Three Novels of Temeraire (His Majesty's Service - and Black Powder War)

First book was readable and engaging, but by the wranglings of the third book I'd lost interest. I'm still vaguely interested to find out what happened to the English friends left behind, but not enough to buy the next book.

Fantasy novels, see the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik.

I really love the first book in the series, "His Majesty's Dragon" about a flying/ intelligent/ talking dragon called Temeraire.

The books are set in slightly pre-Regency England, during the 20+ year long war with Napoleon.

Novik mingles a believable vision of the slightly pre-Regency era with the difference that in that world, flying dragons, used in the war against Napoleon, are the norm.

The first two books of the seven book series are by far my favorites. That is: "His Majesty's Dragon" and "Throne of Jade".....excellent and truly believable fantasy that sticks closely to it's historical era.

I highly recommend the first two, and then the remaining ones, which, while not as excellent as the beginning books, continue the story.

This is cotton-candy fantasy, but it's a well-done and engaging adventure story. The concept comes across as a bit gimmicky when you try to explain it to someone else -- Napoleonic wars plus dragons -- but the way that the addition of dragons is handled makes it feel relatively natural after a few chapters. The dragons, like ships of the line, have strategic benefits (aerial capabilities) and challenges (keeping them fed). In other words, the concept is well-done and convincing the vast majority of the time. The writing is good quality and reminiscent of a horatio hornblower story, and details seem largely consistent with time period and naval terminology. The main character gets increasingly vague (less strictly by-the-book) throughout the three novels, which might be character development except that nothing replaces the declining strictness, he just becomes a doll to hang the plot on. Occasionally the dragons seem a bit cartoonish in their characterization (temeraire, for essentially being a genius, still makes some endearing but inconsistent short-sighted comments), and sometimes there seem to be easier solutions not addressed in the plot, but overall it's a very engaging, easy-to-read set of novels. I would recommend it if you're in the mood for some fun fluff.

Imagine if the Napoleonic wars had been fought using an air force... of dragons.

That idea is the root of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- an alternate-history fantasy that explores the idea of a Horatio Hornbloweresque navy officer who suddenly finds a dragon uprooting his life. And in the first three books of her series, compiled in "In His Majesty's Service," Novik stretches credibility here and there, but her stories are a solid, intelligent, often amusing adventure story. Oh, and having seen the new omnibus edition, I would like to add that I only saw paperback copies.

"His Majesty's Dragon" enters the scene when Captain William Laurence's Reliant captures a French ship -- which turns out to have a dragon egg in its hold. And when the baby dragon hatches, it decides it wants Laurence and no other to be its rider. But accepting the dragon (now named Temeraire) means giving up his Navy commission and joining the Air Corps -- especially since Temeraire violently rejects the idea of accepting another rider. Both rider and dragon have a lot of learning to do. But as the bond between them grows and Temeraire grows rapidly to maturity, the Napoleonic Wars are raging -- and Temeraire's true power hasn't yet been shown.

And in "Throne of Jade," an ill-tempered Chinese prince demands that Temeraire be returned to the Imperial family. Temeraire and Laurence are having none of that -- and when they can't tempt away Temeraire, both dragon and rider are sent to China, along with the prince and his entourage. But the journey is full of storms and assassinations, and China turns out to be no less dangerous as Laurence learns of plot around Temeraire.

Having returned from China, Laurence and Temeraire don't even get to go home before being thrown into "Black Powder War." They're sent straight to Istanbul to pick up three dragon eggs sold to England by the Ottoman Empire -- only to deal with deal with wild dragons (who alone make the book worth reading) a treacherous Sultan, and the vengeful albino Celestial Lien.

Then there's a special short story unique to this omnibus -- the story of Lien's first weeks among Napoleon's forces, and her haughty disgust with everything about it (including the less refined European dragons, whom the generals want her to breed with). But she's determined to stick it out, so she can revenge herself for her prince.

The Temeraire series is what Christopher Paolini's books SHOULD have been -- a richly-drawn, intelligent series about the bond between a young man and his dragon. Novik still has some rough spots in her first three books ("His Majesty's Dragon" is rather short on plot, "Black Powder War" short on characterization) but they are undeniably fascinating meshes of what 19th century war would have been like if there had been dragons.

She conjures up a pretty fascinating world, giving dragons different breeds, quirks, biological features (they blast acid, fire, even sonic waves), and relationships with their riders (one poor little dragon whose rider treats him like a disposable vehicle). There's even some delving into dragon rights -- are the dragons being treated like slaves?

And despite long stretches of traveling over land and sea (often for months), Novik keeps it interesting with lush, detailed writing and some truly thrilling aerial battles aboard the vast dragons. On land, there's plenty of gentle comic relief ("I am afraid that some of them go there to drink, and keep low company." "Oh, you mean whores!") and lots of messy eating.

Temeraire and Laurence are a study in contrasts. The human is mannered, thoughtful and very tied to society's mores, while the dragon has a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, honesty and stubbornness (and frankly he's an adorable little dragon). There's also a colorful collection of supporting characters -- fellow Corps dragons Lily and Maximus, the malignant Prince Yongxhing, the mysterious Tharkay, and many others.

"In His Majesty's Service" is a solid trio of alternate history stories, with plenty of adventure, humour and a lot of lovable dragons. Definitely worth flying with.

I have just finished reading the first book, His Majesty's Dragon and my rating is at a four for now. I have never read anything about dragons so this was my first exposure to the sub genera. The story was a page turner for me, from the discovery of the egg to the first battle with the fighting adult dragon was an awesome adventure. Laurence and Temeraire's friendship grows as they train and Temeraire reaches adulthood but the books remaining populous tag along in a two dimensional world. None of the books supporting cast seem to be developed any further than an introduction unless something bad is going to happen to them. When a crew member dies during a battle, I found myself going back through chapters in an attempt to find out who they were only to discover that there was no prior mention of that person. I found myself hoping that I would get to know one particular dragon further only to discover that my hopes were in vain and the dragon will not return in other adventures.

The storyline is imaginative, descriptive, and fast paced. The history is well researched but I am in no way an expert in the Nepolianic era.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series and will be starting it today.

Throne of Jade: This series keeps getting better. The Chinese Emperor has laid claim to Tameraire and Laurence is forced to visit China in an attempt to keep his dragon. There is enough going on during this adventure to keep the pages turning. Murder attempts, gangs of murderous bandits, sea serpents and of course, dragons as well as an attack of a cold. It's on to the third book for me, I'll post more then.

Black Powder War:Laurence and Temeraire are called away from China to collect three eggs from Turkey, but nothing ever goes as planned does it? This was another fantastic journey in the lives of Laurence and Temeraire. I can no longer agree with my previous assessment of characters being two dimensional since the two following books seemed to have taken this into account. I will definitely be following along in the next volumes.

In His Majesty's Service contains the first three novels--His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade, and Black Powder War--in the Temeraire Series, currently at five novels, collected in a single volume. Each novel is quite short, so even in a single volume they are manageable (for comparison's sake, they remain dwarfed by The Way of Kings on my bookshelf). It also contains a new short story set in the same secondary universe.

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the series begins with a ship from the British navy, captained by William Laurence, capturing a French ship carrying a dragon egg. The egg was to be a gift to Napoleon from the Chinese emperor. A human-dragon bond must be built immediately, the egg is ready to hatch, and they are far from land, so Laurence is forced to become the dragon's captain (he names him Temeraire) and leave the navy for the British air force, which is populated entirely by dragons and their captains and crews.

There are really only two characters in the Temeraire books: Captain William Laurence and Temeraire, his dragon. Other characters aren't nearly as well drawn.

Novik does what any serious author of historical fantasy must do. That is, she gives great thought to what the full, logical implications of the introduced fantastical element would be. The much more informal culture of the English air force, or "Corps" as they are referred to colloquially in the book, offers a modern reader a less jarring prism through which to view the rest of England during the Napoleonic Wars. She also strives to represent English language and mannerisms of the day, as well as real-life events, accurately as well, largely succeeding.

His Majesty's Dragon
His Majesty's Dragon begins with the seizure of Temeraire's egg and follows his and Laurence's training in the British air force. Novik seems to taken some inspiration from fighter pilot movies. The structure of the story is the same: devoting the bulk of it to training, with a climactic fight at the end.

Throne of Jade
The Chinese emperor demands Temeraire back, and he and Laurence travel to China. The entire opening sequence strains even my credulity, but it does get better. There is again a shortage of action in the bulk of the book. The conflict before they reach China comes from diplomatic tension between the Chinese and English, and antagonism between the sailors and aviators.

Black Powder War
Black Powder War begins where Throne of Jade left off, with Laurence and Temeraire in China. Most of the book takes place in Turkey and Prussia. It is the most closely interwoven with the Napoleonic Wars of the three and features the first "on-screen" appearance of Napoleon. It has by far the most action of the three.

In Autumn, a White Dragon Looks over the Wide River
It is billed as an original Temeraire short story, but that is a bit of a misnomer, as Temeraire does not appear. It takes place during the events of Black Powder War and instead covers the first meeting of Temeraire's dragon nemesis and Napoleon.

I have a hard believing that anyone could buy this book without realizing that it's a collection of previously published books (with a new short story). If you did make that mistake, though, is that a legitimate reason to give the collection a bad review?

I hope people who read these reviews note that the one-star reviews are almost all from people who loved these books, but who didn't pay attention to the description and thought they were buying a new book in the series. These are wonderful books, but YES, this is a re-release of the first three books, NOT a new book, just like it says in the description, and on the cover. This new edition is really attractive and makes a great gift. The early books were never released in hardcover, so I hope all of them will eventually be re-released in collectible editions.

At first glance I thought it was a " Bond" type book! I must not have noticed that the cover shows the dragon. To my surprise it was a fantastic story about combat dragons used in the Napoleanic wars. I was totally absorbed in the story. The author gives very detailed descriptions but not so much where the reader starts to skip paragraphs or pages to move along. I was happy to learn the Peter Jackson ( Lord of the Rings) may turn this book into a movie. WOW......... Let your fantasy take flight

I had not had high hopes for any new fantasy genre books recently...they were all so wordy, went nowhere & beat you over head with extraneous, redundant nerdiness. Then I read this book: gasp! I was swept away within moments. I read for about an hour before I realized how much time had elapsed! I was that engrossed by the characters, the writing style & even the pseudo-historical background. I had just gotten a new Kindle & was delighted to find there are a lot of these books that will last me many months so I am quite happy to spend my free time reading this series! Yay!

Buy this book & read it. If you can't buy it, run to the nearest library & check it out IMMEDIATELY! It really is that good!

I own the SFBC version of this omnibus, titled "Temeraire: In the Service of the King", which I see is also the title given to an overseas edition.
I like her writing, but I have to admit I prefer my series fantasies to be more nearly (or completely) stand-alone. The whole premise, with its well-thought-out implications, and national/sub-species variations, is fascinating, and she puts together exciting events, but her main character never seems to reach even a moment of well-deserved contented relaxation.
Also, one minor quibble: I believe "temeraire" doesn't really mean simply "daring", it means "rash, reckless", which is hardly a trait to encourage, though it is at times true of dragons in general, including him in particular.

Could not put this book down! Recommended to me by one of my sons and my husband, I hesitated at first. But lacking another book I began the first few pages and I was hooked. Characters who are believable - even Dragons! - and personal interactions, plus fantastic battles and suspense, make this world fabulous. I studied military history in college, and this book validated my minor. Great job combining fantasy and Napoleonic Wars.

The first three books are probably the best in the series. Using dragons as intelligent, airborne weapons and cargo carriers makes for an interesting alternate history on the use of airpower before airplanes. Throw in commentary on social mores (e.g. women in the military in a male-dominated society) and how society might deal with another intelligent species (dragons) and you have enjoyable fantasy with ideas. The next several books in the series are also good, but when you get to the point where our heroes (human and dragon) are headed off to Australia, STOP and DON'T BUY, because Ms Novik by then has run out of inspiration and ideas.

It is important to understand that this book contains the first three volumes of the series. I actually read each book individually, but I read them one after the other. As of this date I have finished the entire series.

The characters are extraordinarily compelling. The story is unique and if you like history, particularly the Napoleonic era, it is fabulous. Norvik has a big imagination, but she has also wisely used a lot of common sense in how the situations unfold. All the chain of command and political issues that one would expect in a historical about this era are prevalent. When you add dragons to the mix, its even more intriguing. Temeraire, and the other dragons are wonderful characters. It will not be hard to suspend you disbelief at all. Dragons are intelligent, but they have their own natures and act accordingly. No character ever acts outside the bounds of their reality. This is often a problem with these sorts of books. People or creature do something that's just not realistic for their reality. Here, dragons are self absorbed creatures, concerned mostly about eating, treasure and their Captains and crew. Novik gives a good nod to the common mythology that of Dragons being great hoarders of cool shiny stuff. They have a bit of a magpie nature. But they are not just that. They love and they grieve and they hold vendettas. Some are, intelligent, not so intelligent, active, lazy, generous or greedy. In short, they are quite "human".

However, besides great story lines and characters, this series is rich with the broad themes of human or dragon rights, the nature of warfare and fair play, loyalty, and ethical moral conduct.
I like books which entertain me, but I particularly like ones which make me think. I enjoy the comparison between the true historical situation and the fantastical situation with dragons. It makes one look at parallels in current society.

Norvik manages to do all of this without preaching at us. She does it with humor, adventure and entertainment. So, if you want something out of the ordinary, if you want to chuckle quietly, and smile when you read, worry about the characters a bit because it is just not certain what might happen, then this is the book for you. It is an epic adventure!

It's obvious why Peter Jackson ( Lord of the Rings) has optioned the series. He likes epics with juicy characters and broad themes. I just hope he doesn't screw it up like so many directors do.

My recommendation is to read the series for yourself before any movie comes out. Norviks vision is tremendous. You won't be sorry.

I enjoyed these first 3 books in the series a lot. The story was a fun take on the Napoleonic wars and quite interesting how it all came about. I cared about the characters and had no complaints unlike the later books that became a bit more forumlaic. My only complaint is that as Temerraire aged, he continued to talk in 5th grade grammar. Yes, some of the dragons are not bright, but the short sentences and words get a bit annoying.

I recommend the first 3 books for a fun read.

Book 1: "His Majesty's Dragon" is excellent. Great characterization, plot, engrossing read. I decided to buy the book after reading the first few pages in the bookstore.
Book 2: "Throne of Jade" contains fewer actions than the first book, but still very fascinating. It was very creative of the writer to imagine how dragons in China would live as opposed to those in England. However, I did not find the ending very believable. Adoption by an imperial king? Impossible.
Book 3: "Black Powder War". I did not enjoy Book 3 and would only give it two stars. The latter part of the book was depressing and similar after a while (defeat upon defeat). The first part of the book was interesting, but so many questions left answered. How could Lien convince the Sultan to completely turn back on his promise so quickly? I was much more interested in the Tharkay character than the main character (Lawrence). Too bad the author didn't expand on Tharkay's story...what was the history with him and Sara? Why was he so bitter?

This was my first Kindle purchase and I really enjoyed reading this book. I have ordered the second book in the series but have not read it yet. Good lead into story and always keeps you reading so that you will know how the characters get to know each other and how they cement their relationship.

They both are learning thier craft as Temeraire is just hatching and Capt. Will Laurence is having to change professions and learn an entirely new was of life. Great entertainment.

I love that this book or books really are so creative. While I loved reading them, sometimes the way the characters spoke were confusing since the setting was fo far back in time. Is a great way to exercise the brain.

IMPORTANT: This is a complilation of the first three books in the series!
This is an excellent series, compelling, well written, with a fresh voice, set in an alternate history where dragons battle for the countries, in the early 1800s. The main character is a dragon, Temeraire, fresh to the scene, and it is a darn refreshing read!

I've been reading fantasy for many years now. Standard sword and sorcery stuff is great but it can get a little bland after a while. This series by Naomi Novik provides a breath of fresh air, letting you experience a different era that while fantastic, still feels very believable.

'In His Majesty's Service' arrived today, and it's a great replacement for our much-loved, worn-out paperback copies of the first three Temeraire books. Beautiful illustration on the dust jacket, and I like the new font for the text.

My 10-year-old son and I can't wait for book 6!

P.S. I hope books 4-6 will eventually be published in a single hardcover volume as well.

What can I say......all Novik's book are just wonderful. You get woven into them all....Once you get started you can't put it down. I had to buy all the series.....that was how good it was & would continue if she comes out with another sequel.. Don't want it to end!!

A fun read with the over tones of an epic! Well constructed charactors, plausable situations, well designed alternative world. A success, I recommend this author and title to anyone who wanted to ride a dragon!

Adventure by land, sea and air! Naomi Novik writes in a style that seems a cross of C.S.Forester, Jane Austen and Anne McCaffrey with a good dash of Bernard Cornwell. Her Characters are full and engaging, keeping you in the action and rooting for the heroes.

Normally I don't read novels, but this series was one I could not put down. There were moments of turmoil, sadness and those even comical. Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a great fictional action adventure book!

Just love this series-love the way dragons are portrayed and the very interesting historical take on this fantasy. As a european history major I really think it is well done, and as a fantasy lover it is great! Highly recommend.

i cannot believe all the good reviews for this book.i just about got through the first book and then i read a few books in between before i started the second book.well 4 chapters into it i decided i had enough.i hated laurence.he was a prissy annoyance.talking dragons omg.these are books for 10 year olds.unfortunatly,i bought all 7 books.deleted them from my kindle.thank god i used gift cards.

I love the whole Temeraire series. In fact, I've bought all of them for my Kindle. I pre-ordered and waited anxiously for this new book; I was really looking forward to Laurence and Temeraire in Australia. I did not read the description of the book before I ordered; so when I opened this new book yesterday, I felt very cheated. It is my own fault for not reading the whole description and learning that it was a compilation of books. It would make a good hardback collectible, but I don't collect hardbacks any more.

I was suprised to find that this book was nothing more than previously published and purchased novels I believe this author has already sold her books in several different bundlings and am disappointed to find this is the same money grubbing maneuver. I enjoy the series and carelessly ordered a new edition book that was actually a combo of books I already read. The cover does tells the story that it is three books but it was hard to read and I looked too forward to a sequel. Be careful.

to fidn that this book was noting more than previously published and purchased novels I beleve this author has already sold her books in several different bundlings and am disappointed to find this is the same money grubbing manouever.