Blood of Tyrants

Paperback, 480 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2022

ISBN:
978-0-593-35961-7
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ASIN:
B00BH0VSHG
2 stars (1 review)

This alternate version of the Napoleonic War—with dragons!—ramps up as the eighth and penultimate Temeraire novel takes us to Japan, where a shattered Captain Laurence is washed up on the shores remembering nothing of his past save as the captain of the navy ship Reliant. He struggles to remember why he is in Japan and why he has a startling knowledge of the Chinese language. He has no memory whatever of his dragon, Temeraire—which distresses Temeraire greatly when they are finally reunited. But so great is their bond that the two once again find themselves at the forefront of the war against Napoleon . . . just when all looks most hopeless.

1 edition

The Series Continues its Downhill Trajectory

2 stars

Blood of Tyrants starts with a trope I detest: amnesia. I hate this literary technique as its solution is often at the convenience of the author, after which everything is back to normal. All the action in the meantime is drama for the sake of drama, and rarely has any lasting impact because everyone accepts that the patient wasn't themselves. As such, I'm naturally biased to dislike this novel.

Sadly, Blood of Tyrants doesn't get any better. Like previous novels, too much time is wasted travelling. We get yet another side-quest to explore and learn a new land... that of Japan. What culture and history is teased with little permanent effect, as the closed-off nation has no impact to the plot. Only 20% of the novel is about the legendary Patriotic War, and of course with so little page count, it's rushed and incomplete.

Naomi Novik has continued to mimic …