the winds of change are stirring things up, and i'm not just talking about myself. the next 2 or 3 months should prove to be interesting. with so many issues simmering just below the surface and many potential developments threatening to blow over, i say this has been long overdue. makes you feel like distancing yourself and wait for things to settle down before you stick out you head. hmm. ano kaya kung…
but then again, it could just be "a tale of sound and fury, signifying nothing…" heaven knows, there's been a lot of those swirling around. burning one's bridges as a way to propel yourself forward can be an unnerving experience, especially if you've been comfortably numb for so long. just when you think you've got everything figured out, something comes along to knock out your confidence. one minute you're assuming you got everything covered, the next moment you wake up to the fact that — like everything else around you — you're just this tiny, insignificant particle of sand being blown away in all directions. (gosh, being maudlin on a dull saturday afternoon is such a pain.) okay. i know i'm being very vague here, but the fact is everything is kind of hazy for me right now. i know the general direction of my destination but i'm not too clear as to how i'm going to get there. it's tough to be clear about your goals when you have to deal with doubts, fears and apprehension at the same time (a triple whammy)
it looks like book 4 of the Temeraire series would be titled Empire of Ivory after all. judging from the way naomi novik's fantasy series has been steadily gaining a global fanbase these past few years, it looks like Temeraire (a Celestial dragon) will soon be popular fantasy trademark as well.
in fact, i'm kind of surprised why pinoys seem to be rather late in joining the bandwagon. it's a highly entertaining series (really), and ms novik has an insidious way of engaging your attention. i mean, who else would have thought of using dragons as a vital part of organized warfare — in this series, they are used like fighters, bombers, recon planes and couriers — during the Napoleonic period, when "aerial forces" were virtually unheard of.
and temeraire? well, i suppose one might classify him as a lethal fighter-bomber because of his unique capabilities. he's a potent bomber because of his capacity to "hover" and his destructive roar ("divine wind"), which only Celestials are capable of. as a fighter he's also peerless because of his speed, intelligence and maneuverability. the bond between Temeraire and his handler, Capt. William Laurance, is strong and palpable, and their partnership strengthens them both. the interplay between dragons as well as their human crews can be touching and funny, and the battle scenes (naval and aerial) are enjoyable and easy to follow.
oh, and there are female dragon handlers (equivalent to present-day pilots), too; they're as tough and as capable as the men. this series is set somewhere around 1790s to early 1800s, so the speech patterns and prevailing conventions need some getting used to.
Empire of Victory is expected on to focus mainly on the exploits of Temeraire and Capt. Laurence in Africa as they race to find the cure that will save England's few surviving dragons from a deadly flu epidemic.