Black Powder War

Written by Naomi Novik

Narrated by Simon Vance

Naomi Novik’s stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.

British flyer Will Laurence and his extraordinary Celestial dragon, Temeraire, gratefully anticipate their voyage home from China. But before they set sail, they are waylaid by urgent new orders. The British Government, having purchased three valuable dragon eggs from the Ottoman Empire – one of a rare fire-breathing Kazilik dragon, one of the most deadly breeds in existence – now require Laurence and Temeraire to make a more perilous overland journey instead, stopping off in Istanbul to collect and escort the precious cargo back to England.

And time is of the essence if the eggs are to hatch upon British shores.

A cross-continental expedition is a daunting prospect, fraught with countless dangers. The small party must be prepared to travel the treacherous Silk Road: navigating frigid mountain passes and crossing sterile deserts to evade feral dragon attacks and Napoleon's aggressive infantry.

Barely surviving the poisonous intrigue of the Ottoman Court, the small British party's journey home is delayed once more. The Prussians muster their forces before them, barring their way, and Laurence and Temeraire become swept up in the battle against Bonaparte – trapped by politics as they learn that the British had promised to send their allies aid – but help is months overdue.

The crew will also face unexpected menace, for a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political poison in her wake. Lien, the white celestial dragon, absconded from the Chinese Imperial Court shortly after the humiliating death of her beloved princely companion. Fervently believing Temeraire to be the architect of her anguish, she has vowed to ally herself with his greatest enemy in order to exact a full and painful revenge upon everything and everyone the black dragon holds dear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Feb 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008338893

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.

Reviews for Black Powder War

[hskey-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another entry in an amazing series. It's an incredible blend of alternate history, warfare, relationships and adventure. All the dragon stuff is just fantastic, I love how Novik portrays different cultures treating dragons differently and how different breeds are used in various ways for warfare. The visual concept of a dragon crew firing at each other mid-air while their dragons duke it out HAS to be made into a movie someday, no?

[nebula21-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third book in the series is as exciting and compelling as the last two. The adventures of Laurence and Temeraire continue as they receive orders to head to Istanbul to bring home three eggs that the British government have purchased. I have already started reading the next book [Empire of Ivory]! I love these books.

[bravekelso · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

As historical fiction, this serieshas moments of drama and historical authenticity but the characters and dialogoue are is not up to comparison with better work. As SF, the dragons are silly - intelligent and able to speak? They think like teenage boys and Jane Austen heroines. And the domestication of dragons has not changed the course of history anywhere in the world before 1805?More like a fanfic bodice-ripper. Enough time wasted

[melannen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If His Majesty's Dragon is Patrick O'Brien crossed with Pern, and Throne of Jade is Hornblower crossed with Dinotopia, then Black Powder War is the Napoleonic Wars - with Dragons!No, really, this book has far fewer speculative fiction elements than the previous books in the series, and I do think that in order to truly enjoy it, you'd have to already be fond of historical adventure and war novels. For the first part of the book Temeraire was the only dragon around, and for the second half much of the tension derives from the ways in which dragons are *not* important, as Laurence and company cross Eurasia overland only to put their own concerns aside as they get swept up in Prussia's defeat by Napoleon.That said, I do have affection for adventure and war novels. The general grinding misery of one defeat after another, famine, destruction, cold, and boredom is an unfortunate symptom of writing a historical novel set during a real war, and Novik's genius for character shines through it - Queen Louise in her riding gear, Napoleon shining on the hilltop, and the wonderful new characters of Tharkay, Arkady, and Izkierka who left me anxious to read more (luckily, I have book four sitting right here too.)

[lauranav_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this one was as good as the first two. We learn more about feral dragons, we see Napoleon marching across the confident armies of Prussia and Russia and we see discussions of pride, honor, and tough decision making. And the dragon personalities are so well drawn, as well as the humans.

[tedmahsun_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third book in the Temeraire series is much better than the second book, Throne of Jade. There are so many cool scenes in this book - one being a covert extraction operation in Istanbul - that I feel overwhelmed every time I try to think of them.And the great cast of characters: Tharkay, Arkady, and a certain fiery personality that appears near the end of the book - are all very engaging.Well done, Ms. Novik, though I wish I could forgive you for writing a cliffhanger ending before making me wait a year for a follow-up.

[worldsedge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very much to my surprise this series has grown on me to the point where I'm actually looking forward to the next installment. That hasn't happened to me in quite a while. Very much liked the Prussian battle scenes, and the feud between Lien and Teremeaire has finally made me start giving a damn about, since in previous installments the characters were downright flat.

[jimmaclachlan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It might have been just my mood, but I felt this was pretty boring. I had to force myself through the last half, because I found I really didn't care what happened to the main characters - no suspense. I knew they'd be OK. Those who die are bit parts, rarely thought of before hand & quickly forgotten afterward. The story line was rote. I actually guessed the route they'd take before they got there & I'm not that much of a historian. It was probably as well written as the previous novels, but just too much of the same for me to really enjoy.

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm a huge fan of the Temeraire series. I absolutely loved the first two books and was really looking forward to starting Black Powder War, but this fell short of my expectations quickly and it never picked up from there.
Truth be told, had this been a novella, it would have been deeply satisfying. The problem with this book is the pacing, and the lack of plot - the former being a direct consequence of the latter. When I finished the book, I wondered what I'd learned, what had happened that hadn't before, and compared the situation at the end of the book (which was such a huge anticlimax I thought for a moment my Kindle copy was missing a whole section) with the one we're left with at the end of the previous novel, Throne of Jade, and found myself wondering if there really was a use for Black Powder War. There isn't. What's done here has been done, and better, in the first two books.

This is really forgettable. Three stars out of loyalty.

[wizardsheart · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This third book in the Temeraire series was a little disappointing to me. Temeraire and Laurence are journeying on their way back home from China and get caught up in the Napoleanic wars going on the continent of Europe. I thought the best part about the book was the characters. It really felt like it drug a lot in spots. There were whole scenes which consisted of detailing the character's every move...except moving the plot forward. Every series has its duds. I think so far this one is it for this series. I have by no means given up on it. I am excited because I am hoping that book four is not a book of traveling. Book two was the journey to China. Book three the journey home. I am looking forward to Temeraire and Laurence getting back to England.

[tundranocaps · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Much better. Though I am not overly fond of the travels, seeing as it kinda beats the purpose (of the story being somewhere, seeing how things happen there), most of the character growth is done there, so I guess it's required.This is finally a war book, and finally a dragons' book, where we see how things are different due to dragons (beforehands it wasn't really so), even if the dragons are basically humans who are big and winged. So not really inhuman.Then again, it's probably intended, seeing as they are compared to slaves and humans all over.Better.

[museofire · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The weakest of the Temeraire books to date.

[hoosgracie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one got a little tedious in places, especially their travels from China to Turkey and then up through Prussia. That said, I really enjoy the series, so it was still fun traveling with Will and Temeraire.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this installment of the Temeraire series, we find Laurence and Temeraire headed to Turkey to pick up some dragon eggs that the British army has purchased. Then they head for home, getting stuck in Prussia to battle with Napoleon. This is my least favorite of the Temeraire series so far. Maybe it's because it concentrates on the war much more than the other two have and I just don't find it that interesting. I'm much more interested in the dragon society and I'm hoping that there will be more of that in the fourth book. I found that this book dragged on quite a bit.

[cyderry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have been enjoying this series about Temeraire, a Chinese Celestial Dragon. Installment #3 tells the tale of Temeraire's return travels from China back to England during the Napoleonic wars.Laurence and Temeraire receive orders to go to Istanbul to retrieve 6 dragon eggs and bring them back to England. Their travels take them through the desert, a Sultan's palace, battlefields in Prussia before their return to England.The commentary of this tale is an very interesting way of showing the social and political issues related to slavery and property ownership. Temeraire's innocence easily shows the reality of the world and how power and abilities can be misunderstood all wrapped up in an adventure for an alternative history.

[neilsantos_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was a very bad book. The characters, if I may refer to them so grandly, are wooden, stupid or woodenly stupid. She even managed to make Napoleon boring. Her novel idea is no more novel, and her storylines are still baffling. Sometimes its annoying being right all the time.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent sequel. Temeraire is an interesting character in his own right without Will. With Will he's more interesting. You can see the love between the two of them developing and I have to wonder if there's more space in either of their lives for anyone else. Will and Temeraire are ordered back to England and they go overland. This has them caught up in Napoleon's war and the Chinese Dragon Lien's machinations. Altogether an interesting book and makes me want to read the next one soon.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm going to admit that this chunk of Novik's epic adventure lost me a little bit. I suppose that part of this is due to not being greatly interested in the conventions of the foreigner in Muslim lands stories, but mostly because it does have the feel of the middle book of a series, which of course it is. On the other hand, it's 1806 and in Novik's universe this still means that Napoleon is at the height of his powers and the Prussians are going to be smashed, and how Captain Laurence gets Temeraire and his people through the deluge did capture my imagination. If nothing else ths allows Novik to make something more of the relationship between Laurence and the Eurasian renegade Tharkay, which from the start had the flavor of a red herring. I will admit that I eventually did come to like the way Novik played with the limitations of period communications to put pressure on Laurence and his command.

[mlleehreen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read a lot of reviews before I bought HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON and almost all of them got around to making the same two points: the story is fantastic, the writing is fairly flat. Lo and behold, now that I have read the book I have to say that all those reviews were on-target. It is totally delightful to read about dragons in the Napoleonic Wars, and bizarrely fitting: of course the same people that charge into battle on horses, or frail wooden ships, would be at home on flying beasts. The details are wonderfully worked out, the blend of historical research and imagination is hard to read without real relish.

Novik maintains a steady level of tension throughout the book. The story doesn't really build to a climax and then resolve; but there are no dull passages, and no saggy middle. Her characters are a little wooden and Laurence, in particular, is so painfully noble that even if he were more vividly drawn he would still be fairly one-dimensional.

I might read more of this series, and I'm sure that I'd enjoy it. But I can't imagine feeling very passionate about it, given what I know of the first installment.

[bravenewbks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So this series isn't intellectual by any means, but for whatever reason I can't stop reading. It is for dragons what the Sookie Stackhouse series is to vampires -- fun and inexplicably addictive reading. At least there's a bit of value in the historical setting; Napoleon, Admiral Nelson, Wilberforce, etc., all make appearances in the series.

[byroade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It sounds like fantasy, but there is no magic, just an alternate earth where dragons exist. If you liked Horation Hornblower, Patrick O'Brien, or Anne McCaffrey, you will like this book.

[wendyrey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting take on the dragons fantasy genre, set during the Napoleonic wars in an alternative universe where dragons are real and used in warfare. Well written and interesting yarn but slightly spoiled by the conflation of England with the UK. I read the first few chapters waiting for Scotland to come into the story and was rather hoping that the Union hadn't happened and we were allied with the French. Alas no the main *cough* English dragon training site was near Loch Laggan . Och well can't have everything.Good light read.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As the story opens, Navy Captain Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant has captured a French Man-o-War and one of the prizes found is an unhatched dragon egg. Britain has been severely outnumbered in flying battles by the superiority of the French Flying Dragon force. The egg is about to hatch and as soon as it does, someone needs to be on hand to harness, feed and name the dragon. He will then become the dragon's master and they will join the dragon riding Aerial Corps. Needless to say, things go wrong and Laurence is forced to leave the Navy and take his dragon, Temeraire, to the Aerial Corps.

Will, a very reluctant dragon captain, is forced to change his rigidly strict Navy training for the more modern and casual Aerial Corps. The heart of the story is the friendship between Will and Temeraire as they struggle to understand one another and to earn the respect of their fellow aviators, both human and dragon. Will soon discovers that Temeraire is affectionate, intelligent and a splendid companion. After meeting with dragon expert Sir Edward Howe, Will is surprised when it is revealed that Temeraire is a rare Chinese dragon, as the oriental breeds are almost unknown on the British Isles and considered vastly superior.

This is a wonderfully compelling alternative history of the Napoleonic War. Temeraire is a fascinating and complex character. He is kind, intellectual and philosophical, powerful and surprisingly innocent. The author believably integrates a dragon-based aerial fighting force into the late-eighteenth-century military. It is also an outstanding character driven novel, which keeps the pages turning not just for the action, but so the reader can find out what happens next to Will and Temeraire.

I don't normally read fantasy novels but I do love historical fiction and enjoyed this very much.

[felius_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is what you get if you cross Hornblower with Dragons. It's a very entertaining fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars, except that dragons are commonplace and form a part of the military tactics of all nations.I want to read more!

[mad31_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wars, The British Navy and dragonsJust seeing that these three things are in the book is enough to get you intrigued.Captain William Laurence of the British Navy is shocked when his ship takes a French ship carrying a dragon egg about to hatch. Dragons must be presented with their captain as soon as possible when they've hatched, or else they'll go feral and be utterly useless to the British cause. Pressed by his strong sense of duty, Laurence accepts the responsibility of the dragon when it hatches from its shell and chooses him for its captain. But Temeraire will cost him everything he has ever hoped and dreamed of; the life of an aviator is a lifelong commitment and is completely different to normal British life.It thought it was absolutely brilliant how Novik was able to build a world where a dragon is totally natural and then casually slips it into real history. i also loved the fact that the dragon characters were not just majestic beasts, but intelligent and had a mind and an opinion of their own. Unlike how authors like Salamander Drake portrayed them. And although it takes you into a world of war, it still manages to have comedy. you get a real sense of adventure and you grow quite attached to some of the characters. Like Temeraire and the other dragons. it is highly enjoyable to be able to read about a dragon and his captain. the book is so descriptive it is like watching a movie as you read.this book is a wild ride. Action-packed, moving and imaginative, I could not put this book down. Recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasy, Dragons, or an Exciting read. and if you like war too. then that is a bonus.I'd take my hat off to Novik if i had one.

[sfcat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very well written book with interesting characters and ideas. But what I liked best about the book was how novel the idea was. We've all seen the various fantasy dragon books out there, with loinclothed riders; I loved the setting of the alternate history, and the research she put into it. As a reader of historical novels, I really felt she worked hard to create an accurate portrayal. I also really appreciated the captain's view, and his initial resistance to this huge change.

[lovejoy_rat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my landers, I loved this book. I'm normally not into military fantasy since a lot of authors tend to get caught up in the minutae of military life (which novik does here to some extent, but not to the point where I was skipping sections just to get to the exciting parts). But Temeraire and Lawrence are wonderful, fully developed characters that take part in a very exciting Nepolianic Wars-era plot that makes great use of alternate history. The twists and turns of the battles leave you breathless, and you feel a palpable concern for the dragons and their Aviators throughout the whole of the book. This is literally "How to Train Your Dragon" for adults - warm and fuzzy bits included with the strong attachments between dragon and rider. Temeraire is fierce, loyal, highly intelligent and immensely loving towards Lawrence, and makes you wish that dragons were indeed real. :) As other reviewers have mentioned, Novik doesn't gloss over the realities in the laws of the day, but she does include a nice undercurrent of women's rights by employing a plot device that requires a certain dragon to only be handled by female captains - and since I'm a sucker for very stong and independent women characters, I bought into this shamelessly. :D Great read for fantasy fans and dragon lorists alike!! Can't wait to read the others in the series!~

[perpetualrevision · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love dragons, and I loved getting to know Temeraire. I'm glad the story has a few more female characters than would likely be true if it were written by a man, but I still wish it had more, to offset the overall feeling that this is a "man's tale" of warfare and adventure. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it after the first few chapters if it weren't for the promise of the dragon. And he was worth it!

[othersam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dragon-fans, look no further: Temeraire, by Naomi Novik, is ace.It is the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Will Laurence has his career path in the Navy mapped out, but his plans are resoundingly scuppered when a captured French frigate turns out to be carrying a dragon egg: the creature hatches, chooses Laurence as his rider and companion, and a new life in England’s fledgling dragon-based Royal Aerial Corps awaits!The dragon Temeraire himself is a wonderfully appealing character and the book mixes all sorts of unusual influences into its rich fantasy brew: with notes of C S Forester’s awesome Hornblower series in its nautical action, even some Jane Austen social comedy in there as well as all the top-notch widescreen dragon shenanigans you could possibly want, Temeraire (or His Majesty’s Dragon as it’s known in the US) is charming, thrilling and tremendous fun. Take a leathery wing-tip from me and give it a go: it’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

His Majesty's Dragon offers a fresh take on the Napoleonic Wars with aerial warfare in addition to sea warfare. As the title suggests, the aviators don't pilot machines; they pilot dragons. Naval Captain William Laurence was happy in his naval career when it took an unexpected turn. After capturing a dragon egg in the cargo of a French ship, Laurence is there to bond with the newly hatched dragon, whom he names Temeraire. Laurence finds himself starting over in a new branch of the service as he and Temeraire undergo training. Eventually they get the chance to test themselves in an aerial battle against France's dragons.I prefer war fiction that focuses on the home front or military intelligence/espionage rather than on battlefield action. I found that this is the case even when the battles involve dragons rather than ships or planes. I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire and the “basic training” they undergo with other dragons and their handlers. My attention wandered during the actual battle scenes. Even the excellent narration by Simon Vance couldn't hold my attention during those parts of the story. I may pick up the next book in the series at some point to see how Temeraire continues to develop, but I'm not in a hurry to do it.