I started re-reading the entire Temeraire series recently. I didn’t post a new review of His Majesty’s Dragon, because I felt my original review said everything that needed to be said. Throne of Jade, however, has been lingering on my to-reread shelf for years, a somewhat hyperbolic five stars attached to it, no explanation. So it’s only fair I give it a review it deserves. Yes, I’ve downgraded it to a satisfactory three stars. But that still means it’s good.If you haven’t read His Majesty’s Dragon yet, then you have no business jumping into the series with the second book. It’s not that you will be lost so much as bored. Naomi Novik provides little in the way of backstory or exposition here, but any reader paying attention will quickly clue into the fact that his is an alternative history of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons. Whereas His Majesty’s Dragon features plenty of aerial battles and dragon-fights, Throne of Jade is more about the political fallout of William Laurence captaining a Chinese Celestial dragon for the British.I chose to read this book now because I wanted a quick read. Sure enough, I flew through this in about a day. Even though it isn’t perfect, it is compelling. Novik ends her chapters abruptly, not always on cliffhangers but often enough in ways that make you want to keep reading, even when you know you should be going to bed, or doing something more … er … productive. That was true for the first book, and it is no less true for Throne of Jade, even though most of this book is spent on a tedious journey around Africa to China.Novik remains committed to a certain level of realism. Despite dragons being a thing, there is no magically faster method of travelling to China. So Laurence and Temeraire set off via dragon transport, the least stylish way to travel. Rather than handwave an eight month journey, Novik chooses to examine the unique situation of our protagonists. This is one of the longest journeys undertaken by a transport, so there is considerable time for tension between the navy men and Laurence’s aviators (including the scandalously female Roland). Oh, and the presence of a Chinese delegation certainly doesn’t help anything.So there are storms and sea serpents, dinners and parties, and Temerair shows that he knows how to swim. It’s alternatively charming and boring and hilarious. And then we finally get to China, and more politics and even some drama ensues.Throne of Jade reminds me of How to Train Your Dragon. There are more dragons here than there is fighting. And, indeed, I’d definitely recommend this series to an older fan of the How to Train Your Dragon books or movies who wants some slightly older dragon-themed literature. Novik’s intelligent, talkative dragons are every bit as endearing as Toothless. Temeraire’s firebrand politics allow Novik to interrogate the problematic parts of eighteenth-century European culture.Whereas the first book featured a lot class, family, and gender issues, the sequel focuses on racism and colonialism. Laurence is, naturally, a product of his times. He has adjusted to having women serve with him, but only because it is a necessity—as a proper gentleman, of course, he couldn’t possible condone it as being ordinary or fitting! Similarly, he sees himself as progressive in his support for abolition. Yet Temeraire challenges him on issues of slavery, drawing parallels between slavery and the service of dragons in Britain’s military. And, of course, there is the meeting of West and East, with each seeing the other as “barbaric” and uncivilized.I love Temeraire. I love how he refuses to be placated when people threaten Laurence. I love his sheepishness when trying to explain his absence to Laurence while they are in China. Novik does a fine job making Temeraire both a person and, as a dragon, alien in some of his morals and points of view.Throne of Jade is a worthy sequel to the first book. Ultimately, however, I suspect it will be the Feast of Crows of the Temeraire series: worthy on its own merits, but pales in comparison to some of the more dramatic instalments. But I definitely urge you to check out the series, starting with the first book, and read on from there.My reviews of the Temeraire series:← His Majesty’s Dragon | Throne of Jade →
It took me a while to read Throne of Jade, despite how much I loved Temeraire (or His Majesty's Dragon, for you non-Brits). But Black Powder War is due back at the library tomorrow, no renewal possible, so I finally raced through Throne of Jade in hopes of finishing both it and Black Powder War in time to return them to the library tomorrow. I think I might even manage it, given an hour or two of quiet to read in the morning, perhaps even in the library itself. When you actually get down to it, the books are amazingly readable and you can eat them up.My hesitations with Throne of Jade had nothing to do with the writing, and everything to do with me being a wuss. I can't finish watching Supernatural because I'm scared that the boys I love will get hurt too much. It's the same with this. I love Temeraire and Laurence, and from the very first things are happening to them that worried me because I couldn't see how they could be resolved.Don't let that scare you off, seriously.For a start, Novik deals with it quite well. Laurence's sureness of Temeraire and yet his jealousy of anything that might take him away, Temeraire's confusion and his need to deal with it... The book also raises issues of civil rights: obviously a big thing in the time the book is set, due to the slave trade, but also with the dragons themselves. I don't think I've read anything like it in fantasy. No such world has been set up, where dragons have such minds of their own. The obvious comparison is Anne McCaffrey's series, but thinking back, I'm pretty sure the dragons never would have even thought about freedom in the way Temeraire does here. The contrasts between the British way of doing things and the Chinese are interesting, and I like that the conclusion isn't that the British way is better, despite the fact that it seemed fine to us in the first book. I love that stuff like that has become problematised! It's also following up on the small hints at how dragons are treated in the first book, with Rankin's treatment of Levitas being frowned upon, and yet him not being rebuked -- and Laurence forbidden to interfere.In terms of the plot itself, I felt that parts of it were quite slow, while once they got to China, things raced along at a pretty good clip. That's partly, of course, the varying speed that I read bits at, but also a lot more seems to happen in the final section of the novel than in the previous parts. I would have liked it to be a bit longer... Parts of it seemed a little disbelievable, particularly the relatively easy resolution at the end after the whole book was full of resistance. I understood the reasoning, but wasn't quite convinced.Character-wise, it's mostly Laurence and Temeraire again. But! I was interested in other characters, too, particularly Granby and Riley. It's a little uncomfortable that one does like Riley, and yet he's not opposed to the slave trade. I guess that does sort of throw up the whole issue of slavery again: he appears to be a good guy, but he's not opposed to the slave trade, how can you reconcile that? I don't feel like this book is really a character-book, but it has more than enough there to support the plot and keep my interest (and I am a character kind of girl)....I used the word problematised in a review. Academia is swallowing me whole: I don't even like the word, but so many of my lecturers use it... Aaah. Anyway. Conclusion: I liked this a lot, it's well worth trying this series. This book doesn't, however, stand alone: you definitely have to start with Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon).
What do You think about Throne Of Jade (2006)?
Absolutely fantastic. A superb follow-on from the first book and no less exceptional. Not a dull moment to be had in this sequel, despite much of the story taking place as a long transit between principal locations. Naomi is building her world bit by bit, never dunking us in the deep-end nor holding our hand to explain the obvious. She expands her mythology with tantalising sparseness and beautiful description. Her characters are as fantastic as previous, even the ones we meet only in passing. Her skill at merging the period with the fantasy is sublime.A truly enjoyable read; Naomi Novik is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite authors.
—Tom Wolfem
I feel like I'm unfair to Laurence - Novik works so hard to make him the product of his time, and I expect him to be closer to the product of mine.I didn't like the second volume as much as the first because I thought the pacing was slightly worse, and I was not quite happy with the solutions to the mysteries (view spoiler)[ - the plot twists were too straightforward and obvious, so I guessed very little because I kept overcomplicating. They think X is guilty? That's too easy, it must be someone else (hide spoiler)]
—Leseparatist
Book II of this wonderful series takes Lawrence & Temeraire to China and introduces a new dragon/human culture. Book I was straightforward in presenting the concept of an "air force of dragons" in the napoleonic wars. Book II delves a little deeper, using dragons as a metaphor for the abolitionist movement and exploring the definition of what it means to be a sentient being deserving of inalienable rights. Novak doesn't get preach at all with this, and delves into the concept from the perspective of someone who lived in early 1800s rather than the more elevated views of the modern day. And, dude, dooooooood1> freakin' dragon aircraft carriers. Come on, man — Novik is the bomb.
—Scott Sigler
