“Those men want to take Laurence from me, and put him in prison, and execute him, and I will not let them, ever, and I do not care if Laurence tells me not to squash you," he added, fiercely, to Lord Barham.

Laurence and the British Government may think that Temeraire was won fairly under the articles of war… but the Chinese aren’t so sure. In an effort to appease them, off Temeraire and Laurence go, halfway around the world to see if they can’t convince them otherwise.

There are a number of parts to really like about this book: Getting to travel the world is neat. The difference of Chinese culture, especially around dragons is fun. I like the idea of basically a Napoleonic era aircraft carrier for dragons. There are other related big beasties in the world as well!

The discussions about slavery, the differences in culture between the British and Chinese, and what that might mean for dragons were fascinating. Especially having read A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians not that long ago, it was interesting to see another take on the same period–especially when we randomly get news that Pitt has died.

And of course, the aforequoted relationship between Temeraire and Laurence. That’s really a great part of the book.

On a downside, it’s a bit less action packed than the first book. We get a couple of big fights, don’t get me wrong, but it’s got a low slower pace. A bit jarring.

Worth a read.

Onward!