League of Dragons
By Naomi Novik (Del Rey, ISBN: 978-0-345-52292-4)
Draconian finish
Review by Lawrence I. Charters, July 8, 2016
The ninth book of Novik’s epic Temeraire series contains everything you’d want in a good book: the wars of the early 19th century, dragons, the Royal Navy, Russians, Prussians, dragons, Chinese, Incas, dragons…
After such a long and complex battle through eight earlier novels, Temeraire and Laurence confront Napoleon once again on the battlefield. But Napoleon is not the only threat, as cultures, politics and children all play a role in the conclusion of this saga. If you are familiar with the history of the era, the story-within-a-story has many cleverly placed cameos by historical figures, places, ships and other tidbits. Recommended.
Yes, this review is inadequate for a series that was inspired by the Patrick O’Brien novels of Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin during the same historical period. O’Brien’s work is one of the masterworks of 20th century literature; Novik proves herself an enormously talented student.