Black Powder War
Encyclopedia
Black Powder War is the third 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 dragon
s not only exist but are used as a staple of aerial warfare in Asia and Europe. The dragons of the story are portrayed as sentient
and intelligent, capable of logical thought and human speech. The series centers primarily on events involving Temeraire (the titular dragon) and his handler, William Laurence.
. There, they are to pick up a collection of three dragon eggs purchased by the British Government.
Led by a guide named Tharkay, the group survives ambush in the Central Asian deserts, befriends a pack of feral dragons in the mountains of Turkestan, and makes its way to Istanbul. Once there they face betrayal and must risk their lives to bring their precious cargo back to the British Isles. Between Istanbul and Britain, however, lies the Grande Armée of Napoleon who has allied with Lien (the albino Celestial dragon) and is on the march to conquer Prussia. Surrounded by enemies, betrayed by allies, the journey is bound with action and despair, hope and anguish.
Temeraire (series)
The Temeraire series of novels by Naomi Novik is composed of His Majesty's Dragon , Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory, Victory of Eagles, and Tongues of Serpents...
alternate history/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series by American author Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik is an American novelist. She is a first-generation American; her father is of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, and her mother is an ethnic Pole. She studied English Literature at Brown University, and holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from Columbia University...
.
The story is set during an alternate history version of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, in which dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s not only exist but are used as a staple of aerial warfare in Asia and Europe. The dragons of the story are portrayed as sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
and intelligent, capable of logical thought and human speech. The series centers primarily on events involving Temeraire (the titular dragon) and his handler, William Laurence.
Plot summary
In Black Powder War, Captain William Laurence and Temeraire - along with the surviving members of their crew - are ordered to make all haste and return from the mission to China to IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. There, they are to pick up a collection of three dragon eggs purchased by the British Government.
Led by a guide named Tharkay, the group survives ambush in the Central Asian deserts, befriends a pack of feral dragons in the mountains of Turkestan, and makes its way to Istanbul. Once there they face betrayal and must risk their lives to bring their precious cargo back to the British Isles. Between Istanbul and Britain, however, lies the Grande Armée of Napoleon who has allied with Lien (the albino Celestial dragon) and is on the march to conquer Prussia. Surrounded by enemies, betrayed by allies, the journey is bound with action and despair, hope and anguish.