Review of "Throne of Jade"
Oct. 8th, 2007 05:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bagheera_sanThis book, like the first in the series was wholly satisfying - in fact I think I prefer it to the first.
First of all: awww. Laurence and Temeraire got formally married!
Secondly: ninjas, pirates and dragons all in one book. FTW *g*
Okay, so the ninjas were actually Shaolin and the pirates were only mentioned in passing (but awesome nonetheless, any book that has the main character contemplating in all seriousnesseloping with his dragon running away to become a pirate is just great.
I love books about travel, exploration and foreign countries, so "Throne of Jade" was much more fascinating from its subject matter than "His Majesty's Dragon". I'm also exited about Temeraire's future as a dragon revolutionary.
Naomi Novik's (feels strange not to call her by her fandom penname) characterisation and narrative are very pleasant still. I like how, for example, Yongxing stayed a very ambiguous villain until the end, and his death was sad because of Lien (I thought the fight with Temeraire would end with Lien getting killed and Yongxing realizing his guilt). I'm not usually a fan of intrigue stories, but the Chinese characters kept me fascinated with their impenetrable motives and strangeness. Fanfic is always so obvious in showing us which characters we're supposed to sympathize with (and most of my fandom canons are, too) so the wealth of ambiguity is really great. The plot didn't go where I thought it would - Temeraire wasn't sent to Napoleon with any other ulterior motive save getting him out of the way.
What stood out to me is how often she just skips portions of the story and jumps ahead - not a criticism, in fact she does so really gracefully. It reminds me somewhat of the way movie adaptations of novels leave out bits in order to keep within sensible time limits.
Some words about a few of the characters -
Laurence: Continues to be a good example. Both "His Majesty's Dragon" and "Throne of Jade" are full of valuable insights about authority and leadership. I also love it when he's stuffy and stubborn, though.
Temeraire: is growing less naive. I'm looking forward to seeing how he'll deal with politics. And, aww, he lost his virginity.
Little Roland: my favorite minor character. It's so odd, I think I like her mostly because she's a girl. I never used to notice that in fiction until relatively recently.
Granby, Riley, the rest of the men: could use a little more character development.
Sun Kai: dude, how obvious was it he spoke English? I was kinda baffled when the reveal came - wait, didn't we know that already?
Yongxing: What can I say? I have a soft spot for villains, especially principled ones, and I can't help but cheering for a man who wants to keep Westerners out of China. It's sensible, considering Colonialism.
I wish I knew more about history so I could tell how much the Temeraire universe differs from ours! The series is probably much more rewarding if you're history buff.
First of all: awww. Laurence and Temeraire got formally married!
Secondly: ninjas, pirates and dragons all in one book. FTW *g*
Okay, so the ninjas were actually Shaolin and the pirates were only mentioned in passing (but awesome nonetheless, any book that has the main character contemplating in all seriousness
I love books about travel, exploration and foreign countries, so "Throne of Jade" was much more fascinating from its subject matter than "His Majesty's Dragon". I'm also exited about Temeraire's future as a dragon revolutionary.
Naomi Novik's (feels strange not to call her by her fandom penname) characterisation and narrative are very pleasant still. I like how, for example, Yongxing stayed a very ambiguous villain until the end, and his death was sad because of Lien (I thought the fight with Temeraire would end with Lien getting killed and Yongxing realizing his guilt). I'm not usually a fan of intrigue stories, but the Chinese characters kept me fascinated with their impenetrable motives and strangeness. Fanfic is always so obvious in showing us which characters we're supposed to sympathize with (and most of my fandom canons are, too) so the wealth of ambiguity is really great. The plot didn't go where I thought it would - Temeraire wasn't sent to Napoleon with any other ulterior motive save getting him out of the way.
What stood out to me is how often she just skips portions of the story and jumps ahead - not a criticism, in fact she does so really gracefully. It reminds me somewhat of the way movie adaptations of novels leave out bits in order to keep within sensible time limits.
Some words about a few of the characters -
Laurence: Continues to be a good example. Both "His Majesty's Dragon" and "Throne of Jade" are full of valuable insights about authority and leadership. I also love it when he's stuffy and stubborn, though.
Temeraire: is growing less naive. I'm looking forward to seeing how he'll deal with politics. And, aww, he lost his virginity.
Little Roland: my favorite minor character. It's so odd, I think I like her mostly because she's a girl. I never used to notice that in fiction until relatively recently.
Granby, Riley, the rest of the men: could use a little more character development.
Sun Kai: dude, how obvious was it he spoke English? I was kinda baffled when the reveal came - wait, didn't we know that already?
Yongxing: What can I say? I have a soft spot for villains, especially principled ones, and I can't help but cheering for a man who wants to keep Westerners out of China. It's sensible, considering Colonialism.
I wish I knew more about history so I could tell how much the Temeraire universe differs from ours! The series is probably much more rewarding if you're history buff.
