Temeraire is sent to Wales, to the miserable dragon breeding grounds of Pen Y Fan. He could easily leave but does not, because his good behavior keeps Laurence alive. Pen Y Fan is an abode of feral and retired dragons who are mostly not very interesting company. Female dragons are sent to Temeraire regularly—the British are eager that their only Celestial should breed—but he finds this pursuit no more interesting. Matters grow grimmer when he finds himself in conflict with the other dragons at Pen Y Fan. And matters become grim indeed when word comes that Napoleon has successfully invaded England—and one of the men killed in the invasion is Will Laurence.

Imprisoned on a British ship destroyed by the French, Laurence has in fact survived the battle. And, though his treason is neither forgiven nor forgotten, he is returned to England's service by Gen. Wellesley, who mandates that he reunite with Temeraire. But when Laurence arrives at Pen Y Fan, he finds the breeding grounds empty. All the dragons are gone.

Believing Laurence slain, Temeraire has rallied the ferals and retirees of Pen Y Fan to take up the cause of England and oppose the French invasion. Further, he has persuaded these dragons to fight without human assistance. The dragons do well in their initial combat with the French. But keeping the dragons fighting involves ever grander promises of prizes, pavilions and military commissions. And the French numbers—of both men and dragons—are so great that London has already fallen to the enemy and the rest of England seems sure to follow. ...

The Jane Austen of alternate history

The novels of dragon Temeraire and his human, Will Laurence—His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War and Empire of Ivory—have established Naomi Novik as alternate history's brightest new talent and a New York Times best-selling author. A brilliant blend of SF dragons and Napoleon-era history, her series has won her acclaim and awards—and a movie deal with The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

Novik maintains the series' high quality in Victory of Eagles. She melds an Austenian literary style with modern pacing in her fine prose. She develops her theme of equal rights with a light hand. She extrapolates her alternate 19th century from research that is deep but never intrusive, creating a world both fantastic and entirely believable. Her gift for extrapolation is most obvious in the battle scenes: Instead of importing 20th-century aerial warfare wholesale into the 19th century, Novik develops strategies and tactics that would be impossible with airplanes but that work wonderfully with her living, thinking dragons. As a result, Novik creates exceptionally tense and exciting battles, especially at the climax.

One of the great strengths of Novik's series is the depth of the characterizations of Laurence and Temeraire. Laurence—stiff but flexible, steadfast in honor and duty but courageous enough to transcend them for a greater good—is a character you feel honored to spend time with. And Temeraire—insightful yet naive, sensitive to self-defeating human behavior yet with his own blind spots—is pure pleasure to read about. Naturally, readers enjoy spending time in both characters' viewpoints. And in Victory of Eagles they get quite a lot of time in Temeraire's viewpoint. Unfortunately, this time is gained at the expense of Laurence's viewpoint.

It's easy to understand why Novik doesn't spend much time in Laurence's viewpoint. He is in desperate straits, forced by war and his status as traitor to perform actions that, if necessary, are decidedly disturbing. The novel makes it clear he is in low spirits. And, in fiction, even a little despair or depression can feel as if it's going on forever. But, by only rarely entering Laurence's viewpoint in this dark time, Novik avoids an opportunity to develop his character even more deeply. She also raises the worry that she's making Temeraire the star, instead of leaving Temeraire and Laurence as joint leads. It's a powerful temptation, given Temeraire's charming personality and his popularity with readers. But it is to be hoped that dragon and man will enjoy more balanced roles in the sequel.