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Title | Vici
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | ---
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Publisher | Fantasy Magazine - 2011
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First Printing | Fantasy Magazine - 2011
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Title | His Majesty's Dragon
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | Dominic Harman
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Publisher | Ballantine Books - 2006
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First Printing | Ballantine Books - 2006
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Title | Throne of Jade
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | Dominic Harman
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Publisher | Ballantine Books - 2006
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First Printing | Ballantine Books - 2006
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Title | Black Powder War
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | Dominic Harman
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Publisher | Ballantine Books - 2006
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First Printing | Ballantine Books - 2006
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Title | Empire of Ivory
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | Dominic Harman
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Publisher | Ballantine Books - 2007
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First Printing | Ballantine Books - 2007
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Title | Victory of Eagles
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | ---
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Publisher | Del Rey - 2009
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First Printing | Del Rey - 2008
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Title | Tongues of Serpents
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | Dominic Harman
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Publisher | Del Rey - 2011
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First Printing | Del Rey - 2010
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Title | Crucible of Gold
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Author | Naomi Novik
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Cover Art | ---
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Publisher | ---
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First Printing | 2012
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Category | Alternate history
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Warnings | None
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Main Characters | Temeraire, Captain William Laurence, Lieutenant Granby, Lung Lien, Iskierka
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Main Elements | Dragons
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Website | temeraire.org
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Vici
“Well, Antonius,” the magistrate said, “you are without question a licentious and disreputable young man. You have disgraced a noble patrician name and sullied your character in the lowest of pursuits, and we have received testimony that you are not only a drunkard and a gambler—but an outright murderer as well.”
With an opening like that, the old vulture was sending him to the block for sure. Antony shrugged, philosophically; he’d known it was unlikely his family could have scraped together enough of a bribe to get him let go. Claudius’s family was a damn sight richer than his; and in any case he could hardly imagine his stepfather going to the trouble.
His Majesty's Dragon
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense by taking to the skies...not above aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.
When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain furture - and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarefied world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a carsh course in daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France's own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte's boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.
Throne of Jade
When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo - and unhatched dragon's egg - Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain's Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte's invading forces.
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands - and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East - a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.
Black Powder War
After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty's Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.
Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn - thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master's death and vows to ally herself with Napolean and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte's implacable army?
Empire of Ivory
Tragedy has struck His Majesty's Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defend England's shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. And epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons' ranks - forcing the hopelessly stricken into quarantine. Now only Temeraire and a pack of newly recruited dragons remain uninfected - and stand as the only means of an airborne defense against France's ever bolder sorties.
Bonaparte's dragons are already harrowing Britain's ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission there is not time to waste, and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.
Victory of Eagles
For Britain, conditions are grim: Napoleon's resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective is the occupation of London. Unfortunately, the dragon Temeraire has been removed from military service - and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war. If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered resistance forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before - for king and country, and for their own liberty.
Tongues of Serpents
Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon's invasion of England, Temeraire and Capt. Will Laurence have been transported to a prison colony in distant Australia - and into a hornet's nest of fresh complications. The colony is in turmoil after the overthrow of military govenor William Bligh - aka Captain Bligh, late of the HMS Bounty. And when Bligh tries to enlist them in his bid to regain office, the dragon and his captain are caught in the middle of a political power struggle. Their only chance to escape the fray is accepting a mission to blaze a route through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But the theft of a precious dragon egg turns their expedition into a desperate recovery operation - leading to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new complication in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.
Saw the books covers in the store and knew I had to have them, even if the stories were terrible I could at least put the books on display. But I had to admit, an alternate history involving dragons sounded fascinating, as indeed it was.
The setting is unique, like no other dragon tale I've read before. I either expected the battle dragons to be simple beast of burden, or to be something along the lines of Anne McCaffrey's Pern. Pern is the best comparison, but though the dragons bond to their captains when hatched, they still have freedom of will, can take new captains when their previous one dies (which does occur since some dragons live hundreds of years), and could potentially reject their captain if they so choose. Dragons also vary in intelligence, from those who can learn higher mathematics, to those who can do little more than vocalize their desire for cow. But across the board, they are all fiercely loyal to their captains and crew, and they to them. Yes crew. Unlike Pern, with one dragon, one rider, these dragons are so big they carry an entire crew and equipment attached to a harness. The crews board each other, drop bombs, shoot rifles, like aerial warships with fangs and talons.
Two of the characters stand out, while the others except for Granby fade into the background. I love Temeraire. Even if you don't like anything else in the book you have to love a creature big enough to carry 300 men strapped to his back while still maintaining a childlike naivete. On the other hand he is highly intelligent, picking up languages with astounding skill. One must remember that by the end of the third book, Temeraire is barely a year old, he has a lot to learn before becoming wise. His Captain Laurence is the definition of a Victorian seaman. Honour and propriety take up a lot of his worries, often concerned that his clothes weren't clean enough to be presentable. But he's not vain, he's just...Victorian, of a good family.
The Aerial Corps was considered an undesirable job. Much better to become a sailor, at least you can still come to shore from time to time, have a family, and stay home when there is no war. But once you've got a dragon, you can't exactly keep him in the backyard. And he needs daily care and maintenance, no "shore leave" allowed. Thus Laurence was quite appalled at having to be the one to sacrifice his future, and even his name, for the sake of bonding with this dragon and help defend his country.
But he has a lot to learn about dragons. As did we.
And that is just the first book. Now I'm not sure every part of every book was exactly plausible, and I will admit to my ignorance about the details of the Napoleonic Wars, so can't comment on how well Novik weaved dragons into the actual historical events. Lots of battles to keep the action going, though I for one enjoy the time Laurence and Temeraire spend together. The black dragon's curiosity knows no bounds.
On occassion, the story can get a bit hectic, with Temeraire flying halfway around the world in a matter of weeks. Makes you tired just thinking of it. Fortunately those parts were generally interspersed with more relaxing moments so one can catch their breath.
These are some of the best books I read this year. I'm looking forward to the movie that is in the works (by the makers of The Lord of the Rings no less, so definitely has potential) as well as the other two books I haven't acquired as yet. Do you like dragons and love historical novels? Then you simply HAVE to read this series.
August 2011
I've now read the two most recent books and I've changed my mind a little about this series. While I previously gave rave reviews, I find I'm losing interest. I actually read Victory of Eagles a while ago, and now that I'm update this page, I discovered I couldn't remember a thing that happened int it. I could recall the events of the previous book, Empire of Ivory, but nothing of this one except how it ended...if it weren't for that I would have assumed I hadn't even read it. Not a good sign. On the other hand, while Tongues of Serpents had a slow start, I found that by the end of it I was kind of looking forward to the next book to see what would happen. Hopefully that is a sign that Crucible of Gold, which will come out next year, will continue to improve again so I can once more rave about this series.
December 2018
Free to read on the Fantasy Magazine website. Been a while since I read a Temeraire book, and because of that I wanted to start over again. However I couldn't resist reading this short prequel, and when I saw prequel, I mean one that takes place close to two thousand years before the start of Temeraire. I love the Roman theme and as usual the characters were great, especially that of Vici the dragon, they have such cute and quirky personalities. If you find yourself unable to get through the middle part of the Temeraire series, at the very least make sure you read this story, and no excuses, it's free online! It is also available in the anthology The Dragon Book.
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