(no subject)

[quigonejinn]

1. The delivery to Napoleon goes through.

It's hard thinking this one through because the cast of the books would be totally different. I'm guessing, though, that given the way Novik doesn't have Laurence putting a major jingoist spin on Napoleon, Napoleon would still be pretty sweet on his Celestial dragon. I'm wondering, though, whether there are the pavilions and wide streets and dragon rights because how would Tem know about that stuff if Yongxing doesn't drag him back? I guess a good deal of it depends on how much of the improvements in dragon treatment can be attributed to specific items pushed by Lien and how much to Napoleon being a pretty enlightened guy who now has a really, really smart and obviously sentient dragon chatting at him.

2. The first Longwing captain.

There's a stub of the story in the books about how they lost dozens of the dragons until Elizabeth I had the idea of setting one of her handmaids to it -- there are two ways this story could go, I think, with it being a planned setting-to or a spur-of-the-moment thing. I lean towards thinking that a spur-of-the-moment thing would make more sense, particularly with the stories about Elizabeth's temper. Maybe she's touring the dragon grounds, and one of the guides says, "Oh yes, we have a Longwing hatching now. Nasty fearsome buggers, we haven't managed to tame one yet." And Elizabeth says, "Let us go see this nasty fearsome bugger." Perhaps they resist out of fear that they won't be able to control it, and when she sees the wet, piteous-looking thing and the men all afraid of it because they don't know whether it has the acid-spitting ability yet, this being early in the breeding of them and the start of the acid got bred out of them later, once they got a handle on things -- Elizabeth goes into a dudgeon and says, "Why, one of my maids could bring that creature to heel!"

And she does. (Although I don't know if the default is for them to come out of the shell flaming/acid-spitting/whatnot. Iskierka does, but I vaguely recall something in the first book where Howe tells Tem that his special abilities might not show up for a bit yet?)

3. Dragons after the deaths of their captains.

I want fic so hard about the transition, about dragon memories of their first -- I cannot lie. I adore Gentius something fearsome, and the idea that his great treasure is a picture of his first captain makes me weep. I mean, when they send him off to the breeding ground, he has to take that portrait with him, right? Does he take it with him on his back, or does he try to carry it in his talons, and then they point out that it is probably best kept safe on his back? And them strapping it on, and him turning around to look, a bit stiffly, because his captain is on his back one last time, after all these years? And then spreading his wings for the last long-distance flight he'll ever make.

The idea makes me want to cry.

4. Excidium's captains.

Really, this is a subset of the Dragons after the deaths bit, but I'm fascinated because we've got hold of two sections of the chain, but the suggestions are that Jane isn't the first of the women in her family to captain Excidium. I'm imagining a young Jane Roland, weeping, taking to the sky for the first time after her mother dies. And Excidium telling her that it shall pass, as it did for her mother. That is the way of things, and when they are back on the ground, Jane sleeps outside with Excidium that night, falling asleep to the heartbeat that her mother and her grandmother heard.

5. Laurence walks away Tem at the end of Victory of Eagles.

Because holy crud, he's beaten down during the raids. Oh God, he is beaten down. After he sees the king, after Woolvey dies, Laurence realizes what the price of his honor really has been, and just. I was in dread for the last part of the book being that Wellington (hee, I spotted an instance where Novik used Wellington before she should have) giving dragons something resembling rights with the chance to fight for more, and Laurence would say to Tem that there is no captain like the first, but that is no reason for Tem not to take a second, and Laurence just walking onto a merchant ship out of England.

Also, can I just say how much I loved the Lady Hamilton, Girl Spy, bits?

Comments

[mclittlebitch.livejournal.com]

I would like to read all of these very very badly now. There's fic at Yuletide, of course, but I don't think any of those fulfill your outline.

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

Agreed, and I will say that this fic - Two, Side by Side from Yuletide is my favorite Temeraire fic and is in my top 10 of fanfics from any fandom.

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

I would read all of those, yes, and love them. #2 would rock, and #4 would make me love the author forever and ever. Excidium and Jane's family need more backstory. Jane in general gets all my love, especially when she got to interact with Wellington. That's a pair of characters right there.

I am just gushing. I'll stop now.

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

so these books are worth reading? I've been trying to get into the first one, and I admit, I've actually been underwhelmed. They get better?

[prosodi.livejournal.com]

I'm reading the second book in this series and it's like Novik wrote me a letter: 'Dear sadisticgrin, what would you like in a book?'

Dragons and Napoleon and uniforms and lots of manly men and fabulous female characters and did I mention dragons?

'Here, have this wonderful book.'

Why thank you Naomi Novik. I really appreciate it a lot.

[quigonejinn.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I feel the same way. Age of Sail with manly men and talking dragons? Why, hell yes! Now have lashings of unconditional love, profound loyalty, and what's that you say? The talking dragon recites classical Chinese poetry?

There is something almost guilt-inducing about how much I love these books. #5 is, I think, heads and shoulders above the rest, but really, I enjoy them all so damn much that I re-read #1 today.

[prosodi.livejournal.com]

God yes. The loyalty thing is just - pretty much anyone can attest that I will devour anything with loyalty and love at the heart of it. Nnghk.

[montana-crows.livejournal.com]

Okay, it's been like, over a month since you posted. There needs to be a SCOTLAND IS AWESOME post about haggises and bagpipes and visiting the Outer Hebrides or whatever. INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.

Put down that work stuff!