Book description
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. ''Novik won me over with her first novel. the combination of
history, sympathetic characters, and an engaging style makes this series
great, intelligent fun.'
The Times
'Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention.
In short a treat.'
The Telegraph
'These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and
fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.'
Peter Jackson
'Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy
of the first order.'
Sunday Sport
'In the best tradition of fantasy, historical fiction and nautical novels.'
Guardian 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. Over
the course of a brief winter sojourn working on a game in Canada, she
realized she preferred the writing to the programming, and, on returning
to New York, decided to try her hand at novels. Temeraire is her first.
Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers. Her
website and livejournal are at www. temeraire. org.
