Fantasy Annotation - Blood of Tyrants

Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik

Fantasy. Published by Del Rey in 2013.

Blood of Tyrants is the eighth and most recent addition to the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. As in the other books in the series, the book is a mix of alternate history and fantasy. By this point in the series, the battle between Britain and Napoleon’s France is a global conflict. The battles take place on land, on the seas and in the skies. Dragons and a core of aviators add air support to battles fought with cavalry and muskets or tall ships and long guns.

The story begins with Laurence washing up on the coast of Japan without any memory of his time as an aviator and with no memory of Temeraire – his dragon. Temeraire is on the wrecked transport and desperate to find Laurence.  Their mission is not one to Japan, but to China. The need is to get the Chinese empire to align China with Britain against Napoleon’s aggression. Throughout most of the book Laurence is re-discovering himself and his role within the corp. This includes his previous experiences in China and his unusual and infamous reputation.

The language sounds or feels like something out of the 1800’s.  It sounded similar to The Time Machine or Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. There are probably better comparisons among nautical adventures involving tall ships and battles on the high seas.

The novel is divided into three books. The first is set in Japan, the second in China and the third in Russia. The action picks up significantly with the second and third books. Also, as with the other books, there is a glimpse of the dragons unique to those areas along with the dragons’ cultures and customs.

Many of the characters return from previous books. There are some new characters added, and the dragons are the most varied and most interesting.

Novelist has several read-alikes for this book, among them are

• Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester
• Son of Avonar by Carol Berg
• Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

One title that I would add is Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber.