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Black Powder War (The Temeraire Series): 3 Paperback – 6 Aug. 2007

by Naomi Novik (Author)

221 ratings

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Naomi Novik’s stunning series of novels follow the adventures of Cpt Laurence and his dragon Temeraire as they travel from the shores of Britain to China and Africa.

Before Captain Will Laurence can prepare his crew for the slow voyage home from China, new orders arrive for him and his dragon, Temeraire: they must fly home immediately, stopping only in Istanbul to collect three priceless dragon eggs, purchased by the British government from the Ottoman Empire.

But the cross-continental journey is fraught with danger; not only will they have to scale mountains and traverse vast hostile deserts, but a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political menace in her wake. Holding Temeraire responsible for the death of her princely companion, Lien has absconded from China consumed by vengeance. If she can, she will destroy everything and everyone Temeraire loves.

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Product details

ISBN-10 : 9780007219179
ISBN-13 : 978-0007219179
Paperback : 370 pages
Product Dimensions : 12.9 x 2.36 x 19.71 cm
Publisher : Harper Voyager (6 Aug. 2007)
ASIN : 0007219172
Language: : English

Best-sellers rank 252,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
934 in Science Fiction Alternate History
1,188 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
1,898 in Myths & Legends

Customer reviews:
221 ratings

Product description

Review

‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart’
Peter Jackson

'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

‘Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy of the first order’
Sunday Sport

Book Description

Soar on the wings of adventure...

Synopsis

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. Before Captain Will Laurence can prepare his crew for the slow voyage home from China, new orders arrive for him and his dragon, Temeraire: they must fly home immediately, stopping only in Istanbul to collect three priceless dragon eggs, purchased by the British government from the Ottoman Empire. But the cross-continental journey is fraught with danger; not only will they have to scale mountains and traverse vast hostile deserts, but a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political menace in her wake. Holding Temeraire responsible for the death of her princely companion, Lien has absconded from China consumed by vengeance. If she can, she will destroy everything and everyone Temeraire loves.

From the Back Cover

Soar on the wings of adventure...

Before Captain Will Laurence can prepare his crew for the slow voyage home from China, new orders arrive for him and his dragon, Temeraire: they must fly home immediately, stopping only in Istanbul to collect three priceless dragon eggs, purchased by the British government from the Ottoman Empire.

But the cross-continental journey is fraught with danger; not only will they have to scale mountains and traverse vast hostile deserts, but a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political menace in her wake. Holding Temeraire responsible for the death of her princely companion, Lien has absconded from China consumed by vengeance. If she can, she will destroy everything and everyone Temeraire loves.

About the Author

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.

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Customer reviews

5 star		66%
4 star		21%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Slow-paced but still a joy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 January 2017

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Temeraire and Laurence are becalmed in Macau when new orders arrive, bidding them hasten to Istanbul to collect much-needed eggs. They have a desperate choice: dare the dangerous overland route or go by sea and risk arriving months too late for the hatching. Will they make it in time?

This isn't a book you can jump into if you haven't read previous instalments - at this point the series is happily chugging along under its own steam, and much of the joy comes from the developing characters and relationships. Like Throne of Jade, Black Powder War is another episodic adventure, but the decision to chance the Silk Road is an opportunity to explore the world rather than delve into politics and personal relationships at sea.

Needless to say, Novik delivers epic world-building, with feral dragons, marauding tribes, the glories of imperial Istanbul and eventually a depressingly realistic depiction of the Prussian war (mud, marching and disappointments). While this novel covers a lot of ground, it does so in looping meanders from a plot perspective, lending it the feel of treading water.

As usual, there's enormous delight to be had in the relationship between Will and Temeraire (and Will and Granby); and in Will's regular need to (happily successfully) confront long-held prejudices. Still, it was the addition of two fabulous young ladies that rescued the otherwise turgid second half of the book for me: the intrepid Sara Maden in Istanbul and the feisty young fire-breathing dragonet Iskierka who - inevitably - hatches at the worst possible time.

The slow pace makes this my least favourite instalment to date, but there's still more than enough joy to keep me excited about the series.

2 people found this helpful

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Another good entry in the Temeraire world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2018

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So we start off pretty much where we left off in the previous book, with Lawrence and Temeraire ready to depart back to England. A very convenient fire followed by a letter sets the scene with our protagonists having to travel back overland through China, the Middle East, Turkey and then Austria and Germany (Prussia) where they are again swept up in the fighting against Napoleon. Like the previous book the first half seems more like a travelogue until we arrive back in Europe and we get caught up in the Prussian campaigns where we are back to battles and armies.

I think that if I hadn't read this straight after book two I would have enjoyed it more. Everything that I enjoyed in the first two books is still here but I found it a bit harder to get involved. From now on I think I'm going to space these out more as though there is an ongoing story, each book can work as a standalone, at least so far. I found the travelogue part not as interesting this time around though it definitely picked up once we got back to Europe. I'm still liking the dichotomy of people and dragons in our world and the series is shaping up to show how the world will change if dragons are afforded equal rights with humans. Anyway still enjoying this series though I'll probably take a breather before moving on to the next one.

Comment

Very addictive third instalment

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 January 2012

Verified Purchase

In this third of the series, we follow Laurence and the wonderful Temeraire through three stages of their adventures: their overland journey back from China which becomes diverted via Turkey; their enforced stay in the Sultan's palace in Istanbul; and their participation in the Prussian wars against Napoleon.

Parts of this book are a trifle slow if you're looking just for fast-paced adventure, but the last part more than makes up for that as Temeraire is thrust back into battle. I really liked the earlier parts, however, as we see Temeraire and Laurence under strain. The impact of China hasn't left either of them and Temeraire's innocent intentions of emancipating dragons is a nice sub-text to the main plot.

I love this series, and really enjoyed this instalment, especially the addition of new dragon characters to Temeraire's circle. I find these books acutely addictive so you might well want to have the next one ( Empire of Ivory ) handy for the moment you finish this.

Comment

Loving these books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2020

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I really like both fantasy novels and historical ones, so this series seemed to be a perfect fit and I have not been disappointed. A simple premise (that dragons exist and always have done) set within the era of Napoleon and the age of exploration.
I've been buying these on both Audible and Kindle so that I can continue the story wherever I am. Brilliant.

Comment

Mrs. M. I. Coles

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2020

Verified Purchase

The only problem with this book is that following on from the previous two and having finished Book 3 I am now starting Book 4. The main thing that appeals in this series is although you follow the main characters I like the wide diversity of the plots in each book.

Comment

Very slow and disappointing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2010

Verified Purchase

I did enjoy the previous Temeraire books but felt this one was disappointing. There was very little action throughout and I found the battles quite dull - ie Temeraire helps them out with formations but you are not informed what he actually tells them to do.
I'm unsure if I will read any others in this series - maybe if I can find them in a library but doubt I will buy any more and will probably sell the ones I have as I don't think I would every read them again.
I am sure people will think this a well written classical style novel but there really isn't anything different or exciting going on. Anne McCaffrey may not be an esteemed writer but she is much more entertaining - read her dragon novels instead.

One person found this helpful

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NotAnotherFieryRedhead

An average third book in the series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2015

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Finding this a decidedly average series as it goes on, not quite living up to the first book. I want to like it, and there are parts of it that I really enjoy, but there are also long sections that are a bit dull. This novel was had a few too many journeys and too little action to be quite as thrilling as the first book, despite having such a novel relationship between the lead characters (human captain and dragon).

One person found this helpful

Comment

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2014

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Real edge of the seat stuff, excellently written. I particularly like the mix of period detail with the fantasy, and the archaic flow of speech - exactly how they would have spoken then. The mix of fighting dragons in the historical setting of the Napoleonic wars is a stroke of genius. I have bought the entire series and am enjoying them immensely (and reading them back-to-back). Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

Comment

Top reviews from other countries

Angie

Enjoyable

Reviewed in Australia on 30 May 2018

Verified Purchase

While still very enjoyable, I found this book a little slower than the first two in the series. I enjoyed the Laurence / Tharkay sub-plot and the burgeoning relationship between Temeraire and Iskierka, but felt the chapters dealing with the Prussian war dragged a little. I have read the first three books in quick succession, so potentially there is also an element of over exposure. I will definitely return to the series in a month or so and I am looking forward to what happens with Temeraire's return to England.

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Nola

Another engrossing Temeraire adventure

Reviewed in Australia on 10 September 2014

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Naomi Novik does it again with another engrossing and exciting Temeraire book. If you enjoy highly entertaining storytelling, love to meet characters who develop over time as they grow in your affections, then this series is for you.

In volume 3, Temeraire and Laurence undertake the long overland journey from China to Europe via Turkey, where they had been urgently ordered to pick up certain valuable dragon eggs and return them to Britain. Political circumstances have changed before their arrival, however, and the Turkish government now refuses to hand over the eggs. Their intransigence forces Laurence into a perilous adventure to retrieve them, from which they only manage to escape into an even more dangerous situation as Temeraire and his crew blunder into Napoleon's campaign against Prussia in time to be dragooned into the great battle of Jena. Towards the end, we meet a new and important character after the Kazilik dragon Iskierka emerges early from her egg. Iskierka is a delightful creation who provides the source of a rich vein of laugh-out-loud comedy in this and later books.

There are some beautiful lyrical passages of writing in this book, as well as excellent plot construction and development. Sometimes conveying the length of the journey or the detail of a campaign can slow the pace a little, but that is a minor criticism. Any apparent slowness is usually resolved after a couple of pages, and in many cases incidents occur which resonate, either in terms of new characters or events, in later novels. A far more major criticism is of the poor editing that mars these otherwise wonderful stories. While I have given "Black Powder War" 5 stars, as I have done for all the other novels in this series, I should nevertheless warn anyone for whom sloppy and unprofessional editing is a real turn-off to buy or borrow the printed books instead. I have a lot of Kindle books and these consistently boast the worst editing/proof-reading that I have ever seen. If I were reviewing with that element in mind, I would give all the Temeraire novels 1 star. However, Novik's remarkably sustained and delightfully imaginative tour-de-force hardly merits such treatment because of the faults of others, so I have resisted the temptation. Try not to let it detract from your enjoyment.

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M. Kleiber

The saga continued

Reviewed in Canada on 21 June 2014

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Unfortunately although I love stories about dragons, I dislike war stories, so for me there was too much emphasis on war and killing, and i had to plod through the story to find the parts I like. I also find it frustrating to have to have so much interference by the upper ranks in the day to day operations of any group. Like bureaucrats everywhere who are usually short sighted, I disliked so much time spent on the problems they created in this book. Just not my thing.

One person found this helpful

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Jaime Ferrer

JF

Reviewed in Spain on 14 February 2016

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I have really enjoyed the collection so far, except for 1 or 2 chapter so far, it is very well written and thought out. The only way I think it could've been a little bit better, is this it would've stuck to the actual Napoleonic wars a little bit more, to get the historical background through literature

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javelinx

A little depressing

Reviewed in Germany on 7 August 2007

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Novik delivers another masterpiece in her unique blend of naval historical fiction and dragonlore à la McCaffrey. The story is quick-paced and full of new adventures and unforeseen developments and kept me reading long into the night. Book three has lost nothing of its momentum and clever storytelling; nonetheless, I liked the first two better, which is simply a matter of taste. While before, there was always a note of juvenile playfulness and a positive outlook in spite of all obstacles in the development of Temeraire and his association with Will Laurence, now their prospects are growing grim and grimmer. After being treated like royality in China, Temeraire and his crew are now conscripted by the Prussians - in spite of their rather urgent mission of transporting three dragon eggs to Britain before their hatching - and have to endure doomed battles, hunger and deprivation, and the personal enmity and revengefulness of Lien, who has allied with Napoleon.
Of course this is well in accordance with the historical precedents before Napoleon`s final defeat, and there is nothing wrong with the storytelling.
I would look forward to book 4 rendering more hopeful prospects, but the preview gives little hope for that; still, I can hardly wait to get it in my hands and start reading. I hope also that it will not be the last in the series.

2 people found this helpful

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