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Blood of Tyrants
Blood of Tyrants
Blood of Tyrants
Audiobook13 hours

Blood of Tyrants

Written by Naomi Novik

Narrated by Simon Vance

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Naomi Novik's beloved Temeraire series, a brilliant combination of fantasy and history that reimagines the Napoleonic wars as fought with the aid of intelligent dragons, is a twenty-first-century classic. From the first volume, His Majesty's Dragon, readers have been entranced by the globe-spanning adventures of the resolute Capt. William Laurence and his brave but impulsive dragon, Temeraire. Now, in Blood of Tyrants, the penultimate volume of the series, Novik is at the very height of her powers as she brings her story to its widest, most colorful canvas yet.

Shipwrecked and cast ashore in Japan with no memory of Temeraire or his own experiences as an English aviator, Laurence finds himself tangled in deadly political intrigues that threaten not only his own life but England's already precarious position in the Far East. Age-old enmities and suspicions have turned the entire region into a powder keg ready to erupt at the slightest spark-a spark that Laurence and Temeraire may unwittingly provide, leaving Britain faced with new enemies just when they most desperately need allies instead.

For to the west, another, wider conflagration looms. Napoleon has turned on his former ally, the emperor Alexander of Russia, and is even now leading the largest army the world has ever seen to add that country to his list of conquests. It is there, outside the gates of Moscow, that a reunited Laurence and Temeraire-along with some unexpected allies and old friends-will face their ultimate challenge . . . and learn whether or not there are stronger ties than memory.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 19, 2013
ISBN9781452685618
Blood of Tyrants
Author

Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik was born in New York in 1973, a first-generation American, and raised on Polish fairy tales, Baba Yaga, and Tolkien. She studied English Literature at Brown University and Computer Science at Columbia University before leaving to work in the games industry. She soon realized she preferred the writing to the programming, and decided to try her hand at novels. Temeraire was her first.Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

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Reviews for Blood of Tyrants

Rating: 4.160714285714286 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Temeraire back in China, but separated from Laurence—who has amnesia! And that’s only the first hundred pages. There are battles, and treachery, and Temeraire’s jealousy over Laurence’s affections. Then a renewed battle with Napoleon, where once again we learn that there is no right side in a conflict where only conquerors contend, and that if we had to pick one, Laurence’s side probably wouldn’t be it. Also, the ending manages to be both a cliffhanger and what I’m certain is a sly reference to Game of Thrones.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you like this series as a whole, you will probably like this entry. Not particularly strong on plot, but more glimpses into how different countries treat their dragons -- always one of the more interesting bits of worldbuilding -- and lots of good character interactions. I savored this book rather than gulping it down, and was sad to come to the end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Blood of Tyrants is Naomi Novik's latest Temeraire Novel. Laurence and Temeraire travel from japan, to China, and across Russia.When I read a review of the first novel of this series, I didn't think I'd be interested. Although I enjoy alternative history and military sci-fi, dragons in the Napoleonic Wars didn't seem that great an idea. I was wrong, very wrong.In Novik's world, intelligent dragons share (and sometimes dispute) humanity's status as dominant species. Her world is very well-thought out and internally consistent. The various cultures of men and dragons, and how they interact, are fascinating. Not only military tactics and technology, but much of society and its mores is vastly different in this world.In Novik's universe, the Napoleonic Wars are raging, as happened in ours, but are complicated by a greatly changed geopolitical situation. China is the strongest world power, and the Inca Empire and that of the Tswana in Africa are flourishing. Apparently, dragons trumped gunpowder when European adventurers showed up.The plot and characterization is superb. Novik is a great writer. Start with the first novel, His Majesty's Dragon, to understand and enjoy this complex world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review is based on a review copy received from the publisher.I admit that I was skeptical when I first read the premise of the penultimate Temeraire book, as amnesia has never been among my favorite fictional tropes. In fact, I'm still not sure that I was ever entirely won over on that front. But since I wouldn't want to miss anything in this series, I pressed on, and I'm glad that I did. Besides the return of all of our favorite characters, Blood of Tyrants is also an opportunity to get a look at how dragons fit in with yet another culture, in this case Russia. Like Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, the characters and the depiction of the world that they live in sustain this series. I'll be sorry when it's over, but take comfort in the fact that Ms. Novik has said that she may write other works in different times and places in this universe once Temeraire's story is over.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Laurence and Temeraire are on their way back to China, but are separated in a storm that washes Laurence up on Japan's shore with no memory of the last eight years.I had a really tough time getting into this installment. The first 100 pages are him and Temeraire separated from each other (again), and some of the plot choices just left me scratching my head. Why are we suddenly introduced to more characters in another country? Unless there's some reason that makes sense in book 9 alone, there seemed absolutely no reason for him to be in Japan at all. And I kept trying to find a good reason for Laurence to have lost his memory, or some insight that we could get from it, but all it ever really seemed to do was make much more explicit what had already been clear from reading the other books in the series - that Laurence has become a different man, not one who will blindly follow his superior officers' commands in duty, but one who has a moral compass that dictates his actions even when it goes against authority. The final third of the book had the bulk of the action, but it was too little, too late at that point.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Part II and III excellent; Part I can be skipped (angst-y wandering around with amnesia in Japan without seemingly to fit into storyline at all unless the next book in series makes some unlikely use of it).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    NB: Minor spoilers.The penultimate volume in the Temeraire series, I'm sorry to say. This one sets up a final book very well, leaving matters at something of a cliffhanger (perhaps that sort of has to be the way of it, in such a case).We begin in Japan, where Laurence has been shipwrecked and knocked about to such a degree that he's entirely lost his memory of the previous eight years. This situation continues through much of the book as he struggles to regain his memories. I'm not sure quite how well this plot angle worked overall, as it mostly served to allow Novik to fill in background from previous books for the reader. And then the whole thing just sort of seems to fade away into nothing ... but perhaps that's the idea.We do get some good battling here, as Laurence and Temeraire find themselves at the head of an impressive formation of Chinese dragons sent to assist on the Russian front. And as typically in these stories, we see how dragons are treated (or mistreated) in other human societies.In impatience, now, for the last battle ...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The latest (and penultimate) book in this series.

    This book is split into three related short story arcs, and my interest in them varied pretty widely. The first one leans heavily on a trope I find really tired, and it doesn't really go away until the last portion of the book.

    For people who haven't read any books in the series yet, definitely start at the beginning. Much of the pleasure of these books comes from following the development of two specific characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The only thing I want to say is that with Laurence's thoughts on homosexuality explicitly stated, it's much harder to slash him now.Yes, I have a one-tracked mind, why do you ask?Seriously though, I didn't like the amnesia bit that much (thought it serves nothing except to re-familiarize the readers with Laurence's progress the last few years), though I did enjoy the romp in Japan and the political intrigue in China. The battle in Russia is fine, though not entirely to my taste. Strange, since the Napoleonic War is the main theme of these books.But can someone please write some Granby/Little fic? Especially since it's canon now.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Kicking off with a trope I hate (amnesia: the best way to spin out a story that has run out of steam, yes?), Tyrants pushes on with the latter-series focus of going Around the World in 80 Dragons. At least half the novel feels like filler, rather than a meaningful contribution to plot and/or character arcs. It also reminds me of my core concern when I first started reading Temeraire: I don't remotely like military novels of any persuasion. The final act (the Russian campaign against Napoleon) was hard going, and leaves me awfully close to cheering for Napoleon as I honestly can't see much to celebrate about any of his opponents. Frankly, I don't care HOW hard Murat considered his actions at the end there; I'd give him a medal.For what it's worth, I enjoyed the interlude in China - if that had been expanded to fill the whole book, I'd have been mostly happy. Instead, I was mostly bored, which isn't a great recommendation. Although I guess at least this one didn't make me furious, so that's a thing. Full review
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I do enjoy this series though it is nothing like as good as it used to be.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I hate to say it, but this is probably my least favourite of the Temeraire books. Part of that is that I'm really not keen on amnesia as a trope, in general. But part is that it all felt very disconnected. There didn't seem to be a narrative point to Laurence's amnesia, nor to the opening sojourn in Japan other than to demonstrate that Japan exists. Even if it comes together in the final book, the fact remains that this book is the weaker for it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When naval captain Laurence bonded with a dragon egg, he though his life had taken a turn for the worst. But instead, he developed a deep friendship with the dragon. Since then, he and Temeraire have destroyed battleships, foiled invasions, traveled throughout the world and even betrayed their nation on occasion. But their commitment to each other has never wavered--until now. After being shipwrecked, Laurence loses his memory of the last eight years. His struggle to understand his choices, and what kind of man he's become, is far more touching and fascinating than I expected from an amnesia plot. He does regain his memory (upon clapping eyes on Thackery, thus providing more fuel for the 'shipping fires). From there we are thrown into a whirlwind of events: first they must prevent the assassination of China's crown prince, then foil a coup, and THEN on to Russia, to battle Napoleon once more. But this time, Laurence has hundreds of dragons at his back.

    tbc
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    My absolute favorite part of this series is how Novik produces different versions of human-dragon interaction whenever she shifts the setting. Readers got to see a variety of possible iterations, including Russian, Chinese, British, Incan, and others. I am generally impatient with "main character has amnesia" plots; though in this case it did highlight the substantial development of conscience in the main character regarding the treatment of dragonkind in his own culture. I'll be sorry to see this series end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great installment in the Temeraire series. Loved the alternate history aspects of this one, with Napoleon invading Russia and Wellington on the peninsula. I keep trying to remember my 19th century British/English to see how the history Novik is writing either fits or is different. Great stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Our heroes are in dire straits (whenever are they not?) as Lawrence suffers a head injury and amnesia, and Temaraire must search him out, as Napoleon continues his European depredations into Russia. Another charming and engaging entry in this well-written series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Captain Lawrence awakes to find himself on a beach not knowing where he is and suffering from amnesia. He is found by a Japanese lord and is held while he tries to remember how he came to be in his current circumstances. Thus begins the eighth episode of his adventures with the spectacular dragon, Temeraire. As can be expected, they are reunited and Laurence's friends slowly share his past with him careful not to have him despair of mistakes of his history. After escaping Japan they continue on their original journey to China to reunite Temeraire with his roots, reaffirm the relationship with the Emperor, and try to recruit dragons to fight in Russia against Napoleon.As they join forces with the Russians, they discover they have a wholly different relationship with their dragons. Much of our story describes the battle against Napoleon as he drives on to Moscow. The reader is treated to the wonderfully imaginative descriptions of battles utilizing and defending against dragons.The series continues to be a fascinating alternative history with the added fantasy angle of dragons. The dragons themselves have as varied personalities as the humans they serve/work with. It will be with great sadness tinging my anticipation of the final episode.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    has Lawrence and Temeraire in Japan, China and Russia. Thankfully, we are spared the long travel segments. I'm recently exhausted by those. The first half of the book has a twisty device - Lawrence has amnesia from a head blow and near drowning. He gets to consider his previous actions from outside himself; as well as acknowledge his gut connection with Temeraire without remembering any of their history.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Napoleon has the luck of the devil -- and the foolishness of the Russians to thank for his success in this novel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Things are looking up, this is a much better book than the last two. The Amnesia is a bit irritating, how often is it used in plots? but it does illuminate the changes in Laurence's character especially to him self.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Better than last. Characters more wooden and predictable, almost formulaic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As with many reviews, I'm no fan of amnesia subplots, and this one seemed especially pointless. I imagine that there is a row of dominoes that Novik set up for the last book, that required some implausible decisions on Laurence's part, and amnesia was the only way she could make it work. We'll see!The second half of the book was more entertaining, and I always really enjoy her descriptions of the Napoleonic wars, reenvisioned with dragon tactics and dragon civil liberties. So the Grande Armée's invasion of Russia involved some interesting opportunities to turn Russian history on a dragon's head: For instance, the crucial supply issue was somewhat reversed, with the Chinese dragons to feed. There were some creative adaptations to history, too. With Napoleon allied with the Incan Empire, it made sense that China would have to be brought in as a counter-balance. I also thought the French turning of the mistreated Russian dragons against them was a nice echo of the treatment of serfs in Russia. And I appreciated the classic cliffhangering -- winter falls in Russia, during a French retreat that has left Russia devastated and in chaos. I did appreciate that this book took us back to the heart of the Napoleonic Wars, because I think that's one of Novik's core strengths. The Australia, Africa, and South America chapters were entertaining as explorations of the world, but felt like distractions to me. World-building is still a strength -- imagining the different societies and histories with dragons in the mix. And I am so happy that it avoided the common American fixation with alternate history, in which somehow the plucky Americans are central to everything. Instead, the Americans are provincial traders, almost isolationist! But they definitely have some improvements over President Jackson. (-: Can't wait for the next one!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I hold fantasy to a very high standard, so I read very little of it and am always thrilled when I discover a new writer who meets my standards. That happened several years back when I read a review of Naomi Novik's first Temeraire novel. The premise -- what if the Napoleonic Wars had been fought with the addition of dragon air forces -- is an excellent catalyst for both exciting action and thoughtful rumination.Blood of Tyrants, announced as the penultimate book in the series, opens with aviator Will Laurence cast ashore in Japan after a shipwreck, alone and partially amnesiac. In his mind he is still a naval officer with only the vaguest acquaintance with dragons. Rescued by a Japanese nobleman, he is then held prisoner -- for the Japanese do not want foreigners in their country and particularly distrust the British for their alliance with China. Meanwhile, back on the dragon transport, Temeraire, also injured, is consumed with anxiety for his beloved Captain Laurence.As in the earlier books, Will and Temeraire cover a lot of ground in Blood of Tyrants, winding up in Russia as Napoleon invades Moscow. I happen also to be re-reading War and Peace right now, and I must say the military passages in Tolstoy would be a lot easier to get through if Lev Nikolaevich had had dragons.Once again, Novik has delivered a fine mixture of history and fantasy mixed with ideas about friendship, freedom, and personal honor. I shall be sorry to see this series end. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Temeraire has returned to the Orient but before he can reach China he must recover Laurence who has amnesia and been captured by te Japanese.As the stories of Temeraire continue, we see this special dragon taking on human traits - jealousy in this episode. Great fun!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm sad because I am now caught up with this series and must wait for the next book which is slotted for publication in 2016 if everything goes according to plan. This was a hefty novel after the last one, at half a hundred pages. But all of it exciting. I'll say that the first half of the book was more exciting than the second half because of Laurence's loss of memory. The second half of the book is war, war, war, but not as much action as one would have expected. I thought the book focused a little more on politics than some of the previous books focused on although the whole series is full with it. I'm glad I found this series and took the time to go through it. I am looking forward to the next book, as this one ended on a slight cliff-hanger.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The next to the last Temeraire novel finds Temeraire separated from Will. After a bunch of diplomacy, they lead an Army of Chinese Dragons towards Russian to help with the Napoleonic war. It is an enjoyable story, but felt a bit like filler.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love this alternative history fantasy series and I am rather sad that I have only one more book to go. This is a great series to listen to as audiobooks because Simon Vance is the narrator and he is extraordinary.When we last heard from Temeraire and Captain Laurence, in The Crucible of Gold, they were in South America. This outing starts off in Japan, then moves to China and then to Russia. In Japan the dragon transport ship foundered on some rocks during a storm and Captain Laurence was swept overboard. Temeraire was distraught to find Laurence missing from the ship but it was thought inadvisable for the dragon to go searching for him since Japan at that time was not open to Europeans. Instead he and the other dragons were put to work leveraging the ship off the rocks. During this exercise Temeraire was severely injured and the ship moved off to the port of Nagasaki which was the only place Europeans were allowed to land. Meanwhile Laurence has been found and sheltered by a Japanese magistrate but because it is against the law to have Europeans in that part of Japan his host is in deep trouble. Laurence leaves in the company of one of the magistrate's retainer, Junchiro, and makes his way across the island to Nagasaki. After a near miss Laurence and Temeraire are reunited and Temeraire is able to show Laurence the egg that Iskierka has produced which resulted from Temeraire mating with her. Laurence has a very hard time coping with this reunion because he has lost his memory of the last 8 years since he found Temeraire's egg. The ship then moves on to China where Laurence is reintroduced to the royal court. He manages to foil an assassination of the Crown Prince which was hatched by some disgruntled court officials. The attempt has been made to look as though it was a British plot. Laurence and the rest of the English with the dragons are requested to ascertain if the British are smuggling opium into China. After uncovering another plot to discredit the British Laurence is reunited with Tenzing Tharkay who brought news of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Laurence is in good standing with the Chinese so they allow him to take 300 Chinese dragons to Russia to aid in the fight against Napoleon. Just one more book to go!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was generously donated by Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey Spectra for review.This book begins with Laurence and Temeraire having separate adventures in Japan. This is because prior to the beginning of this book, Laurence has been shipwrecked and separated from his friends. After some misadventures, Laurence and Temeraire finally rediscover one another; however, Laurence has lost his memory of his time as an aviator and does not know who Temeraire is. This memory loss causes Laurence to learn about all of his difficulties over the years all at one and then to have a conversation with Temeraire about his role in these misdeeds.This book was like a breath of fresh air into the Temeraire series. Unlike most of the previous books that had dragon culture be at the forefront of each book and adventure/Napoleonic Wars just kind of happened, the adventure and Napoleonic Wars were the focus of the book. Although I find how difference cultures view dragons, this series is about the Napoleonic Wars, so I was excited for Temeraire and company to fight the French. I must admit that I really like the interactions between Laurence with no memory with the other characters. I especially liked seeing how Laurence felt about all of his misadventures over the last several years without the influence of Temeraire's opinions (I feel like Laurence indulged Temeraire a bit much at times). I also enjoyed watching Laurence squirm when he thought a certain midshipman was related to him.My one critique of the book was regarding how the book was put together. At times the book felt a bit choppy and seemed to jump quickly from one scene to another. I read an ARC; however, so this may have been cleaned up in the final edition. Also, the last 1/3-1/4 of the book felt like it should have been a separate book altogether. The book didn't end with its typical big battle scene and Laurence and the gang take off for a completely different locale. I wonder if Novik was told to finish up the series, and therefore was forced to condense an entire book into 100 pages.Overall, this was a fun book. I cannot wait for the final installment of the Temeraire series.