Temeraire Books in Order: How to read Naomi Novik’s series?

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks!

Written by American author Naomi Novik, the Temeraire series is a reimagining of the epic events of the Napoleonic Wars with an air force–an air force of dragons, manned by crews of aviators. The story follows Capt. Will Laurence who is serving with honor in the British Navy when his ship captures a French frigate harboring most unusual cargo–an incalculably valuable dragon egg. When the egg hatches, Laurence unexpectedly becomes the master of the young dragon Temeraire and finds himself on an extraordinary journey that will shatter his orderly, respectable life and alter the course of his nation’s history.

How to read the Temeraire Series in Order?

  1. Vici – Short story available in the anthology The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy. Set in Ancient Rome, it takes place long before the Temeraire books and doesn’t contain any spoilers about it.
  2. His Majesty’s Dragon – 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 future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle.
  3. Feast or Famine – A short story available online about dragons having their breakfast.
  4. Throne of Jade – 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.
  5. 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 born home before hatching.
  6. 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. An 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.
  1. Victory of Eagles – It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he 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 and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon’s foothold on England’s shores can become a stranglehold.
  2. 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 governor William Bligh-aka Captain Bligh, late of 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.
  3. Crucible of Gold – The French have invaded Spain, forged an alliance with Africa’s powerful Tswana empire, and brought a revolution to Brazil. With Britain’s last desperate hope of defeating Napoleon in peril, the government that sidelined Laurence swiftly offers to reinstate him, convinced that he’s the best man to enter the fray and negotiate peace. With the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, an old enemy appears and threatens to tip the scales toward ruin.
  1. Blood of Tyrants – Napoleon has turned on his former ally, the emperor Alexander of Russia, and is even now leading the largest army the world has ever seen to add that country to his list of conquests. It is there, outside the gates of Moscow, that a reunited Laurence and Temeraire-along with some unexpected allies and old friends-will face their ultimate challenge and learn whether or not there are stronger ties than memory.
  2. League of Dragons – Napoleon’s invasion of Russia has been roundly thwarted. Aware of his weakened position, the emperor has promised the dragons of every country-and the ferals, loyal only to themselves-vast new rights and powers if they fight under his banner. It is an offer eagerly embraced from Asia to Africa-and even by England, whose dragons have long rankled at their disrespectful treatment. But Laurence and his faithful dragon soon discover that the wily Napoleon has one more gambit at the ready-one that may win him the war, and the world.
  3. Golden Age and Other Stories – An anthology of 6 short stories with appearances of fan-favorite characters from the series and historical figures like the famed explorer Matteo Ricci.

If you like our article about the Temeraire reading order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also be interested in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *