Book review | Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

Oh Naomi… What are you doing?

In her sixth installment of the acclaimed Temeraire series Naomi Novik continues from where she left off. In her usual eloquent prose she details the early life in Australia while Napoleon is regrouping in the western world.

The downside?... at the time being, Australia is an underdeveloped, under populated, desert with kangaroos and ambitionless thugs. No matter how eloquent one writes, if nothing happens, it's a really dull read... The inhabitants of the new continent remain a mystery throughout the story, as gray, dull and lifeless as the rest of the scenery. Instead she attempts to breathe life in to this dreary world by reintroducing old acquaintances from the other side of EARTH!

Once captain Rankin suddenly appeared in the picture, the illusion shattered for me and everything felt fabricated and contrived. And sadly it didn’t get any better, filler material replaced yet more filler material, nothing interesting happens until page 231… and in a 300 page book, that’s not a good thing.

Patrick of Pat's Fantasy Hotlist has given a review of Crucible of God, the sequel of Tongues of serpents, and to summarize in two words: filler material.

But as Patrick points out, perhaps this is just a slow build up for an amazing finish. Personally I think I'll wait with the next books until I know where this going.

Sorry Naomi, for the time being, you've lost me.