Throne of Jade is the second book in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series set during an alternate version of the Napoleonic Wars where domesticated dragons are used for aerial warfare. It’s been a long time since I read the first book, Temeraire – in fact, I was shocked to discover that it’s been eight years! – but I found that I could pick up the story again without too much trouble and will try not to wait so long before starting the third one.

If you’re not a fan of fantasy and are put off by the mention of dragons, I can reassure you that the dragons are the only real fantasy element in these books (at least in the two that I’ve read) and they feel much closer to the seafaring historical novels of Patrick O’Brian than anything else. In Novik’s series, dragons have existed for centuries and by the time of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century they have become an accepted part of the armed forces of many countries around the world. The dragons are intelligent creatures, capable of human speech, and form strong bonds with their human handlers.

In the first novel, we were introduced to Will Laurence, a former Royal Navy Captain who becomes the handler of Temeraire, a dragon who hatches from an egg found on a captured French ship. Having trained together for service in Britain’s Aerial Corps, Laurence and Temeraire develop a close friendship, but when it emerges that Temeraire is one of a rare breed – a Chinese Celestial – it seems that they may have to be separated. Celestials are supposed to be reserved for royalty and the Chinese had intended Temeraire to be a gift for Napoleon. As Throne of Jade opens, a group of envoys have arrived from China to recover their rare dragon. Due to Temeraire’s bond with Laurence, the envoys agree to allow Laurence to accompany them back to China with the dragon and the Navy provides a dragon transport vessel, HMS Allegiance, for the voyage.

In 1805, when the novel is set, it takes many months to sail from Britain to China. This means that most of the story takes place at sea on board the Allegiance, which gives the book a transitional feel with the sense that you’re always waiting for the destination to be reached so that the plot can finally pick up pace. That’s not to say that nothing happens during the journey, because it does – there are encounters with the enemy, storms and sickness, and several possible attempts on Laurence’s life – but I did feel that it was very drawn out and I was pleased when the ship eventually arrived on the shores of China.

As with the first book, the writing style and language are suitable for the setting, with none of that inappropriately modern dialogue that can pull you out of the time period. Although the addition of the dragons and the Aerial Corps obviously means that a large part of the story is fictional, real historical events are still playing out in the background. During the voyage, Laurence and his companions receive news of the French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger.

The long period spent at sea does allow for more character development and for some interesting conversations between Laurence and Temeraire in which Laurence begins to see things from Temeraire’s point of view and to understand how much he has taken for granted regarding the feelings and sensibilities of dragons. He also starts to discover that the Chinese people treat their dragons very differently than the British – and once in China, these differences become more obvious and pronounced. Even if he’s allowed to, will Temeraire want to return to Britain with Laurence after experiencing another way of life? I won’t tell you what happens, although knowing that there are another seven books in the series after this one does take away a lot of the suspense in that respect. Black Powder War is next and I’m looking forward to reading it, hopefully not after another break of eight years!

This is book 13/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2023

This is book 34/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.