Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik
Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik
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Tongues of Serpents

Author: Naomi Novik

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 9 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/14/2010


Synopsis

A dazzling blend of military history, high-flying fantasy, and edge-of-your-seat adventure, Naomi Novik's Temeraire novels, set in an alternate Napoleonic era in which intelligent dragons have been harnessed as weapons of war, are more than just perennial bestsellers—they are a worldwide phenomenon. Now, in Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik is back, along with the dragon Temeraire and his rider and friend, Captain Will Laurence.

Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon's invasion of England, Temeraire and Laurence—stripped of rank and standing—have been transported to the prison colony at New South Wales in distant Australia, where, it is hoped, they cannot further corrupt the British Aerial Corps with their dangerous notions of liberty for dragons. Temeraire and Laurence carry with them three dragon eggs intended to help establish a covert in the colony and destined to be handed over to such second-rate, undesirable officers as have been willing to accept so remote an assignment—including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life.

Nor is this the greatest difficulty that confronts the exiled dragon and rider: Instead of leaving behind all the political entanglements and corruptions of the war, Laurence and Temeraire have instead sailed into a hornet's nest of fresh complications. For the colony at New South Wales has been thrown into turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, one William Bligh—better known as Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. Bligh wastes no time in attempting to enlist Temeraire and Laurence to restore him to office, while the upstart masters of the colony are equally determined that the new arrivals should not upset a balance of power precariously tipped in their favor.

Eager to escape this political quagmire, Laurence and Temeraire take on a mission to find a way through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But when one of the dragon eggs is stolen from Temeraire, the surveying expedition becomes a desperate race to recover it in time—a race that leads to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new obstacle in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.

Tongues of Serpents is the sixth entry in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. Books one through five are available from Random House Audio.

About Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik, an American author, grew up in Roslyn Heights on Long Island, and is a writer in the science fiction/fantasy genre. Her works include Temeraire in a series of nine novels, His Majesty's Dragon, Uprooted, and Will Supervillains Be On The Final. Her books have all been released in audio form. She also participated in the design and development of the computer game, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undentride.

Novik attended Brown University and Columbia University. She lives with her husband Charles Ardai, and their child, Evidence Novik Ardai in Manhattan.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Niki Hawkes on January 30, 2019

[3.5/5 stars] I’m not sure yet how I feel about the series as a whole, but I’ve found myself picking up these novels for a very specific Temeraire “fix,” if that makes sense. The books are all fairly similar but the highlight continues to be the dragons. This novel had them exploring the Australian......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on May 21, 2018

I have been a pretty good fan of this series, but unfortunately, I've grown tired of it by now. This isn't dragons against Napoleon anymore. This isn't an intrigue in China. This is exile to Australia. Long treks, dragon eggs, and filler await us. Maybe it's because I took almost a decade to return t......more

Goodreads review by Kyle on January 31, 2013

I have said previously that Naomi Novik hasn't hit a sour note, nor made a wrong step throughout her Temeraire series. I guess this is what I get for speaking too soon. Naomi Novik is still an extremely consistent writer, and whenever I've picked up a Temeraire book I've had a remarkably accurate id......more

Goodreads review by John on August 08, 2022

Tongues of Serpents sees the pace of the previous books slowed right down. Not much in the way of incident occurs in this volume as our protagonists travel across Australia. A fact that may put some readers off. However , Naomi Noviks writing is still excellent with her ability to create a sense of......more

Goodreads review by Ana on April 09, 2025

Well... meh... This book added absolutely nothing to Laurence and Temeraire's story. One whole book full of almost nothing. Since I like Laurence and Temeraire so much, I'll give the series another chance. If the next book is any similar to this one, it will be my last one. Let's see.......more