Throne of Jade

Throne of Jade (2006) Naomi Novik

Temeraire is not just a Imperial dragon, but a rare Celestial dragon, and upon discovering that the English have him, the Chinese are demanding his return, and the military is commanding Will Laurence to give him up–and to lie to Temeraire to convince him to return to China. Temeraire will not accept separation, and Laurence will not lie to him, so both the Chinese delegation and the English military are attempting to find a solution acceptable to both parties. A solution that seems likely to be unacceptable to Temeraire and Laurence.

Like the start of the first book, the first half of Throne of Jade is as much a sailing book as a fantasy about dragons. And it is very much about the relations between China, France, and England, and how Temeraire effects those relations.

This book explains why the Chinese had sent a Celestial egg to Napoleon, but more delves into how dragons are treated in England, especially in comparison to how they are treated in China.

I very much liked how we are shown the differences between the Chinese system and the English system, and how both Temeraire and Laurence feel about them. The political intrigue between England and China is also interesting, especially since I know nothing about relations between England and China during the Napoleonic era.

This book was good, although not quite as strong as the first book. Part of the problem may have been that much of the tension of this book was the question of whether Temeraire and Laurence would be separated. However, since there is a third book, that question seemed pretty well answered, so it just didn’t feel very suspenseful.

The relationship between Temeraire and Laurence continues to develop, although it is quite clear that they are do bonded that a separation is acceptable to neither (which again pretty much killed any suspenseful element regarding their possible separation).

She also obliquely addresses the issue of slavery. Although she does not directly put forth the arguments for or against such as would have been found at that time, the ideas resonate in her descriptions of the differences between the treatment of English and Chinese dragons.

These are some gorgeous covers. Just lovely. I have to admit that the covers are part of what enticed me to pick up these books in the first place, as I found it hard to believe that a book with such a wonderful cover could be bad. (And I was right.) May publishers take note, and put out more covers this lovely.

Although Throne of Jade isn’t quite as good as Her Majesty’s Dragon, it’s still a very good second book. However, I would not recommend reading it without having read the first book. The back story is there, but I’m not sure the story would be as good if you were not already emotionally invested in the characters from the first book. So go get Her Majesty’s Dragon, and then you can read Throne of Jade. Meanwhile, I am going to start reading the third book.
Rating: 7/10

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