Temeraire (series)

Last updated
Temeraire
Author Naomi Novik
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre
Publisher
Published2006–2016
Media type
No. of books9 (List of books)

Temeraire is a series of nine alternate history fantasy novels written by American author Naomi Novik. [1] The novels follow the adventures of Captain William Laurence and his dragon, the eponymous Temeraire, and reimagine events of the Napoleonic Wars with "an air force of dragons, manned by crews of aviators". [2] His Majesty's Dragon , the first entry in the series, won the Compton Crook Award in 2007 [3] and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel the same year. [4] Temeraire: In the Service of the King, an omnibus volume collecting the first three novels, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2007. [5] Temeraire was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2017. [6]

Contents

Novels

Additionally, Novik published two omnibus volumes collecting the first three novels of the series. Temeraire: In the Service of the King (2006) [10] won the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2007. [5] In addition the same first three books were published by Del Ray as In His Majesty's Service: Three Novels of Temeraire (2009). [11] This omnibus volume also includes the Temeraire short story "In Autumn, A White Dragon Looks Over the Wide River". [11]

In 2017, Novik published Golden Age and Other Stories, an anthology of Temeraire short stories inspired by fanart of the series. [12] [13]

Plot overview

The series revolves around William Laurence and his dragon Temeraire. Laurence is a captain in the British Royal Navy, serving in combat against Napoleon I's navy when he recovers a dragon egg unlike any other known to the British. The egg soon hatches, and Temeraire, a Chinese dragon, is born. Under the impression that an "unharnessed" dragon will become feral and unmanageable, Laurence becomes Temeraire's companion. Despite the difficulties this causes, Laurence begins to think of the dragon as his dearest friend. This forces a change in the officer's life, drawing him from the prestigious Royal Navy to the less desirable Royal Aerial Corps.

The remainder of the original trilogy follows the adventures of Laurence and Temeraire as they do battle with the forces of Imperial France and the diplomatic fallout caused by Captain Laurence's adoption by the Emperor of China.

The fourth novel, Empire of Ivory, deals with Laurence and Temeraire seeking a cure for a contagious disease introduced by a North American dragon, which spreads throughout the British dragons while Napoleon seeks to press his advantage. The fifth novel, Victory of Eagles, is the account of Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom, forcing a British retreat to Scotland, while Laurence faces the consequences of their treason in taking the cure for the illness to the French. The sixth novel begins within the penal colony of Australia (Laurence's death sentence for treason commuted to transport to the colony), and a chase across the continent to a sudden discovery that has far-reaching consequences.

The seventh book has Laurence returned to service and sent to South America in an attempt to secure an alliance with the Inca Empire (which still exists, though reduced, in the series timeline), then to Asia again. In the eighth book, Laurence is partially amnesiac due to injury as Temeraire and the crew deal with new intrigues in feudal Japan and Imperial China before flying to Russia in time to be involved in the French invasion of Russia.

Characters

Humans

Dragons

Cancelled film adaptation

In 2006, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Peter Jackson, best known for directing the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, had optioned the rights to the Temeraire series. Jackson stated that Temeraire "is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love—fantasy and historical epic. I can't wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That's what I go to the movies for." [14] On July 24, 2009, in an interview with IGN, Jackson said he had considered making a television mini-series instead; he was worried that if the first movie flopped at the box office, it would put the story at a full-stop and leave it incomplete. [15] On February 24, 2016, during Naomi Novik's Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit, Novik said the film rights had reverted to her once again, and there is no plan for any Temeraire film adaptation. [16]

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<i>His Majestys Dragon</i> Novel by Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon, published in the UK as Temeraire, is the first novel in the Temeraire alternate history/fantasy series by American author Naomi Novik. The story is set during an alternate-history version of the Napoleonic Wars, in which dragons not only exist but are used as a staple of aerial warfare in Asia and Europe. The dragons of the story are portrayed as sapient and intelligent, capable of logical thought and human speech. The series centers primarily on events involving Temeraire and his handler, Will Laurence.

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<i>Black Powder War</i> 2006 novel by Naomi Novik

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<i>Empire of Ivory</i> Novel by Naomi Novik

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<i>Victory of Eagles</i> Novel by Naomi Novik

Victory of Eagles is the fifth novel in the Temeraire alternate history/fantasy series by American author Naomi Novik. The series follows the actions of William Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire.

<i>Tongues of Serpents</i> Novel by Naomi Novik

Tongues of Serpents is the sixth novel in the Temeraire alternate history/fantasy series by American author Naomi Novik. This installment follows William Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire's adventures in Australia.

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<i>Crucible of Gold</i> Novel by Naomi Novik

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<i>Blood of Tyrants</i> 2013 novel by Naomi Novik

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<i>League of Dragons</i> 2016 novel by Naomi Novik

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<i>Spinning Silver</i> 2018 novel by Naomi Novik

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References

  1. ↑ "Uchronia: Temeraire Series". www.uchronia.net.
  2. ↑ "Temeraire: the official website of Naomi Novik". Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2006.
  3. ↑ "Compton Crook Award: Past Award Winners". Baltimore Science Fiction Society . Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "2007 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards . 9 August 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 "2007 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online . 16 June 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "2017 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards . 31 December 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Betsy Mitchell (June 22, 2011). "Posted Prologue: Crucible of Gold". Temeraire.org. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
  8. ↑ Novik, Naomi. "Naomi Novik official Facebook page". Facebook . Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Amazon listing. "League of Dragons Temeraire book 9". Amazon. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Temeraire: In the Service of the King (His Majesty's Dragon / Throne of Jade / Black Powder War). Science Fiction Book Club. January 2006. Retrieved 23 May 2021– via Amazon.
  11. 1 2 "In His Majesty's Service". NaomiNovik.com. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Speakman, Shawn (26 February 2017). "Announcing New Temeraire: Golden Age & Other Stories". NaomiNovik.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik". Publishers Weekly . 8 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Kit, Borys (September 12, 2006). "Lord of fantasy: Jackson eyeing 'Temeraire'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  15. ↑ Monfette, Christopher (24 July 2009). "SDCC 09: Peter Jackson Updates IGN". IGN . Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "AMA: Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted & the Temeraire series". Reddit . 23 February 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
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