This was a bit of a departure from the other books in that not much happened. True, Laurence & co. are on a headlong dash across Australia after a stolen dragon egg, and there are strange creatures attacking their company. But they are removed from the front lines of the war that is raging around the world, and the reader is only getting glimpses of the new advances of Napoleon. But this is a fascinating look at yet another continent in Novik's reimagined world, and while the ending is a little unsatisfying that very little is resolved, that is the nature of these books. It was extremely satisfying, however, for the realization that Laurence came to at the end. ( )

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Naomi Novik - Tongues of Serpents: I’m speed reading these now so I can get to #9 faster without ingesting all the Victorian blather. (This one had bunyips, though.) #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

This is the first Temeraire book that I had serious issues with pacing. The first and last third of the book are terrific - the fish (dragon) out of water storyline, this time in Australia was very intriguing. Laurence's and Temeraire's relationship is as interesting as ever, as is Laurence's continued fallout with the English government. But the middle of the book is painfully slow and repetitious. I couldn't believe how drawn out it was, despite their adventure needing to feel it was arduous, it totally dropped the score for me. Hoping Book 7 is a continue to previous form. ( )

Naomi Novik is really good at conveying the boredom and tediousness of long journeys through desolate landscapes, but I have to say I have had enough of them. The action is great when it actually happens, and I like the way Australian history and aboriginal culture are incorporated into the plot. From now on, however, I could really do without the journeying for a while. ( )

Somewhat underwhelming continuation of the saga. ( )