Karl Burnett

3.5 stars. Fun, fast paced and interesting. Some details a little vague, particularly the way Babbages operate (sometimes they seem very much like modern computers, sometimes not). As other reviews have stated, the business with automatons being run on captured human souls seems like it should be more of an issue. All in all though a fun read and I'll definitely pick up book 2.

I adore the Temeraire series of books with a passion, and am happy to spend time with Ms. Novik's characters, but sadly this was the weakest book in the series so far. The politics are a bit muddy, and a large chunk of the book is spent with the characters seemingly meandering about, initially with no real sense of purpose. It picked up towards the end, but there wasn't quite enough plot to fill the book.

This is not to say that I hated it, I for the most part found it enjoyable. The writing style is easy and entertaining and most of the characters are likeable and/or interesting. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series (I know it's out, I'm just waiting for the price to come down) and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

I just hope Temeraire and Laurence get a bit more to do in it.