Tongues of Serpents: A Novel of Temeraire

The previous books in this series are so much better.
Nothing much happens until you get more than halfway through the book.
I was disappointed, perhaps it's better if you have the previous book
fresh in memory which I hadn't. Would be nice with a recap from
the previous book as an introduction.

The first time I heard of this series, it intrigued me. I usually enjoy reading fantasy of the David Eddings kind, and I didn't know how much I would enjoy something set during the Victorian/Elizabethan era. Well, as soon as I picked up His Majesty's Dragon, I was hooked. after breezing through it in a couple of days, I went through the second, the third, the fourth... you get my point. Reading this sixth installment though felt somewhat like doing a chore you don't much enjoy... it was painful to get through and it took me a couple of weeks to finally finish the book, short though it was. There are too many pages of nothing really, just getting from point a to point b. And as soon as something starts to happen, the book ends. I hope the next installment is much better.

This is probably the weakest of the Temeraire books. Much of the book is taken up by an extremely tedious account of a hike across the wilderness of Australia, which is apparently slightly less hospitable than Mordor. If this were one of the first couple of novels in the series, I might not have continued after. As it is, fans of the series should read it so they aren't confused in the next book, and newcomers should read book one and accept that in any lengthy series some volumes are stronger than the others.

I liked and enjoyed the original concept and early books. The author wrote herself into a corner and has not managed to extricate herself well. While some of the book captured me the trek accross the desert became booring quickly.

I've never been a fan of criticizing "alternative history" because that is what it is... alternative. I've read the entire series on the recommendation of a friend from start to this book in the last two weeks. I enjoyed this book as much as the first.... and as Australia is one of my favorite places to look at history... this was very interesting. I like the sea serpents (introduced in an earlier book)because both dragons and sea serpents are mythical creatures... and the sea serpents seem trainable... tho' less so, much less so, than the dragons. And all the characters seem true (to me) to the times in which they live. Chinamen, Brits (good and bad) Aussies, and assorted other nationalities seem well drawn and true to their times. I am looking forward to the new book in the series.

Before purchasing, I should have noted that the book is only 288 pages. This isn't a book, it's a novella at best. That said, for what it is, it's fine. There just isn't a book in there anywhere. The ending just drops into the middle of a paragraph and blam, it's done. Very disappointing read--it meandered around and got nowhere, and just when I thought it was getting somewhere, it ended without warning. Not at all what I have come to expect from the Temeraire series. It took only about 4 hours to read, very unsatisfying for the money.

I have loved all the past novels in this series...But this one is so slow...I was finding that I was having to force my self to read each page hoping that the story would pick up. Which it does not...Horrible story...I can not iterate how much this book sucks...Naomi Novik should buy back each book and apologize for writing this and redo this book...Skip this part of the story...

This book should be renamed: How to Cook Kangaroo and Boil Water in the Australian Outback.

Now, if that seems like your cup of tea, then by all means please read it. However, I will guess that most of you, such as myself, have to read this anyways because we enjoyed the previous novels, and were anxiously waiting for this one to come out.

I really think the reviews that gave this book 4 or 5 stars are basically looking at this book irrationally, because they love the series, and did not judge the book on its own.

There is nothing new in this book, it is mainly about cooking kangaroo and looking for water. I am not kidding. There is a definite lack of plot, and the plot that it does have proceeds very, very slowly. There is also almost no action.

I realize that this is a filler book to a more dynamic future book, but, this entire book could have been contained in one paragraph. Yes, just one paragraph. You would miss nothing at all to just read a synopsis. I am so extremely disappointed in this novel I would give it 0 stars if I could. I have loved the other books, but I think this one was of such extreme poor quality that it should not have even been written.

I realize that this will be disappointed for the fans who read this review, as well as the author if she happens to see it. I would like to mention, therefore, that I fully believe the next book in the series will be a ton better and I fully anticipate it being the type of novel this one should have been. In the meantime though, unless you are a fanatic for the series, just skip this book and wait for the next one to come out.

Sixth in the Temeraire historical military science fiction series and revolving around a Celestial black dragon and his captain, Will Laurence, with this story taking place in the Outback of Australia with three very different baby dragons.

My Take
The primary theme is the selfishness of government, whether it's the institution or/and individual politicians. They'll all use and abuse their citizens. They don't care about the other side or whether they're being fair. Nor do they care about the realities on the ground or how their demands will impact the people or soldiers who are actually there.

Either way, both Temeraire and Laurence have opportunities to convey their particular thoughts, feelings, and opinions, etc., which indicates that Tongues of Serpents uses a third-person subjective point-of-view.

And they perceive that Australia is a total mess. The initial concept of the transported felons serving their time and then making a new life was good, but it was soon corrupted to benefit the soldiers and their friends, with some of the "colonials" concerned and others accepting it as typical of "these sorts". Yes, it's part of the governmental system of abuse. They got what they wanted. Who cares about the end result?

Rankin isn't much better, mess-wise. He's so "privileged" and "obviously knows all about bringing dragons about" and is totally at odds with Temeraire. Yay! It'll piss you off when you read of the deformed egg's hatching, and you'll cheer for Demane when he takes it on. Until Kulingile matures…then you'll wanna kill someone! All this hypocrisy is enough to make you sick.

As for the politics. Oh, lord. Well, nothing has changed between then and now, anyway. The land politics are bad enough, but as Temeraire notes, why do the British insist on having everything, especially when it's half a world away? I'm also on Temeraire's side when he notes that the British sent him away, wanting nothing to do with him whereas the Chinese were very welcoming and generous. Ahem.

LOL. You can't help but appreciate the cleverness of the Chinese way of war. Quite tidy…for them. Not at all for the British.

A secondary issue…I'm not sure if it's a theme or not…is how decisions made at one time can have repercussions down the road, which at the time seemed like such a good idea, for example, that Prince Yongxing was dead. Now…not so much.

Temeraire's understanding of Laurence's depression deepens as he understands in even greater depth how their decision to share the cure changed Laurence's life. It certainly ties in with Laurence's decision at the end! And I can't wait to see what happens in Crucible of Gold .

The Story
Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon’s invasion of England, Temeraire and Capt. Will Laurence have been transported to a prison colony in distant Australia — and into a hornet's nest of fresh complications.

The colony is in turmoil after the overthrow of military governor William Bligh — a.k.a., Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. And when Bligh tries to enlist them in his bid to regain office, Temeraire and his captain are caught in the middle of a political power struggle. Their only chance to escape the fray is accepting a mission to blaze a route through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia.

But the theft of a precious dragon egg turns their expedition into a desperate recovery operation — leading to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new complication in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.

The Characters
Temeraire is a black Celestial dragon with a divine wind capable of destroying most anything. He's quite the learned dragon with a love for philosophy and math and a tremendous loyalty to Captain Will Laurence. Temeraire's crew includes Emily Roland; Lieutenant Forthing is an idiot, but the best of the lot; and, Dorset is a dragon surgeon.

Captain John Granby is partnered with Iskierka, a very selfish young dragon who does adore her captain. (Bezaid and Sherazde were her parents.) The bookish Sipho and the independent and angry Demane are African boys Laurence brought back in Empire of Ivory , 4, and are part of Iskierka's crew.

(In 1819, Sipho Tsuluka Dlamini published An Inland Journey in Terra Australis in the Year 1809 as a result of their travels.)

Tharkay is half-British and half-Nepalese, not accepted by either side, and whom we first met in Black Powder War , 3; he has been in and out of the stories ever since.

Captain Rankin is back for another try at a dragon, Wringe and Arkady's egg in particular — neither Temeraire nor Laurence are happy about this after the way Rankin treated poor Levitas. Caesar turns out to be even worse in temperament than Iskierka. Whining, bitching, bragging, complaining… Paul Widener is Caesar's signal-ensign. Third Lieutenant Derrow. Lieutenants Fellowes, Blincoln is an idiot, Drewmore, and Forthing intend to try for the deformed egg (a cross between a Chequered Nettle and a Parnassian) who will become Kulingile. Later, Widdlow and Flowers will be whining on about Kulingile.

Captain Tom Riley commands the HMS Allegiance which brought Temeraire and Laurence, et al., to Australia. Riley is married and has a baby with Captain Catherine Harcourt who is partnered with Lily. Under order of Commodore Rowley, the HMS Nereide, captained by Nesbit Willoughby who's just as bad as her last captain, and Captain Tomkinson who commands the Otter are to take the port.

Captain William Bligh, late of HMS Bounty, is the now-deposed governor of Australia. Seems he's playing the same tricks on Australia as he did on his crew. Macquarie will eventually show up to replace Bligh. John MacArthur is the leader of the rebels and has become the Colonial Secretary. Elizabeth is his wife.

The Rum Corps is…
…the not-so-polite name for the New South Wales Corps, the Australian military force. Major Johnston is in command. Lieutenant Agreuth has quite the gutter mouth.

The crew taken into the Outback
Jonas Green has some bulk and was the only one not drunk. Robert Maynard has a little skill at masonry. Jack Kelly/Telly claims some skill with a pick and had trained as a carpenter. O'Dea is an older convict, an Irish lawyer taken up during the troubles in '98. Richard Shipley is a younger convict. Hob Wessex, Blackwell, Jemson, and Carter are more of the crew.

The Larrakia are…
…Tharunka's (the third baby dragon, a Yellow Reaper) destination after being kidnapped. After her journey, she can now speak most of the languages in Australia besides English and Chinese. Jia Zhen is the chief of the Chinese trading outpost. Lamoorar is a young man interested in Roland, which ticks Demane off no end. Lung Shen Li and Lung Shen Gai are two of four newly bred dragons who can fly GREAT distances. Galandoo is a native.

Some of the smugglers include Mr. Jacob Chukwah of New York, Señor Robaldo of Lisbon shares some commonalties with Laurence, David Wright has information on what the Africans are doing, and Jing Du is the name of one merchant house.

Bunyips are nasty creatures, very sly…and sentient. The sea serpents, underwater dragons, are quite useful allies. Shipping. Destroying ships. Ayers Rock, Uluru, makes a good meeting point in the Outback.

Back in England
Jane Roland has been elevated to a peerage and quite shocked at how intelligent the ladies are. She rides Excidium. Perscitia is pleased to write that they've finished the pavilion and begun a second. Requiescat is eating like a glutton. Majestatis suggested hiring out for carting work, as the government is getting stinky about the promises they made the unharnessed dragons. Gladius and Cantarella have fallen out. Queritoris is still complaining.

Back in Istanbul
Avram Maden is a merchant whom we met in Black Powder War , 3; he and some associates are interested in outfitting privateers. His daughter, Sara, has had her first child.

Back in France
Lung Tien Lien is the white Celestial who fled China in Throne of Jade , 2, and now advises Napoleon.

Back in China
Arthur Hammond is the British envoy to China we first encountered in Throne of Jade , 2.

The Africans…
…the Tswana, have allied with Napoleon and have fixated on plantations and slaves in Brazil.

The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is the barren waves of white sand of the Outback. In the center is an entwining of two dragons, one gold and one black, around a pocket watch in the center of which is a ship in full sail on a frothing sea. The author's name (at the top) and the title (at the bottom) are in red with the series information in black to the right of the dragons' tails.

The title refers to those terrifying Tongues of Serpents.

Laurence and Temeraire are exiled to Australia. This is a quiet book, especially so after the previous installment; the action is removed from the war, set on a smaller scale, and consists of little more than a long overland journey. But Australia is a compelling landscape, eerie and inhospitable, and there's room in this smaller novel to develop and introduce minor characters; later plot revelations continue the interesting dragons-as-technology alternate history themes. As a stand-alone, I would find this disappointing; at this point in the larger series, it's more successful (if still not a favorite): a break after the height of the action and before the ramp up to the finale, quiet and bitter but also easing the tension.

Naomi Novik's stellar "Temeraire" series, set in a Napoleonic world where dragons fight alongside soldiers and sailors, keeps (pleasantly) surprising as the series now hits its sixth entry. Exiled to New South Wales for treason thanks to Laurence's thwarting of the British attempt at germ warfare against the French, Laurence and Temeraire seem to be in the pits of despair, far from the action, and far from hope.

There is little to do in New South Wales except watch the convicts toil under the blazing sun. That is, until one of the few dragon eggs in Australia gets stolen . . . and then it's off to the Outback for our fearless heroes and their (mainly) reluctant gang of sidekicks and miscreants. This journey into some of the most isolated, harsh geography in the entire world gives Novik free rein to create entirely new thrills and dangers for Laurance and Temeraire, and she delivers the goods in spades.

As usual, the main delights of this book come from Novik's delightful juxtaposition of dragons into the Napoleonic wars, which she does with seeming little effort. For the uninitiated, Novik's dragons are a proud, prickly, and lethal bunch, quite capable of swapping insults and worrying anxiously over wounded pride and imagined slights. While dragons may speak the humans' languages, they approach everything with a uniquely dragonish perspective, and some of the most entertaining scenes in the book come from Temeraire trying to rationalize human behavior through dragon logic. We also get the treat of watching once again the peculiar early weeks of a newly-hatched dragon and the chaos that dragon unleashes on British military society when he refuses to meet expectations.

This is primarily a novel of expedition and discovery, but Novik brings more than her share of action scenes as well. You cannot start the Temeraire series with "Tongues of Serpents," but once you start the series you won't be able to avoid it. Recommended.

Lawrence and Temeraire have been convicted of treason for releasing the cure for the dragon plague, which couldn't help but aide the enemy France via their dragons. They have been transported to the penal colony in New South Wales, Australia, stripped of rank, but not quite your typical prisoner (a man and dragon being a very atypical case). And nothing is simple, even there. They have been sent along with three puny dragon eggs and some disreputable but hopeful officers hoping to get their own dragon even if they have to travel to the ends of the earth--one of whom is Capt. Rankin who Lawrence had knocked to the ground because he'd mistreated his former dragon, fatally. And New South Wales is, or was, led by the notorious Bligh, who has been rebelled against by his own men.

So far, Lawrence has tried to behave with honor and loyalty, but living with Temeraire has shown him that his society is not always in the right or even all that sensible and humane. I actually like that the advent of a sentient creature that is so closely bonded to men such as Lawrence is at odds with the expected mode of behavior in a world where they did not exist. Temeraire has constantly thrown a different light upon human behavior, pretty much since day one. Lawrence could lead Temeraire a bit more easily when Temeraire was younger and less experienced, but he's gradually growing and not at all growing used to the way men think! When Lawrence went along with Temeraire's thought that it would be wrong to condemn dragons to death even though a cure might aid the enemy too, Lawrence knew he was cutting his ties to having any kind of life in his society. Now Lawrence is slowly having to find his footing in a new life where he has been outcast. This aspect of the series remains fascinating, and is covered well in this book.

However, the plot is not so interesting. The set-up is good. There is a lot going on that even an outcast/prisoner albeit with a powerful dragon in-tow, has to deal with. But the plot turns into a strange chase through the wilds of Australia that leaves much to be desired. The ending, however, is interesting and climactic. Does it make up for the weak middle/bulk of the book? Not quite, but to me, it was still worth reading, and the beginning and the ending had a lot of interest, even if the middle lagged a bit (even though it was full of adventure and peril and suspense). I'm not ready to give up on this series yet! I think parts seemed weaker mostly because expectations for this series is so high.

Having been convicted of treason and sentenced to exile from England, Laurence and Temeraire have arrived in Australia, along with flame-breathing Iskierka, her captain Granby, the mysterious Tharkay, three dragon eggs, and a few of the Aerial Corps. The colony in New South Wales is in turmoil after revolutionaries have overthrown the governor, Captain Bligh (late of the Bounty); Bligh wishes to enlist Laurence and Temeraire's help in regaining power, while the revolutionaries just want them to stay out of it. In order to escape the political problems, Laurence's group sets out across Australia on an exploratory mission, looking for a place to establish a new dragon covert. When one of the eggs is stolen, though, their chase to recover it leads them into dangers and places they never dreamed of.

I have to say, unfortunately, that this is my least favorite of the series so far; I hate to give it three stars, but I just can't justify the fourth. The Bligh-vs.-revolutionaries plot is prominent for a while at the beginning and then gets lost for almost the rest of the book, while Temeraire and Laurence are off across the continent. I've occasionally felt that other books in the series had pacing issues, with action at the beginning and end and slog in the middle, and this one falls right into that pattern.

On the plus side, I really liked the new setting. Novik conveys the harsh Australian environment beautifully, and it's nice to see somewhere new after the intense focus on England in the last book. (Though I did wonder why bunyips? So far, the only perceptible difference between our world and theirs is the dragons, and it's odd suddenly to have another fantastical species pop up.)

I continue to love Laurence and Temeraire, and I particularly liked how Temeraire comes to realize how the actions he's decided to take have affected Laurence's life. They're not in a happy place here, but they're finally in a place where they can be more independent and make choices about where to go, and I'll be very interested to see what happens in the next book.

Laurence and Temeraire set out for Australia! It seems like each book has them exploring a new continent. I loved that this alternate-history version of Australia is not populated by dragons (makes sense, since all of the other flora and fauna is so unique there) but rather by dangerous bunyips (an actual Australian folk-legend animal - kind of like an angry Sasquatch and the Loch Ness monster all rolled into one)

Crazy fire-breathing dragon Iskierka stows away, so we get to hear her complaints and ridiculous demands, of course. I enjoyed the new dragons - pompous, snobby Caesar is perfectly matched with obnoxious and horrible Rankin (who killed his last dragon out of neglect!) for his captain. Plenty of drama ensues with Kulingale, the malformed, hungry baby dragon taken in by Demane, the South African boy taken in by Laurence. Most of the book is spent on a wild goose chase for a kidnapped egg, culminating in a reunion with some of their Chinese allies.

The history of the United States is hinted at and seems to be a pretty big departure: with powerful dragons as their allies, it doesn't seem as if the Native American people suffer quite as much, and naturally, fast-flying dragons make for easy trade routes, lessening the pressure for rail.

The book ends with Laurence ready for retirement in a quiet Australian valley - but hints seem to be laid down that he won't get to rest for long, as more political trouble brews in South America.

Given the fact that after reading Victory of Eagles I felt that the series appeared to be losing a little steam, I was curious to see if this sixth installment in the Temeraire series would be a return to form. The books are becoming formulaic and episodic in style and tone, and I for one was hoping for a throwback to the first four volumes.

And though my expectations were not that high based on its predecessor, it saddens me to report that Tongues of Serpents was a lackluster effort leaving a lot to be desired. After revitalizing the genre with such originality, Naomi Novik's latest work does very little to further the plot of the main story arc.

Here's the blurb:

A dazzling blend of military history, high-flying fantasy, and edge-of-your-seat adventure, Naomi Novik's Temeraire novels, set in an alternate Napoleonic era in which intelligent dragons have been harnessed as weapons of war, are more than just perennial bestsellers--they are a worldwide phenomenon. Now, in Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik is back, along with the dragon Temeraire and his rider and friend, Capt. Will Laurence.

Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon's invasion of England, Temeraire and Laurence--stripped of rank and standing--have been transported to the prison colony at New South Wales in distant Australia, where, it is hoped, they cannot further corrupt the British Aerial Corps with their dangerous notions of liberty for dragons. Temeraire and Laurence carry with them three dragon eggs intended to help establish a covert in the colony and destined to be handed over to such second-rate, undesirable officers as have been willing to accept so remote an assignment--including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life.

Nor is this the greatest difficulty that confronts the exiled dragon and rider: Instead of leaving behind all the political entanglements and corruptions of the war, Laurence and Temeraire have instead sailed into a hornet's nest of fresh complications. For the colony at New South Wales has been thrown into turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, one William Bligh--better known as Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. Bligh wastes no time in attempting to enlist Temeraire and Laurence to restore him to office, while the upstart masters of the colony are equally determined that the new arrivals should not upset a balance of power precariously tipped in their favor.

Eager to escape this political quagmire, Laurence and Temeraire take on a mission to find a way through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But when one of the dragon eggs is stolen from Temeraire, the surveying expedition becomes a desperate race to recover it in time--a race that leads to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new obstacle in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.

The principal problem with Tongues of Serpents is that there was evidently not enough material to fill an entire novel. And though the book weighs in at a scrawny 288 pages, nearly a third of it is just filler material that adds nothing to the story. I feel that both Victory of Eagles and Tongues of Serpent could have been combined into a single work. As seperate entities, they are by far the least impressive books in the series, though the former has a lot more to offer.

With an unmistable historian's eye for details, Novik's depiction of Australia made for an evocative narrative. Unfortunately, the better part of the novel is an uninspired travelogue chronicling Laurence and Temeraire's journey across the country. In the past, I've always loved the author's depiction of the various locales the characters visited. Yet discoveries and revelations kept the plot moving, enticing you to keep on reading and find out what happens next. Paper-thin plotlines preclude the same sort of satisfying reading experience with Tongues of Serpents. Sure, a number of secrets are revealed, but somehow it all feels like some kind of interlude, with the story to be continued in forthcoming books.

I don't know if it's because the short story "Seven Years from Home" in the Warriors anthology showed us Naomi Novik's grittier side, but this time around I couldn't really get into the heretofore engaging relationship between Temeraire and Laurence. The cuteness even became annoying at times. The only truly interesting character was Tharkay.

I've heard that the next volume will be the first installment of a three-book cycle that should bring the series to a close. Let's hope that it's the case, for the proliferation of sequels whose pertinence seems questionable is something I can't abide. There are more than enough existing storylines to build on to bring back what made the Temeraire books so fun and entertaining. Quite a lot seems to be occurring "off stage" in this book, so let's hope that future Temeraire novels will recapture that little something that made us fall in love with the series in the first place.

Should you buy it in hardcover? To be honest, what little you get out of Tongues of Serpents just isn't worth 25$ in hardcover. I would suggest to wait for the paperback edition. . .

Considering the quality of its predecessors, Tongues of Serpents fails miserably to live up to expectations. All in all, a disappointment. This coming from a reader who's been a fan of the series from the very start. . .

I absolutely loved the first Temeraire book - it was fast-paced and easy to follow and had a wonderful story. Ms. Novik's latest effort, Tongues of Serpents, may have been very good. But there were some problems with the book. In Tongues of Serpents one gets totally tangled in Ms. Novik's pretty prose; the story fades and in spots becomes lost altogether. There is simply not enough action to keep up with all the words.

The history is totally skewed. It was amusing to see how the dragons fit into history as we know it but Ms. Novik's narrative in this book has totally taken the history of the Napoleonic era into a different dimension.

Another problem one encounters is the loss of characters. Really, they seem to disappear. Ms. Novik introduced one character as being different from others and the reader expected some development of this character. Nope, he disappeard. Ms. Novik's other characters are just so much human flotsam that she pulls in whenever she finds a function for them. In addition, the reader is supposed to "know" who many of the characters are that were introduced in previous books. Most of the time, no explanation was made.

Finally, the title. The serpents were appropriate but what's with their tongues? They weren't a weapon, they didn't speak, no mention was made of their tongues in the book. It was just an attractive title.

No good deed goes unpunished, so Temeraire and Laurence are transported to Australia after saving the dragons of the continental Europe. While I still like the central characters, the series has really slowed down to be more of a travel log and introduction to the place and politics of dragon around the globe. I really miss all the action and hoped for some positive resolution to the problems and challenges in to first few stories set in England. For me, the fun and action of the earlier stories has wound down. I am loosing interest in constant new problems, questions and intrigues being added to the story when few of the earlier issues ever seem to get a clear resolution. Nothing really good seems to ever happen in the big picture for Lawrence and Temeraire.

In the sixth installment of the bestselling Temeraire series, Naomi Novik takes her unusual group of dragons and people to the penal colony of nineteenth century Australia. Laurence finds the country in a sort of turmoil with criminals and bribery and shady dealings going on everywhere, meanwhile the governor William Bligh - better known as the captain of the late HMS Bounty - has been overthrown and is looking to enlist the help of Laurence and Temeraire to get back his governorship. They also carry with them three dragon eggs with the hopes of creating a new covert in Australia.

As New South Wales seems to be a complete mess, Laurence and Temeraire take on a mission to seek out the forbidding Blue Mountains deep within the continent of Australia, with plans to find a location for the new covert, as well as chart a way through these harsh lands. Traveling each day with their contingent of dragons, people, and potential officers to bond with the newly hatched dragons - including one Captain Rankin, who cost his former dragon its life due to his cruelty - they soon have one of their precious dragon eggs stolen and are on the chase to get it back. They find themselves discovering and becoming involved with the complex Aboriginal society that exists deep within the heart of Australia, which is flourishing and trading well with the world, unbeknownst to the British colony in New South Wales.

Novik moves the compelling series along, spending perhaps a little too much time in traveling across this harsh terrain where each day everything seems the same, but once the meat of the book is reached, she does what she does best in exploring a complex and fascinating society, as well as a unique world where dragons play a very important part. At the end, fans will be thoroughly satisfied and hungry for the next installment in the popular series.

Originally written on September 16 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

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The dragon Temeraire and his captain Laurence have been sent to the prison colony of Australia, as consequence for a treacherous act of kindness. They could not, in good conscience, allow the British to engage in biological warfare, and so shared with the French the cure they had found for a communicable disease that was decimating their dragons.

Now, however, they are stuck down under, where supplies are low and the native game (Kangaroo and the like) a poor substitute for sheep and cattle. What's worse, the deposed local governor begs their assistance in restoring him to power; and an old enemy arrives from England to claim one of the eggs they had brought with them to set up a local covert. Unwilling to get in the way of a British appointment, but unable to see that the mutinous locals acted entirely unjustly against an obviously inept and likely corrupt governor, Lawrence and friends decide to pursue a different mission into the outback, where they face innumerable hardships and make a few intiguing discoveries.

For fans of the series, this will be essential reading, as another episode in the exciting adventures of the dutiful but headstrong Laurence and the wise but impulsive dragon Temeraire. The series as a whole provides an alternate history of the Napoleonic wars as if there were intelligent dragons who could be enlisted to form an aerial corps, and were large enough to carry a fighting crew. Laurence himself was a sea captain who unwittingly found himself harnessed as captain to an intelligent dragon. One of the more intiguing aspects of the series is that it provides a new look at salient aspects of colonial history - slavery, trade, class, war, property, propriety - from the perspective of an intelligent species who doesn't share British prejudices. The series develops as Lawrence, who had deeply felt intuitions about duty and honor and loyalty, comes to reconsider his loyalties and develop a broader view as a result of his interactions with the dragon he cares about deeply.

Along the way, throughout the series, Novik has aimed to explore the extent of the influence of the British empire and its allies and enemies. There are volumes set in China and Europe and Africa, and now with a volume set in Australia all that remains is for the focus to move to the Americas. I found this volume, though, less intriguing than the others. In part this is because Australia is depicted as such a wasteland. There is hardly any interaction with the Indigenous tribes, and so much of the trek across the outback focuses on interactions among the men and the officers and exploring the uneasy position of Lawrence, now that he is no longer an officer but is more than an average man given his connection with a powerful dragon and his still obvious capacity as leader. One thing that disappointed me was that there seemed to be very little development in either Lawrence or, especially, Temeraire. In fact, what has been most engaging to me about the series was the development of Temeraire's intelligence and understanding of the world around him. Here, though, he doesn't seem much to develop. He is still puzzled by things we should find more puzzling - such as why one sovereign nation should have the right to regulate the trade of another nation. On the whole, though, he seems more petty and preening and jealous in this book than ever before. This is a nice break from the endless battling that has occupied the past few books, but it was disappointing that in a real sense nothing much happens here. I'll keep reading the series, but look forward to new developments. I'd like to think of this as a transition novel, a catching breath and paving way for something bigger, ... at least I hope that's what we can expect from the next one.

Tongues of Serpents starts as Temeraire and Laurence arrive in Australia. This book is in much the same vein as previous ones except here the focus is on the internal struggles of the characters rather than on an external war. The pair are stuck in a strange land, a world away from their friends and the war with France. Letters take months to arrive so what news does reach them is out of date and scarce. There is political unrest in the Australian colony over leadership and there are hints of smugglers secretly undermining British trade and smuggling Chinese goods into the Sydney market. The bulk of the book follows the search for a kidnapped egg, one of the three brought with them from Britain and intended to help establish a covert in Australia.

The heart of the book is, of course, the relationship between Temeraire and Laurence. Temeraire is beginning to realise how much Laurence has lost due to their 'treachery'. Laurence is continuing to question his once firm values of patriotism, duty and honour.

Australia also deserves an honourable mention in this review. Naomi Novik manages to capture how alien it seems to the British settlers, its vastness, the difficulties of starting a colony composed of mostly convicts, its isolation from the rest of the world, and its strange beauty.

My one major criticsm of the book is that it ends without any major resolution; Laurence and Temeraire have not yet made their way back to a position of "usefulness" and the whole Britain-France-Lien thing does not progress much in this book due to their isolation. However, I am eager to see where the author takes their story in future books and how she resolves the growing differences between Laurence's views and social norms, the British-French war, and the Australian situation. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Americas could feature soon (there is mention via letters of fighting breaking out in Brazil in this book).

Definitely an enjoyable read and if you liked the previous installments this one should be good for you too.

Thanks to her semi-alternate history series set in Napoleonic times, and featuring the dual protagonists William Laurence and the dragon Temeraire, Naomi Novik is now one of those authors asked to praise newcomers - and justifiably so. She's developed into an assured writer, and "Tongues of Serpents" (Del Rey, $25, 274 pages) might just be the best of the six novels.

It's set in Australia, and there's fewer battles and bloodshed than in most of the books, and less inexplicable loyalty on the part of the occasionally stiff-necked Laurence, a British officer all the way from his feet toeing the line to his stiffening upper lip. Novik is also adding layers to her world, which originally was just the turn of the 19th century with dragons. Now, though, history has shifted, and the fantasy elements are becoming more prominent.

There was a point, halfway through the series or so, when I thought I was pretty much done with Laurence and Temeraire, but after "Tongues of Serpents," I'm more excited about Novik's series than I ever have been.

I very much enjoyed "His Majesty's Dragon." The Napoleonic wars with dragons, and not only dragons but intelligent, talking dragons with more personality than the humans--what could be better? But the series has been declining steadily. Starting with "Black Powder War," it has seemed as though Naomi Novik was rushing into print without time to develop her plots or work on her pacing. Here she throws in Captain Bligh from the "Bounty," but he doesn't get a chance to do anything (or have Temeraire do anything to him); he just seems like window-dressing. The plot, such as it is, involves a stolen dragon's egg, but the hunt for it ends with an unconvincing anti-climax, and no good reason is ever offered for why it was stolen in the first place. As other reviewers have noted, the book does a good job of evoking the arid Outback, but no explanation is ever given of how men on foot could cross it faster than flying dragons, or how they could avoid being spotted from the air amid the low scrub. At the end (spoiler alert!) Australia apparently declares independence from Britain, but it all happens very fast and off-stage, leaving the reader unsure what it means or why such a loyal British subject as Laurence should take it in stride. Since more books are planned, I guess Temeraire and two other male dragons don't really retreat to their new breeding-grounds (??), but that's how the book ends. It's too bad to see a series that started so strong decline like this.

Tongues of Serpents is the sixth book in Naomi Novik's wonderful series about the dragon Temeraire and former British Navy captain Will Laurence. The basis for the series is fascinating. Dragons can talk with humans, are highly intelligent, and can be taught to follow orders fairly well. They are invaluable in battle situations. I enjoyed the first five books in the series very much.

In the sixth book, Temeraire and Will are in New South Wales. Will is legally a transported prisoner and is escorting three dragon eggs to form a covert in the colony there. Unfortunately, the officers who are to receive the eggs and the resultant dragons are not the best. Discipline is basically nonexistent and trouble is everywhere. In an effort to find better surroundings, Will and Temeraire accept a mission to find a route through the Blue Mountains and explore the interior. The mission goes sour when a dragon egg is stolen and a rescue mission must be mounted.

I found Tongues of Serpents to be an interesting story but not as good as some of the previous books. Still, it is hard to go wrong with these characters. I always wanted to see what was going to happen next.

For readers new to Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, "Tongues of Serpents" isn't the place to start reading. The opening chapter with Laurence and Temeraire in Australia will feel like a chapter from the middle of a book for a new fan. I'd recommend that interested new readers start at the beginning with "His Majesty's Dragon" and then go forward.

But ongoing fans of the series, the Australia jaunt is a continuation of Laurence and Temeraire's adventures.

Lovers of history will enjoy how Novik weaves the history of Australia (and its attending politics) into this alternate history. The relationship between Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire, continues to be the winning hand of the series.

That said, I found this installment to be slow and dragged from start to finish. Because of that, I found that Novik's dialogue to a little bit too precious at times.

I enjoy this series a lot so I'm willing to overlook the pacing problem but for readers who aren't as invested as I am, this is probably an installment that is better to read from the library before deciding to buy.

There is literally one event that progresses a character arc in this book - and it's expanded on much better in the next entry. You can skip this one with no ill effect and save yourself time, money and frustration as a fan.

All fantasy readers know that continuing series are going to have books that are mostly filler. Honestly, this is the worst offender I've ever read, and I've been through the Wheel of Time series. Yeah, you heard me. It's especially galling coming after Victory of Eagles, which may not have been the best-written Temeraire installment, but you can't accuse it of lacking content. It had massive battles and continuing plot threads and near-death experiences. Tongues of Serpents is about crossing a barren, lifeless continent and finding almost nothing on it.

Part of the fun of the Temeraire series is discovering how the author has transformed each new locale with the addition of fantasy elements, but for Australia it's like she forgot that was her thing. It bares the faintest resemblance to an Australia cloaked in the beasts of aboriginal myth, but mostly it's desert. Lots of desert. And they fly over it. Then they turn around and come back.

What's extra-odd is that the next novel in this series, Crucible of Gold, is actually pretty good, and devotes a fair amount time to explaining the events (there are really only one or two worth mentioning) in this book. It reads like an apology. That even fans like me who've been following Temeraire for years will tell you to skip Tongues of Serpents is meaningful. Really consider doing it, I wish I had for the sake of not giving sales to a bad entry in a fantastic saga. Skip to the next one, it's got Inca dragon duels and stuff.

I very much enjoyed "His Majesty's Dragon." The Napoleonic wars with dragons, and not only dragons but intelligent, talking dragons with more personality than the humans--what could be better? But the series has been declining steadily. Starting with "Black Powder War," it has seemed as though Naomi Novik was rushing into print without time to develop her plots or work on her pacing. Here she throws in Captain Bligh from the "Bounty," but he doesn't get a chance to do anything (or have Temeraire do anything to him); he just seems like window-dressing. The plot, such as it is, involves a stolen dragon's egg, but the hunt for it ends with an unconvincing anti-climax, and no good reason is ever offered for why it was stolen in the first place. As other reviewers have noted, the book does a good job of evoking the arid Outback, but no explanation is ever given of how men on foot could cross it faster than flying dragons, or how they could avoid being spotted from the air amid the low scrub. At the end (spoiler alert!) Australia apparently declares independence from Britain, but it all happens very fast and off-stage, leaving the reader unsure what it means or why such a loyal British subject as Laurence should take it in stride. Since more books are planned, I guess Temeraire and two other male dragons don't really retreat to their new breeding-grounds (??), but that's how the book ends. It's too bad to see a series that started so strong decline like this.

Tongues of Serpents is the sixth book in Naomi Novik's wonderful series about the dragon Temeraire and former British Navy captain Will Laurence. The basis for the series is fascinating. Dragons can talk with humans, are highly intelligent, and can be taught to follow orders fairly well. They are invaluable in battle situations. I enjoyed the first five books in the series very much.

In the sixth book, Temeraire and Will are in New South Wales. Will is legally a transported prisoner and is escorting three dragon eggs to form a covert in the colony there. Unfortunately, the officers who are to receive the eggs and the resultant dragons are not the best. Discipline is basically nonexistent and trouble is everywhere. In an effort to find better surroundings, Will and Temeraire accept a mission to find a route through the Blue Mountains and explore the interior. The mission goes sour when a dragon egg is stolen and a rescue mission must be mounted.

I found Tongues of Serpents to be an interesting story but not as good as some of the previous books. Still, it is hard to go wrong with these characters. I always wanted to see what was going to happen next.

For readers new to Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, "Tongues of Serpents" isn't the place to start reading. The opening chapter with Laurence and Temeraire in Australia will feel like a chapter from the middle of a book for a new fan. I'd recommend that interested new readers start at the beginning with "His Majesty's Dragon" and then go forward.

But ongoing fans of the series, the Australia jaunt is a continuation of Laurence and Temeraire's adventures.

Lovers of history will enjoy how Novik weaves the history of Australia (and its attending politics) into this alternate history. The relationship between Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire, continues to be the winning hand of the series.

That said, I found this installment to be slow and dragged from start to finish. Because of that, I found that Novik's dialogue to a little bit too precious at times.

I enjoy this series a lot so I'm willing to overlook the pacing problem but for readers who aren't as invested as I am, this is probably an installment that is better to read from the library before deciding to buy.

There is literally one event that progresses a character arc in this book - and it's expanded on much better in the next entry. You can skip this one with no ill effect and save yourself time, money and frustration as a fan.

All fantasy readers know that continuing series are going to have books that are mostly filler. Honestly, this is the worst offender I've ever read, and I've been through the Wheel of Time series. Yeah, you heard me. It's especially galling coming after Victory of Eagles, which may not have been the best-written Temeraire installment, but you can't accuse it of lacking content. It had massive battles and continuing plot threads and near-death experiences. Tongues of Serpents is about crossing a barren, lifeless continent and finding almost nothing on it.

Part of the fun of the Temeraire series is discovering how the author has transformed each new locale with the addition of fantasy elements, but for Australia it's like she forgot that was her thing. It bares the faintest resemblance to an Australia cloaked in the beasts of aboriginal myth, but mostly it's desert. Lots of desert. And they fly over it. Then they turn around and come back.

What's extra-odd is that the next novel in this series, Crucible of Gold, is actually pretty good, and devotes a fair amount time to explaining the events (there are really only one or two worth mentioning) in this book. It reads like an apology. That even fans like me who've been following Temeraire for years will tell you to skip Tongues of Serpents is meaningful. Really consider doing it, I wish I had for the sake of not giving sales to a bad entry in a fantastic saga. Skip to the next one, it's got Inca dragon duels and stuff.

Some reviewers complained of this book, but I don't think it was worse than the others. It was certainly well written. However, it had a very different character. This wasn't an action packed adventure but rather filled with the slow terror of crossing a desert. This novel was a story of man versus nature and trying to do an exhausting and impossible task. It was more reflective and thoughtful than some of the others, exploring the nature of home. It also brought redemption to someone who didn't deserve it, which reflected on the fact that sometimes life isn't fair.

This is book six in the series about an alternate history where England still finds itself embroiled in war with Napoleonic France, but with one major difference: the addition of dragons to the fighting force. Obviously this book is not the place to start.

This installment opens with our two heroes, Laurence and his dragon Temeraire, arriving in Australia, as Laurence's sentence for committing treason (according to the Admiralty court) by foiling England's plot to ruin the French dragon force by unleashing a nasty virus. As such, Laurence's status is very ambiguous; not really part of the English military, even though his internal mindset is still very much that of a British officer, not quite the normal convict sent to labor in the Australian penal colony. In addition, the colony at Sydney is itself in disarray, with a coup by some of the convicts having evicted what they consider a totally incompetent governor, namely Captain Bligh (of the mutiny fame).

This makes for a good opening, but unfortunately this installment just doesn't live up to the standards of the first five. The main problem is that very little actually happens in this book, and in addition Laurence and Temeraire have no overriding goal or mission to strive towards. The book wanders, in places quite literally through the Australian outback, with only a very slow change to the pair's mindset to leaven the repetitive days of nothing much happening. Nor does the ending really resolve any issues, but instead starts to open possibilities of further action in this part of the world, possibly slated for the next book.

While the dragons themselves are obviously the stuff of fantasy (20 ton animals simply can't generate enough lifting power from muscles alone to fly, and not even considering what the bone structure would have to be to support such a weight), this was quite acceptable as the defining premise of the first books. However, this book sees the introduction of a couple of other very implausible beasts, which I thought somewhat destroyed the charm and believability of the entire series.

A disappointment. I just hope that further books get back to the excitement and charm of the first five.

---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

This is by far the most disappointing of the Temeraire series. It's the sixth book, and Novik is definitely running out of steam (or else on autopilot now that Peter Jackson has optioned the series...either way, NOT GOOD when you have three books left to write).

This latest installment finds Laurence and Temeraire banished to the far side of the world (i.e. the fledgling British colony in Australia). Lots of nothing happens, some eggs hatch, more nothing, then a brief skirmish with some sea serpents, the end. I really don't even see the point of this book. The story doesn't progress in any way, nor do the characters. Laurence in particular seems to be in a trance throughout the entire 288 pages (and what's with that? the last book was 100 pages longer...although a hundred more pages of this drivel probably would have melted my brain). The only thing I did find interesting was the introduction of the bunyip, a nasty creature native to the continent (if only it had eaten all the other characters, then we could start fresh in book 7).

In short, I found this to be incredibly dull and boring - and I am a huge fan of the series. Total fail.

Despite the negative reviews, I enjoyed this installment of the Temeraire series. Though not as much war action, there was enough other excitement to keep me engaged. To be sure, I personally have difficulty drudging through the military detail in many sections of these novels, even more so due to the gentile speech of early 19th century. I enjoyed the introduction of some new creatures, as well as some new dragon poersonalities. So 2 thumbs up from this reader.

Although I've enjoyed this series a great deal in the past, I'm forced to observe that Naomi Novik seems to be running out of ideas.

Having trapped her main characters in a political and social backwater in the form of early colonial Australia seems to have strangled her options for creating a meaningful venue for the characters who drew us to her writing in her earlier books.

A long, boring chase scene through the monotonous scenery of the parched outback is the focus of most of the book. The supporting characters are mostly brutish. When the chase is finally over, the discovery that the missing dragon egg has hatched is treated in a matter-of-fact way that's an anticlimax after the lengthy hunt.

Temeraire seems destined to retirement on a farm - a development which promises more of the same uninteresting landscape and isolation.

I really hope she's got some plan for Lawrence and Temeraire's release from limbo and return to civilization, but she seems to be setting them up for more life in Australia. Maybe she has a plan to make this interesting, but judging by this book, she's coasting on her past success.

I love the Temeraire series, so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. I have to say, though, that I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as some of the other Temeraire stories. Of course, a disappointing Temeraire book is still better than many other books, but I couldn't help wanting something more. I think I've gotten a bit tired of long trips through mysterious unexplored regions, filled out by encounters with natives and a few battles. I did love Novik's descriptions of the Australian outback; I've never been to Australia and really don't know much about it, but I was left with a sense of the awe-inspiring wildness of it. I also enjoyed the hatching of some new dragons, which is always exciting. What was lacking, from my perspective, was any real involvement of Laurence and Temeraire in the greater social or political issues. In previous books, for example, I'd enjoyed Temeraire's crusade for dragon rights and his success in bring the feral dragons out of the breeding grounds. I knew that Laurence's status would make things difficult, but I was still optimistic that in a newly-developed colony like Australia, there might be more opportunity for influencing the course of affairs. Instead, Laurence refuses to take sides on any issues and sets out almost immediately into the outback, which left me a bit disappointed. The story was still good, it just wasn't what I most wanted to hear. Of course, this is a reflection of my personal preferences; readers who are more interested in individual adventure stories may well be fully satisfied with this book. And needless to say, any fans of the Temeraire series should read it as a matter of course. I'm certainly planning to continue with the next one.

The painful boredom of the trek through the desert is well-reflected in the pages on this book making it one of the most painful reads of a book I have ever slogged through. Up to this book, this series has been good to excellent, but the exuberance, fun and imagination of previous books in the series is missing in this book resulting in an excruciating tedious read.

Naomi Novik is doing for dragons what Charlaine Harris is doing for modern vampires. She has taken a mythological character, typically reviled, and put it as the heroic center-piece of a first-class series.

Temeraire is not your typical dragon. He has been bred for warfare and to defend mother country under the guidance of young Captain Will Laurence. In the sixth novel in this series the pair are faced with a new challenge --- getting adjusted to their new home on the prison colony at Botany Bay, Australia. As always, things will not remain calm for long and their wills and wartime fighting abilities will soon be tested again.