Victory of Eagles (Temeraire, Book 5) (Hardcover)

by Naomi Novik (Author)
Key Phrases: talon sheaths, sixty dragons, harnessed dragons, Lady Allendale, Admiral Roland, Regal Copper (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Naomi Novik continues her alternate history of the Napoleonic wars in this fifth adventure featuring British Capt. William Laurence and his faithful celestial dragon, Temeraire. Picking up after Empire of Ivory, a disgraced Laurence has been convicted of treason, sentenced to a prison ship and is only one step away from the hangman's noose. Temeraire is relegated to a breeding area in Wales along with other dragons viewed as past their prime. When Bonaparte invades England, Laurence and Temeraire are soon free to fly and fight for king and country. Vance fully inhabits Novik's vividly realized fantasy world. His battle scenes are exciting as he describes all the intricate fighting tactics without sacrificing the thrills. With keen vocal characterizations, he portrays a wide variety of individuals, both human and nonhuman, with the dialogue between Temeraire and some snobbish, older dragons singularly entertaining. A Del Rey hardcover (Reviews, May 19). (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review
PRAISE FOR NAOMI NOVIK

“A new writer is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”
–The New York Times

“These are beautifully written novels: not only fresh, original, and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.”
–Peter Jackson

His Majesty’s Dragon

“Enthralling reading–it’s like Jane Austen playing Dungeons & Dragons with Eragon’s Christopher Paolini.”
–Time

“A gripping adventure full of rich detail and the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”
–Entertainment Weekly

“A thrilling fantasy . . . All hail Naomi Novik.”
–The Washington Post Book World
BACK PANEL (cont’d)VICTORY OF EAGLESSUMMER 2008 (HC)


Empire of Ivory

“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“So realistic that it drowns disbelief . . . first-class in every respect.”
–Booklist (starred review)


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1 edition (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345496884
• ISBN-13: 978-0345496881
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Temeraire Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting POV, plenty of action, July 12, 2008

By	Rebecca Huston "telynor" (On the Banks of the Hudson) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of the best historical fantasy series to show up in recent years has been Naomi Novik's Temeraire. Full of historical details in a world that is very close to our own, set in a world where dragons are quite real, and captained by crews of humans, serve as part of aerial corps, fighting in wars.

The setting is unusual as well -- the Napoleonic Wars, and with the fifth novel and its ominous title, Victory of Eagles things are not looking too good for the British. In an appalling display of stupidity by the Admiralty, Temeraire and Laurence, his captain, have been separated after the events of the previous novel. Laurence is aboard a ship, locked up in a brig, and the threat of execution follows him everywhere. He knows that if he cooperates, that Temeraire will not be harmed, and so does his best.

And his beloved Temeraire? The Celestial dragon is off in the remote mountains of Wales, condemned to the breeding grounds while a perfectly good war is raging on. Instead he's stuck in a remote valley, with nothing but a pokey cave to live in, no books, and even though there's plenty to eat, all that there is to do is sleep and ahem, make an egg with a willing dragon.

Needless to say, Temeraire is less than pleased about the situation. And his new neighbors are not that interesting either, especially a Regal Copper that has decided that Temeraire's cave would make a very nice home for himself. And there's Gentius an ancient Longwing who is pleased to talk to Temeraire. Most of all, there are Temeraire's own thoughts, and a chance to look at the world through the dragon's eyes.

When word comes that Laurence's ship has been sunk by the French, Temeraire decides that the time has come to break free of all of the stuffy rules. After all, the British have broken their word, and he feels that there's nothing to hold him back. So in a daring maneuver, he rounds up the dragons in the breeding ground, and he will lead them into battle against Napoleon.

And Napoleon? The French emperor is on the march again, this time crossing the Channel and setting his sights on capturing London...

I won't reveal much more here, as so not to reveal any spoilers, except that there are several new characters here, as well as quite a few of the earlier ones make a return. Most interesting is the Iron Duke himself, Wellington, and even a glimpse of poor King George III. Iskierka and Granby have a prominent role, and we see the rather harried Jane Roland having to cope with military men who have not a clue about how dragons can be used in battle. The action is breakneck, along with the pacing -- very rarely does the story slow down.

One aspect that I have enjoyed very much is watching Temeraire?s evolution in the series, as he matures and grows in his abilities to both deal with people, and his own sense of justice and morality. There are times when you can feel his frustration with dealing with humans, or the confusion of why don?t they get it? It?s one aspect of Novik?s creation that she is able to breathe in new life to the rather hackneyed use of dragons. Here they are personalities, and sentient beings, with ambitions, thoughts, and emotions of their own, and sometimes they don?t always mesh neatly with those of humans.

As with the previous novels, this is definitely part of a series. For someone who wants to start reading here, I recommend that you don't -- there is so much in here that relies on the earlier novels, that it would be nearly impossible to understand the current story without going back and reading the first four books.

One thing that I wish the series had was some kind of directory to keep all of the various types of dragons straight. While the first book had some drawings and a few details, there's very little here to help visualize many of the creatures, and create a mental picture of the action and details. It's one oversight that I hope will be taken care of either in a separate volume or in future books. This is the only real disgruntlement that I've had with the series so far.

A warning however -- don't try to read this one late at night. The odds will be that you'll be up still at dawn turning pages and eagerly seeing what happens next. The ending, as with before, is a bit of a cliffhanger, and I hope is a sign that there will be more to come.

Four and a half stars, rounded up to five. Recommended.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars break-neck pacing, but not much happens until the end..., July 9, 2008

By	Silea (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

First, i'd like to say that i read this book cover to cover this morning, in one sitting. It's not terribly short, but it is a fairly easy read, and with the pacing so fast i just couldn't justify a break.

I noticed around page 150, though, that despite the constant action and constant motion, not much was happening. In fact, the only real plot movement took place in the last 50 pages or so. That's part of why i docked a star from this latest installment in a series i love dearly.

The rest of the star comes from the fact that Ms. Novik hasn't quite recovered the strength of voice she had in the first few books. Sure, Laurence is less of a stiff British naval officer than he used to be, but at times he's become so much like the other aviators that one forgets he ever was anything else. And at times Temeraire sounds like all of the other dragons. It's better than the mush from book 3, but still lacks the crispness of books 1 and 2.

Last, i suspected at the end (though 'sudden stopping point' would be a better description) of Empire of Ivory how Victory of Eagles would conclude, and was sorely disappointed to be right.


Despite all of these complaints, it's a great book in a fantastic series and i highly recommend anyone go pick up His Majesty's Dragon and get started.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, but not quite perfect, July 9, 2008

By	L. Gorman (houston, tx) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well needless to say I could not wait to get my hands on this book. I've been a huge fan of this series ever since I picked up His Majesty's Dragon. I settled down to read this book yesterday (distractions be damned!) and read straight through in one go. My overall impression of the book was good-excellent action sequences, good emotional development for the characters, great plot. While it was quite satisfying, I do think that it could have been a bit longer. At times the pacing and the jumps from event to event felt rushed and almost unfinished. Of course I am a sucker for good, long books, since I read very quickly, and hence months of anticipating a book will lead to about 3 hours worth of reading time for me. I love how we got to get more into Temeraire's head this time around-his character is so lovable and interesting that at times it was almost an annoyance to jump back to the other character's viewpoints! Laurence's emotional turmoil throughout was quite wrenching and lent a lot of feeling to the story. I am impatiently waiting for Temeraire and Lien's big showdown (so close, only to be foiled again! I feel your pain, Temeraire) and am left hanging about several other things as well. Why hasn't Temey had any eggs yet? What will happen in Wales? What is Napolean's next move?

Rest assured I will be first in line for the next book, here's hoping it's a couple of hundred pages longer!