasn't Temey had any eggs yet? What will happen in Wales? What is Napolean's next move?
Rest assured I will be first in line for the next book, here's hoping it's a couple of hundred pages longer!
Not the best, but still wonderfully Temeraire. ('Ware spoilers!) July 11, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Caution: Spoilers hidden within.
Reading Naomi Novik's Temeraire series is like eating a big Thanksgiving feast: no matter how slowly you try to take it, you can't help but gulp it all down in one go, and then all you want to do is lay very still and absorb.
I've been a fan of the series since a customer recommended them to me a couple summers ago. I think the ideas are wonderfully fresh, the writing captivating, and the story rich. I enjoyed this book more than I've enjoyed almost any other in a long time.
That being said, I did not like this one as much as the others.
But! Complements first!
I really enjoyed getting into Temeraire's head and also starting to understand how the dragons think. We get to see so much more of their thoughts in this one; it's fascinating. What's also interesting is how different a dragon's idea of the world is from a human's.
Making the emotions of the characters tangible to the reader is one of Novik's strongest skills. Laurence's depression comes through so clearly that I had to put the book down at the end of the second part and walk away for an hour. The feeling that there is no resolution, no way to repair what's been done, is almost too much much to take; I don't know how Laurence managed it. And when Temeraire thought Laurence was dead, I wanted to cry, his pain came through so clearly (see especially page 76).
As always, the battle scenes were so intense I held my breath for most of them (a mistake, since holding one's breath for twenty some pages makes it difficult to continue reading after a while). The sheer brutality of this war - death, destruction, loss, dishonorable tactics - comes through more clearly in this book than in the others.
I enjoyed seeing some of Temeraire's original crew, too. I quite miss having Granby around and Hollin was a great character. Tharkay plays a surprisingly significant role, which was exciting in its own way - not that this fast-paced book needs any more excitement!
Now, for a little, tiny bit of criticism...
Some of the things I so enjoy about this book are also among the reasons I don't like it as well as the others.
For one, the tone of the story is so grim at parts that it becomes painful to read. It seems Temeraire and Laurence might never be completely happy again; and that's a hard feeling to transfer to the reader.
As enjoyable as it is to gain insight on Temeraire's way of thinking, it also makes the story hard to follow in places. I understand why she wrote it that way, since he and Laurence are separated for the beginning of the book, but I prefer the story more focused around Laurence.
I feel she added too many new dragon characters. While some are interesting and give some life to the dragons beyond those we already know, it also becomes hard to keep track of who is who. And we get to see less of our old favorites, Maximus, Lily, Volly, and Celeritas, to name a few.
I also disliked the ending. There really seems to be no resolution for Laurence. He's not going to forgive himself for his treason, and his country isn't either. His relationship with Jane appears to be over, many of his crew won't even look at him, and he's dishonored his family. Now he's headed for Australia. How is he going to make it right? (And, more importantly, how is Novik going to make it right?)
But I really did enjoy the book, despite it's faults. I have high hopes for the next. I don't know what's in Australia, but Novik does. And I'd like to know a few things: why hasn't Temeraire sired an egg? What's happening in Australia? Will Temeraire and Lien EVER have a final showdown?
And how is Britain getting rid of Napoleon?
Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5)
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