R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 3/25/2022 + 1438 more book reviews

Heroic acts defending England against Napoleon's army did not keep Temeraire and Capt. Will Laurence from being convicted of treason. In an earlier novel the two managed to discover a cure for a devastating disease killing dragons everywhere. Traveling the world they found a rare mushroom in Africa that could save the dragons. Having taken some of the most ill dragons with them when they were fed the mushrooms, they recovered. Because Laurence cherished dragons in whichever country they lived, he shared the cure with Napoleon's dragons. Since Napoleon was an enemy he was tried and convicted of treason.

Now arriving in Sidney Australia, a prison colony, they encounter habitually criminal men, the unwanted and those who just made a mistake or two. Chaos reigns due to removal of the governor, Capt. William Bligh formerly of the HMS Bounty. Bligh wants to regain the office but Laurence and Temeraire want no part of that political struggle.

To avoid involvement, they accept a mission to find a route through the Blue Mountains into Australia's interior. In addition, they are guarding three dragon eggs until they hatch and provide a nucleus for a dragon covert in the country. When one of the eggs is stolen they must also search for the thieves to retrieve that egg. Adventure and conflict merge as they cope with the arid environment, native tribes and try to help Tharkay with his mission to identify smugglers thwarting England's shipping laws.

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