Having been delayed after a fire on board ship, Laurence receives word from his superiors that there are three dragon eggs to be transported from Istanbul back to England. While feeling unsure that the orders are legitimate, Laurence hires a guide and begins a trek overland through the desert. En route, Temeraire begins to ask troubling questions about why dragons are treated as equals in China but only as property in England. They soon realize that they are traveling several weeks behind Lien, another Celestial who is out for revenge against Temeraire. They rush to reach Istanbul and return the eggs to England before any of them hatch, fearing what kind of mayhem Lien may have created before their arrival; all the while knowing that Napoleon’s conquest of Europe may trap them, blocking their route home. This book provides a lot of historical context for Napoleon’s annex of Europe, though it should be noted that the historical events do begin to diverge as far as accuracy is concerned. You see the widest variety of dragons from various nations in this book as well as closer examination of several breeds only cursorily mentioned before. I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as the first two, but it is still a worthwhile read.
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