Empire of Ivory

Empire of Ivory (2007) Naomi Novik

I’ve been waiting for Empire of Ivory to come out since I finished Black Power War last year. The war with Napoleon is still raging, and Lawrence, Temeraire and the rest of their group are returning to England, where they hope to learn why England did not come to the assistance of the Prussians.

Unlike the first three books in this series, I found Empire of Ivory somewhat disappointing. The story didn’t seem to flow as evenly as the previous three books, and I found myself getting a little frustrated with Lawrence.

But the biggest annoyance was that the story ended badly. The futures of both Lawrence and Temeraire are unknown, with Lawrence in more serious danger than Temeraire. I really hate books that end like this. Especially since we have no idea when the next book will be coming out. And now, chances are that once the fifth book comes out, I won’t be in a hurry to read it, with the possibility of another unsatisfying ending.

On the positive side, I still love Temeraire. He is a fascinating and complex creature, and I sometimes find him more interesting and likable than Lawrence. Not that Lawrence is a bad guy, I just found him somewhat annoying in this book, although I can’t put my finger on what bothers me.

If you’ve read the first three Temeraire books, then you’ll definitely want to read Empire of Ivory. However, if you don’t like cliffhanger endings, then you may want to wait awhilem and read this after the release date for the fifth book is announced.
Rating: 6/10

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