Temeraire Discussion starter 1) The story
Did you like the story? Its pace? Length? Plot twists? Writing style?
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Did you like the story? Its pace? Length? Plot twists? Writing style?
Comments
I was reminded of the advice given to new authors on how to start a story: write the story as you would want to do it, then go back and remove the first chapter or two. Those are often the equivalent to throat-clearing and preparation for the actual story to be told.
I felt that this book was equivalent to the first chapters of throat-clearing. We could have started the saga of Temeraire and Laurence with them already in the RAC after some service, with the "origin story" of how this came about handled with some little exposition and flashbacks. I'm reminded of how the first Hornblower book written was The Happy Return, with Hornblower an already experienced captain; how that came to be was filled out in later-written books.
Despite that, the book itself was a fun read. Novik writes well and the book is a fun romp. The plot was somewhat formulaic, but it hit the major points well. We get some characters set up for return in later books, with some allies and some powerful enemies made.
I hadn't come across that before but it's nice advice. Good point about the chronologically first Hornblower book.
Having read far into the series when they were released, I can confirm Apocryphal's insight. Novik is a great fan of both the Maturin-Aubrey naval series, and the Jane Austen books.