Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Voyager (7 Aug 2006)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0007219121
Category(ies): Fantasy
Back in May, I reviewed the first volume of this series, His Majesty's Dragon. I signed off with the comment Definitely a keeper - and I'm looking out for the sequel, Throne of Jade. And here it is.
By the end of the previous volume, we knew that the dragon Temeraire was a Chinese Celestial dragon, very rare and not at all meant to be fighting for the British - indeed, he was supposed to have been a present to Napoleon. Now, in the second novel, the Chinese Empire has been putting heavy diplomatic pressure for Temeraire to be sent back to China. And that's going to be a long journey.
Of course there is foul weather, and treachery (both human and draconic), and adventure. And Temeraire, being a lover of education, does find much to love about the Chinese Empire, which is quite shockingly different in its attitude to dragons that Britain and France are.
In the end ... well, there's obviously going to be a third volume, one wherein Temeraire is somewhat less submissive to the norms of his society. Or maybe that's the fourth, or fifth.
Here's waiting for Black Powder War.
