Alternative Worlds
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Throne of Jade
Naomi Novik
Del Rey, May 2006, $7.50
ISBN: 0345481291
The Chinese leadership is irate that not only does upstart Englishman Will Laurence bond until death with a rare Chinese Celestial Dragon Temeraire; he turned the intellectual dragon into a war beast of burden. Not wanting an incident with China as they already are at war with France, the British Admiralty Board acquiesces to the demands of Yongxing, brother to the Chinese Emperor and orders Will to separate from his soulmate. An irate Will refuses risking arrest and death. the English bureaucracy sees an escape for them without alienating the Chinese Emperor; they send Will and Temeraire to China for a final disposition.
On the treacherous sea voyage, monsters lurk, but to Will the most dangerous one is the sly Yongxing, who educates Temeraire on the life he missed as a venerated Celestial Dragon in the Forbidden City while teaching the dragon to speak and write Chinese. Will is perturbed by Yongxing’s action, but can do little except trust his soulmate to stay with him. Yongxing also arranges for accidents to happen to Will for the Emperor’s horrified brother believes the westerner mistreats this special dragon by using Temeraire in combat, but also sees the dragon as an opportunity to further his personal ambitions.
THRONE OF JADE is a great fantasy that complements the tremendous first novel, HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON, as the story line cleverly explores human-dragon relationships and de jure and de facto inequality and injustice. Will and Temeraire debate the dragon lifestyle in England after seeing the abusive ugly slave trade on the West African coast and compare England to China where dragons reside freely in towns. Even Will begins to reassess whether his mate would be better off in China where Celestial Dragons are revered and other dragons treated with respect as equals. This cerebral emotional theme enhances a powerful action-packed tale in exotic locations.
Naomi Novik
Del Rey, May 2006, $7.50
ISBN: 0345481291
The Chinese leadership is irate that not only does upstart Englishman Will Laurence bond until death with a rare Chinese Celestial Dragon Temeraire; he turned the intellectual dragon into a war beast of burden. Not wanting an incident with China as they already are at war with France, the British Admiralty Board acquiesces to the demands of Yongxing, brother to the Chinese Emperor and orders Will to separate from his soulmate. An irate Will refuses risking arrest and death. the English bureaucracy sees an escape for them without alienating the Chinese Emperor; they send Will and Temeraire to China for a final disposition.
On the treacherous sea voyage, monsters lurk, but to Will the most dangerous one is the sly Yongxing, who educates Temeraire on the life he missed as a venerated Celestial Dragon in the Forbidden City while teaching the dragon to speak and write Chinese. Will is perturbed by Yongxing’s action, but can do little except trust his soulmate to stay with him. Yongxing also arranges for accidents to happen to Will for the Emperor’s horrified brother believes the westerner mistreats this special dragon by using Temeraire in combat, but also sees the dragon as an opportunity to further his personal ambitions.
THRONE OF JADE is a great fantasy that complements the tremendous first novel, HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON, as the story line cleverly explores human-dragon relationships and de jure and de facto inequality and injustice. Will and Temeraire debate the dragon lifestyle in England after seeing the abusive ugly slave trade on the West African coast and compare England to China where dragons reside freely in towns. Even Will begins to reassess whether his mate would be better off in China where Celestial Dragons are revered and other dragons treated with respect as equals. This cerebral emotional theme enhances a powerful action-packed tale in exotic locations.
