Temeraire Books in Order

How to Read the Temeraire Series: The Recommended Order

If you are ready to soar into a world where the Napoleonic Wars are fought in the skies with massive, intelligent dragons, Naomi Novik's Temeraire series is a must-read. For the best experience, we recommend reading the main series in its publication order. The narrative is heavily serialized, following a continuous character arc and global military campaign. Skipping ahead or reading out of order will spoil major plot points, including character deaths, shifts in political alliances, and the evolving nature of the bond between humans and dragons.

Here is the recommended reading path for the main novels and where the short stories fit:

1. His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
2. Feast or Famine (2006) – Short story set between Books 1 and 2.
3. Throne of Jade (2006)
4. Black Powder War (2006)
5. Empire of Ivory (2007)
6. Victory of Eagles (2008)
7. Tongues of Serpents (2010)
8. Crucible of Gold (2012)
9. Blood of Tyrants (2013)
10. League of Dragons (2016)
11. Golden Age and Other Stories (2017) – Story collection to be read after the main series.

There is also a prequel short story, Vici (2011), which is set in the Roman Republic. While it chronologically comes first, it is best read after you are already familiar with the world, as it is a standalone historical curiosity rather than a direct prequel to Laurence and Temeraire's story.

The Main Novels: Book-by-Book Breakdown

1. His Majesty's Dragon (2006)

The series begins with His Majesty's Dragon (published simply as Temeraire in the UK). We meet Captain William Laurence, a straight-laced British naval officer who captures a French frigate containing a rare, unhatched dragon egg. When the egg hatches during the voyage home, the newborn dragon chooses Laurence as his companion, naming himself Temeraire. This accidental bonding forces Laurence to abandon his naval career and join the Aerial Corps—a military branch widely shunned by high society. Novik establishes the rules of her alternate Napoleonic era, blending rigorous naval traditions with the majestic scale of dragon flight.

2. Throne of Jade (2006)

In the second book, the British government faces diplomatic catastrophe. Temeraire is revealed to be a rare Chinese Celestial dragon, a breed highly prized and restricted to Chinese royalty. A delegation from China arrives in London, demanding the return of their national treasure. Laurence and Temeraire are forced to embark on a grueling, months-long voyage to the East. This installment shifts focus from military strategy to international diplomacy, exploring cultural differences and the growing realization that dragons in China enjoy far greater freedom, rights, and respect than their counterparts in Europe.

3. Black Powder War (2006)

Following their adventures in China, Laurence and Temeraire receive urgent orders to return to Europe. They must travel overland through Central Asia and the Ottoman Empire to transport three valuable dragon eggs purchased from the Sultan. Their journey is fraught with peril, including betrayal in Constantinople and a desperate stand alongside the Prussian army against Napoleon's advancing forces. Black Powder War showcases the global scale of the conflict and introduces key allies and enemies who will shape the rest of the series.

4. Empire of Ivory (2007)

Returning to Britain, Laurence and Temeraire find the nation in dire straits. A mysterious and highly contagious plague is sweeping through the British dragon population, rendering the nation defenseless against a French invasion. In a desperate race against time, Laurence and Temeraire lead an expedition into the heart of Africa to find a rumored cure. This volume takes a dark, philosophical turn, forcing the characters to confront the ethics of biological warfare and the colonial exploitation of the African continent.

5. Victory of Eagles (2008)

Following a moral choice made in the previous book, Laurence is branded a traitor, stripped of his rank, and separated from Temeraire. Meanwhile, Napoleon launches a successful invasion of Britain, forcing the remaining British forces into a desperate guerrilla campaign. Separated but driven by their bond, Laurence and Temeraire must find ways to fight back. This book features some of the most intense military action in the series, detailing the occupation of London and the massive effort required to repel the French army.

6. Tongues of Serpents (2010)

As punishment for his past actions, Laurence is exiled to the penal colony of New South Wales (Australia), accompanied by Temeraire and three dragon eggs. What begins as a quiet exile quickly turns into political intrigue, as they arrive in the midst of the Rum Rebellion. Forced to assist the colonial administration, they embark on an expedition across the Blue Mountains. This novel offers a change of pace, focusing on survival, exploration, and the challenges of building a new society on the frontiers of the empire.

7. Crucible of Gold (2012)

The British government, desperate for allies in the ongoing global war, offers Laurence and Temeraire a full pardon if they agree to a dangerous diplomatic mission to South America. They must secure an alliance with the Inca Empire to prevent Napoleon from gaining a foothold in the New World. The journey takes them to Brazil and the Andes, exposing them to the unique dragon-integrated society of the Incas, where dragons are revered as gods and hold political office.

8. Blood of Tyrants (2013)

Shipwrecked off the coast of Japan with no memory of his past, Laurence must navigate the secretive and isolationist society of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Meanwhile, Temeraire and their allies must search for him while preparing for a massive conflict in Russia. As Laurence slowly recovers his memory, the focus shifts to the brutal, freezing campaign of the Russian Winter, where Napoleon's grand army faces its ultimate test against the Russian forces and their unique winter-hardened dragons.

9. League of Dragons (2016)

The epic conclusion to the saga finds Laurence and Temeraire chasing a retreating Napoleon across Europe. With the alliance against France fractured, they must unite the world's dragon forces to secure a lasting peace. The final book brings the Napoleonic Wars to a dramatic close, resolving the personal arcs of Laurence and Temeraire and leaving a lasting legacy on how dragons are viewed and treated by human societies worldwide.

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order Discrepancies

For readers who prefer a strictly chronological journey, there are a few interesting caveats to keep in mind, particularly regarding the short stories. The chronological sequence is as follows:

1. Vici (2011) – Set during the Roman Republic, thousands of years before the main series.
2. His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
3. Feast or Famine (2006) – Set between Books 1 and 2.
4. Throne of Jade (2006)
5. Black Powder War (2006)
6. Empire of Ivory (2007)
7. Victory of Eagles (2008)
8. Tongues of Serpents (2010)
9. Crucible of Gold (2012)
10. Blood of Tyrants (2013)
11. League of Dragons (2016)
12. Golden Age and Other Stories (2017) – A collection containing stories from different time periods, including after the finale.

Note on Feast or Famine: In some databases, Feast or Famine is listed at the end of chronological lists simply due to its release format or secondary listing. However, in terms of narrative continuity, the events of the story—where Temeraire and other dragons learn to open their feeding pens at Dover—explicitly take place between the first book, His Majesty's Dragon, and the second book, Throne of Jade. In fact, these events are briefly referenced by characters during Throne of Jade. Therefore, reading it between Books 1 and 2 provides the smoothest narrative transition.

The Side Stories and Collections

While the nine main novels tell a complete story, Naomi Novik has written several short pieces that enrich the alternate history world of Temeraire:

• Vici: Published in the 2009 anthology The Dragon Book (and later online at Fantasy Magazine), this story takes readers back to ancient Rome. It follows a young Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) as he accidentally bonds with a dragon named Vincitatus, showing that the partnership between humans and dragons has deep, ancient roots.
• Feast or Famine: A delightful outtake set in Dover, highlighting the daily struggles and humorous complications of feeding an aerial corps of dragons.
• Golden Age and Other Stories: Published in 2017, this collection was inspired by fan art and contains several short stories. It serves as a love letter to the fans, exploring what happens to characters after the war, showing different dragon cultures, and offering glimpses into the peaceful lives of Laurence and Temeraire.

What to Know Before You Start

Naomi Novik's writing style in Temeraire is a deliberate homage to 19th-century literature. The prose is formal, polite, and elegant, reminiscent of Jane Austen or Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. If you enjoy naval terminology, historical detail, and high-society manners mixed with epic aerial combat, you will feel right at home. A key theme of the series is the question of sentient rights; as Temeraire learns about the world, he questions why dragons are treated as beasts of burden or military property in Europe, prompting a series-long fight for equality and dragon rights that mirrors historical civil rights struggles.