Crucible of Gold"Naomi Novik's beloved series returns, with Capt. Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon's forces and the friendly--and sometimes not-so-friendly--fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason. For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain's last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon. So the British government dispatches Arthur Hammond from China to enlist Laurence and Temeraire to negotiate a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio--and as bait, Hammond bears an offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one's country do not always run on parallel tracks. Laurence and Temeraire--joined by the egotistical fire-breather Iskierka and the still-growing Kulingile, who has already surpassed Temeraire in size--embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that leave the dragons and their human friends forced to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Inca empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers. Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor's edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk--for one bold enough to grasp it"--Provided by publisher. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 11 |
Section 3 | 26 |
Section 4 | 46 |
Section 5 | 73 |
Section 6 | 84 |
Section 7 | 101 |
Section 8 | 133 |
Section 12 | 200 |
Section 13 | 218 |
Section 14 | 238 |
Section 15 | 251 |
Section 16 | 260 |
Section 17 | 276 |
Section 18 | 291 |
Section 19 | 302 |
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Common terms and phrases
aboard added Allegiance aloft already anyway asked aviators ayllu beasts belly beneath better Brazil breath called Captain Laurence certainly chainmail Churki Copacati course courtyard crew Curicuillor Cusco deck Demane drag dragondeck dragons eraire eyes fellows Ferris fight flying Forthing French gold gone Gong Gong Su Granby Granby's Guignes Hammond hand head hope Hualpa Incan Iskierka Kulingile Kulingile's land Laurence looked Laurence thought Laurence's least Lethabo Lieutenant llamas MacArthur Magaya Maila marry mean NAOMI NOVIK Napoleon nearly no-one ocean offer offi cer once Palta peering Pemberton perhaps persuade Portuguese pray Quechua rence Riley roaring Roland rope ruff sailors Sapa Inca scarcely ship ship's shoulder side Sipho sitting slaves sorry sort suppose sure talons Taruca Temeraire TEMERAIRE SERIES Temeraire's thing tion Tswana turned watch wings wish