book review: Throne of Jade
Throne of Jade, Temeraire book 2
by: Naomi Novik
Any book I blow through in two days must be good reading. I mean, really, that’s the core of it. If it keeps me going, then it’s good. Of course, the opposite isn’t exactly true – many things that are a dreadful slog for me to get through happen to be quite interesting (ie most nonfiction I read).
So, our protagonist and his companion (not pet!) dragon are off to imperial China. I found the title a little bit misleading, as at least half the book seemed to take place on a ship. Then again… with the resolution of the plot in mind, the title does weigh a bit more.
Still, I wish they spent more actual time in China interacting with characters. Still, Novik does a good job of showing us the meat & bones of what we care about in her China – the role dragons play in it.
The fact that most Chinese conversed with the MC via interpreters (even though this wasn’t always explicitly mentioned) added a very interesting angle to things. It gave me a sense that I just didn’t know anyone – they were hard to read, etc. This, I think, worked quite well as it was probably very similar to what the protagonist (YES, I just finished the book and I still can’t remember his name. Laurence? Something with an “L”…) would be feeling.
I wonder how accurate her representation of Chinese culture and politics of the day is? She certainly did a good job of portraying how foreign it and the British system were to each other.
I do think the resolution crept up on us a bit too much like a pressurized valve bursting, and wished I had more time (read: words) to burrow into the situation. There were some very well placed clues that didn’t stand out in the least, but still gave a discerning reader some good “Aha!” moments.
I think Novik’s take on (love) relationships is very interesting. I don’t think I could get away with it. It’s very… distant. Temeraire’s happens entirely off page and hell, I’m still not sure if the protagonist is in one with the longwing captain or not. The hell? Maybe it’s the formality of the times and sentence structure… maybe it’s a Jane Austen thing?
Anyway, another good read.
THREE AND A HALF STARS
I want to give it four, because I really enjoyed reading it, but nothing blew me away. It was solidly crafted, lean and intelligent but not earth shattering. I suspect the conversational style and “historical” feel of it will keep it from crossing that bridge for me. Then again, there’s not that much fantastical about it other than the dragons… maybe I need “big” things to bowl me over. Think Peter Hamilton, Mistborn, Wheel of Time, etc.
Note: Books like this, which happen to discuss and describe myriad dragon breeds, would benefit from having an attached visual guide/index of some sort. There was one in the previous book soooo… wha’ happened?
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