mysecondlife

Ok, sa har e det. I engelskan ska vi lasa varsin bok och utvardera den varannan fredag. Just nu laser jag en bok som heter Black Powder War. Det e den tredje boken i serien Temerarie. Den finns pa svenska ocksa men da heter den Svartkrut och Eld. Fordelen med att lasa den pa engelska e att man forstar mer forstas. Men det e ju inte omojligt att lasa den pa engelska och man lar sig jatte mycket! Sa om det ar nan som gillar att lasa sa rekommederar jag den har boken.

Har e en reflektion om nan vill veta lite mer om boken

   
Black Powder War

Pages read: 1-28

Reflection number: 1

This is a wonderful book, in my opinion. I love the way the author, Naomi Novik, gives the whole story an old fashion style, through language spoken by the characters and through the exciting and different environments where the story takes place. In the first book most of the story took place in England, the homeland of the naval captain William Laurence that one day comes by a valuable dragon egg. When the egg hatches and a very rare, and precious Celestial, later named Temerarie, crawls out and chooses Laurence to be its captain he is expected, and in some way forced, to leave his successful career at sea to serve in His Majesty's Aerial Corps.

In the second book, which builds on the first one, Laurence's and Temerarie's relationship keeps on developing. I love to read about how they have come to respect each other and how close they have become, but these kind of emotions are shown in a way that is different from what we are used to today. The author writes in a way that makes the characters act more formal, and I'm especially interested in the way that they behave and talk. Every aspect is influenced by respect, dignity, honor, and also formal traditions. It feels like stepping into the past, back to the time when such behavior was expected in everyday conversations.

As I read, I get more and more surprised by how much Laurence thinks about how he acts and what signals he sends to his surroundings, in both body language and chose of clothing. But when he is invited to a formal dinner he has nothing else to wear but a Chinese, silk robe, and he's not sure how other invited guest will react over his odd outfit. After his entrance people start to whisper and Laurence soon understands what they are so upset about. The author reveals his thoughts by writing, "But he had certainly never sought or desired so signal and queer an honor, and to have men think him a ludicrous kind of social climber, who should value Oriental titles above his own birth, was deeply mortifying" (Novik 21). As I understand it, the other guests thought that he considered himself of a higher social rank than the others. That would upset me too. I felt bad for Laurence because his intentions were not the ones that appeared to be for the others.

Today, compared to the 1700 and 1800s, I think that we have lost this formal way of thinking that is expressed in the book. I'm sad that I never got to experience it in reality, but I think that the author explains it so well in this book that it almost comes alive before my eyes. That's one reason why I like this book so much. The detailed descriptions that the author provides, along with an amusing story, makes it interesting to read. Sometimes it makes me laugh. When I read it, it makes me feel like I'm in a different world, a historical and magic world with dragons, adventures, and exciting environments.

The only thing that confuses me sometimes while I read is the way the author uses the English language. As I have already said, she writes in an old style and that makes it hard to read sometimes. At the same time the old language gives the book an interesting effect and it makes the story come alive. But I think it is worth to read it anyway, because although I don't understand everything it's one of the best books I have ever read.

Now I'm excited about what's going to happen next. Will Laurence and Temeraire succeed with their newly assigned mission to secure and bring three dragon eggs back to England? To do that they will have to go on a journey across the never ending desert, guided by an adventurous and mysterious man called Mr. Tharkay. I don't know if I like him or not, but I wonder if they can trust him.