Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) – Naomi Novik
HarperCollins Voyager, 2007
RRP: AU$24.99
ISBN: 978 0 00 721916 2

Review by Cat Sparks

The fact that I am not overly fond of dragons and have not read the two Temeraire novels that precede this one (His Majesty’s Dragon and Throne of Jade) did not hamper my enjoyment of this book, although it is probably best to start at the beginning and read them in sequence if you’re interested.

The Temeraire books are set in an alternative history of the Napoleonic wars where intelligent, talking dragons are a regular part of military life. Black Powder War follows the adventures of Captain Will Laurence of his Majesty’s Aerial Corps and his dragon Temeraire who, having just left China, must unexpectedly travel to Istanbul to collect a precious clutch of dragon eggs and escort them safely to England.

To do this they must travel the Silk Road – cross mountains and deserts, deal with bands of feral dragons and the ever present threat of Napoleon’s infantry. Lien, the white celestial dragon who believes Temeraire caused the death of her prince, pops up here and there to side with Temeraire’s enemies and cause trouble. I didn’t get a full sense of power and menace from her, but I presume this is because I haven’t read the first two books ­– a situation I can hardly blame on the author.

Novik writes in the Regency era style, and this sets the tone of the book, although many of the moral questions examined in the text are modern. Temeraire himself is obsessed with dragon’s rights, following his experiences in China (see Throne of Jade) where dragons are treated infinitely better than they are at home in England. Novik has clearly read Dianna Wynne Jones’s Tough Guide to Fantasyland at some point: her dragons need to eat a lot and often, and procuring and preparing their food is a recurring preoccupation throughout the book.

If you like action, adventure, political intrigue, talking dragons and exotic foreign architecture, this book is for you!