soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2011-10-25 02:41 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2011-10-25 02:41 pm
TEMERAAAAAAIRE
So I FINALLY got around to reading Tongues of Serpents, which meant that I accidentally stayed up till 5:30 am last night. UM. My lack of self-control re: books is awful. BUT IT WAS SO GOOD.
Okay it is totally clear to me that I read these books for things other than plot. Because this book? Was kind of light on plot, and I am OKAY with that. Possibly this is in part because Plot tends to result in Battles and I find fight scenes boring. See: why Black Powder War is my least favourite of the Temeraire books (HALF THE BOOK is nothing but battles/war/fighting BLAH BLAH BLAH).
No, I read these books for two things: the WORLDBUILDING and the CHARACTERS. And both of these things are showcased beautifully in this book, and it is super amazing awesomesauce.
BUNYIPS and SEA SERPENTS and TREKKING ACROSS AUSTRALIA: you cannot go wrong! All of it was ALL OF THE AWESOME.
The Tswana in the background going and being BADASS ALL OVER EUROPE. It is not a secret that Empire of Ivory is totes my favourite Temeraire novel, and it makes me happy that we get to see more of the Tswana being badass. (And apparently the next book will have more Tswana funtimes in it? Yays!)
And Jane Jane Jane Jane Jane! That letter from her at the beginning made me so happy; I love the grand times she's having screwing with everybody's brains by being a LADY and an ADMIRAL at the same time. And I totally loled at her realisation that hey society ladies can be awesome too.
And Perscitia and the other dragons back in England and their efforts towards REVOLUTION are never not awesome. Perscitia is LOVE.
And Demane and Sipho and their awkward brotherly relationship that gets strained when Demane adopts a dragon (!!!!!!!)! And KULINGILE HIMSELF! <333 Also I love too that we get these little snippets like in the front of this book from Sipho when he's all grown up and academical and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
And Caesar being hilarious and kind of awful and kind of an appallingly excellent match for Rankin. He's just like, DUDE YEAH I am intelligent and strong and amazing and you know what I am going to do with that? I am going to use it to further my greed and my laziness. MY LIFE CHOICES ARE THE BEST. And then Rankin's all, UM OKAY THIS IS DIFFERENT BUT I LIKE IT. And everyone else is like, EVERYTHING IS RUINED FOREVER. I like how much personality all the dragons have, and not idealized at all. There are awful dragons just like there are awful people! Good times.
And THARKAY OKAY I LOVE THARKAY SO MUCH HE IS ALL OF THE AWESOME. And I love how Tharkay so clearly cares about Laurence, but AT THE SAME TIME has all sorts of awesome going on in his own life. And when Laurence and his other stuff align he is happy to go along with that, and when his other stuff take him away from Laurence, well, these things happen and he's sure to see Laurence again anyways so that's cool. And Tharkay is BADASS and TALENTED and INTELLIGENT and MYSTERIOUS and DELIGHTFUL IN EVERY WAY.
Iskierka and Granby! Iskierka continues to CRACK ME UP, and the way Temeraire thinks about her and reacts to her will never not be awesome. And uh apparently I have less to say about Granby but GRANBY IS AWESOME TOO FYI.
And then of course TEMERAIRE AND LAURENCE OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN. THOSE TWO. <3333333333333
IN CONCLUSION I CAN'T WAIT TILL CRUCIBLE OF GOLD COMES OUT. IT LOOKS SO AMAZING. TSWANA and INCA and LAURENCE BEING RIDICULOUSLY STUPIDLY HONOURABLE.
EEEEEEEEEEEE
ETA: OH MY GOD I JUST READ THE EXCERPT AT THAT PAGE I LINKED AND AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOW IS IT SO AWESOME ALSKDJFHSDKLFJHSDLGHSDLJF OH HAMMOND, AND SHEN LI! AND LAURENCE BEEN A BEARDED BACKWOODSMAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO DEAL WITH BUNYIPS CALMLY! AND TEMERAIRE BEING ALL TEMERAIREY AS USUAL! WANT MORE. oh god i am abusing capslock so bad i am so sorry
Okay it is totally clear to me that I read these books for things other than plot. Because this book? Was kind of light on plot, and I am OKAY with that. Possibly this is in part because Plot tends to result in Battles and I find fight scenes boring. See: why Black Powder War is my least favourite of the Temeraire books (HALF THE BOOK is nothing but battles/war/fighting BLAH BLAH BLAH).
No, I read these books for two things: the WORLDBUILDING and the CHARACTERS. And both of these things are showcased beautifully in this book, and it is super amazing awesomesauce.
BUNYIPS and SEA SERPENTS and TREKKING ACROSS AUSTRALIA: you cannot go wrong! All of it was ALL OF THE AWESOME.
The Tswana in the background going and being BADASS ALL OVER EUROPE. It is not a secret that Empire of Ivory is totes my favourite Temeraire novel, and it makes me happy that we get to see more of the Tswana being badass. (And apparently the next book will have more Tswana funtimes in it? Yays!)
And Jane Jane Jane Jane Jane! That letter from her at the beginning made me so happy; I love the grand times she's having screwing with everybody's brains by being a LADY and an ADMIRAL at the same time. And I totally loled at her realisation that hey society ladies can be awesome too.
And Perscitia and the other dragons back in England and their efforts towards REVOLUTION are never not awesome. Perscitia is LOVE.
And Demane and Sipho and their awkward brotherly relationship that gets strained when Demane adopts a dragon (!!!!!!!)! And KULINGILE HIMSELF! <333 Also I love too that we get these little snippets like in the front of this book from Sipho when he's all grown up and academical and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
And Caesar being hilarious and kind of awful and kind of an appallingly excellent match for Rankin. He's just like, DUDE YEAH I am intelligent and strong and amazing and you know what I am going to do with that? I am going to use it to further my greed and my laziness. MY LIFE CHOICES ARE THE BEST. And then Rankin's all, UM OKAY THIS IS DIFFERENT BUT I LIKE IT. And everyone else is like, EVERYTHING IS RUINED FOREVER. I like how much personality all the dragons have, and not idealized at all. There are awful dragons just like there are awful people! Good times.
And THARKAY OKAY I LOVE THARKAY SO MUCH HE IS ALL OF THE AWESOME. And I love how Tharkay so clearly cares about Laurence, but AT THE SAME TIME has all sorts of awesome going on in his own life. And when Laurence and his other stuff align he is happy to go along with that, and when his other stuff take him away from Laurence, well, these things happen and he's sure to see Laurence again anyways so that's cool. And Tharkay is BADASS and TALENTED and INTELLIGENT and MYSTERIOUS and DELIGHTFUL IN EVERY WAY.
Iskierka and Granby! Iskierka continues to CRACK ME UP, and the way Temeraire thinks about her and reacts to her will never not be awesome. And uh apparently I have less to say about Granby but GRANBY IS AWESOME TOO FYI.
And then of course TEMERAIRE AND LAURENCE OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN. THOSE TWO. <3333333333333
IN CONCLUSION I CAN'T WAIT TILL CRUCIBLE OF GOLD COMES OUT. IT LOOKS SO AMAZING. TSWANA and INCA and LAURENCE BEING RIDICULOUSLY STUPIDLY HONOURABLE.
EEEEEEEEEEEE
ETA: OH MY GOD I JUST READ THE EXCERPT AT THAT PAGE I LINKED AND AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOW IS IT SO AWESOME ALSKDJFHSDKLFJHSDLGHSDLJF OH HAMMOND, AND SHEN LI! AND LAURENCE BEEN A BEARDED BACKWOODSMAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO DEAL WITH BUNYIPS CALMLY! AND TEMERAIRE BEING ALL TEMERAIREY AS USUAL! WANT MORE. oh god i am abusing capslock so bad i am so sorry