Black Powder War (Temeraire, Book 3) (Temeraire) | 
 enlarge | Author: Naomi Novik
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 28788
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0345481305
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345481306
ASIN: 0345481305
Publication Date: May 30, 2006
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Product Description
“A splendid series.”
–Anne McCaffrey
“Naomi Novik has done for the Napoleonic Wars what Anne McCaffrey did for science fiction: constructed an alternate reality in which dragons are real in a saga that is impressively original, fully developed, and peopled with characters you care about.”
–David Weber, author of the Honor Harrington series
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 borne home before hatching.
Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn–thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master’s death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews...
 Just okay. August 16, 2008
I loved the first Temeraire book, Her Majesty's Dragon. Black Powder War fell a little short of my expectations. The story didn't regain any of its unique glory until the very end.
Warning, spoilers:
In Black Powder War, Laurence and Temeraire didn't have control over their own fate. Laurence would've lingered in China if not for urgent orders from England. He wasted weeks in Turkey as a prisoner, waiting around for Turkish leaders to stop stalling. Then he was conscripted in the Prussian army and just went along with it. He only deserted until it was either that or starve. It wasn't until the very end did Temeraire finally suggest carrying the Prussian army out of the fortress that Temeraire and Laurence had any real impact on the war.
Mostly, the book's theme centered around the incompetency of leaders in charge, particularly in Turkey and Prussia. Yet all Laurence and Temeraire did about it was complain and talk about dragon's rights. They still followed orders even though they were detrimental. It was hard to become emotionally involved when the main characters are saying the battle will be grim, and especially when the battle is not in their own country. Laurence and Temeraire could still go home if the battle was lost. It didn't feel like anything was at stake for them, and thus, the reader. I was actually starting to cheer for Bonaparte because at least he seemed intelligent.
Additionally, the characters were lacking in compared with Her Majesty's Dragon. Still nothing of our old favorites Jane, Maximus, and Lily. Althougth a few characters were introduced - Tharkay and the Queen of Prussia. Both were extremely interesting but we didn't get too many details about them. I had hopes Tharkay would become the captain of the new dragonet, to replace the hawk he lost in the avalanche. But it wasn't to be. Tharkay was the only character in control of his own destiny. He made decisions for himself and carried them out. He helped the war effort in many more ways than Laurence.
I'm hoping Empire of Ivory is much better than Black Powder War, which seemed like a filler story needed to get Laurence and Temeraire from China to Britain.
L-- and T-- meander across Asia and Europe July 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Black Powder War" is an alternate history novel, set in Europe and Asia at the time of the Napoleanic war. This novel continues where "Throne of Jade" leaves off with the (untrue) promise that this novel will focus on T--'s attempts to reform Brittish law concerning dragons. Instead, this novel follows L-- and T-- as they meander through a series of loosely related adventures across Asia and Europe. Along the way, they are confounded by new orders, frustrated by stupid managers, and delighted with new dragon friends.
This novel is fairly intersting and creative, and the new dragon friends absolutely delightful. My problem with this novel is that it doesn't deliver what was promised, doesn't really seem to go anywhere, and relies too heavy on the "stupid boss" theme. The reader is left at the end with another (untrue) promise that the next book will delve into T--'s attempts to reform Brittish law concerning dragons (it doesn't, either). The overall feel of the novel is "the continuing adventures of L-- and T-- as they meander through life", and it feels somewhat like an awkward middle child, mainly consisting of backdrop for future plot lines. The novel has all of the usual sequel problems -- the unique premises being conveyed in the first two novels, the third novel was left in a weaker position. Readers who prefer books with multiple sequels may disagree on this issue and should probably add one star to my rating.
"Black Powder War" is an entertaining read and pleasant escape, though perhaps not worth keeping on your shelf after. It will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Hero Strikes Back or Forged Without Fire: A Champion for Catlover or perhaps The Hawk Eternal (A Novel of the Hawk Queen).
Adventure and characters May 31, 2008
Novik has another hit on her hands with this book. The characters she has created continue to evolve and breathe a life of their own. Indeed, the reader's (and Capt. Lawrence's) understanding of dragons grows as we encounter more of them, as well as different types. This make sense as Lawrence had almost no knowledge, so we can learn together.
The story in this novel feels a little like the middle of the bigger story, staring at the end of one adventure and ending without great resolution. While this is not unexpected, a little more of a climax would have been nice.
That said, I truly enjoyed this book.
 Disappointing May 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I mostly liked the first book in the series, it was a unique setting for a Fantasy novel, and had some very likeable characters. The second book didn't have many of the characters I liked as Lawrence and Temeraire were stuck on a slow boat to China for most of the book and they left the others behind. It took a long time to get to the crux of the tale, which disappointed me somewhat, but I lived in hope it would get better. It did, but only at the last minute, and not in an especially satisfying way.
And so we get to book 3, and I have to say I didn't like this one at all. It was even slower than book 2, they wandered through the wilderness with a bunch of additional characters I didn't care one whit about. There are so many people on the Dragon crew I can't keep track of any of them - they're sometimes referred to by their last name, sometimes their first name, so I often got confused as to who each one was. This was particularly bad when one of them ended up in trouble, or dead, because I honestly didn't care about them anymore.
The plot, such as it was, didn't really have any strong thread through it more than "Let's get back home; why are you delaying me from getting home; I don't trust you, you shady character you; I am so very very angry at anything that is not strict 17th Century protocol; Oh, there's a war going on too, you nasty Napoleon!". Which isn't a plot so much as a series of unrelated incidents.
So I found it considerably less than satisfying, and really rather a mess. I won't be reading any more books in this series.
 Across Asia by Dragon May 2, 2008
After making a better success of their previous adventure Throne of Jade than they had any right to expect and having survived a mysterious shipboard fire that has crippled their transport (saved from total destruction only by Temeraire's clever invention of the dragon bucket brigade), he and Laurence are surprised by mysterious and urgent orders to proceed to Istanbul (arguably a mistake because the British should still be calling it Constantinople at this time) "without the loss of a Moment" to pick up 3 dragon eggs, purchased from the Ottoman Empire and return them to England.
With months of repairs required to restore HMS Allegiance to action and an even longer potential sea voyage from having to sail all the way around India and Africa, Laurence decides to go overland, mostly along the old Silk Road. With a chip-on-the-shoulder guide of questionable trustworthiness and a tagalong band of feral dragons enticed by Temeraire's tales of food aplenty, Laurence, Temeraire, and crew fight starvation, thirst, avalanche, and other assorted foes on the high road to Istanbul, hurried on by the disturbing news that their mortal enemy from the previous adventure, the albino Celestial Lien, is preceding them on their way.
Arrival in Instanbul provides no relief as their contact is dead, the payment is missing, the deal is off, and they gradually realize that they are being held prisoner. Desperate measures allow them to leap from this frying pan right into the fire of the Franco-Prussian Campaign of 1806.
Ms. Novik has provided another exciting entry in this increasingly interesting series; compared to these cascading crises, the outward journey seems a cakewalk! Temeraire continues to display the genius that makes Celestials royal advisors back in China; he'll be Lien's equal yet, just wait and see. Two new dragon characters, Arkady the wily feral leader and Izkierka the ferocious hatchling, and the deliberately infuriating mixed-heritage Tharkay make for a lot of fun and no little trouble. I particularly enjoyed the draconic explanation for the success of the French offensive (I'm embarrassed to admit that it reads more plausibly than the historical truth!) and the high tragedy and low comedy of the interruption of their retreat by a dragon hatching! The only nit I care to pick is to ask just what the Hell is the title Black Powder War supposed to mean? Titles don't seem to be Ms. Novik's strong suit as she admits that the cliched but IMHO still the best His Majesty's Dragon was imposed upon her.
I excitedly look forward to reading the rest:
Empire of Ivory and Victory of Eagles.
Note: if you find yourself intrigued by the idea of Napoleonic warfare with dragons, how about American Revolutionary warfare with dragons?
Dragon America
Or American Civil War naval action...
with magic?
Land of Mist and Snow
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