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Temeraire #1-3
Temeraire Box Set
Box set of the first three books in the Temeraire series. Contains:
- His Majesty's Dragon (isbn 9780345481283)
- Throne of Jade (isbn 978034548129)
- Black Powder War (isbn 9780345481306)
- A collectible poster
- His Majesty's Dragon (isbn 9780345481283)
- Throne of Jade (isbn 978034548129)
- Black Powder War (isbn 9780345481306)
- A collectible poster
1119 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2006
About the author
Naomi Novik
76 books32.3k followersAn avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide. Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmonton, Canada (accompanied by a truly alarming coat that now lives brooding in the depths of her closet), she realized she preferred writing to programming, and on returning to New York, decided to try her hand at novels.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her website is at naominovik.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
April 3, 2008
Being a fan of Patrick O'Brian and the Aubrey/Maturin series as well as Bernard Cornwall's Sharpe books, I was intrigued with Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. On the whole, I would give it a C+/B-.
First to the "good" stuff: Novik is a good writer. She manages to capture the "flavor" of the Napoleonic era more often than not (though she can't hold a candle to O'Brian's evocation of early 19th century Britain). She's also created likable characters in William Laurence and Temeraire.
Now the "bad" stuff (and "bad" here is only relative): There were two areas that spoiled my complete enjoyment of the novel. First, the physics of dragon flight: There are no fantasy elements in the novel (beyond the existence of dragons but, even here, they are naturally occuring animals, not magical beasts) and there's even a faux scientific report to the Royal Academy about dragons. So, one expects that the accepted rules of physics, gravity, etc., are going to be obeyed. But I couldn't really accept the idea of whole crews of men climbing over flying dragons like seamen in a ship's rigging; even allowing for air sacs that reduced the dragon's weight, the sheer tonnage should have kept them on the ground or (at the very least) extremely unwieldy in flight.
And that's another thing, these air sacs are mentioned several times but never explained: Are they full of hydrogen? Helium? Some other lighter-than-air gas? God knows, if they're full of hydrogen, then these dragons are flying Hindenburgs and no sane person would ever go into combat with them (particularly combat where guns are present).
The second thing that bothered me about the series was that the implications of dragons and men interacting with each other are not really explored. Essentially, Novik has lifted British seamen from ships-of-the-line and put them on dragons-of-the-line. If humans have been dealing with dragons (and vice versa) since at least Roman times (there's no specific mention of Westerners dealing with them any earlier than that, though you would imagine they did) it would have had to profoundly change society. In religion alone - do dragons have souls? Did Christ or a draconic Christ minister to dragons? (In a Medieval society, these questions would have mattered.) Would a highly intelligent species (which dragons, by and large, appear to be) really have put up with humans manipulating their breeding, etc., until Temeraire comes along in the 19th century? I just can't help but think that the dragons are simply window dressing; a cute twist on the Napoleonic Wars theme.
Those two caveats aside, however, I would recommend the Temeraire series to interested readers but don't expect too much.
First to the "good" stuff: Novik is a good writer. She manages to capture the "flavor" of the Napoleonic era more often than not (though she can't hold a candle to O'Brian's evocation of early 19th century Britain). She's also created likable characters in William Laurence and Temeraire.
Now the "bad" stuff (and "bad" here is only relative): There were two areas that spoiled my complete enjoyment of the novel. First, the physics of dragon flight: There are no fantasy elements in the novel (beyond the existence of dragons but, even here, they are naturally occuring animals, not magical beasts) and there's even a faux scientific report to the Royal Academy about dragons. So, one expects that the accepted rules of physics, gravity, etc., are going to be obeyed. But I couldn't really accept the idea of whole crews of men climbing over flying dragons like seamen in a ship's rigging; even allowing for air sacs that reduced the dragon's weight, the sheer tonnage should have kept them on the ground or (at the very least) extremely unwieldy in flight.
And that's another thing, these air sacs are mentioned several times but never explained: Are they full of hydrogen? Helium? Some other lighter-than-air gas? God knows, if they're full of hydrogen, then these dragons are flying Hindenburgs and no sane person would ever go into combat with them (particularly combat where guns are present).
The second thing that bothered me about the series was that the implications of dragons and men interacting with each other are not really explored. Essentially, Novik has lifted British seamen from ships-of-the-line and put them on dragons-of-the-line. If humans have been dealing with dragons (and vice versa) since at least Roman times (there's no specific mention of Westerners dealing with them any earlier than that, though you would imagine they did) it would have had to profoundly change society. In religion alone - do dragons have souls? Did Christ or a draconic Christ minister to dragons? (In a Medieval society, these questions would have mattered.) Would a highly intelligent species (which dragons, by and large, appear to be) really have put up with humans manipulating their breeding, etc., until Temeraire comes along in the 19th century? I just can't help but think that the dragons are simply window dressing; a cute twist on the Napoleonic Wars theme.
Those two caveats aside, however, I would recommend the Temeraire series to interested readers but don't expect too much.
January 21, 2015
If this collection had contained only the first book, it would be way up there in the five star range. Instead it’s a collection of three books with an unfinished storyline, and Books #2 & 3 aren’t especially satisfying in of themselves. As much as I love books set in this general timeframe--not to mention Temeraire himself!--for me those two books were simply too caught up in the exacting presentation of the larger story arc.
The first book, however, was more self-contained, and a delight in every way, and is the reason I finally settled on four rather than three stars. From the book’s voice to its thoughtful consideration of the dragon logistics to Laurence's unabashed adoration of his dragon companion—not to mention the wonderful Temeraire himself—it was a sorry-it-ended page turner. Go read it!
The first book, however, was more self-contained, and a delight in every way, and is the reason I finally settled on four rather than three stars. From the book’s voice to its thoughtful consideration of the dragon logistics to Laurence's unabashed adoration of his dragon companion—not to mention the wonderful Temeraire himself—it was a sorry-it-ended page turner. Go read it!
December 7, 2012
loooove, love, love this series! these dragons are lovable, funny, smart! the adventures both the riders and their dragons face had me up all night, literlly could not sleep until i finshed the book! i read the first 3 books in a weeks time! its been along while though since i did, but i remember temaraire and the rock well! still giggling! can't wait to finish 6, 7 and enticipating publishment of #8 in 2013! only reason i have not read them all yet is, i am not rich enough to support my reading addiction!lol...to many other books to be read, i read and listen (audiobooks ) to at least 1book a week.... but this story is one of my all time favs!
August 30, 2021
Book 1 - 5 stars
Book 2 - 4 stars
Book 3 - 4 stars
Book 2 - 4 stars
Book 3 - 4 stars
September 28, 2012
This is three books in one volume, and I read straight through all three as one. I shall attempt to discuss them both singularly and individually here, but make no promises as to the cohesion of my arguments. Consider yourselves forewarned.
First and foremost, the narrative of this tome is, in style as well as content, very British. By this I do not only mean that it follows a main character in Captain William Laurence who is a British naval captain at the outset of "His Majesty's Dragon," but also that the prose itself is gobsmacked by British style and sensibilities. The author wrote this very clearly with the intention of having it read like a Victorian-era British novel, minus a few small details in nomenclature and dating. If you read and enjoyed the "Master & Commander" series by Patrick O' Brian, this will appeal to you. The setting is the same: The Napoleonic Wars. Not only is the reader struck by the very similar opening of both books, but the characters seem to be virtually interchangeable. This notion is very quickly dispelled when the narrative introduces the reader to the fantastical element in the form of a large dragon egg captured by the British ship.
The narrative swiftly and deftly maneuvers the reader into understanding that this world is not the world we live in, but one in which dragons exist--and have existed the entire time. Rather than telling a story of a familiar world suddenly invaded by or exposed to dragons, this narrative instead offers the tale of a world in which dragons are part and parcel to the whole. It is our world, if we'd had dragons all along. In this way the narrative allows the reader to play into the fantasies of dragons without the necessity of explaining how the population adapted to them, or is adapting. The world of the dragons is explored through a main character who is foreign to the details of being a dragon rider, but not to the world in which dragons exist. Much like the world of Pern that Anne McCaffrey made so real, dragons belong to their own class, and those who live with them are likewise a class unto themselves. But whereas in O' Brian's books the world is historical and in McCaffrey's books the world is fantastical, Novik's world is a blend of the two, exploring the "what ifs" of a world at war and using dragons against dragons as pawns in the grand designs of their masters.
Unfortunately, the narrative across all three books suffers from a few great gaping problems. Firstly, by writing in the style of a British novel, Novik made a mistake that is either very large or very small depending on how you read, but nothing in the middle. Her over-use of the colon and semi-colon creates a visual challenge to the text, forcing even a reader who is accustomed to such punctuation to stop and re-read lines over again. I have not seen so many of those punctuation marks in any reading outside of instant messaging with friends who over-use emoticons. In both the colon and semi-colon's cases, they are marks best used sparingly and with a deftness of skill that Novik simply did not wield in these books. The compound sentences run on for far too long, creating a rambling sense in the narrative that, honestly, could easily have been edited so far down as to make all three books into two, or perhaps one.
Here lies the second problem. The details are so often told, instead of shown to the reader that the narrative takes breaks to describe events, places, or people, in ways that are distracting to the plot. There are paragraphs detailing landscapes or events that were skipped over and are then summarized that collapse a time of weeks or months into a paragraph or a line break, when the entire diversion was unnecessary and could simply have been alluded to or hinted at through dialogue or action in the next scene. There is one use of obscene language in "Black Powder War" that stands out starkly because it is the one and only time that language occurs, and it comes from a throw-away character never heard or seen again--in other words, it didn't need to happen at all. It felt at times like this narrative was a pay by the word scenario, much like the novels it seeks to emulate. I think the narrative would have been much better served if written more in the lines of "The French Lieutenant's Woman," which was a historical novel in a modern modality of story crafting. By narrating the 19th Century plot in a 19th Century style, too many times all three novels suffered from digressions and distractions.
Similarly, the characters are almost to a one archetypal. The gruff captain who has a change of heart with his change in occupation, remains otherwise rather stalwart in his behavior and thinking. While his knowledge base expands considerably along the three novels, experiencing dragon riding, then Africa and China, and then through the Ottoman Empire and across Europe, the overall details of his character remain unchanged. I did not feel that he grew as a human being for all the learning that he did. His concerns were the same, his goals were the same, his word choices were the same at the end of "The Black Powder War" as they were at the beginning of "His Majesty's Dragon." Similarly, characters who are antagonists are antagonists the whole way through, never surprising the reader with an unexpected twist beyond what is blatantly hinted at along the way. Supporting characters such as the first lieutenant aboard the dragon are similarly stunted. John Granby is a wonderful character until he has his change of heart in "His Majesty's Dragon." Once he decides that he likes Captain Laurence, all is well and stays well between them.
And there is an issue of believability even beyond the whole dragon thing. The protagonist is a captain aboard a very remarkable dragon, but that his exploits should take him into the company of the Emperor of China, the Ottoman Sultan, the royal family of Prussia, Napoleon himself, is simply too contrived. There were too many moments in the novels where I simply wanted to say "Oh, well, of course," as some improbable situation somehow arose as the only viable option. This is to say that the actions were not thoroughly earned by the narrative or the characters. Their exploits and adventures were not deserved, and their reactions did not warrant the responses they got in turn. It was a tale of heroism, adventure, and fantasy, but the fantasy extended into the human characters' believability for me far too often, and strained the limits of credulity as well as suspended disbelief.
And yet...and yet, I cannot help but want to know what happens next. Despite the narrative being unengaging, despite the characters being flat and unbelievable, despite the prose being dense and antiquated, the world is so lush, so verdant and abundant with life and imagination, the details so perfect and encompassing, and the cliffhangers so strong and suspenseful, that I want to read the next book. This is a guilty pleasure reading for me, to be sure, I will not credit it as high literature even as fantasy, but it manages to overcome a rather substantial series of hurdles and still be satisfying.
First and foremost, the narrative of this tome is, in style as well as content, very British. By this I do not only mean that it follows a main character in Captain William Laurence who is a British naval captain at the outset of "His Majesty's Dragon," but also that the prose itself is gobsmacked by British style and sensibilities. The author wrote this very clearly with the intention of having it read like a Victorian-era British novel, minus a few small details in nomenclature and dating. If you read and enjoyed the "Master & Commander" series by Patrick O' Brian, this will appeal to you. The setting is the same: The Napoleonic Wars. Not only is the reader struck by the very similar opening of both books, but the characters seem to be virtually interchangeable. This notion is very quickly dispelled when the narrative introduces the reader to the fantastical element in the form of a large dragon egg captured by the British ship.
The narrative swiftly and deftly maneuvers the reader into understanding that this world is not the world we live in, but one in which dragons exist--and have existed the entire time. Rather than telling a story of a familiar world suddenly invaded by or exposed to dragons, this narrative instead offers the tale of a world in which dragons are part and parcel to the whole. It is our world, if we'd had dragons all along. In this way the narrative allows the reader to play into the fantasies of dragons without the necessity of explaining how the population adapted to them, or is adapting. The world of the dragons is explored through a main character who is foreign to the details of being a dragon rider, but not to the world in which dragons exist. Much like the world of Pern that Anne McCaffrey made so real, dragons belong to their own class, and those who live with them are likewise a class unto themselves. But whereas in O' Brian's books the world is historical and in McCaffrey's books the world is fantastical, Novik's world is a blend of the two, exploring the "what ifs" of a world at war and using dragons against dragons as pawns in the grand designs of their masters.
Unfortunately, the narrative across all three books suffers from a few great gaping problems. Firstly, by writing in the style of a British novel, Novik made a mistake that is either very large or very small depending on how you read, but nothing in the middle. Her over-use of the colon and semi-colon creates a visual challenge to the text, forcing even a reader who is accustomed to such punctuation to stop and re-read lines over again. I have not seen so many of those punctuation marks in any reading outside of instant messaging with friends who over-use emoticons. In both the colon and semi-colon's cases, they are marks best used sparingly and with a deftness of skill that Novik simply did not wield in these books. The compound sentences run on for far too long, creating a rambling sense in the narrative that, honestly, could easily have been edited so far down as to make all three books into two, or perhaps one.
Here lies the second problem. The details are so often told, instead of shown to the reader that the narrative takes breaks to describe events, places, or people, in ways that are distracting to the plot. There are paragraphs detailing landscapes or events that were skipped over and are then summarized that collapse a time of weeks or months into a paragraph or a line break, when the entire diversion was unnecessary and could simply have been alluded to or hinted at through dialogue or action in the next scene. There is one use of obscene language in "Black Powder War" that stands out starkly because it is the one and only time that language occurs, and it comes from a throw-away character never heard or seen again--in other words, it didn't need to happen at all. It felt at times like this narrative was a pay by the word scenario, much like the novels it seeks to emulate. I think the narrative would have been much better served if written more in the lines of "The French Lieutenant's Woman," which was a historical novel in a modern modality of story crafting. By narrating the 19th Century plot in a 19th Century style, too many times all three novels suffered from digressions and distractions.
Similarly, the characters are almost to a one archetypal. The gruff captain who has a change of heart with his change in occupation, remains otherwise rather stalwart in his behavior and thinking. While his knowledge base expands considerably along the three novels, experiencing dragon riding, then Africa and China, and then through the Ottoman Empire and across Europe, the overall details of his character remain unchanged. I did not feel that he grew as a human being for all the learning that he did. His concerns were the same, his goals were the same, his word choices were the same at the end of "The Black Powder War" as they were at the beginning of "His Majesty's Dragon." Similarly, characters who are antagonists are antagonists the whole way through, never surprising the reader with an unexpected twist beyond what is blatantly hinted at along the way. Supporting characters such as the first lieutenant aboard the dragon are similarly stunted. John Granby is a wonderful character until he has his change of heart in "His Majesty's Dragon." Once he decides that he likes Captain Laurence, all is well and stays well between them.
And there is an issue of believability even beyond the whole dragon thing. The protagonist is a captain aboard a very remarkable dragon, but that his exploits should take him into the company of the Emperor of China, the Ottoman Sultan, the royal family of Prussia, Napoleon himself, is simply too contrived. There were too many moments in the novels where I simply wanted to say "Oh, well, of course," as some improbable situation somehow arose as the only viable option. This is to say that the actions were not thoroughly earned by the narrative or the characters. Their exploits and adventures were not deserved, and their reactions did not warrant the responses they got in turn. It was a tale of heroism, adventure, and fantasy, but the fantasy extended into the human characters' believability for me far too often, and strained the limits of credulity as well as suspended disbelief.
And yet...and yet, I cannot help but want to know what happens next. Despite the narrative being unengaging, despite the characters being flat and unbelievable, despite the prose being dense and antiquated, the world is so lush, so verdant and abundant with life and imagination, the details so perfect and encompassing, and the cliffhangers so strong and suspenseful, that I want to read the next book. This is a guilty pleasure reading for me, to be sure, I will not credit it as high literature even as fantasy, but it manages to overcome a rather substantial series of hurdles and still be satisfying.
April 11, 2011
The Napoleonic Wars is my favorite time era in Britian (sp?) after the Victorian Era, so imagine my surprise when I found a book series that basically just adds dragons to it! I was hooked from chapter one! It was amazing! This particular book incorporates the first three books in the series. I love the writing and the main character, Temeraire. He's an amazing dragon and I love what Naomi Novik has done with him and all the other dragons she created. I also love that his captain, Will Laurence, used to be a Navy man so that when he goes into harness with Temeraire he's just as new to the whole experience as the reader. I look forward to the second half of this series, as it looks to be just as good. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes dragons, the Napoleonic Wars, or just a great fantasy/adventure series with a slight twist.
January 5, 2012
Once I got started I couldn't put it down! You can tell because I effectively read it in 1-2 days.
I got sucked into the fantastical world where dragons talk! Laurence's affinity for Temeraire is so sweet and endearing, as is Berkley's camaraderie with his dragon and Captain Harcourt with Lily. I want a talking dragon!! Watching Laurence and Temeraire's relationship evolve throughout the book, in a time of war no less, was fascinating. U learn with Laurence about dragons and their peculiarities.
The one thing I thought this book didn't need was to be in a historical setting with Napoleon. It was quite jarring and didn't even really seem to matter to the plot.
Overall though, an enthralling beginning.
I got sucked into the fantastical world where dragons talk! Laurence's affinity for Temeraire is so sweet and endearing, as is Berkley's camaraderie with his dragon and Captain Harcourt with Lily. I want a talking dragon!! Watching Laurence and Temeraire's relationship evolve throughout the book, in a time of war no less, was fascinating. U learn with Laurence about dragons and their peculiarities.
The one thing I thought this book didn't need was to be in a historical setting with Napoleon. It was quite jarring and didn't even really seem to matter to the plot.
Overall though, an enthralling beginning.
November 4, 2008
I generally do not review my books in writing I am a speak about the book fan, but honestly for those of you into alternate history / fantasy (BTW, this has been only my second foray into it) this series was amazing. Novik has a way of captivating you with her writing and this series hooked me. When I finished the last book, I wanted more.
Time to find out what she is working on next, I think I have another favorite author.
Time to find out what she is working on next, I think I have another favorite author.
June 23, 2016
My sweethearts <3 <3 <3
May 28, 2009
I borrowed this from my friend and I couldn't put it down!
February 24, 2023
4.5 stars!
I love the Aubrey-Maturin novels, (Patrick O'Brian), and French history, and this book brings the worlds together.
I was halfway through when I found this book at the library. I started reading it, and lost my breath because it was exactly like the naval books I loved, but with !
Temeraire was a great book, and I cared about the characters. I liked how Naomi Novik didn't just write a 21st-century character living in the 1800s, but wrote an 1800s character, with different motivations and conflicts.
I think that a lot of the reviews here are having trouble with the setting because the time period is so specialized. I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the Aubrey-Maturin novels or Hornblower, because the language/social constructs are highly time-period dependent.
that note, to anyone who liked this, I would recommend the Aubrey-Maturin novels, because they are so good.
All in all, a great book, but a little specialized in the social morays.
I love the Aubrey-Maturin novels, (Patrick O'Brian), and French history, and this book brings the worlds together.
I was halfway through when I found this book at the library. I started reading it, and lost my breath because it was exactly like the naval books I loved, but with !
Temeraire was a great book, and I cared about the characters. I liked how Naomi Novik didn't just write a 21st-century character living in the 1800s, but wrote an 1800s character, with different motivations and conflicts.
I think that a lot of the reviews here are having trouble with the setting because the time period is so specialized. I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the Aubrey-Maturin novels or Hornblower, because the language/social constructs are highly time-period dependent.
that note, to anyone who liked this, I would recommend the Aubrey-Maturin novels, because they are so good.
All in all, a great book, but a little specialized in the social morays.
March 1, 2020
Temeraire: In Service of the King is many things: an eminently well-research historical piece; a critique of colonial Brittian seen through the eyes of a loyal Brittish Naval officer; an entertaining military fantasy with incredibly well-written combat scenes; but at its core, it is the story of a relationship between two people (one of whom happens to be dragon), and how the love they share inspires change.
Whatever you do, don't allow the highly cliche beginning of this book to deter you (i.e. basic white man harnesses dragon and fights battles for his country). The brilliance of Temeraire comes from how the plot breaks away from its simple beginnings, subverting normative expectations, and truly explores the speculative element of humanly intelligent dragons.
I adore the Temeraire books, reading all 9 in two months. However they do have some flaws: aspects are formulaic, character change is sometimes slow, the plot is slack in places, few characters outside of Temeraire and Laurance are flushed out, and the ultimate trajectory of the series was not pre-determined making the overarching plot at times meandering.
All in all, an excellent read especially for those who dislike colonialism and value relationships.
Whatever you do, don't allow the highly cliche beginning of this book to deter you (i.e. basic white man harnesses dragon and fights battles for his country). The brilliance of Temeraire comes from how the plot breaks away from its simple beginnings, subverting normative expectations, and truly explores the speculative element of humanly intelligent dragons.
I adore the Temeraire books, reading all 9 in two months. However they do have some flaws: aspects are formulaic, character change is sometimes slow, the plot is slack in places, few characters outside of Temeraire and Laurance are flushed out, and the ultimate trajectory of the series was not pre-determined making the overarching plot at times meandering.
All in all, an excellent read especially for those who dislike colonialism and value relationships.
November 30, 2017
Actually, I didn't finish this. I can't understand why there is a series based on this. It is an interesting premise - an alternative history of the Napoleonic wars where Napoleon is winning. The difference is that there are dragons who fight and fly. Dragons are different and have different abilities. Combined with some of the history it could be interesting, but the characters are wooden and not terribly believable nor interesting. The language - while people may have spoken that way the time - doesn't come across as believable.
It is rare that I don't finish a book. I suppose that says it all.
It is rare that I don't finish a book. I suppose that says it all.
September 15, 2018
This book had sooo much potential, but it just fell flat. Really flat. Loved the concept of the bond between dragon/rider, and loved the dragons (duh). But i got really tired of Laurence in all his shock about people not being prim and proper. He sounds like a pansy douche bag. He kept calling his huge male bad-ass dragon “my dear”, which added to his pansy-ness. And his love interest (hook-up chick) got zero attention and the whole thing was uninteresting. The endless descriptions if war drills and tactics was SO BORING. Im bummed because the author wrote one of my favorite books, Uprooted, but this one really disappointed. I won’t be reading any of the other Temeraire books
October 11, 2018
I truly enjoyed this series. It's light and entertaining, but isn't pulpy. It's cleaver without being over-bearing, funny without being childish, and heart-breaking without being trite. The characters were well developed and so endearing! Finishing the last book was like saying farewell to beloved friends. A basic knowledge of Napoleonic history will offer another layer of entertainment, but isn't necessary. And a very important point for me: Novik can write 3-dimensional, capable, independent female characters-- a very rare find in fantasy fiction (or really any media). Novik has a true gift for story-telling. I'm adding this series to my list of all-time favorites.
Read
June 6, 2022I have now read the first three of these book in this series and then noted there are several more. As I have quite a few in my kindle to read I am leaving these a while before I order them.
They were great books of my usual genre, fantasy, and I really enjoyed them. They are about dragons that are used in warfare and set during the times of the Napoleonic Wars. Temeraire is an Imperial Dragon from China who was acquired as an egg in a raid on a French Ship by a British one. When it hatched the dragon was very unusual, not one that had been seen before, but proved to be the most magnificent amonst dragons.
Many adventures and battles are taken on and are very exciting.
They were great books of my usual genre, fantasy, and I really enjoyed them. They are about dragons that are used in warfare and set during the times of the Napoleonic Wars. Temeraire is an Imperial Dragon from China who was acquired as an egg in a raid on a French Ship by a British one. When it hatched the dragon was very unusual, not one that had been seen before, but proved to be the most magnificent amonst dragons.
Many adventures and battles are taken on and are very exciting.
May 3, 2018
This seems to be a writer and series which is polarising opinion, but I have to say after about 10 pages I was squarely in the camp of Team 'LoveIT'. I have read 'Uprooted' by this writer before this and I had the same reaction - there is something really charming about her writing style which drew me in, kept me reading every spare second I had, and left me feeling faintly bereaved once I reached the end. Had the second book been to hand (and the third, fourth, or fifth) I would have jumped straight in!
July 29, 2018
This series hit alllll the buttons on my want to read list! We got dragons, historical fiction, a mystery or two, a dashing sea captain, and lots and lots of angst. Holy cow, what a ride! I read the whole series in one glorious week and I'm never going back. Naomi Novik can play with my heart strings anytime.
November 16, 2018
I really liked this book. It did have the first three books of the series, so reading was more eventful, being able to just continue on. It set back in time but dragons exist. Or shows interference and that raises a question of whether Dragon should be treated better. In the book China regards dragons as equal, but everywhere else they really have no option.
December 4, 2017
An aerial force of dragons and their captains during the Napoleonic Wars. The dragons are sentient, have personalities, and are main characters throughout the series. These were fast e-book reads for me when I wanted some diversion and for the most part I would rate the individual books 3-4
November 26, 2020
I really loved this so so so much.
I was hooked on the dragons and their mature yet child like nature! Wish I could have one!!!
I picked this book up from a charity shop whilst I awaited a trilogy I had ordered and im so glad i did! I will be purchasing the next book for sure.
I was hooked on the dragons and their mature yet child like nature! Wish I could have one!!!
I picked this book up from a charity shop whilst I awaited a trilogy I had ordered and im so glad i did! I will be purchasing the next book for sure.
August 11, 2022
A great trilogy and I enjoyed every book in different ways. I have never really been a dragon guy before but these books have made me look at the idea of them differently. I am really looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Good stuff.
September 24, 2023
An epic series with charismatic and capricious dragons. You have your whole life mapped out in front of you, then the dragon's egg hatches and the political intrigue begins. Set during the Napoleonic wars across Europe and the Far East. A cracking fantasy read.
March 1, 2024
Interesting take on the hundred years war era if it dragons were part of everyday life. I found the main character complex. His struggles as he navigates his way through a change in life and status is very compelling. I would recommend it to be read at least once.
March 14, 2017
The first three installments in Naomi Novik's saga of Napoleonic was with dragons. I've reviewed every book individually.
May 29, 2017
Fantastic
While the focus is inevitably on the Dragons, they are an important part of the overall works described without being the only thing,
While the focus is inevitably on the Dragons, they are an important part of the overall works described without being the only thing,
July 25, 2017
The First three are the best. But this author and the storyline is clever, so I've read all books of this series that are out! It's historical fiction ...with dragons!
April 24, 2018
Solid enough, but nothing special.
August 26, 2019
I enjoyed the first vol and but am not a fan of war stories so had to force myself through volumes two and three.
I love Uprooted and Spinning Silver by the same author. She's a wonderful writer
I love Uprooted and Spinning Silver by the same author. She's a wonderful writer
January 8, 2020
Loved it!
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