General Information

Title:                  Throne of Jade
Author:                 Naomi Novik
Read By:                Simon Vance
Copyright:              2006
Audiobook Copyright:    2007
Genre:                  Fantasy
Publisher:              Books on Tape
Series Name:            Temeraire
Position in Series:     02
Abridged:               No

Original Media Information

ISBN:                   9781415940198
Media:                  Library Download
Number:                 10
Source:                 Library

File Information

Number of MP3s:         10
Total Duration:         11:43:11
Total MP3 Size:         321.98
Parity Archive:         No
Ripped By:              A_S
Ripped With:            Easy CD - DA Extractor
Encoded With:           LAME 3.97
Encoded At:             CBR 64 kbit/s 44100 Hz Mono
Normalize:              MP3Gain, Track 87dB
Noise Reduction:        None
ID3 Tags:               Set, v1.1, v2.3

Book Description

Description

The first book in this the Temeraire series was hailed "terrifically
entertaining" by Stephen King and here, in the second book, Novik returns
with a superbly written story that once again blends historical fiction
and high fantasy. When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious
cargo—an unhatched dragon's egg—Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly
became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire.
As new recruits in Britain's Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved
their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte's invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon,
has fallen into British hands—and an angry Chinese delegation vows to
reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing
the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany
Temeraire back to the Far East—a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue,
and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court
of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers
await.

Excerpts

From the book

Chapter 1

The day was unseasonably warm for November, but in some misguided deference
to the Chinese embassy, the fire in the Admiralty boardroom had been
heaped excessively high, and Laurence was standing directly before it.
He had dressed with especial care, in his best uniform, and all throughout
the long and unbearable interview, the lining of his thick bottle-green
broadcloth coat had been growing steadily more sodden with sweat.

Over the doorway, behind Lord Barham, the official indicator with its
compass arrow showed the direction of the wind over the Channel: in
the north-northeast today, fair for France; very likely even now some
ships of the Channel Fleet were standing in to have a look at Napoleon’s
harbors. His shoulders held at attention, Laurence fixed his eyes upon
the broad metal disk and tried to keep himself distracted with such
speculation; he did not trust himself to meet the cold, unfriendly gaze
fixed upon him.

Barham stopped speaking and coughed again into his fist; the elaborate
phrases he had prepared sat not at all in his sailor’s mouth, and at
the end of every awkward, halting line, he stopped and darted a look
over at the Chinese with a nervous agitation that approached obsequity.
It was not a very creditable performance, but under ordinary circumstances,
Laurence would have felt a degree of sympathy for Barham’s position:
some sort of formal message had been anticipated, even perhaps an envoy,
but no one had ever imagined that the Emperor of China would send his
own brother halfway around the world.

Prince Yongxing could, with a word, set their two nations at war; and
there was besides something inherently awful in his presence: the impervious
silence with which he met Barham’s every remark; the overwhelming splendor
of his dark yellow robes, embroidered thickly with dragons; the slow
and relentless tapping of his long, jewel-encrusted fingernail against
the arm of his chair. He did not even look at Barham: he only stared
directly across the table at Laurence, grim and thin-lipped.

His retinue was so large they filled the boardroom to the corners, a
dozen guards all sweltering and dazed in their quilted armor and as
many servants besides, most with nothing to do, only attendants of one
sort or another, all of them standing along the far wall of the room
and trying to stir the air with broad-paneled fans. One man, evidently
a translator, stood behind the prince, murmuring when Yongxing lifted
a hand, generally after one of Barham’s more involved periods.

Two other official envoys sat to Yongxing’s either side. These men had
been presented to Laurence only perfunctorily, and they had neither
of them said a word, though the younger, called Sun Kai, had been watching
all the proceedings, impassively, and following the translator’s words
with quiet attention. The elder, a big, round- bellied man with a tufted
grey beard, had gradually been overcome by the heat: his head had sunk
forward onto his chest, mouth half open for air, and his hand was barely
even moving his fan towards his face. They were robed in dark blue silk,
almost as elaborately as the prince himself, and together they made
an imposing façade: certainly no such embassy had ever been seen in
the West.

A far more practiced diplomat than Barham might have been pardoned for
succumbing to some degree of servility, but Laurence was scarcely in
any mood to be forgiving; though he was nearly more furious with himself,
at having hoped for anything better. He had come expecting to plead
his case, and privately in his heart he had...

Reviews
AudioFile Magazine...
In the first book in this series, a combination of historical fiction
and fantasy, Captain Will Laurence captures a dragon egg that was a
gift to Napoleon. The egg eventually produces Temeraire, a dragon hatchling,
who becomes Laurence's friend and partner in war. But when the Chinese
learn that the dragon is being used as a weapon, they demand his return.
Laurence is torn when he is given the command to trick the dragon into
going back to China. Simon Vance demonstrates his skill with narrative
passages. He draws out the relationships between the characters, especially
the affection between Laurence and the dragon. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile
2007, Portland, Maine

Terry Brooks...
"Temeraire is a dragon for the ages."

Alan Dean Foster, author of the Pip & Flinx series...
"Readers with a penchant for both Patrick O'Brian and Anne McCaffrey
may have found their perfect match. Naomi Novik beautifully renders
an early-eighteenth-century Europe in which both naval buffs and dragon
lovers will be keen to immerse themselves."