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Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Bk 4)
Empire of Ivory - Temeraire, Bk 4
Author: Naomi Novik
Tragedy has struck His Majesty's Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defends England’s shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. An epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons’ ranks—forcing the hopelessly stricken i...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780345496874
ISBN-10: 0345496876
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 103

4 stars, based on 103 ratings
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Bk 4) on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The fourth book in Naomi Novik's series - which is a "realistic" look at what the Napoleonic wars would have been like if fought with an aerial corps of dragon - continues a story begun in the second book, when a courier brought a flu-like disease back to England. The disease has spread to nearly all the dragons, and by pure coincidence, Temeraire and co. know what the cure is.

Ms. Novik sends her heroes to Africa, and once again creates an entirely new dragon-culture where dragons are protectors and ancestors to the human villages. The world she's created with the dragon city brings up questions of how her world would continue without the occupation of Africa by the European powers. The issue of slavery is addressed full-on, as Temeraire denounces the slave trade and tries to improve the lot of dragons in Britain.
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jackash avatar reviewed Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Bk 4) on
I loved this book just as much as the ones before it. It was well-written, and the characters were as likable as ever!
annapi avatar reviewed Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Bk 4) on + 334 more book reviews
Novik manages to raise the bar for herself with each installment of her fascinating Temeraire series, which imagines a world of dragons used in battle (much like aircraft) in the time of Napoleon's ascendance. Laurence and Temeraire return from China to discover a plague has all but decimated England's dragons, and they journey with a contingent to Africa to find a cure. The ending leaves me eager for the next book of the series, as well as Peter Jackson's movie.
RedHeadDread avatar reviewed Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, Bk 4) on + 43 more book reviews
Novik has been dealing with race, culture and gender in all of these books with more or less success. I gritted my teeth through various parts of the second book and its literal "dragon lady" stereotype, but when I came to the noble, dignified black missionary and his wife, and the deepest, darkest Africa complete with evil tribesmen I had to stop reading. Novik may be trying to deal with the stereotypes as they existed at the time, but I just couldn't stomach it any more.

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