Napoleon on a dragon!
So I've been reading the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik, and I'm enjoying them enough to keep reading, but not enough to run through them back to back, like I did with Dresden, say. I just finished book 6, Tongues of Serpents, and I think I've figured out why. She tends toward pacing issues, and never more so than in this book. The books are divided into three parts, roughly divided as setup, plot, payoff. The problem is that while the setup and payoff are usually worth it, the "plot" part is usually pretty dire.
ToS is a great example. After 100 pages, I was thinking, "Wow. I didn't realize how much better these books have gotten. Can't wait for the last three to come out." At 200 pages, I was thinking, "Wow. I'm not sure I'm going to finish this book, much less the other three." Well, it wasn't that bad, but you get the idea. It did heat up somewhat in the final third, but probably not enough to make up for the doldrums in the middle.
Now this is not to say that Temeraire doesn't have his virtues. He's an incredibly well-drawn character, as is his Captain, Will Laurence, and they're surrounded by other interesting and well-drawn people. The history is pretty phenomenal-you can tell she knows her stuff about the Napoleonic Wars and has a good understanding of Regency English culture, and if she doesn't think much of some British warrior heroes (Nelson, Wellington, even Captain Bligh makes an appearance), she at least draws believable versions of them. And her faux-Regency style is impressive.
Like I said, I'm enjoying them, but perhaps not as much as I could be. Plus, I'm six books in and we still haven't seen Napoleon riding a dragon, which as far as I can tell is pretty much the whole point of writing an alternate Napoleonic Wars with dragons. Alas, maybe before the end.
ToS is a great example. After 100 pages, I was thinking, "Wow. I didn't realize how much better these books have gotten. Can't wait for the last three to come out." At 200 pages, I was thinking, "Wow. I'm not sure I'm going to finish this book, much less the other three." Well, it wasn't that bad, but you get the idea. It did heat up somewhat in the final third, but probably not enough to make up for the doldrums in the middle.
Now this is not to say that Temeraire doesn't have his virtues. He's an incredibly well-drawn character, as is his Captain, Will Laurence, and they're surrounded by other interesting and well-drawn people. The history is pretty phenomenal-you can tell she knows her stuff about the Napoleonic Wars and has a good understanding of Regency English culture, and if she doesn't think much of some British warrior heroes (Nelson, Wellington, even Captain Bligh makes an appearance), she at least draws believable versions of them. And her faux-Regency style is impressive.
Like I said, I'm enjoying them, but perhaps not as much as I could be. Plus, I'm six books in and we still haven't seen Napoleon riding a dragon, which as far as I can tell is pretty much the whole point of writing an alternate Napoleonic Wars with dragons. Alas, maybe before the end.