![]() Man and dragon set out together on a voyage across half the world, accompanied by their comrades and the Chinese emissaries, on a ship commanded by Laurence’s old friend Riley. It is proposed therefore that Temeraire should travel to China accompanied by his crew, with no firm agreement about what should happen when he gets there, and how his awkward association with Laurence is to be handled. The Chinese demand Temeraire’s return, but when it becomes clear that he has no intention of being separated from Laurence, the original plans have to be amended. Ambassadors have been dispatched, led by the Emperor’s own brother, the prince Yongxing, while the British government and their Admiralty minions scramble to avoid compounding the offence. Word has reached the Chinese that their prized Celestial dragon – intended as a gift to Napoleon himself – has fallen into the hands of a lowly naval captain a diplomatic insult that cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged. Laurence and Temeraire are both in London, separated by the orders of the Admiralty. As this second instalment in the series opens, things are in an altogether more sombre key. ![]() ![]() ![]() However, their notoriety has brought its own problems. At the end of Temeraire, we left the eponymous dragon and his companion Laurence at a moment of triumph, having thwarted Napoleon’s dastardly attempts to mount an aerial invasion of Britain. ![]()
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