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    Black Powder War: Temeraire, Book 3
    Unavailable
    Black Powder War: Temeraire, Book 3
    Unavailable
    Black Powder War: Temeraire, Book 3
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Black Powder War: Temeraire, Book 3

    Written by Naomi Novik

    Narrated by David Thorn

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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 Napoleon 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?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 13, 2007
    ISBN9780739354186
    Unavailable
    Black Powder War: Temeraire, Book 3
    Author

    Naomi Novik

    Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of the Temeraire series and standalone fairytale fantasy Uprooted. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, as well as the Locus Award for Best New Writer and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She is also the author of the graphic novel Will Supervillains Be on the Final? Fascinated with both history and legends, Novik is a first-generation American raised on Polish fairy tales and stories of Baba Yaga. Her own adventures include pillaging degrees in English literature and computer science from various ivory towers, designing computer games, and helping to build the Archive of Our Own for fanfiction and other fanworks. Novik is a co-founder of the Organization for Transformative Works. She lives in New York City with husband and Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai and their daughter, Evidence, surrounded by an excessive number of purring computers.

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    Reviews for Black Powder War

    4/5

    1,149 ratings76 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I am really enjoying this series, though, this felt like a middle book to me. I did still enjoy the plot developments that happened and Lawrence and Temeraire's relationship.
    • 3/5
      Continuing the series, started w/His Majesty's Dragon (read for ORBC). Good. Dragged on a bit, but I'm not much for war stories.... did like hearing about dragons in China & Temeraire's desire to change things for dragons in Europe.
      Like Tharkey especially & hope he reappears.
    • 4/5
      Geweldige serie over capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty's Aerial Corps en zijn draak Temeraire en hun strijd tegen de legers van Napoleon. In dit deel moeten zij drakeneieren ophalen uit het Ottomaanse rijk. De Chinese draak Lien probeert wraak te nemen op hen en sluit zij zich aan bij de Franse legers. De geschiedenis krijgt een andere draai, wanneer draken gaan meedoen.
    • 1/5
      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
    • 4/5
      Black Powder War, third in Naomi Novik's immensely entertaining saga of dragons, politics, and the Napoleonic Wars, picks up with Laurence and Temeraire hurtling off to the Ottoman Empire to bring home three valuable dragon-eggs recently purchased by the British. But there is something strange about their orders, and though they find the eggs, escaping alive becomes a dangerous business. More political machinations!Lien, the albino dragon whose master was killed by Temeraire in the previous book, is working hard to undermine the British Aerial Corps by whatever means possible. She's joined Napoleon and his enthusiastic acquiescence to her demands only intensifies the dilemma of dragons' rights for Temeraire. For Napoleon is integrating dragons into French culture just as in China, tearing up large sections of Paris to widen the streets to accommodate the dragons and keeping Lien close in every war council and decision. Temeraire, loyal to the core to the British, nevertheless cannot help but be divided as he contemplates the backward attitude of the British authorities regarding dragons. And that's one of the things I like so much about these books: there's lots of action, sure, but it is undercut with real questions of loyalty and justice and personal freedom. It's never mindless. This installment, while good, didn't have quite the same draw for me as the first two. Maybe it was the setting that wasn't as vivid and exciting, or maybe the novelty is wearing off a bit. But I still found it an absorbing read, downing the book in two days. It's such intelligent fantasy, and feels realistic because it is grounded in historical events. One is almost tempted to believe that the Napoleonic Wars were waged partly with dragons. Again, I recommend it!
    • 3/5
      This is a later book in a series. Spoilers for earlier books may follow.This book may have suffered somewhat for immediately following Throne of Jade, and therefore keeping Captain Laurence and Temeraire's streak of rather irregular service going without a break. Like Throne of Jade, the last third of the book seems to be a different "chapter" of their story from the first two thirds. Partly this might be the fault of marketing; if the cover copy made any mention of Prussia, then it might have seemed more a part of this book. As it is, the summary does not give any indication that the Ottoman Empire is not the primary setting of the book.
    • 4/5
      Probably not great literature but another very engaging and readable book with a story that moves faster than the second book. It's interesting to see how the author engages with large scale military strategy in battles where the actions of our heroes in one small corner may have little impact on the overall picture. But there are also cameos where they interact with key historical figures and thus do have an effect. There's a nice litte scene where they grapple with the moral choices when given the opportunity to assassinate a key figure. Some stereotypes of the Prussian military character stop far enough short of being caricatures to be overlooked and indeed to raise a grin.
    • 4/5
      Here we pick up with Laurence and Temeraire who are still in China. They have been granted permission to stay together as captain and dragon. Shortly though they receive word that they must go immediately to get 3 dragon eggs. This book follows their progress through the wilderness with a guide that seems to be coming and going and likely betraying them. They meet up with some feral dragons who Temeraire talks into coming with them. They lose some gain the eggs and leave quickly since they had to steal them because the others were going back on their word. Then they meet up with Prussians and are forced to aid them in their war with the French.

      I like this series and the development of the story as well as Temeraire's character. He is a good thoughtful and funny dragon. The ease of his sense of things makes for some comical conversations and I can completely see Laurence's reactions with how well the descriptions are written. My only complaint is the pace of this book. They were going and then stopping and going and stopping. There was so much time spent waiting and after all the waiting in Empire of Jade I got a little bored with it. Still I stuck through it and was rewarded with great writing and a good story. This is the third in the series. The other titles are:

      His Majesty's Dragon
      Throne of Jade
      Black Powder War
      Empire of Ivory
      Victory of Eagles
      Tongues of Serpents

      So i can't wait to move onto Empire of Ivory and see where this story takes me to next!
    • 2/5
      I am seriously becoming progressively more disenchanted with this series the longer I continue reading. The faults seem to magnify and the good points seem to dwindle the more I read.

      These books seem more like a historical recounting rather than story. Before, in the other two books, the focus was more on the characters and the world. But now, the main importance seems more about political ideologies and the war between France and the world. Perhaps it is because I don't habitually enjoy historical fiction, but I find most of the book dry and plot-less. The end does pick up though.

      I know it's important for the series that Temeraire pushes for dragon rights and equality and all that good stuff, but good grief, I'm getting sick of it. It's like I'm reading the Social Contract or something. Not to mention his naivety is getting a little grating. It's expected and completely in character, but argh it's getting frustrating to the point where I personally think it becomes more of a flaw in the character design.

      Also, the bond between Temeraire and Laurence is also becoming less believable as the series progresses. They are basically inseparable, but there has been so many events that seems to make them disagree and split apart. And yet, there are no real compromising scenes of philosophical agreement or discussion of such personal differences, there is no resolution to their disagreement. Instead, they rely on the initial bond to keep them together and in harmony. Which is more of an easy excuse to mend any problems.

      I'm starting to get annoyed at Laurence and his stiff-necked formality. I just love reading about his one-sided understanding of how the world works and how duty and authority is the meaning to life, basically. Ah, excuse my dripping sarcasm. Sigh, I don't hate him. But it's just that sometimes Laurence is a hard main character to love.

      And then the plot. Where is the plot???? (I know it's not good writing, but I use so many question marks because I am that desperate!) I'm getting bored of how slow the book is progressing. It seems we stop in every single city and wind up having problems that are so easily solved in the end, but somehow it takes a couple hundred pages. It's getting to the point where I contemplate skipping every fifty pages to see if I would even miss anything important.

      Oh yes, yes. I'm just ranting about my problems with the book. Sure, there are some good points too. It's all the same stuff as the first two books. Novik writes well, she has a strong understanding of how to write characters and hidden emotions, and etc.

      At first I had also written off the battles because the fighting in the first two books were hardly interesting, being more about forced action and historical references. But surprisingly, I enjoyed most of the war scenes towards the end simply because they seemed to be contain more about strategy and decision making more than a mere battle. Unfortunately, dragon battle is just as ridiculous as it was in the first book. Similarly, the ending always seems to be a dragon-ex-machina and they mysteriously get out of an impossibly battle situation, no problem. Bah.

      Ultimately, I just can't get over the problems that seem to be growing in size. Or maybe I just have a magnifying glass glued to my eyes as I read the book, who knows.
      Or maybe it's because I'm reading this series one right after the other without much pause - and maybe Novik's slow paced books need a year in between so you can build up the patience to read through it without wanting to slam your head on the wall because the story moves so slowly.
      Who knows.

      Regardless, two and a half stars, because it is strong writing. Rounded down because I am so frustrated. Might round up later if I'm feeling less annoyed later, but I doubt it.
      I don't think I will pick up the next book. Maybe not for another year and I build up the curiosity of what happens next. Maybe.
    • 4/5
      I do enjoy this alternate history series in which the Napoleonic Wars are fought using dragons. This is the third book in the series and takes us from China to Istanbul to Austria and finally to Danzig on the North Sea. I listened to this book and the previous one because they are narrated by Simon Vance who does a superb job.Temeraire and his captain, William Laurence, were ordered to proceed to Istanbul from China to pick up 3 dragon eggs from the Turkish sultan. Since their transport ship needed extensive repairs before it could go to sea, Temeraire and his crew decide to fly overland to istanbul. The courier who brought the orders, Tharkey, agrees to guide them across the deserts they must cross as he has made the crossing a number of times. Various dangers ensue but they do eventually make it to Istanbul in company with a group of feral dragons they met in the mountains of Turkestan. More problems with getting the dragon eggs, not the least of which is the white dragon Lien who has vowed to destroy everything Temeraire holds dear. Lien has aligned herself with Napoleon specifically to do so. A rousing finish to the book ensures that I will soon be returning to this series.
    • 4/5
      The third book in the Temeraire series. When we last left Lawrence and Temeraire, they were in China making peace with the Emperor. Suddenly, they are urgently summoned back to England via Istanbul, where they are to pick up three valuable dragon eggs the British have purchased. They decide to travel over land, having many adventures along the way, and then get caught up in that whole Napoleonic War thing.I found most of the book to be a bit dull (traveling through deserts, nearly running out of food, etc.), but the ending was very thrilling. As usual Temeraire brings both humor and insight to the otherwise period-heavy writing through his misunderstanding of and frustration with human society.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      ****Third in the Temeraire series; spoiler alert for the first two books, His Majesty's Dragon and Throne of Jade****Will Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire, are suddenly recalled from China by orders from the aerial corp: they are to return by way of Turkey to pick up dragon eggs that Britain sorely needs in their fight against Napoleon. But of course, nothing is ever straightforward in war and political machinations between nations. Meanwhile, Lien is still enraged by her prince's death and is plotting revenge on Temeraire.I'm continuing my reread of the earlier Temeraire books in an attempt to get caught up on the series, and am thoroughly enjoying revisiting these stories. I read and listened to this one in turns; the audiobooks are read by Simon Vance and excellently so. Perhaps because the majority of the book is a journey (just like the second) or because it was drawn out over several weeks while I listened, I don't like it quite as well as the first two books. The story continues to develop the characters and shows Laurence's evolving views on the treatment of dragons as he and Temeraire continue their travels and conversations.
    • 4/5
      Here we pick up with Laurence and Temeraire who are still in China. They have been granted permission to stay together as captain and dragon. Shortly though they receive word that they must go immediately to get 3 dragon eggs. This book follows their progress through the wilderness with a guide that seems to be coming and going and likely betraying them. They meet up with some feral dragons who Temeraire talks into coming with them. They lose some gain the eggs and leave quickly since they had to steal them because the others were going back on their word. Then they meet up with Prussians and are forced to aid them in their war with the French.

      I like this series and the development of the story as well as Temeraire's character. He is a good thoughtful and funny dragon. The ease of his sense of things makes for some comical conversations and I can completely see Laurence's reactions with how well the descriptions are written. My only complaint is the pace of this book. They were going and then stopping and going and stopping. There was so much time spent waiting and after all the waiting in Empire of Jade I got a little bored with it. Still I stuck through it and was rewarded with great writing and a good story. This is the third in the series. The other titles are:

      His Majesty's Dragon
      Throne of Jade
      Black Powder War
      Empire of Ivory
      Victory of Eagles
      Tongues of Serpents

      So i can't wait to move onto Empire of Ivory and see where this story takes me to next!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in a set of nine novels in a series set during the English/French Napoleonic Wars, with each side mustering aerial forces made up of dragons and their navigational teams.The saga is centered on the dragon Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence. At the end of the first book, they discovered that Temeraire is not an Imperial Dragon as they thought, but a Celestial, one of only nine in the world. Laurence and Temeraire traveled to China to establish the legitimacy of their relationship, and a diplomatic compromise was achieved. In this book, the two head back to Britain, but take an overland route because of the urgent matter of some dragon eggs about to hatch in Istanbul. Laurence hires a guide, Tharkay, of questionable character, and along the way they also pick up some questionable feral dragons as companions. Both men and beasts prove to be better than anyone thought, however, and they are all pressed into service to help the Prussian campaign against Napoleon.
    • 4/5
      The third book featuring Novik's unique mashup of Napoleanic War tales and dragons, Black Powder War sees Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire leaving China and making their way overland to Istanbul to take charge of 3 dragons eggs purchased by the British government. The journey is rough, their guide is questionable, and Laurence struggles daily with an incredibly intelligent dragon who has little respect for any authority that isn't his and who has begun to wonder at the way dragons are treated by humans.

      I'm really loving this series. I should have picked it up years ago, but somehow I didn't. Clearly, I'm an idiot. Novik goes out of her way to ground these books in gritty, historical reality and to integrate dragons into her world as realistically as possible.

      But as fascinating as the realism is, Novik's real gift is for characters, from Laurence, very much a man of his times who is being forced to confront the validity of many of his beliefs about the way things ought to be, to Temeraire, an extremely powerful adolescent with a curious mind and a loyal heart. The other characters, human and dragon alike, are memorable and well-drawn.

      If adventure stories are your thing, you'll love the battle scenes and various shenanigans the characters get up to and you'll forget that the dragons aren't supposed to be there. If historical fiction is what you look for, you'll love the rich detail of London, China, the Ottoman Empire and daily life for a soldier in wartime. And if dragons make your heart go pitty-pat, you've simply got to meet Temeraire and Volly and Lien and the rest.
    • 4/5
      3.5
      My review of this Black Powder War is very much the same as Throne of Jade. I adored His Majesty's Dragon, but though I still enjoyed the writing, characters and world building of these latter books, the continued shift toward the war and politics as the primary focus of the story bored me. Plus, the fact that the books all seem to end without conclusion is annoying. I'm just not willing to dedicate myself to 5 more books in the hope of an ending. And that's if the 8th book, published just this year, is an actual conclusion, as opposed to just the most recent book with more to come. So having reached the last page of my third 300 book in the series I am calling it quits.

      Again, the voice of these characters is wonderful. Novik has really created very detailed draconic strata based largely on dragon size and ability. There is a lot of subtle humour and history is deftly merged with fantasy. So for the right reader this is probably a full-on five star book, as book one was for me. I, however, can't drag my rating up that high for something I wasn't less disappointed in.
    • 5/5
      I am a fan of well written military, historical fiction and (well written nonfiction). I also enjoy fantasy. And I adore horses. I have to wonder if the author gets many of her dragon character ideas from horses and various cavalry references. These stories and characters delight me beyond what I can express.
    • 4/5
      I read the first two books in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series back in 2007 and then in 2011. As you can probably deduce by the 4 year gap between reading the first and then bestirring myself to read the second, the series did exactly take me by storm. Oh they were a pleasant enough read, to be sure. But I feel that the concept – warfare on dragonback decked out like warships in the Napoleonic era – was stronger than its execution. The third book lay in my ever-growing tbr pile until the desire to read some light fantasy prompted me to pick it up many years later.But I must say this particular installment in the series I enjoyed immensely. Perhaps it is partially a result of the long hiatus from reading, but I found myself really taking to the Regency-era dialogue and for the first time appreciating that aspect of the series which has come to be known as a ‘fantasy of manners’.The adventure side of things was also exciting. The journey from China to Istanbul, across Central Asia was entertaining enough, but the final act set in a Prussia at war with Napoleon was gripping stuff and as excitingly written as any military historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      The Napoleonic Wars with dragons series continues with this third entry and sees the dynamic duo of Temeraire and Laurence leaving China with the rest of the crew when they receive orders to collect three dragon eggs from their Turkish allies. Seemingly a strange request as there would surely be others closer and time is a pressing concern in the matter as at least one of the eggs is near hatching. Having to take the overland route a guide is hired to see them through troublesome region though not without misgivings to his trustworthiness. It also seems that Lien, the dragon left bereft of her captain in the previous book, is travelling in the same direction and may plan to make trouble for them along the way. After various travails they end up being slap bang in the middle of the Prussian campaign. Can Temeraire’s influence turn the tide against the French or will Lien’s interference only hasten the ongoing march of Napoleon’s armies?This is a decent continuation of the series but it’s not a great one. There is a sense of stop-start that pervades this book which seems a consequence of the events in which the characters find themselves embroiled. The world building continues to be good and there are some interesting additions to the cast that will hopefully continue to be utilised in future novels. There’s a lot of loose ends left at the conclusion to this book and I’m pleased that there is still enough interest for me to be continuing with the series at some point.
    • 3/5
      I took a long time getting through this book for some reason. Sometimes you just get into moods right. I think that was the case here because there is not anything in particular at fault with the book that caused the drawn out reading. The language is little more formal than most of what I read but that makes sense as it’s partially historical and more authentic as a result. The pace is pretty “patient” as one review puts it, as well. The book has plenty of action to it, but it’s not the action that keeps me up at night reading it. I knew the series wasn’t only three books long so the ending didn’t surprise me like it seemed to do for some readers. I think there’s at least four more books out and that might not even be the end. I am looking forward to the next book to see what happens. This one will just be the lower rated one in the series for me.
    • 4/5
      And on to the third in the Temeraire series. The story picks up close on where the last left off, with our scaly hero in China – until his captain, Will Laurence, receives orders to go pick up three dragon eggs from Istanbul. The orders raise questions: for one, why them, when there are dragons closer? But an order is an order, and haste is required if, as they come to understand, one of the eggs is not far from hatching, and Laurence scrambles together his crew, leave behind their transport ship, find a guide who will hopefully be reliable, and head off. These books – as I'll probably repeat if I get around to reviewing the other two – are quintessential Boys' Own Adventure Stories. Action! Adventure! Battle! Dragons! Exotic locales, fierce fighting, loyal crews struggling against a worthy foe, surprise enemies and surprise allies – it's like something Robert Louis Stevenson might write. If he'd written about dragons. In this one, though, the nonstop action begins to become repetitive. Laurence just can't catch a break, and it starts to get a little old, to be blunt. I've always ground my teeth a little through the movies and books where Our Hero gets shot and beaten up and hit by a car and blown up and thrown out a window and beaten up again, till at the end he's limping and hugging broken ribs and only seeing out of one eye and covered with blood – but he still kicks the bad guys' butts! 'Cause he's the Hero! Okay. This is a bit like what happens to Laurence. In every book. And when it's not Laurence being hurt it's Temeraire. And when they're not being hurt they're being tangled thoroughly in bureaucratic red tape. Taken here and there and now and then these are fun books. Read one after another, they tend to become repetitive.
    • 4/5
      I had to read Black Powder War very fast, as it was due back to the library today and I only finished the previous book in the series yesterday. It wasn't a chore, though. The pacing was better than the second book in any case, and it's very easy to just sink into it and enjoy the world. There was one stretch where it did drag a little, and I took a break, but considering I read it in three stretches of about 100 pages each, that's not saying much. That part was a bit too concerned with the military side of it, which I don't enjoy as much, prioritising that over the characters. For the most part, though, I loved it.

      I like that Novik doesn't rest on her laurels at any point: having introduced a new theme, she keeps with it, and throughout this book Temeraire continually brings up the idea of dragons having freedom, even though there can be no real resolution to this right away. And new things are always introduced, with Laurence and crew having to transport the dragon eggs. I was very pleased to see Granby rising in the world a little, although I shared Temeraire's qualms about it all of a sudden. I hope we don't end up seeing less of him now that he's risen in the world somewhat.

      I also enjoyed the introduction of Tharkay and the feral dragons, and I certainly hope we see more of them. We didn't learn that much about Tharkay, and it'd be a shame to waste such an enigmatic, useful character. I don't know precisely what Novik can do with him from here, but I hope it's something! Arkady and the rest of the feral dragons were fun characters, and I hope they weren't simply dei ex machinis. It doesn't seem like Novik's style, but we'll see.

      One thing I did feel the lack of in this book was strong female characters. With Captain Harcourt and Jane Roland, the first book had some strong females, and they were present at the beginning of the second book at least, but in this third book, I don't think there was any real female intervention. Emily Roland isn't mentioned much, if at all! Of course, there's the woman who brings British gold from the treasury to show the British, but she has barely more than a token appearance: strong actions as a woman, especially considering the context, but still not much of it. I hope there are more female characters again in the next book.

      Something I enjoy about the story as a whole is the focus on realism. Which is really odd, given that it's speculative fiction, but I enjoy the worries over the harness, the worries over the crew, the fighting conditions, the little things that make it that bit more real. And things like dragons being longer-lived than humans, and the captainship being hereditary. It's also interesting that dragons need crews much like ships. I don't think I've ever read a book where dragons had more than one rider. Another good thought, considering the supposed size of them, which shows this is more than just "yay dragons!" and actually a book that's had a lot of thought put into it.

      I also enjoy the alternate history angle, and I get the sense it's been well thought out, although of course, I know very little about Napoleon and the problems of those wars. What I do know comes from War and Peace and/or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell! Not something I really have much factual knowledge about, though War and Peace isn't to be sniffed at, with all the references it made to the war part of it and this treaty and that battle... It'd take a better history scholar than me to tell you about the accuracy of the elements that are similar, but it feels right to me -- aside from the dragons, of course.
    • 4/5
      Still a rollicking Napoleonic adventure, with dragons!
    • 4/5
      Gets depressing towards the end but still very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Man I love this series! Temeraire is so amazing! I am freshly amazed at the inovative idea of dragons and how they are looked at in these books! Great read...can't wait to start Empire of Ivory!
    • 5/5
      This series is just irreversibly awesome. After spending a whole book in China exploring cultural attitudes and expectations (and turning Temeraire into a raving revolutionary), we now crawl all the way back across the continent, with a brief stopover in Istanbul, just in time for the disastrous Prussian campaign of 1806. Disastrous for Prussia, that is. Bonaparte was kicking ass and taking names, and Novik does a great job of portraying the situation - you can really understand why everyone was so convinced that Bonaparte was going to take over the world. (But now we come to the problem with historical fantasy: these battles are going to stick in my head, despite the fact that I know perfectly well that Bonaparte did not really have a Chinese dragon assisting him with his aerial strategy. Although if one had been available, I'm sure he would have happily taken her advice.)

      There's some more lovely character development in Black Powder War as well, as Granby gets to take more of a central role and Laurence grows more sympathetic to Temeraire's cause (and even without reading the summaries for later books, I could tell you that is going to get him in trouble one of these days). We're also introduced to Tharkay, the half-English/half-Nepalese guide who leads Temeraire and crew back across the Himalayas and into Turkey; Arkady, the leader of a pack of feral dragons; and my favorite, Iskierka, the newly-hatched fire-breather. (I love the baby dragons; they're so enthusiastic.)

      This series reminds me very strongly of both the Sharpe and the Aubrey/Maturin series (and what greater praise I could give it I don't know), not only in setting but in the episodic way the stories are told. There are definitely character arcs holding them all together, but the different situations the characters find themselves in means that the tone can shift quite rapidly - from, for instance, the explorer-adventure feel of the Himalayan crossing to the awful depressing repetition of the Prussian war, all in one (relatively short) book. It makes them a little hard to review, but tremendous fun to read.
    • 3/5
      I'm still enjoying this series, but I think the spark, that initial sense of magic and wonderment I first felt when I read His Majesty's Dragon, has faded.I believe the ongoing war against Napoleon and the action-filled aerial dragon battles are meant to be the focus and highlight of these books, and that unique premise certainly sets this series apart from much of the other fantasy offerings out there. But if I'm to be completely honest, while reading this third book, I found myself constantly fighting the urge to skim over the fight scenes.It's not that I don't find them well-written or interesting; but for me the best part has always been the forming and strengthening of the bond between Lawrence and Temeraire. That was what made His Majesty's Dragon a five star read for me, but it was even obvious by the end of that first book in the series that the captain and his dragon would be loyal to the death to each other and inseparable.There's nowhere else for that relationship to go, and so we are left with their debates regarding the treatment and rights of dragons as the only source of tension between them, if that could even count as a conflict. I'm looking forward to see where this thread will take us as I continue with the series, but it still pales in comparison to that fascinating dynamic they had in the first book.
    • 3/5
      in this one the historical pageant more or less swallows the narrative, and the characters. not her best effort.