Tongues of Serpents
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- Create Date：2021-04-06 14:57:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Naomi Novik
- ISBN：0345496906
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Summary
Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon’s invasion of England， Temeraire and Capt。 Will Laurence have been transported to a prison colony in distant Australia—and into a hornet’s nest of fresh complications。 The colony is in turmoil after the overthrow of military governor William Bligh—aka Captain Bligh， late of HMS Bounty。 And when Bligh tries to enlist them in his bid to regain office， the dragon and his captain are caught in the middle of a political power struggle。 Their only chance to escape the fray is accepting a mission to blaze a route through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia。 But the theft of a precious dragon egg turns their expedition into a desperate recovery operation—leading to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new complication in the global war between Britain and Napoleon。
Reviews
Kay
，
Laurence has gotten so sassy。 I am here for it。
Alexa Ayana
，
Aku suka banget dengan petualangan Laurence dan Temeraire tapi sayangnya buku yang ini kerasa cuma bak sumpelan sebuah seri yang epic。 Coba kita lihat ya， settingnya ada di koloni yang berada di Australia dimana masih berupa gurun-gurun bertambah merah。 Dan duo MC kita hidup sebagai orang buangan yang harus menjaga 3 telur naga sumbangan pemerintah Inggris men。 Selain kurangnya pertarungan naga-naga， disini juga didominasi dengan karakter-karakter sampingan asing yang gak dikenal。 Kejadian 3 bay Aku suka banget dengan petualangan Laurence dan Temeraire tapi sayangnya buku yang ini kerasa cuma bak sumpelan sebuah seri yang epic。 Coba kita lihat ya， settingnya ada di koloni yang berada di Australia dimana masih berupa gurun-gurun bertambah merah。 Dan duo MC kita hidup sebagai orang buangan yang harus menjaga 3 telur naga sumbangan pemerintah Inggris men。 Selain kurangnya pertarungan naga-naga， disini juga didominasi dengan karakter-karakter sampingan asing yang gak dikenal。 Kejadian 3 bayi naga dan Rankin plus Granby juga terasa flat aja。 Konflik politik dan sesi perjalanan melintasi gurun dalam rangka mencari telur yang hilang juga terasah monoton dan repetisi buku-buku sebelumnya。 Endingnya juga gak memberikan solusi pada konflik yang terjadi disini。 Aku berharap buku selanjutnya memberi gebrakan yang lebih menggetarkan。 。。。more
Alice Kuzmenko
，
By far not the best of the series。 It was not the same page turner as previous books， not much happening， and sub-editorial mistakes getting more frequent。 But I hear the next book gets really good， so I am not throwing this in！ Also， I do appreciate the new dragons introduced， a very different plot with them than with previous dragons， so looking forward to seeing them develop。
Steve
，
This felt more of a setup book for the next book。。。I am assuming book7 will bring it。
Numa Parrott
，
A fun continuation of a good story， but this one missed the mark for me as far as interesting plot development goes。 Very much a 'they go here， they go there，' story and a desert setting for most of it。 I really don't like desert settings in fiction。 Deserts suck。 Very dry。 So hot。 No more please。 There was some good character development mainly among the dragons， but it doesn't help that they're all low key obnoxious personality types。 Props to Novik for maintaining the feeling that dragons do A fun continuation of a good story， but this one missed the mark for me as far as interesting plot development goes。 Very much a 'they go here， they go there，' story and a desert setting for most of it。 I really don't like desert settings in fiction。 Deserts suck。 Very dry。 So hot。 No more please。 There was some good character development mainly among the dragons， but it doesn't help that they're all low key obnoxious personality types。 Props to Novik for maintaining the feeling that dragons do have different-than-human-sentience。 Just a bummer that that makes them deeply irritating and morally ambiguous most of the time。 It's cool and believable but it's annoying。 Laurence doesn't really progress very much in his character arc but it makes sense for him to be stuck at a low point for a while I guess。 Interested to see how/if there is any redemption for him eventually。 My favorite parts of the book were in Sydney and the Blue Mountains， which were fun to revisit in this fantasy past。 Fun fact: I actually took a nice little nap in a hammock in （probably） the guardhouse/prison building referenced in the book。 （What's the point of Urban Fantasy if I can't go， "hah， I've been there！" 😂） 。。。more
Scott Johnson
，
This was a bit of a mess。I still don't fully understand the history of Bligh and the rebellion in the colony， because to be honestly my eyes just kind of glazed over for those parts。 Usually I'm pretty good with the real history referenced， but I'm not nearly as well-versed with Australia as I am with France or England。The whole egg theft thing felt like a less natural plot hook than the previous ones。 Their pursuing it made sense， but the actual inciting event felt contrived as there was really This was a bit of a mess。I still don't fully understand the history of Bligh and the rebellion in the colony， because to be honestly my eyes just kind of glazed over for those parts。 Usually I'm pretty good with the real history referenced， but I'm not nearly as well-versed with Australia as I am with France or England。The whole egg theft thing felt like a less natural plot hook than the previous ones。 Their pursuing it made sense， but the actual inciting event felt contrived as there was really nothing else going on in Australia。The endless desert tracking story was interminably long and could have been trimmed down substantially to preserve better pacing; we didn't need to literally go day by day with every little footprint and campsite they found or every agonizing minute of dehydration。I called immediately when so much focus was placed on the remaining egg being runty that it would hatch， no one would want it， but it would end up being gigantic。I could have done without the return of the gigantic asshole captain from book 1。 It makes sense and was a good conflict， I just could have lived without ever dealing with him again。I think after that initial dinner with Laurence's new fancy robes covered in opals things fell apart for me as well。 It became really rushed again and I had difficulty keeping track of time。 I had hoped she had really improved her endings after last book and would continue to avoid these messy， rushed scrambles， but here we are。I might rank this above the one set in Africa， because the main plot was more compelling than hunting magic mushrooms， but it's definitely one of the weakest entries in the series for me。 。。。more
Tasha Robinson
，
Still on my breathless tear through this series。 This installment felt more like a necessary breath after the frantic pacing and immense， horrific battles of the previous book， but I was sorry to see Laurence and Temeraire pulled so far away from most of the other key characters， and away from what seemed like a rapidly developing story about Temeraire leading the other dragons to demand rights and a place in British society。 Glad to see Rankin finally back in the story — it seemed inevitable th Still on my breathless tear through this series。 This installment felt more like a necessary breath after the frantic pacing and immense， horrific battles of the previous book， but I was sorry to see Laurence and Temeraire pulled so far away from most of the other key characters， and away from what seemed like a rapidly developing story about Temeraire leading the other dragons to demand rights and a place in British society。 Glad to see Rankin finally back in the story — it seemed inevitable that he'd eventually resurface， he's just too good a villain to disappear entirely — and there are a bunch of interesting new characters here， plus development for some older ones。 But I did miss a lot of past central figures there， and there were points where the endless travel across the wastes of Australia on a months-long fruitless quest seemed both tedious and really unlikely。 For whatever reason， this was the first volume I found outright depressing — in spite of the warfare and death and destruction of the previous books， and the many things wrong with Laurence's society （all extremely well-expressed， I think， through his character， and his habit of obedience to the Crown， and his struggles with the conflict between morality and deeply engrained Duty To Country） until now I've largely read them as escapist fantasies with comparatively little real-world relevance。 But something about the British order to destroy the trading port just hit me as particularly heavy and telling about the way nations interact， about the selfishness and greed and blind patriotism that makes it so hard to just have a functional world society。 The idea of a captain sailing around the world to kill civilians for daring to trade with each other in an innovative， open way， all because Britain can't abide not being at the center of everything， felt grimmer than Napoleon's conquest or any of the horrible things Laurence had to do in the previous volume。 Just in general， this series has maybe hit a bit too close to home for me about how people don't listen to each other， how they hang onto their prejudices and the beliefs and histories they were raised with， even in the face of clear proof that they're wrong。 I think these books are particularly well drawn in the way they address patriotism and blinkered thinking around national lines and cultures， but it does lower a pall of doom over this entire fictional world， and imply the same for ours。 So much of this series does amount to "Reasonable character gets to see what's really going on between nations， politicians don't listen and make disastrous choices because they ignore the truth， and the population remains ignorant and belligerent。" Heavy stuff for a series about dragon aerial combat。 。。。more
Shaad Zaman
，
3。5 stsrs
Bookwyrm
，
Série Temeraire patří k mým nejoblíbenějším dračím knihám。 Hrozně mě štvalo， že u nás je přeložených a vydaných jen pět dílů， takže jsem se nemohla dozvědět， co se stalo dál。 Nevím， jestli to způsobily nějaké problémy místního nakladatelství nebo výrazně horší hodnocení tohoto dílu v zahraničí， nicméně， "nedokončená" série je podle mě jedna z nejhorších věcí， která může čtenáře potkat。 Teď， po mnoha letech， jsem se konečně dostala k přečtení Tongues of Serpents v originále。 Zdá se， že většina li Série Temeraire patří k mým nejoblíbenějším dračím knihám。 Hrozně mě štvalo， že u nás je přeložených a vydaných jen pět dílů， takže jsem se nemohla dozvědět， co se stalo dál。 Nevím， jestli to způsobily nějaké problémy místního nakladatelství nebo výrazně horší hodnocení tohoto dílu v zahraničí， nicméně， "nedokončená" série je podle mě jedna z nejhorších věcí， která může čtenáře potkat。 Teď， po mnoha letech， jsem se konečně dostala k přečtení Tongues of Serpents v originále。 Zdá se， že většina lidí vytýká knize nedostatek děje， zápletek a napětí。 Je pravda， že větší část příběhu působí jako cestopis ještě neosídleným vnitrozemím Austrálie nějakého paralelního vesmíru s draky a písečnými příšerami， ale to mi ani tolik nevadilo。 Válečné intriky a politické spory jsem si sice užívala víc， ale ani u tohoto dílu jsem se vyloženě nenudila。 To， co mi na knize vadilo， byl způsob， jakým je zde zacházeno se vztahy a interakcemi postav。 Přišlo mi， jako bych se na všechno dívala z letadla。 Vůbec nevím， co si o většině situací jednotlivé postavy myslí a co prožívají。 Myslím， že tam obecně bylo mnohem méně scén， kde spolu postavy vůbec nějak interagovali。 Posádky spolu sami strávili neuvěřitelné množství času v úplné pustině， ale vztahy mezi nimi všemi se v podstatě nikam nepohnou。 Konflikty， které bych očekávala， že vyvstanou， prostě vždy tak nějak vyšumí a nic z nich nakonec nevzejde。 （view spoiler）[Čekala bych， že znovuobjevivší se kapitán Rankin způsobí mnohem víc problémů， nebo alespoň mnohem větší napětí ve skupině。 （hide spoiler）]Celkově díl působil velmi výplňově。 Pokud děje je poskrovnu a postavy působí vůči čtenáři cize a odtažitě， co potom zbývá， že？ Jediné， co příběh zachraňuje stále jsou jako vždy draci。 Těch si užijeme dost a dost。 Temerairova neprůstřelná logika mě opět dokázala pobavit。 Opět se dozvídáme， i když tentokrát velmi poskrovnu， víc o tom， jak funguje tato fantastické verzi našeho světa， kterou obývají draci。 （view spoiler）[Opravdu se mi líbil nápad s mořskými hady a jejich využití pro dopravu nákladu。 （hide spoiler）]Doufala bych， že v dalších dílech se opět více zaměříme na jednotlivé postavy， ale z ostatních recenzí to chápu tak， že série má spíše zhoršující se tendenci。 Zatím mě to ale neodradilo od úmyslu v sérii pokračovat a zjistit， co bude se všemi dál。 。。。more
Julia Coleman
，
A slightly more mixed one in that it didn’t feel as much of a stand alone as the others。 Still a great read。
Sarah Page
，
I love the world painted in the whole series。 Bunyips， sea serpents， and obviously dragons， make for a very interesting story。 I had forgotten how much I liked Laurence for his unerring dedication to doing the right thing。 Sometimes there is only the least wrong thing but he handles it with grace。
Enzo
，
Continuing the adventure of Temeraire and Laurence。 They have been shipped to Australia and they are not enjoying the exile。 Yes， they did right but the cost of doing right is always high。 As they explore Australia they discover its really a harsh country for both humans and dragons。 The eggs they brought from England create issues and when they finally hatch they do so in a very different way then they expected。 I am not sure why I feel this one is a preparatory novel and the next one is going Continuing the adventure of Temeraire and Laurence。 They have been shipped to Australia and they are not enjoying the exile。 Yes， they did right but the cost of doing right is always high。 As they explore Australia they discover its really a harsh country for both humans and dragons。 The eggs they brought from England create issues and when they finally hatch they do so in a very different way then they expected。 I am not sure why I feel this one is a preparatory novel and the next one is going to go all out。 。。。more
Kristina
，
Ooof。 This one took me awhile！ Looking back at it， I feel like everything has its place in the story， but while I was reading it。。。。 man， some of the sections were just。 so。 slow。 I’m looking forward to whatever is next for Laurence and Temeraire， and hoping it’s a bit faster paced 😏
Nat
，
Astonishly boring for a book about dragons。 I like Temeraire and Laurence enough to just enjoy their presence in the book but that was basically the only thing this book had going for it。 Bookended on both sides with the world's longest journey through the center of Australia while literally nothing happens for pages and pages and pages。 It felt very much like a setup for the next one and while I know this is true to life， the British here are very Annoying and seem to make bad decisions constan Astonishly boring for a book about dragons。 I like Temeraire and Laurence enough to just enjoy their presence in the book but that was basically the only thing this book had going for it。 Bookended on both sides with the world's longest journey through the center of Australia while literally nothing happens for pages and pages and pages。 It felt very much like a setup for the next one and while I know this is true to life， the British here are very Annoying and seem to make bad decisions constantly vis-a-vis going to war with people。 Plus you also definitely get the vibe that Novik learned a lot about Australia in the 1800s and is trying to teach it all to you。 I kind of want to reread the first one。。。 that book was so good， what happened？ 。。。more
Lindsey
，
I generally refer to this series as "Napoleonic Wars with dragons but actually a subtle story about civil rights"。 Over the course of the last couple of books， it has expanded to a story about personal ethics。 The personalities of Temeraire and Iskierka continue to amuse but the character growth of Temeraire and Laurence is， as always， what brings me back to this series。 For this entry， I particularly enjoyed Novik's inclusion of the mythical bunyip and how the sea serpents have been used for co I generally refer to this series as "Napoleonic Wars with dragons but actually a subtle story about civil rights"。 Over the course of the last couple of books， it has expanded to a story about personal ethics。 The personalities of Temeraire and Iskierka continue to amuse but the character growth of Temeraire and Laurence is， as always， what brings me back to this series。 For this entry， I particularly enjoyed Novik's inclusion of the mythical bunyip and how the sea serpents have been used for commerce。It's probably repetitive but Simon Vance's reading of the audiobooks is amazing。 He captures the wry， read-between-the-lines tone of Novik's writing perfectly。 。。。more
Jeremiah Mans
，
Another transitional book， I would say。 The adventure through Australia seems a bit forced， but there are important interactions needed along the way。 Of course， exile to Australia is always going to feel remote from the 'main events' going on in Europe and elsewhere。。。 （not to spoil things too much）。 Another transitional book， I would say。 The adventure through Australia seems a bit forced， but there are important interactions needed along the way。 Of course， exile to Australia is always going to feel remote from the 'main events' going on in Europe and elsewhere。。。 （not to spoil things too much）。 。。。more
Kristina Chalmain
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The book was a bit slow going， and I put it aside for a couple of weeks。 But there was no doubt that I would finish it， because I am really hooked on Temeraire！ After being court-martialed for aiding the French dragons despite Great Britain being at war with Napoleon， Temeraire and his captain Laurence， now stripped of his rank， are sent to Australia。 They are caring for three unhatched dragon eggs， meant to be the start of an Australian dragon coven。 When one egg is stolen， a group of dragons a The book was a bit slow going， and I put it aside for a couple of weeks。 But there was no doubt that I would finish it， because I am really hooked on Temeraire！ After being court-martialed for aiding the French dragons despite Great Britain being at war with Napoleon， Temeraire and his captain Laurence， now stripped of his rank， are sent to Australia。 They are caring for three unhatched dragon eggs， meant to be the start of an Australian dragon coven。 When one egg is stolen， a group of dragons and officers plus a few convicts is sent off to chase for the culprits， but also to investigate a possible smuggling ring on the northern side of the continent。 The trip across the giant continent is described in great detail （perhaps too great？） but a lot happen， not the least the discovery of the terrible ground burrowing serpents called bunyips。 They finally they reach the coast and find a small port， run by Chinese traders in cooperation with the local aborigine tribes。 Laurence being the adopted son of the Chinese emperor， and Temeraire being of the revered "Heavenly Wind" dragon type， are welcomed and treated well upon arrival。 Something does not match up with the amount of smuggled wares that have been found with the small size of the port， but eventually Laurence's team discover that the smuggling is not done by ships， but by large sea serpents that the Chinese have trained to carry goods in large water proofed chest all the way from China to Australia！ When British military ships arrive at the port， the arrogant captain demands， to Laurence's dismay， that the Chinese give up the port， and threaten violence。 But when readying for battle， a Chinese dragon pours "chum" （half rotten fish etc。） on the ships from above， luring young sea snakes， previously not seen， into a feeding frenzy that cripples the ships and most of the men onboard are lost。 Temeraire and his dragons tries to save the rest of the crews by dragging the ships close to shore， so the snakes cannot reach the ships or the men， but the arrogant threat is turned into a thorough defeat。 After the British are defeated， Temeraire， Laurence and his team return to Sidney， and the ending of the book is surprisingly brief and sudden - there is an uproar in Sidney， and Captain Bligh （yes， him） is overthrown， and Macarthur （instead of Macquarie in reality） is set to rule the new country of Australia。 Sick of politics and wars， since Laurence has lost his military position， he decides with Temeraire to withdraw from Sidney to a green valley they found on their travel cross-country， and build Temeraire's much wanted pavilion。。。 The writing is brilliant， even if it is slightly plodding at times， I still hanker for more！ And the substory is emerging even clearer - the Temeraire series seems to portray an alternate reality where British colonial sovereignty is undermined， and other parties rise in power - we saw earlier how the African continent raised their own dragon-army and rebuffed the colonial holds， how China is strengthened when the crown prince with the more open foreign policy in reinstated with Temeraire's help。 Even Napoleon's invasion of Britain reduces the country's political clout。 Novik's writing is by small means altering the entire world history， and it is a fascinating read！ 。。。more
Danielle
，
This installment is kind of plodding。 Most of the book is taken up by another long trek across another vast stretch of land。 The descriptions of the Australian outback are beautiful， but the situation （egg hunt） lacks the urgency that's been in other books。 Wasn't as invested in this one。 This installment is kind of plodding。 Most of the book is taken up by another long trek across another vast stretch of land。 The descriptions of the Australian outback are beautiful， but the situation （egg hunt） lacks the urgency that's been in other books。 Wasn't as invested in this one。 。。。more
Casey
，
2。5I love the characters and seeing another part of the world in this time period; however， this was just too slow。 I will definitely keep reading the series but had to give an honest review。
Daniel
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Book 6！。。。 Its alright。 I mean， Noviks pacing is wonderful and the story doesnt drag on in any particular respect but。。 it doesnt actually go anywhere？ Which is an odd contrast but thats just how it is。 I love the writing， I love the world that has been brought to life here but where parts of the story felt like the author is trying to cover too much ground too fast this book was really the opposite。 Laurence and Temeraire took a 6 month trip out into the wilderness。 Met some interesting people。 Book 6！。。。 Its alright。 I mean， Noviks pacing is wonderful and the story doesnt drag on in any particular respect but。。 it doesnt actually go anywhere？ Which is an odd contrast but thats just how it is。 I love the writing， I love the world that has been brought to life here but where parts of the story felt like the author is trying to cover too much ground too fast this book was really the opposite。 Laurence and Temeraire took a 6 month trip out into the wilderness。 Met some interesting people。 Ate some new exciting creatures and。。 well。。 nothing meaningful happened？ We got some a bit of character development but really it was all a matter of sorta （because neither of the two leads actually change much） adapting to their new lives after the fallout of the last book。 。。。more
Jenna
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I don't know how that managed to be tedious。。。but it was meandering and dry （no pun intended）。 I suppose instead of a grand military outfit， this was supposed to be a quiet， small-scale plot。 But Temeraire and Lawrence just seemed dull， struggling from one point to the other without much strategy at all。 I could barely make it to the end and skimmed the last fifty pages， and it was only in the Epilogue where it promised more。 Unfortunately， I don't know if I care to finish this series now， after I don't know how that managed to be tedious。。。but it was meandering and dry （no pun intended）。 I suppose instead of a grand military outfit， this was supposed to be a quiet， small-scale plot。 But Temeraire and Lawrence just seemed dull， struggling from one point to the other without much strategy at all。 I could barely make it to the end and skimmed the last fifty pages， and it was only in the Epilogue where it promised more。 Unfortunately， I don't know if I care to finish this series now， after all that。 The first few books were wonderful though。 。。。more
Molly Schwanz
，
Okay， yes， this felt like a filler episode in a TV series， but it was -entertaining- filler。
Robin
，
It's the year 1809， and Napoleon's invasion of England has been repelled。 You don't remember when Napoleon invaded England？ Well， you wouldn't， if you don't live in the version of our world where dragons play a role in modern history。 It was an， ahem， revolutionary strategy involving dragons that put the French on English soil， and it was a forward-thinking young dragon named Temeraire and his human companion， Will Laurence， who turned the tide and sent them packing again。 But that's all another It's the year 1809， and Napoleon's invasion of England has been repelled。 You don't remember when Napoleon invaded England？ Well， you wouldn't， if you don't live in the version of our world where dragons play a role in modern history。 It was an， ahem， revolutionary strategy involving dragons that put the French on English soil， and it was a forward-thinking young dragon named Temeraire and his human companion， Will Laurence， who turned the tide and sent them packing again。 But that's all another story; you can read about it in Victory of Eagles。 Now， however， Laurence's death sentence for treason – didn't I tell you about that？ Never mind; you can read about it in Empire of Ivory – has been commuted to transportation。 Which is to say， exile （and a term of hard labor） to the New South Wales colony。 Which is to say， Australia。In lieu of hard labor， Temeraire and Laurence are meant to chaperone a clutch of dragon eggs to the remote outpost of Sydney， joined by some mildly disgraced aviators still in the service of His Majesty's Aerial Corps， where upon the eggs' hatching they can start a new covert of dragons to support the country's interests on that side of the world。 Bad luck， that Rankin fellow （from His Majesty's Dragon） is back， angling for another dragon to mismanage， and Laurence not only has to be reconciled with him after – well， you've read the series this far， haven't you？ No？ Do it！ – anyway， after my favorite scene in the first book of the series， but he has to put up with Rankin being in command of the squadron while Laurence isn't even an officer。 They arrive at Sydney just in time to learn that the governor （the same Bligh who was put over the side of the Bounty in that ship's famous mutiny） has been put over the side of the continent by another mutiny。 This actually happened in history， by the way。 But what the history books won't tell you is that Bligh's insistence that the dragons must be used to put him back in power， while the leaders of the mutiny expect the same sort of help on their side， drives the aviators off on a survey of the continent's wild interior。It starts as just a hunt for a well watered pass through the mountains and， maybe， the trail of some smugglers who are wreaking havoc on English shipping。 Then it turns into a chase across a wilderness full of fantastic dangers， always behind and never quite in sight of the natives who stole one of the eggs in their care。 Each of the eggs hatches sometime during the adventure， introducing three more characters to the remarkably varied cast， all connected by lines of conflict and sympathy that promise to pay off with many interesting stories to come。 They also experience devastating forces of nature， encounters with not one but two types of monsters that could bedevil a world in which dragons are on the side of the angels， terrific battles and challenges to their survival – filling in another corner of the canvas in a panoramic picture of a world in which humans and dragons live together。 This is the sixth of nine Temeraire novels， coming on the heels of Victory of Eagles and followed， in publication order， by Crucible of Gold， Blood of Tyrants and League of Dragons。 This far in， I'm still enjoying myself immensely。 My breath caught at the beauty of some of Naomi Novik's scenic description， sympathy with the emotions of her characters and， of course， the thrills of the action-packed bits。 Even the long trek through the desolate Outback is livened by the curious characters of Caesar， a dragon who deserves to be saddled with Rankin if any does， and Kulingile， a runty hatchling who is only just saved from being knocked on the head and who turns out， by and by， to have big things in store for him （ha ha）。 There are political intrigues， exotic cultures， clashes of worldviews （seen， for example， when Temeraire takes over as the point-of-view character） and uncanny puzzles， but underlying all as a foundation for our enjoyment， the deeply devoted bond between Laurence and Temeraire， which draws us in and makes us care about everything that happens to them。 See， I'm not speaking for myself。 I'm speaking for you， too。 Why haven't you read this series yet？ Hop to it！ 。。。more
Scott Gardner
，
In a word : BORING。Now i remember why this has sat on my shelf for years ， a few good books at the start ， repetitive boring storylines for the rest
Adele_Eastmacott
，
Toujours une nouvelle partie de l'univers bien explorée。 Le tome dont j'aime le moins la localisation mais bien mis en œuvre， avec l'apparition de nouveaux personnages intéressants Toujours une nouvelle partie de l'univers bien explorée。 Le tome dont j'aime le moins la localisation mais bien mis en œuvre， avec l'apparition de nouveaux personnages intéressants 。。。more
Allison
，
3。5 stars for this one。 Laurence and Temeraire are transported to Australia for the "treason" they committed in delivering the cure for the dragon plague to Bonaparte。 Strange new foes are encountered， some biological and some physical， and our heroes have to deal with the awful Rankin again。 Plus， another whining dragon is hatched who so far seems to be entirely useless。 And I really don't like Iskierka。 She needs to stop being a selfish twit。 3。5 stars for this one。 Laurence and Temeraire are transported to Australia for the "treason" they committed in delivering the cure for the dragon plague to Bonaparte。 Strange new foes are encountered， some biological and some physical， and our heroes have to deal with the awful Rankin again。 Plus， another whining dragon is hatched who so far seems to be entirely useless。 And I really don't like Iskierka。 She needs to stop being a selfish twit。 。。。more
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
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I don’t have much to say any more。 It’s become a pissing contest on GR。 I’ll add reviews if I feel like it for myself。 Don’t much care any more。 I love Temeraire and Laurence but I’m not feeling it like I did the first books。 I do want to finish the series though。 Also， Simon Vance is everything！ Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Annie
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I love the Temeraire series。 Laurence is one of the best characters I have ever read。 He's different - not bombastic， full of honor， sure of his ideals， but also willing to learn and change。 Amazing。 And to read the world from Temeraire's point of view - questioning and wondering about things we see everyone else taking for granted。 It's so refreshing。 The new dragon characters in Tongues of Serpents are surprising - and we're joined again by everyone's favorite Kazilik。 We're also joined by a c I love the Temeraire series。 Laurence is one of the best characters I have ever read。 He's different - not bombastic， full of honor， sure of his ideals， but also willing to learn and change。 Amazing。 And to read the world from Temeraire's point of view - questioning and wondering about things we see everyone else taking for granted。 It's so refreshing。 The new dragon characters in Tongues of Serpents are surprising - and we're joined again by everyone's favorite Kazilik。 We're also joined by a character that I HATE。 His actions in His Majesty's Dragon caused a situation that left me sobbing in tears of grief。 I was hoping to never see him again！ We also get to meet new supernatural （in our world） beings。 The only thing that is wearing me out is the chases。 It's not something I enjoy reading about， and as a person who grew up in the desert， I have a horror of being caught in the heat without water。 Maybe this one was just triggering me， but some of the scenes brought up a visceral reaction that was unpleasant。 And long chases are boring。 Now I sound like Izkierka。 I'm excited to see what is to become of Temeraire and Laurence in future volumes。 。。。more
Arinn Dembo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Another novel exploring the world of Napoleonic dragons and their cousins by land and sea。 This book is a long geographical tour of Australia， with the chance to meet its bunyip population。I am sad that the series seems to be drifting away from its core content as time goes on， and that our heroes will apparently never get the chance to settle Napoleon's hash。 Nonetheless， the world of dragons is such a pleasure to imagine that you can't help but stick with the series。 The joy of the best world- Another novel exploring the world of Napoleonic dragons and their cousins by land and sea。 This book is a long geographical tour of Australia， with the chance to meet its bunyip population。I am sad that the series seems to be drifting away from its core content as time goes on， and that our heroes will apparently never get the chance to settle Napoleon's hash。 Nonetheless， the world of dragons is such a pleasure to imagine that you can't help but stick with the series。 The joy of the best world-building is that you often stay hooked even if the story you wanted to read isn't delivered。 。。。more
Rodrigo E Llamozas
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I was kind of disappointed with this entry in the Temeraire series， to be honest。 Their Australian adventures are nowhere near the previous books when I imagined them to be great just by being in Australia。 It's a slow read， it was an effort， where the other books were a breeze。 Here's hoping the next one returns to better days。。。-Algo decepcionante esta entrada en la serie de Temeraire， para ser honesto。 Las aventuras Australianas del grupo no están a nivel de los libros anteriores， y yo que pe I was kind of disappointed with this entry in the Temeraire series， to be honest。 Their Australian adventures are nowhere near the previous books when I imagined them to be great just by being in Australia。 It's a slow read， it was an effort， where the other books were a breeze。 Here's hoping the next one returns to better days。。。-Algo decepcionante esta entrada en la serie de Temeraire， para ser honesto。 Las aventuras Australianas del grupo no están a nivel de los libros anteriores， y yo que pensaba que serían geniales， solo por el hecho de estar en Australia。 Se lee lento， me costó un poco， en cambio， los libros previos se pasan muy rápido。 Esperemos que el próximo esté mejor。。。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tongues of Serpents
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tongues of Serpents&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tongues of Serpents&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0