Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Let us know what thought, are thinking, of this book.

I really liked the contrast between the way dragons are treated in the different cultures, as well the ideas it gave Temeraire.

I like this one better than the first. Maybe the fact that it has characters from and is partly set in my part of the world has something to do with it. I like the shifting relationships between Temeraire and Laurence, the sailors and the aviators and the Chinese, all the characters during their voyage to China. I like Temeraire and Laurence's discussion about slavery. I like the descriptions about dragons in China and how they fit into the society there.

Yes I did love how the dragons were treated in China vs Britain

And how Temeraire starts courting a female dragon... so cute

This really was a fun installment for the series. I like how both human & dragon eyes were opened on how they can be treated. Both good & bad. And I just love the loyalty in the relationship .

I really liked how Laurence respected Temeraire's opinions, even though he saw that it would cause problems back in England.

Suzanne wrote: "I really liked how Laurence respected Temeraire's opinions, even though he saw that it would cause problems back in England."

Yes

One quibble I have is that the Chinese names are written with different spelling systems. Most use the Pinyin spelling system, which was only developed until the 1950s, and some use another type of spelling system. I wish the author had chosen just one.

Suzanne wrote: "I really liked how Laurence respected Temeraire's opinions, even though he saw that it would cause problems back in England."

I'm eager to see how their experiences in China will affect the dragon arrangements in England in the next book.

I wish there had been more time spent in China and less on the voyage there. Novik's style is very readable and it wasn't that the voyage was boring--a typhoon, a sea serpent, and events in the various ports of call, plus the shifting relationships between Riley, Laurence, Hammond, and the Chinese, kept things interesting.

But my favorite parts of the story were after they arrived in China--touring the city, the politics, the culture clash, the attacks, and the culmination of the whole trip with the Emperor's adoption of Laurence. I would have liked more information about the hatching, raising, education, training, and role of partnered and unpartnered dragons in China--we got some, but I wanted more. And I also wanted more details about Temeraire 's conversations with his mother and his courting of Mei (not necessarily dragon sex, but the "courting" part).

I agree that the themes of loyalty and duty, freedom and servitude (or slavery) will doubtless be explored further in the rest of the series.

Rebecca wrote: "I like the solution they found for Laurence to keep Temeraire, but I wonder if obligation to make him available for breeding will go with it?"
It will be interesting to see how that plays out. Even though he is old enough to be sexually active (apparently), that does not mean he is yet able to reproduce. Or, has he already started?

I agree too! I loved the culture clash and politics in china but wanted the book to go deeper into all this...as well as the courtship.

I enjoyed it.