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    Victory of Eagles
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    Victory of Eagles
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    Victory of Eagles
    Ebook427 pages6 hours

    Victory of Eagles

    By Naomi Novik

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The fifth instalment of the New York Times bestselling series, Temeraire. Laurence waits to be hanged as a traitor to the Crown, and Temeraire is confined to the breeding grounds as Napoleon invades Britain, and takes London.

    Laurence and Temeraire have betrayed the British. They have foiled their attempts to inflict death upon the French dragons by sharing the cure they found in Africa with their enemy.

    But following their conscience has a price. Laurence feels he must return to face the consequences, and as soon as they land they are taken into custody. Laurence is condemned to the gallows and Temeraire faces a life of captivity in the breeding grounds. None of their friends or allies can come to their aid, for every hand is needed elsewhere.

    Britain is completely unprepared for Bonaparte invasion and the advanced tactics of his own celestial dragon – Temeraire's mortal enemy – Lien.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateFeb 20, 2009
    ISBN9780007318612
    Unavailable
    Victory of Eagles
    Author

    Naomi Novik

    Naomi Novik was born in New York in 1973, a first-generation American, and raised on Polish fairy tales, Baba Yaga, and Tolkien. She studied English Literature at Brown University and Computer Science at Columbia University before leaving to work in the games industry. She soon realized she preferred the writing to the programming, and decided to try her hand at novels. Temeraire was her first.Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

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    Reviews for Victory of Eagles

    4/5

    62 ratings56 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The fifth book in Naomi Novik's popular Temeraire series picks up right where EMPIRE OF IVORY left off.I was thrilled to see that Temeraire's perspective is much more prevalent this time through. I've always found him delightful, so I got a real kick out of the segments from his POV. He has a great mix of fierce intelligence and charming naivete, and I think Novik pulls it off very well indeed. I also think she's done a wonderful job of showing how his experiences with Laurence and the Corps have changed him; his opinions remain firmly his own, but they're tempered somewhat by what he's learned from his unconventional captain and their time abroad.So far as Laurence is concerned, I got the most out of the parts where he had to deal with the consequences of his actions at the end of the last book. There are some tense, emotional scenes here that absolutely force the reader to put herself in Laurence's shoes. Many of these segments had me close to tears.There were times, though, when my attention lagged in a pretty big way. Some of the battles are very exciting. Some of them just kind of plod along. I really think Novik's consistency has wavered over the last couple of books; the parts that are good are very good, but the rest of the story is fair to middling. Unfortunately, the good stuff doesn't crop up quite often enough to offset the fair to middling bits. Sigh.Still, the series as a whole is very enjoyable. Novik has done some wonderful things with these dragons of hers, and she's proven that she's willing to take risks with her characters and with history itself. I'm already looking forward to the next book!(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina).
    • 4/5
      As addictive and exciting as ever. This is turning out to be a super fantasy series.
    • 4/5
      Whoo-ee! Napoleon invades England for real. And no one is prepared. Laurence has been imprisoned as a traitor and Temeraire has been left at the breeding grounds. Lots happens here.
    • 4/5
      Another great entry in the series--maybe not quite as fun as the last one since it's all set in England, without the exotic locations and all.
      There's kind of a lot of stuff about military strategy and supply lines, but I liked that because it was realistic. If you have these huge animals fighting with you, obviously you're going to have to feed them. A lot.
    • 4/5
      a return to form. set in England, with Napoleon invading. Temeraire learns politics, and Lawrence does penance. the dragon characters have more distinct personalities and conversation than the homo saps, which is amusing, there are a lot of epiphanies and even seachanges as their situation and their thinking propels rapid change in the field of war.
    • 4/5
      Victory of Eagles, fifth in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, finds both England and William Laurence in dire straits. Laurence has been condemned to death for treason (supplying the French with the cure to the fatal dragon epidemic deliberately spread to them by the British). But it isn’t so simple to execute a traitor when that traitor is an aviator whose dragon will wreak havoc upon his captain’s demise. And so Laurence is a sort of limbo prison, while Temeraire is exiled to the breeding grounds, his good behavior surety for Laurence’s life. All of this changes when Napoleon lands in Britain and takes London. Laurence is recalled to duty under the press of necessity, and he and Temeraire are given an assignment so distasteful, it isn’t even officially stated. They are to lead a company of dragons in killing the unprotected French forces raiding the countryside to feed their dragons. No prisoners. It’s a bleak tale, matched by the bleakness of Laurence’s soul as he comes to grips with what his heroic treason has cost him. Temeraire, too, finally begins to understand and to regret that he insisted on the treasonous act. Several characters from earlier books resurface—Tharkay, Edith, and Edith’s husband Woolvey—and play important parts in the story. We even get a quick glimpse of mad King George. There are also some important strides made in the struggle for dragons’ rights, as Temeraire organizes and takes command of the dragons of the breeding grounds, leading them into battle of his own volition with no human officers whatever present. Laurence is able to negotiate wages for the dragons with the new British commander, Wellesley (later known as Wellington). But it’s wartime; who can say how things will really pan out when peace comes? Though not my favorite of the series, this is a solid addition and I am looking forward to the sixth book. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Commendably solid for a fifth book in an ongoing series. This one shows us a slightly fractured relationship between lead dragon and lead man, as Laurence mulls over the repercussions of his conscience-based actions at the end of Book 4, and Temeraire has to think about some consequences of his own. We also some meet some fairly awesome new dragons (I loved the clever and persnickety Perscitia), there's an interesting focus on the logistics of war (particularly dragon-supported war!), and a fantastic land/sea/air battle against Napoleon's forces to cap it all off. (Pity that my edition was marred by so man typos, but oh well).
    • 2/5
      Try as I might, I just couldn't get into this. I think I've mentioned in reviews of the previous books that my two favorite things about this series is 1) the dynamics in the relationship between Laurence and his dragon Temeraire, and 2) the fact that they two of them get to travel and adventure in such exotic places. Ironically, all that stuff with the war against Napoleon and the French, I can take or leave. Which makes me wonder if I might be reading the Temeraire series for all the wrong reasons.No one gets to take a trip to China or Africa or anywhere so exciting this time around. The story takes place back in Europe, back to the Napoleonic War side of things, which I suppose is the raison d'etre for all the characters if you think about it. And yet, I just found it all so dreadfully boring, and actually struggled to make myself get through the book. Granted, that was one hell of an epic battle at the end, but I'll still take the adventures in faraway places over all the tedious war planning and aerial dragon fighting scenes any day.There were a few highlights, nonetheless. I was itching to find out what had happened to Laurence after the unfortunate events of the last book when he was imprisoned and tried for treason. I was glad to see that thread in the story resulted in the first real source of strain between Lawrence and Temeraire. I'd really wanted to see a wrench thrown into that partnership for a long time, and if that makes me a terrible person, so be it; things were getting way too cushy between them lately and their interactions were getting stale. I just wanted to see something interesting happen in their friendship again.Unfortunately, the high points were also dampened by things that disappointed me. Why, for instance, does Laurence seem to be the only one in the entire military with even a shred of morality or conscience to do the right thing? It just feels strange, considering there are all these people in the Aerial Corps, most of whom should understand the love for dragons or at least understand why Laurence felt he had to do what he did.Then there was the matter of Temeraire and his cause to champion more rights and better living conditions for dragons. He makes headway in this book, but also has to learn that gaining more rank and standing in the military also means accepting all the rules and disciplinary actions that come along with it. But gosh, he is just so, so naive. We've been repeatedly told that Temeraire is extraordinarily intelligent for a dragon, and yet so many of his thoughts and his actions in this book show otherwise.My thoughts on the subject of the war and fighting notwithstanding, this installment just felt a lot weaker than the previous novels, with a lot of the things making up the story and characters unraveling and falling apart. Hopefully next book will pick up again.
    • 4/5
      Loved it as much or more as the earlier books, but it is rather grimmer than the first couple. Plenty of deaths and grim war, though this is set during this world's equivalent of Waterloo; plenty of cynicism with officialdom, though Wellington comes out slightly less tarnished than Nelson.

      Lots and lots of Temeraire being clever-but-not-human, which is pretty cool; and other dragons also being as clever as him, which is good.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this! --- spoilers ---

      Where Empire of Ivory suffers major pacing problems, Victory of Eagles hurtles along into an exciting series of battles and wonderful growth of the various dragons as individuals. The description of the setting and the world around the characters seemed much more vibrant to me in this book, too. I wish I'd been more convinced by Laurence's mopeyness, and the Tharkay-ex-machina is a trope I'd love Novik to stay far, far away from, but the payoff of this volume makes slogging through Empire of Ivory more than worth it.

      Next up (after Novik's hiatus -- and how anyone can crank out five novels so quickly is beyond me) are the Antipodes! I'm excited!
    • 4/5
      The events of the series continue to diverge from real history (the book opens with French dragons leading Napoleon’s invasion fleet across the English Channel), before converging to something a bit more like it (a general gets his title and an admiral is killed, though the details are very different, and naturally the war with France looks quite different).

      The main character spends much of the book trying to come to terms with the moral and legal consequences of his actions at the end of the previous book in the series. I haven’t decided if there’s much substance to this part of the book, but at least appreciate the attempt to paint in shades of grey.
    • 4/5
      Well-written and fascinating. Almost exclusively dragon interaction this book and less human interaction. Disappointing ending. Temeraire rang a little false this book being smart about math, but extremely clueless about following orders, organizing, etc. Seemed a bit forced.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful fifth installment to the Temeraire series. Naomi Novik's writing is captivating, drawing you in and not letting up. I sat down with this book the day I bought it and didn't put it down until I had finished every word. If there is anything wrong with this book it is only that it was not long enough.
    • 3/5
      In some ways, I like this fifth installment of the series better than the last two. In other ways, I don't. First, the bad news. After the events of Empire of Ivory, we open this novel to find Laurence impoverished, disdained by 90% of England, convicted of treason, and sentenced to death (yeah, that's going to happen!). By the end of this novel, we find Laurence impoverished, disdained by 90% of England, convicted of treason, and his sentence commuted to transport and hard labor. In between these two points there is very little relief from a pervasive sense of depression. Laurence is not a whole lot of fun to be around, either to other characters or to the reader, and I was thankful that, while he was the main character, I wasn't expected to actually like him as the hero (that would be Wellington) as he didn't really do anything heroic except take on the onus of killing enemy soldiers so that his subordinates didn't have to do so. The British authories, excepting the afore-mentioned Duke, are so unrelentingly stupid and unpleasant that you wonder how they inspire any loyalty in their subordinates or managed to hold off Napoleon for even a fortnight. The enjoyable junior characters such as Granby make only minor appearances. The dragons, other than Temeraire, have coagulated into a undifferentiated mass of silliness; even Lien, by far the most interesting draconic character, makes only a short appearance to save the day for the French. On the positive side, the scene returns to the Napoleonic Wars. I think Novik does a much better job with this setting than the romps through the East and Africa. For one thing, it's a largely familiar backdrop and, therefore, feels more real than does the largely imaginary events and cultures of the last two books. Secondly, we are not subjected to the lengthy discourses against slavery (are any of her expected readers in favor of it?) we had to fight through in the last volume. Thirdly, Laurence seems to shake off his gloomy air and will, perhaps, be more enjoyable in book six. The bottom line here is that it's a quick read and I wasn't tempted to stop. I'll definitely buy the next book when it comes out and give it a try. However, I'm hoping that she can recover her voice from the early books and bring back the crisp, taut adventures that I found so enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Loved the book but a little less than the previous books in the series. In part, I think because the circumstances were so dire for the hero so unremittingly through the whole book. Unsurprisingly, he feels depressed and guilty, which is totally understandable given what is happening to him and to his country.
    • 4/5
      In which Temeraire has to learn to think for himself, Laurence comes to understand more deeply the damage he has wrought in the name of principle and, oh yes, Napoleon invades England. I also might note that General Wellesley cuts through this novel like a force of nature. A good addition to the continuing series.
    • 5/5
      “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” --Arthur AsheEMPIRE OF IVORY was a grand exploration adventure to a strange civilization on a mysterious continent. I missed seeing Lawrence and Temeraire within the milieu of the armed services battling against Napoleon, however. This book returns them to all that with a vengeance. We last saw our heroes finding a cure for the dragon plague, but then having to choose to do what should be the right thing over Lawrence's oath to his service and his country. Lawrence insists on returning to face dishonor and death --or a postponed death while he's held hostage for Temeraire's good behavior, since the country still wishes to keep the rare Celestial dragon. Temeraire is relegated to the very boring, for him, breeding grounds in Wales. Lawrence is kept prisoner aboard ship, where he is able to see when Napoleon launches his invasion of England. This disaster overshadows, at least a bit, the crime of Lawrence and Temeraire. He is still a condemned traitor (at a time when hanging, drawing and quartering was still technically in effect for that capital crime), a disgrace to his family and friends and all he served with, and drummed from the service, but now there is some more immediate need for Temeraire. Lawrence is ordered to go and retrieve Temeraire for active service.This is not a happy time for Lawrence. He's for all intents and purposes a broken man, save for his desire to keep Temeraire alive and, if not happy, at least not grieving for him before it becomes impossible to avoid. Lawrence has to deal with the fact that doing the right thing can have dark consequences. For Temeraire, it is all so much simpler (or relatively so. Temeraire is complex for a dragon, as most just want to be kept fed. Temeraire wants rights for dragons. And he wants Lawrence back, no matter what. Lawrence, however glad he is to be back with Temeraire, carries a load of guilt for what he has done, right or not. Napoleon would not have been able to invade but for his actions. And in the meantime, Napoleon is heading for London, his troops and his dragons strong and organized. The British government and its military are in shock and disarray, the countryside is raided for the supply of the French: very dark and desperate times, indeed.The action is intense and fast-paced, between small skirmishes and full-scale battles. The suspense and tension is unrelenting, with physical danger threatening as well as the uncertain fate of Lawrence and Temeraire. The focus is concentrated on Lawrence and Temeraire and the invasion of England. The quiet despair of Lawrence, who keeps fighting because of his love of country and Temeraire, is poignant and evocative. His struggle with his conscious and the consequences of his action is deeply moving and thought-provoking.I was touched by Lawrence's sacrifices in the very first book in this series, in order to be with Temeraire and do his duty to his country; and also caught up in Temeraire's unconditional love for Lawrence. These characters and their relationship and Lawrence's sense of honor and duty, are the essence of this series. All these things and more are brought back to the forefront once more in this book, and I adored it. I am more a fan of this series than ever.
    • 4/5
      More fun-with-dragons, but I prefer less politics in my fantasy.
    • 4/5
      I continue to find this series interesting, captivating, intelligent and fun. This one was, perhaps, a little less fun than its precursors in some ways - the overall tone is fairly dark - but still very enjoyable, and Novik manages to lighten the tone with the bits of comic relief drawn from things like the sometimes fickle and vain or lazy personalities of the dragons.
    • 4/5
      Another great audiobook narrated by Simon Vance in the alternative history fantasy series about dragons fighting in the Napoleonic wars. I love this series and I especially like listening to them. It reminds me of when I was young and we listened to serials on the radio. I would have my own vision of the story and the characters which I missed once TV came into our lives.In this episode Temeraire and Lawrence are separated because Lawrence was convicted of treason for taking the plague cure to France so their dragons would not die. Temeraire is in the dragon breeding ground in Wales and Lawrence is a prisoner on a ship in the English channel with a death sentence hanging over his head. Napoleon chooses this time to try to invade England and the ship Lawrence is on takes part in the battle. Temeraire is told that the ship went down with no survivors. In his grief he decides to break out of the breeding ground with all the other dragons and fight Napoleon as unmanned dragons. Lawrence and Temeraire are reunited and Temeraire is delighted to have Lawrence back but he senses Lawrence is deeply unhappy. It slowly dawns on Temeraire how the treason sentence has affected Lawrence even if he can get the death sentence abrogated. Lawrence and Temeraire are significant combatants in the battle with Napoleon which results in Bonaparte being ousted from England. Nevertheless Lawrence is persona non grata in England. At the end of the book he and Temeraire are on their way to Australia.In our history, of course, Napoleon never set foot on English soil but there are parallels between this alternative history and ours. Horatio Lord Nelson dies at the end of the battle with Napoleon just as he died at the end of the Battle of Trafalgar although his navy was sufficient to vanquish the French forces. The commander of the British forces in this book was Arthur Wellesley was made Lord Wellington after the battle with Napoleon just as he did in real life after the battle of Talavera in Spain.Thankfully there are still more books in this series but I may have to read them because the library's electronic media site doesn't have them in its catalogue. That's a shame.
    • 4/5
      While I enjoyed the first volume of the Temeraire series, “His Majesty’s Dragon”, I thought the subsequent novels really dropped in quality. It got to the point that after the last novel, “Empire of Ivory”, I considered dropping the series since I was discouraged about how events were progressing. After the first novel, I wanted to further read about Napoleon’s attempts to invade Great Britain, as that was the most gripping conflict in the novel. Instead in “Throne of Jade”, “Black Powder War” and “Empire of Ivory”, Temeraire and Laurence are traveling the world, engaging more in events I would consider to be subplots than furthering the main conflict: the Napoleonic War between Britain and France. That’s not to say, there hasn’t been plot points essential to the story in the travelogue trilogy that renders these books unnecessary. There just isn’t enough movement in the main conflict in these books. Now in “Victory of Eagles”, Naomi Novik has shifted the setting back wholly to Britain and Scotland. And to make this even better: Napoleon finally invades. This immensely helps the storyline, making “Victory of Eagles” the best Temeraire novel since “His Majesty’s Dragon”. Unfortunately, the ending of “Victory of Eagles” suggests to me that the series may go on indefinitely. An immediate resolution of the Napoleonic War does not appear to be at hand. I’d like to see Novik wrap the series up, but I’m not holding out much hope. Still, she has captured the best elements in the series here, while expanding the emotional depth displayed by Laurence and Temeraire.At the end of “Empire of Ivory”, Laurence and Temeraire had committed a treasonous act when they supplied Napoleon with a cure for the sickness plaguing his dragons. Now, Laurence finds himself locked away in a British naval vessel’s brig, so his location will remain a secret from Temeraire. Not surprisingly, he’s been convicted of treason and sentenced to hang, though not imminently as the British are keeping him alive in order to keep Temeraire in check. Meanwhile, Temeraire is at the breeding grounds, suffering from depression and loneliness about his situation. Soon Napoleon invades and gains a foothold in Britain, shattering Temeraire’s bout of self-pity. But bad news follows as Temeraire mistakenly believes that Laurence has been tragically killed during the course of the invasion. With a burning desire to now fight the French, Temeraire organizes the unharnessed dragons of the breeding ground into an army, and strikes out after the invaders. Much to both their delights, Laurence and Temeraire are soon reunited and quickly enlisted to help defend against Napoleon’s march on London. But after a crushing defeat by the French, Temeraire and Laurence must flee to Scotland with the remainder of the English army. There they hatch a plan to win the country back from the French and capture Napoleon in the process.Novik has delivered a peach of a novel, returning to the form that made “His Majesty’s Dragon” so enjoyable. The intense battles are great and immersive, while the guerrilla warfare with dragons is a very interesting idea. Interestingly, the characters have become much more introspective in “Victory of Eagles”; Laurence in particular must learn to live under the huge stigma of being a traitor. He finds himself essentially dispossessed of his career, reputation and wealth, leaving him alone with only his conscience. Eventually, he even battles for that before realizing that it is his last and most valuable possession and should not be so easily given away. “Victory of Eagles” explores the sometimes bitter consequences of making a hard moral decision, and this elevates the novel in my estimation. Novik doesn’t let her characters get off easy, and that makes the consequences even more realistic and intriguing.Last Word:“Victory of Eagles” is a successful return to the charm and magic of the first book. But it is also a more mature work in which the characters confront deeper and darker emotional and moral issues. Coupled with the overall awesomeness of Napoleon fighting a pitched campaign on British soil, “Victory of Eagles” really pulls out all the stops in providing a rip-roaring adventure that has substance.
    • 5/5
      I am still befuddled over how a first-time author managed to follow up a best-selling debut with four sequels that never dimmed in comparison to the first. In fact, "Victory of Eagles," the fifth book, is just as high in energy and creativity as the very first installment, even though the reader is by now quite accustomed to all of the characters and the world they inhabit.Novik tries something new here, which is to alternate between the points of view of Laurence and Temeraire. It was great fun to be let into Temeraire's head, and Novik pulled this absurdly brilliant yet child-like view off nimbly. It is a great credit to Novik that I have never tired of Temeraire's obstinacy or naivety; he is so wonderfully characterized that all those quirks of personality make sense rather than grate.I cannot give too in depth of a review without giving away some huge spoilers, so I'll just say that Napoleon has landed! The situation for Laurence and Temeraire, however, is even hairier than the mere occupation of their home by a tyrant.I do appreciate as well that Novik doesn't pull her punches. She is willing to do almost anything to her protagonists for the sake of a plot that is dynamic and unpredictable.
    • 5/5
      Other than the first book, I think this one may be my favorite. Because Will and Temeraire are imprisoned for treason we get to "hear" more from Temeraire, who is such a great character. Looking forward to the next one.
    • 3/5
      I really like these books for the characters mostly, thought the battles get a little boring.
    • 5/5
      I love this series and especially the audiobooks. I will confess that when any of the dragons are hurt (French or English or whatever), it makes me horribly sad. The writing is strong and the narration is fantastic. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      I thought Novik might have written herself in a dead-end street with the previous book's ending, but she manages to keep Temeraire and Laurence going without taxing my credulity too much. Another enjoyable romp through the Napoleonic wars on dragonback
    • 3/5
      Series books always run a big risk: They can feel "phoned in" or less than exciting to the writer; or they can feel place-holder-y, like the book is a bridge to the next one in the series, without an obvious and unique place in the series's created universe. A little of both happens here.I wasn't in any way doubting that Novik would take me back into Temeraire's alternative Earth with dispatch; she certainly did that. This is a writer who knows what mood she wants to create and how to create it. She also knows her history, and brings characters to life who fit into that history, whether based on fact or wholly imagined. So why complain?Because the trip to Africa, from the previous book, feels contrived; the characters who join Tewmeraire's family there are virtually ignored here. Because the actions of the British government are presented as faits accomplis and then the action starts, in what feels to me like a very unrooted in the series's reality fashion. Because the entire book is a search-in-progress; half the book, grudgingly okay, but the WHOLE THING?! Asking too much of my patience, Ms. Novik.So three stars based on your excellent world-building, exciting writing, and a hope for the future.
    • 4/5
      The Temeraire books get progressively more excellent. This is the best yet!
    • 4/5
      The fifth book in the Temeraire series finds Laurence and Temeraire back in England, but separated (for the first section of the novel) and in trouble as a result of the events of the previous installment. Napoleon is at the door and the British Navy and dragon Air Force are suffering from his assaults. As is the norm in this series, we have a strong sense of place that supports the center of the novel -- that relationship between Temeraire and his captain -- which here is challenged more than usual. The emotional tone of this volume, in fact, is significantly darker than in the previous books. Laurence has, essentially, lost who he is and must find his feet in a shifted world. In many ways, this is most similar to the first book, but with much heavier content and context. The initial separation of our two main characters also adds a different dynamic, as we get to see how Temeraire develops his own individuality without a captain and crew. His decisions in this mode add a dose of levity and earnestness to the novel that balances out some of Laurence's more internal struggles.The descriptions of both dragons and battle are, as always, vivid and engaging. The restoration of our focus to England and the war at hand helps the book feel comfortably familiar, but the challenges and the rise and fall of emotion do not leave the reader too comfortable at any point. Overall, a great addition to the series.
    • 4/5
      Naomi Novik is slowly bending the Temeraire series away from a story about humans with Dragon companions to a series where Temeraire and the Dragons take stage center and the humans provide the color commentary. This is not such a bad thing, either.Make no mistake about it, Victory of Eagles gives the humans a large role to play, after all, it was they, not the Dragons that started the war between the French and the British, but in the fifth installment of the series, The dragons are acting a lot more independently. Readers following the series will note that this independence started in Empire of Ivory, where Temeraire went off in search of his captain, Will Laurence, on his own initiative.I like the progression of the series and the consistency of the character development. Unlike some other series that I’ve read, the writing quality has not fallen off. While this book does not end with a cliff hanger, there is enough of a teaser that I am anxious to see how Temeraire fares in Australia and whether Will Laurence will regain his standing.A solid four stars.