Victory of Eagles

Temeraire, Book 5

By: Naomi Novik

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Naomi Novik's triumphant debut, His Majesty's Dragon, introduced a dynamic new pair of heroes to the annals of fantasy fiction: the noble fighting dragon Temeraire and his master and commander, Capt. Will Laurence. Now in the latest novel, they soar to new heights of breathtaking action and brilliant imagination.

It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service - and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon's resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective: the occupation of London.

Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon's foothold on England's shores can become a stranglehold.

If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before - for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her would-be conquerors?

Dragon tales: don't miss the rest of the Temeraire series.

©2008 Naomi Novik (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Excellent story, but the audio files are truncated

Excellent installment in Novik's alterate-history account of the Napoleonic Wars if dragons had existed and been used by the European and British military forces, as well as a fascinating development of the dragon suffrage and abolitionist themes hinted at in earlier volumes.

The narration is very good, but the end of each audio part was slightly truncated, so that the last sentence was cut off. Luckily, I had a hard copy of the book, and could read the bits I missed, but the gaps were very disappointing in an audiobook.

The voices changed

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's an entertaining story, more so than the previous book. I got hooked on the Temeraire character in the first book so I want to know what happens to him and his captain.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

After more or less marathoning these audiobooks you notice when the voice actor has been off doing other things and forgets how to voice a character after he gets back. Many of the voices were different and I had to get used to that. Worse, a couple of voices changed within this novel, and one officer had Angry Temeraire voice. :/

Did Victory of Eagles inspire you to do anything?

Cheer.

Any additional comments?

It's still a good story. I will keep listening. If the voices annoy me again, I'll just read the book.

"Colonel Temeraire, reporting for duty, sir"

Fabulous narration by Simon Vance. I've heard the whole series. Was worried this book would be too depressing. Not so. Liked it more than expected. Profound at times, as Laurence deals with ostracism from folks he'd once called friend — or family. But despite the deep injustice and sadness, I often felt good while reading this one. It's heartwarming and mildly amusing in several scenes, offset by desperate bloody battle.

"Colonel Temeraire" of the 81st division steals the show, along with Perscitia the brainiac beast (a mathematically inclined female dragon who plans transportation and battle strategies, despite her personal aversion to warfare). Loved the idea of all these dragons — considered useless — leaving the breeding grounds (old folks home) to serve under Temeraire's command.

I liked the scenes with Lady Allendale and was pleased to see Gong Su again. The fat Lords of the Admiralty were as obtuse and hateful as ever, especially Mulgrave. Wellesley / Wellington seemed fairly realistic. Admiral Jane Roland was in high form throughout the book, too. Her teenage daughter Emily -- always a favorite of mine -- did not disappoint, nor did young Demane and Sipho. Granby and his fire-breathing dragon Iskierka play key roles, as does Tenzin Tharkay. Hoorah for Tharkay!

There are a few battle scenes, most notably the final confrontation with Napoleon, who managed to invade England (a departure from history). The battle formations (squares) felt authentic, despite the surprise (!) in the center, and Wellington's precise timing did not fail. Admiral Lord Nelson plays a key role in the battle, too.

I could have done without the chapter involving Edith and her husband.

The ending is poignant, set during the voyage to New South Wales. Laurence finds peace of mind about his just act of treason and feels nearly overcome with emotion in finding himself surrounded by a few true-blue friends.

This book reminds me of Lord Thomas Cochrane, the historic figure in naval history. The whole series does, in fact.

Now, we wait for the final book. Book 9. League of Dragons, or bust!

Temerare and Lawrence Keep Klying Strong

What did you love best about Victory of Eagles?

I am greatly taken with the characters, especially with the prickly young dragon who is a genius at math and strategy. As in the previous books, the language is eloquent and stirring, ably wielded by an excellent narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Victory of Eagles?

The moment when the dragons, led by Temerare, all set off from the breeding grounds to fight against Napoleon as their own unit was particularly stirring.

Which scene was your favorite?

Perhaps my favorite scene is the one in which Lawrence realizes that Temerare has, in fact, set up his own camp, although the one in which Lizh Huan (sp.???) raises that enormous wave also shines brilliantly for me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A Dragon's honor knows no compromise.

Temeraire

I love the Temeraire series and the performance of narrator Simon Vance. I look forward to more from Naomi Novik.

My favorite

My favorite in the series. Naomi begins to shift point-of-view to Temeraire occasionally, and that is delightful. His mind is clearly a dragon's and works slightly differently, yet easy to understand and identify and sympathise with. The battles and strategies are great, some of the best I've read and I'm pretty picky about such things. I really don't have anything bad to say.... Yeah, no, I really don't. If you haven't started Temeraire's series yet, start it now, it's worth it.

A good book, but difficult in some ways

Would you listen to Victory of Eagles again? Why?

Yes. If I listen to the series again, I don't skip books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Temeraire. This book lets us into his head, and Naomi Novik does an incredible job of making his thought process notably not human. He's almost childlike at points, but never unintelligent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book can be difficult. Lawrence is punished for doing the right thing, and he spends this entire book suffering the consequences. While realistic, it can be unsettling to see this, especially when there's no indication that this burden will ever be removed from him.

Best in the series!!! (well as of 2012)

If you could sum up Victory of Eagles in three words, what would they be?

awesome, awesomer, and awesomest!

What did you like best about this story?

This was finally the story I had been hoping for! Novik does a great job of exploring the world of 19th century with dragons in it in all of her books, but this was the book that I stayed up until 3 am to finish! Dragons fighting to save England!

Any additional comments?

I thought this book did a great job of both bringing together the "dragon's rights" struggles that had begun to simmer in the past books with the struggle to save England for Napoleon's forces as they knocked on the very doorsteps of the country.

Great book, well-written and well read!

Favourite In Series So Far

Am really enjoying this series. Novik is an exceptional writer and develops many wonderful characters. Regarding this particular installment, there was lots of aerial action, new interesting characters were added in, there was a compelling storyline and I really like how she treated Captain Lawrence in the story. It deepened this character another degree, which serves to strengthen the overall series.

Everything about this series is very cool - the historical aspect, the intelligent dragons, the human characters, the storyline, the writing and the narration. It's top notch in everyway and this particular story was my fav thus far. Highly recommended.

I was hoping the French would win

I loved the first few books, but the British government and people in this book are so backward and hidebound that I had no sympathy for them. The French treated the dragons better and although Captain Lawrence is a honor dulled person he really needs to get a life. I am considering whether I will keep reading this series or not.