Empire of Ivory: Temeraire, Book 4

The Empire of Ivory picks off right from the cliffhanger at the end of the last book, and, unsurprisingly, ends with a cliffhanger of its own*. Between these sections, you get to visit another part of the subtly altered world of Novik's 19th century: Africa, where colonial ambitions meet the undiscovered powers of the continent. The pace is often leisurely, echoing the Patrick O'Brien meets Jane Austin meets Tolkein style that you have come to expect by now. Additionally, for much of the book, the pacing of the series seems to be slowing further, though that eventually changes. The social interaction between high society and the aviators receives more attention, as does the domestic politics of England, with the deft addition of real political figures of the time. Thus, if you don't mind a relative lack of action for much of the novel, this is a very solid book, with well-developed characters, a sense of history, and some great plot developments later in the audiobook. Though not the delight that the first novel was, this remains a worthwhile and interesting addition to the continuing series.

* So if you haven't read the series in order, you really should start with the first novel, His Majesty's Dragon. It is quite good, and about dragons to boot.

I stumbled on the first book, His Majesty’s Dragon, and was somewhat skeptical about the premise of the series. After finishing the first book I quickly devoured the next three books and I can’t wait for the next. These books are well written and a joy to listen too. If you enjoy well written fantasy book, I guarantee you’ll enjoy this series.

I have to say, I figured out what the McGuffin was really early, and then had to wait and wait for Laurence to figure it out, too. That was annoying.

But, once they got going, Africa is her best world yet, and their desperate search for said McGuffin is exciting, their plight afterwards is cool, the British Government thoroughly despicable and Laurence's patriotism and Christianity conflict in a way that is totally in line with his character, creating very real tension and no sense of "manufacture" that most series have by this point.

I like fantasy and love the age of sail stories so I was delighted to find this series. Book 1 was good but the series gradually goes downhill. If you are expecting action you will be very disappointed. The ending was soooo flat - I was surprised to hear "We hope you enjoyed this production ..." and wondered if Audible missed a few chapters.

The narrator Simon Vance is OK. His portrayal of Termeraire is very cute but I find Laurence too old and stuffy.

any action, more believable reading,any revenge,you have a super dragon who never uses super power, she has people who hate being made slaves , but has slaves, time lines are non existant. this book was thrown together compared to first 3 i wondered who wrote this book. i will judge if i will keep reading series with next book. i feel like i wasted 25 dollars on this 1.

not yet i will read 1 more, the first 3 were so good

great only good

knowing there was a book 5 an hoping it half as good as first 3

no i have said to much

While I didn't get quite as much enjoyment (only less by a micron really) from this book compared to all the others, I did enjoy it and saw it as a pivotal turning point in the series. I did feel a bit disconnected when they were in most of Africa, but the interesting story line, the return of our dragon friends (after being away from them for several books) and their cause were well worth it. Great narrator as always.

This story seemed to drag on at some points, especially during the African expedition that takes up most of the book. The story seems to actually progress the storyline development in the final few chapters.

Overall, it left a slightly bad taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I like the direction the series is headed at the end of the story. I'm okay with cliffhangers, but when the only part of an eleven hour audiobook that seems worthy of the credit I used for it is the last ninety minutes, which leaves me torn between cheering for the characters and at the same time thinking, "No, you idiots! You're just messing things up for yourselves and everybody else!" at their actions.

I love the characters and the plot, which case has one heck of a cliffhanger! Great imagination. The reader is very good and not at all distracting.

Inagination, characters and plot as above. Also, the language is wonderful!

I can listen to it in the car, which is huge. Simon Vance brings the characters to life.

Oh no! I love savoring it over several days, enjoying all of the little things, the turns of phrase, the action, and the wonderful opportunities for sightseeing.

Simon Vance as narrator does not disppoint and the series by Naomi Novik is very good!