The Temeraire Series

I've been reading Naomi Novik's historical fantasy series for a while now and for the most part, I love it. The first book, His Majesty's Dragon introduced Laurence, a naval officer who by an odd twist becomes a dragon aviator. And the reader watches the relationship between aviator and dragon, Temeraire, develop into one of the most intense and loving partnerships I've ever seen. I already loved dragons, but Novik goes far beyond your traditional dragon story. She shows a whole culture built around this aerial corps and her attention to detail is magnificent. And Temeraire is amazingly developed - he's smart, witty, fiercely loyal to his aviator and crew - if this ever gets made into a movie, he'll have women of all ages swooning over him.

The conflict is set during the Napoleonic wars with the added bonus of dragons acting as sort of fighter planes, complete with gunners, cargo holds and full crews. The dragons are intelligent and the different breeds have special abilities. What I wouldn't give to live in this world!

The second book, Throne of Jade, takes Laurence and Temeraire on an adventure to the far east. Here the reader learns more about him and his background amidst a back drop of a very well crafted intrigue. Temeraire is a Chinese dragon, you see, and they have a very different outlook on dragons than their European counterparts. While this book slowed down considerably, it was still an exciting read. Temeraire grows in some poignant ways, while receiving a few lessons in the harshness and injustice of the world.

The third book is where I'm having some trouble. Laurence and Temeraire must get back home with a very time sensitive cargo in this third installment. The first problem is obtaining the package, the second is getting across the world through several different obstacles and delays. The delays are where the book starts to falter. There is still lots of intrigue, betrayal, vengeance, and more, but for some reason I'm finding Black Powder War less engaging and very plodding. Even the battle sequences seem to lack the same lustre as in the first two novels. I'm a bit more than halfway through, but it seems to be taking forever. Hopefully it will pick up and I'll finish it some time this year.