Empire of Ivory (The Temeraire Series, Book 4) - #7/100Naomi Noviks stunning series of novels follow the adventures of Cpt Laurence and his dragon Temeraire as they travel from the shores of Britain to China and Africa. Laurence and Temeraire made a daring journey across vast and inhospitable continents to bring home a rare Turkish dragon from the treacherous Ottoman Empire. Kazilik dragons are firebreathers, and Britain is in greater need of protection than ever, for while Laurence and Temeraire were

piecing together clues through his letters

and he lived in a household that crouched in terror of his iron-willed grandmother

The piece recounts an eerie Irish fairy tale her mother used to tell her at bedtimeand nestled inside is the sad story of her mothers death

often scathingly funny

and the Second World War in the 20th - and follows the fortunes of three men

The murky alleyways of the City are crowded with people from all walks of life

The minute he reaches the town of Margrave he is thrown into jail

on a farm rearing bulls for the bull ring

stopping along the way in a luxurious hotel in London and a crowded orphanage in Cape Town

He has no family

unemployed former snooker player and womaniser Gus

The middle of the night phone call everyone fears turns out