Dear Naomi Novik,

[blamebrampton]

I am still hugely enjoying the Temeraire books, but please, for the love of tiny bunnies, hire an actual editor to proofread your novels! The typos! They burn!

(I was doing well at ignoring them until we reached the Nemean region, which is in Ancient Greece, not New South Wales. It was rightly the Nepean earlier. Betas are for fanfic, Naomi. I'm sure you've earned enough to pay for a good editor by now!)

Must dash, plot twist has just occurred and I only have time for another hundred pages before bed.

Much love,

Brammers

Comments

part 3

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

As Sun Kai finally leads the British to safety, Laurence thinks he has spotted the missing dragon, but it turns out to be Temeraire’s brother, the dragon companion of the Crown Prince. Suddenly the political situation becomes clearer: Temeraire was not being sent to Napoleon to show special favour to the Emperor as a result of successful French politicking, he was being sent from China so that no other high ranking member of the Royal family would have such a dragon and the Crown Prince would be unopposed in his position of power.

To the British diplomats, this is a cause for great joy. The fear of the French has lessened, now if they can just convince Laurence to give up his demands to a Celestial dragon ...

Said dragon has reappeared. He has been cavorting with a girl dragon, the young terror! Laurence is even more worried now ... family, sexy girl dragons, full legal rights, dragon-sized books and writing tables ... why would Temeraire leave all this behind to go back and fight England’s wars? But the dragon remains devoted to him, if only the Emperor will allow them to remain together.

Liu Bao reappears at this point and makes a suggestion. Since only a member of the Imperial family may possess a Celestial, why does the Emperor not simply adopt Laurence? He need not enter into the succession, nor gain any power other than the right to Temeraire, and the forms will all be observed. The Imperial household dragons mostly support the idea, because they wish Temeraire to be happy, save Lien, who, with Yongxing, considers the idea appalling.

The Emperor, who is barely seen, is happy to get this problem out of the way in the least awkward manner possible, and agrees to the adoption. Celebrations involving a performance are arranged and there Yongxing and Lien are accompanied by the young boy who earlier came to visit Temeraire as a prospective replacement for Laurence. He is named as a prince high in line to the succession, and suddenly Yongxing’s plans are revealed: With a Celestial, his nephew would be in a strong position to challenge the Crown Prince for the throne. While his hatred of the Europeans is sincere, it has concealed a pointier political goal.

And he cannot let Laurence triumph. During the performance, a knife is thrown, catching Laurence in the chest, though not badly so. Temeraire leaps to his defence, and Lien leaps to protect Yongxing from him. They two dragons fight, youth and experience having early advantage, but cunning and hatred faring well, too. In their struggles, they knock down the pavilion and Laurence only just manages to save to the young prince, who had been unknowing in the scheme. Yongxing is killed.

Filled with grief, Lien takes his body away and has him buried quietly, as he is now considered a traitor. Laurence sees her walking with the French ambassador, the uncle (or some such) of the young French aviator whose life he saved at the beginning of the book. He knows this does not bode well, but he has his own problems.

He does as his conscience demands and offers Temeraire the choice to stay in China. Temeraire considers it, but knows that Laurence is a military man, so chooses to serve the British crown again, and to bring news of the Chinese dragons’ conditions back home. One hundred years too early to know what a Bolshevik is, Laurence shakes his head at the rebellion he foresees, but is glad enough to head back to do what he can to stop Napoleon.

Thus ends book 2!

On the whole, the episode of Orientalism mostly function as disconnects between the British 'understanding' of the Chinese and the reality. Yongxing is dodgy, but the others seem all to have far more interesting lives that are lived off stage, where there are no scruffy Aviators nor Royal Navy. The setting up of Imperial China, Global Superpower is the really important motif that will come about again and again. That and meeting Lien, who returns in several more books.

And I am CERTAIN I have missed something important, but I'm sure it won't matter that much.

Finished reading the Australian one: a few moments of deep cultural head shaking, but I'll live ;-)