jesssika's review against another edition
4.0
Here we pick up with Laurence and Temeraire who are still in China. They have been granted permission to stay together as captain and dragon. Shortly though they receive word that they must go immediately to get 3 dragon eggs. This book follows their progress through the wilderness with a guide that seems to be coming and going and likely betraying them. They meet up with some feral dragons who Temeraire talks into coming with them. They lose some gain the eggs and leave quickly since they had to steal them because the others were going back on their word. Then they meet up with Prussians and are forced to aid them in their war with the French.
I like this series and the development of the story as well as Temeraire's character. He is a good thoughtful and funny dragon. The ease of his sense of things makes for some comical conversations and I can completely see Laurence's reactions with how well the descriptions are written. My only complaint is the pace of this book. They were going and then stopping and going and stopping. There was so much time spent waiting and after all the waiting in Empire of Jade I got a little bored with it. Still I stuck through it and was rewarded with great writing and a good story. This is the third in the series. The other titles are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents
So i can't wait to move onto Empire of Ivory and see where this story takes me to next!
I like this series and the development of the story as well as Temeraire's character. He is a good thoughtful and funny dragon. The ease of his sense of things makes for some comical conversations and I can completely see Laurence's reactions with how well the descriptions are written. My only complaint is the pace of this book. They were going and then stopping and going and stopping. There was so much time spent waiting and after all the waiting in Empire of Jade I got a little bored with it. Still I stuck through it and was rewarded with great writing and a good story. This is the third in the series. The other titles are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents
So i can't wait to move onto Empire of Ivory and see where this story takes me to next!
opheliablack's review against another edition
3.0
Please note; my star rating on any book is completely subjective and limited to the label for each star.
1 Star I didn’t like it
2 Stars It was okay
3 Stars I liked it
4 Stars I really liked it
5 Stars It was amazing!
If I do actually have something to say about a book other than what my enjoyment factor was, I will write a review and share my thoughts. If I say I didn’t like a book but there wasn’t anything about it that I thought needed to be shared, then that’s it, I just didn’t like it.
If you’d like to start a discussion about a book or you’d like an actual review, ask any question you like and I’ll be happy to try and comply/respond.
Additional note; I do not feed the trolls. If you don’t have something constructive to say, or if you can’t say it in a respectful way, you won’t get a response from me. Ever.
1 Star I didn’t like it
2 Stars It was okay
3 Stars I liked it
4 Stars I really liked it
5 Stars It was amazing!
If I do actually have something to say about a book other than what my enjoyment factor was, I will write a review and share my thoughts. If I say I didn’t like a book but there wasn’t anything about it that I thought needed to be shared, then that’s it, I just didn’t like it.
If you’d like to start a discussion about a book or you’d like an actual review, ask any question you like and I’ll be happy to try and comply/respond.
Additional note; I do not feed the trolls. If you don’t have something constructive to say, or if you can’t say it in a respectful way, you won’t get a response from me. Ever.
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
another great adventure in the series. I'm stretching out the series over time, reading lots of other stuff in between, in order to savor it. and every time I come back to it I'm delighted and a little surprised how entertaining and well written these books are.
aurelia2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A mix of international politics and a return to the military struggles, this book had all the tension the second was missing. Some new characters (the extra dragons were fun) and some consequences to the actions of the last book, and it's always surprising how in between the strung out martial scenes there is room for nuanced philosophical debate on the emancipation/state of dragon-kind
laurajnelson's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
righteousridel's review against another edition
4.0
Black Powder War continues the adventures of Lawrence and Temeraire as they return from China, and if you enjoyed Throne of Jade, then this will be equally enjoyable. In fact, I suspect if the two books were combined into one, it would have been a much bigger success, as the journey to China culminates in a great deal of Napoleonic warfare merged beautifully with the realistic handling of dragons that has put this series on the map.
Despite starting these novels for Age of Sail battles, I find myself preferring the adventure more than the action. Naomi Novik sketches out a wonderfully rich alternate history that our main characters wander through, passing through the Gobi, up into the Karakorum, and finally into Istanbul and continental Europe during Napoleon's greatest victories. There's a surprisingly large cast that surrounds Temeraire and not all of them make it home. Those losses keep the adventure tense, and when we shift into the depth of the Napoleonic Wars, the stakes are raised but I found myself missing the exploration and introduction of familiar cultures that have been made alien through their use of dragons.
Ultimately I wish this novel was combined with Throne of Jade, as they pair wonderfully together and I assume the author planned both at the same time. As it is, Black Powder War as a standalone is excellent, but it could have been so much more.
Recommended.
I love how Napoleon is introduced, and how he's shown to be absolutely brilliant via his innovations incorporating dragons. I also appreciated the way an arch-nemesis was introduced for Temeraire, and I think if the events of Throne of Jade were combined into this novel, we could have seen that as the central focus (instead of the forced three-act play ending with the Chinese prince's death, it would have been second act raise in stakes).
Britain does look like it's facing a hopeless war ahead, and I'm most impressed that Lawrence wasn't rescued by his home country. That the entire adventure was solved through he and his crew's ingenuity actually elevated this book in my eyes, particularly at the end when it was their kindness to the ferals that saved them from Danzberg.
Despite starting these novels for Age of Sail battles, I find myself preferring the adventure more than the action. Naomi Novik sketches out a wonderfully rich alternate history that our main characters wander through, passing through the Gobi, up into the Karakorum, and finally into Istanbul and continental Europe during Napoleon's greatest victories. There's a surprisingly large cast that surrounds Temeraire and not all of them make it home. Those losses keep the adventure tense, and when we shift into the depth of the Napoleonic Wars, the stakes are raised but I found myself missing the exploration and introduction of familiar cultures that have been made alien through their use of dragons.
Ultimately I wish this novel was combined with Throne of Jade, as they pair wonderfully together and I assume the author planned both at the same time. As it is, Black Powder War as a standalone is excellent, but it could have been so much more.
Recommended.
Spoiler
The following is in spoiler tags, and I say so since some Goodreads clients may not respect it. You've been warned:I love how Napoleon is introduced, and how he's shown to be absolutely brilliant via his innovations incorporating dragons. I also appreciated the way an arch-nemesis was introduced for Temeraire, and I think if the events of Throne of Jade were combined into this novel, we could have seen that as the central focus (instead of the forced three-act play ending with the Chinese prince's death, it would have been second act raise in stakes).
Britain does look like it's facing a hopeless war ahead, and I'm most impressed that Lawrence wasn't rescued by his home country. That the entire adventure was solved through he and his crew's ingenuity actually elevated this book in my eyes, particularly at the end when it was their kindness to the ferals that saved them from Danzberg.
catamongstthepages's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ladyanne's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25