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Crucible of Gold: A Novel of Temeraire Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,004 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Naomi Novik's beloved series returns, with Captain 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. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. 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. And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio-and thus 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. Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan 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.
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"I started listening to Naomi Novik's Temeraire series after having read all the books. Simon Vance's narration makes them even better -- each dragon has their distinctive voice, and each voice enriches Novik's characterization. The byplay between Temeraire and Izkierka, in particular, sends me into fits of laughter.The humans' voices are also excellent (Granby worn out by Izkierka is especially good IMO). But we're all here for the dragons, right? "
— ancientlistener (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Well-paced and cleanly plotted…The relationship between Laurence and his dragon is—as always—beautifully written, but equally compelling are the relationships between the dragons of South America and the Inca and how different they are from the European and Asian societies seen in previous volumes.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
Awards
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An AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Crucible of Gold Listener Reviews
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Kat, 11/10/2019
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Nick Lloyd, 7/27/2017
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Karina Snyder, 5/9/2016
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Michael Norsworthy, 3/31/2016
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" Nice to visit with Captain Laurence and company again. I very much enjoy the old world gentleman's dialog. I think this book should have been split up into several short stories though. Ending seemed rather uneventful. "
— Les, 2/11/2014 -
" A good book, but after being blown away by the first 5 books in this series the last two have left me feeling unsatisfied. Novik has set-up a number of intersting plot points in the last 2 books, but they haven't really gone anywhere. Her pacing in upcoming books will really need to improve to bring me back to my former level of excitement for this series. I liked the book, but it had so much more potential than was realized here. Lawerence and Temeraire are fascinating characters, and Novik's love for fantasy and Napoleonic history is obvious. The potential will bring me back for an 8th adventure. "
— Jason, 2/8/2014 -
" As good as the other best books in the series. The stubborn nature of dragons is called into question and tamped down a bit, as was highly necessary after letting them run wild for the past six books. "
— Rick, 2/3/2014 -
" Wasn't as good as some of the early books but always fun to read about Temeraire. "
— Jennifer, 1/22/2014 -
" This is the best series ever! The only bad thing now is the wait for the next book! "
— Foggygirl, 1/10/2014 -
" A lot of travel log, but Novik has a really impeccable grasp of the setting in which this alternate history takes place. This book is looking like a return to the kind of book the first five were, and which the last wasn't. I really enjoy the flavor. "
— David, 1/9/2014 -
" Temeraire's back! This book departs from the depressing trend of the last few in the series. Laurence is reinstated and they sail off to Brazil with many familiar characters. So good, I even find Iskierka charming. "
— Brenda, 12/12/2013 -
" Maybe the series is wearing thin for me but I found it hard to get into this book and the almost Yoda-ish ponderous way of speaking. "
— Jody, 11/18/2013 -
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Vasco Reis, 8/24/2013
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" If you have made it this far through the Temeraire books, you don't need much of a sales pitch to read this one. I will say this is MUCH more interesting than Tongues of Serpents. It is also delightfully funny. I can't wait for the next book to come out. "
— Thomas, 7/17/2013 -
" A good entry into the series "
— Lancem, 3/20/2013 -
" much improved from the previous outing, crucible of gold takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it soars. the occaisonal dash of humorous was very welcome and overall, I was very pleased with this book. "
— Argent, 3/7/2013 -
" They finally leave Australia!!! Much closer in feel to the earlier books, though not as good as the first one. Overall a good and quick read. Lots of great moments with old lovable characters and several new interesting characters as well. Looking forward to the next one. "
— Cathryn, 12/13/2012 -
" Would have been four stars, but it just sort of ends abruptly. "
— Jag, 11/14/2012 -
" cool book. kinda worried about them going into north america though.... "
— Jessica, 9/15/2012
About Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik is the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance trilogy, the Temeraire series, and the award-winning novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver. She is a founder of the Organization for Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.