beccastareyes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beccastareyes) wrote2010-07-18 01:44 pm
beccastareyes) wrote2010-07-18 01:44 pm
Entry tags:
Temeraire
I finished reading Tongues of Serpents, the most recent installment of the Temeraire series. And, well, I have some thoughts about the direction of the series.
So, books 1 through 3 of the series feature the introduction of Temeraire, a Chinese Celestial dragon sent to Napoleon to eliminate problems with China's succession, and ending up bonded to William Laurence, the third son of a minor British noble and a naval captain. Culture shock, political maneuverings and the general state of Europe as Everyone vs. Napoleon with China seen as an interested onlooker that both sides were courting ensues, with a dose of comparing the imprinting of dragons as slavery.
While they continue Temeraire's abolitionism, books 4 through 6 can be seen as a sort of arc for Laurence. In book 4, Laurence and Temeraire commit treason to cure a deadly disease that has the French dragons sick. In book 5, while Temeraire becomes the first dragon officer and mobilizes those dragons confined to the breeding grounds for failure to obey orders, Laurence is used as a kind of 'black ops man' when Napoleon invades Britain. In doing so, he goes from 'I will commit treason, but then immediately go home for trial, because treason is BAD even if killing dragons is also BAD' to 'I am sick of my country dicking me around'. Thankfully, he's just sent to Australia.
Anyway, book 6 features more dicking Laurence around -- Australia is undergoing a mutiny right now, and both sides are courting Laurence so Temeraire would help out. And one of the few other Aerial Corps members there was someone from book 1 who basically neglected his dragon, but was too important to not give another one, so Lord Admiral Roland* was all '... well, maybe if I send him to Australia I won't have to deal with him, and he'll have nothing better to do besides tend to his dragon. Sorry, Laurence'. By the end of the book, when Britain nearly declares war on China because Laurence accidentally encouraged China to stop being so isolationist in Book 2, Laurence is all 'fuck it all, I'm retiring. Temeraire and I are going to take some land and raise cattle and read books of poetry, and the rest of the world, besides my friends, can go hang'.
So, it is kind of the end of an arc. On the one hand, I kind of want to give Laurence a rest -- let him ranch cattle for Temeraire and get letters from his old aviator buddies and listen to Temeriare trying to explain Chinese poetry. On the other... well, I know that:
1. The world situation is still in turmoil. China is now becoming a world player again, Napoleon made a deal with the Tswana people of central Africa to boat their dragons to Brazil so that they can attack slavers, and Europe continues to be a mess.
2. While I'm happy with Laurence's situation, I want to see more of other characters. Demane accidentally became a captain of a heavy-weight dragon as a teenaged African boy, and that's going to have Repercussions, even if he stays in Australia. Plus he and Emily Roland have a 'thing', which returns Laurence's culture shock**. And most of the British characters, who were offscreened by the fact everyone was in Australia.
3. I write. There's a strong temptation when a character goes 'fuck you all, I'm going home' to go 'no you're not' *leverpull*.
Though between this and Changes, it's been a year for Major Transition Events in book series.
--
* Who sadly doesn't appear in the book except in letters. She's all like 'Hey, if I knew how much fun being a Lord Admiral was, I would have done it years ago. Look at all the people trying to decide if I'm a 'sir' or 'ma'am', because I'm the first woman to head a military branch! Plus, I can wear pants to formal occasions, and people are pretty decent, what with the saving the country from invasion and all'.
** Emily: Yeah, some drunkard tried to grope me, so I kicked him.
Laurence: Grr, I'm feeling paternal and protective of my ensign, who I suddenly remembered is a young lady.
Emily: *ignores, flirts with Demane*
Laurence: *looms*
Other Aviator (Granby?): Well, it's good she's starting early. It could take a couple tries to get a girl, and it'll be better for her mom's dragon if she can have two generations ready for replacement captains***.
Laurence: ... Dude, teenaged young lady. Do not want!
*** As you know, Bob, dragons can live several centuries, so it's common practice to make sure they have replacements set up. Longwing dragons refuse male captains, which explains the female officers in Napoleonic armies****, and corps policy is that a blood relative is usually better taken to by the dragon. Hence, Emily will succeed her mother when Jane retires from active service, or she's killed when her dragon isn't.
**** And the Chinese aerial corps is all women. The Ballad of Fa Mulan accidentally lead to that, since it allowed women to become aviators, which meant extra daughters could be sent to serve their country instead of paying dowry.
So, books 1 through 3 of the series feature the introduction of Temeraire, a Chinese Celestial dragon sent to Napoleon to eliminate problems with China's succession, and ending up bonded to William Laurence, the third son of a minor British noble and a naval captain. Culture shock, political maneuverings and the general state of Europe as Everyone vs. Napoleon with China seen as an interested onlooker that both sides were courting ensues, with a dose of comparing the imprinting of dragons as slavery.
While they continue Temeraire's abolitionism, books 4 through 6 can be seen as a sort of arc for Laurence. In book 4, Laurence and Temeraire commit treason to cure a deadly disease that has the French dragons sick. In book 5, while Temeraire becomes the first dragon officer and mobilizes those dragons confined to the breeding grounds for failure to obey orders, Laurence is used as a kind of 'black ops man' when Napoleon invades Britain. In doing so, he goes from 'I will commit treason, but then immediately go home for trial, because treason is BAD even if killing dragons is also BAD' to 'I am sick of my country dicking me around'. Thankfully, he's just sent to Australia.
Anyway, book 6 features more dicking Laurence around -- Australia is undergoing a mutiny right now, and both sides are courting Laurence so Temeraire would help out. And one of the few other Aerial Corps members there was someone from book 1 who basically neglected his dragon, but was too important to not give another one, so Lord Admiral Roland* was all '... well, maybe if I send him to Australia I won't have to deal with him, and he'll have nothing better to do besides tend to his dragon. Sorry, Laurence'. By the end of the book, when Britain nearly declares war on China because Laurence accidentally encouraged China to stop being so isolationist in Book 2, Laurence is all 'fuck it all, I'm retiring. Temeraire and I are going to take some land and raise cattle and read books of poetry, and the rest of the world, besides my friends, can go hang'.
So, it is kind of the end of an arc. On the one hand, I kind of want to give Laurence a rest -- let him ranch cattle for Temeraire and get letters from his old aviator buddies and listen to Temeriare trying to explain Chinese poetry. On the other... well, I know that:
1. The world situation is still in turmoil. China is now becoming a world player again, Napoleon made a deal with the Tswana people of central Africa to boat their dragons to Brazil so that they can attack slavers, and Europe continues to be a mess.
2. While I'm happy with Laurence's situation, I want to see more of other characters. Demane accidentally became a captain of a heavy-weight dragon as a teenaged African boy, and that's going to have Repercussions, even if he stays in Australia. Plus he and Emily Roland have a 'thing', which returns Laurence's culture shock**. And most of the British characters, who were offscreened by the fact everyone was in Australia.
3. I write. There's a strong temptation when a character goes 'fuck you all, I'm going home' to go 'no you're not' *leverpull*.
Though between this and Changes, it's been a year for Major Transition Events in book series.
--
* Who sadly doesn't appear in the book except in letters. She's all like 'Hey, if I knew how much fun being a Lord Admiral was, I would have done it years ago. Look at all the people trying to decide if I'm a 'sir' or 'ma'am', because I'm the first woman to head a military branch! Plus, I can wear pants to formal occasions, and people are pretty decent, what with the saving the country from invasion and all'.
** Emily: Yeah, some drunkard tried to grope me, so I kicked him.
Laurence: Grr, I'm feeling paternal and protective of my ensign, who I suddenly remembered is a young lady.
Emily: *ignores, flirts with Demane*
Laurence: *looms*
Other Aviator (Granby?): Well, it's good she's starting early. It could take a couple tries to get a girl, and it'll be better for her mom's dragon if she can have two generations ready for replacement captains***.
Laurence: ... Dude, teenaged young lady. Do not want!
*** As you know, Bob, dragons can live several centuries, so it's common practice to make sure they have replacements set up. Longwing dragons refuse male captains, which explains the female officers in Napoleonic armies****, and corps policy is that a blood relative is usually better taken to by the dragon. Hence, Emily will succeed her mother when Jane retires from active service, or she's killed when her dragon isn't.
**** And the Chinese aerial corps is all women. The Ballad of Fa Mulan accidentally lead to that, since it allowed women to become aviators, which meant extra daughters could be sent to serve their country instead of paying dowry.