#temeraire books

[kingoftheu]

It is the mid-1800s. You are Karl Marx. You have risen to prominence aming leftist circles, with your scathing attacks in contemporary Capitalism and Imperialism. You hear a knock on your front door. Your front door is shattered.

A very large black dragon, a veteran of the British Millitary, apologizes for the damage. His name is Temeraire, and he is a Member of Parliament.

He has read your work and wishes to discuss it with you.

[captainsvscaptains]

Round 1 Part 4 Poll 5

Propaganda

Blackbeard's a master tactician! He's a terrible flirt! He's got the eyes, the beard, the fit, and the sexy lil voice! Tummy and arm! He's gay and has daddy issues! What more could you want from a man???

I love him

William Laurence is a captain in the British Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars until he accidentally bonds with a dragon hatchling found on a captured French vessel, whereupon he is dragged into joining the Royal Aerial Corps instead.

Temeraire (the dragon) is a staunch dragon rights advocate and Laurence is his biggest supporter.

[murkysweetleaf]

That poor little gay man in the sky (William Laurence)

[lordbrezel]

Lien

I painted a dragon figurine to look like Lung Tien Lien from Naomi Noviks Temeraire series!

I decided to give her wings a pink edge to match her red eyes.

She is wearing her golden necklace with rubies, her golden talon sheaths and a stylish Tiara. Coming up with what her jewellery could be on the figurine was the most fun out of this project :D

[themundanemudperson]

hello dear temeraire fandom! i made fanart!

well, actually, i made the fanart a while ago, when i started my reread. but i forgot to post it, so here it is now!

it's temeraire's egg!

[nighttimepatrons]

Ha ha get lowered, baby.

Temeraire being lowered into the bowels of the Reliant after his hatching.

I wanted to draw this seriously, but it just wouldn't

[artist-ellen]

Lung Tien Lien

Another notable dragon the team meets in China is Lien. A rare albino Celestial. A respected scholar, devoted to her Prince, but essentially shunned for her coloring: white being extremely unlucky and many believed her to be a devastating death omen.

I am the artist!!! Don’t repost without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: https://instagram.com/ellen.artistic

[nickyroethemarinebiologist]

Reading temeraire again. Shout out to william laurence for being the guy of all time

[pkmatrix]

Fanfic Idea: Post-Canon, Laurence and Temeraire attend a fancy dinner party at a country estate. A Spanish nobleman, recently returned from California, strikes up a conversation with them noting the remarkable resemblance between Temeraire and the dragon of a locally infamous bandit that has been troubling the Spanish governor of late. At first Temeraire is intrigued by the possibility of another male Celestial but soon comes to a startling realization: this "Tornado" may in fact be his supposed deceased twin brother, Chuan! Now Laurence and Temeraire must race to California to find this "Zorro" character and learn the truth before assassins dispatched by Lien or Zorro's nemesis, the corrupt Governor Rafael Montero, get to him first!

[the-emerald-wyrm]

Current Dragon Read: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (Temeraire #2)

[udaberriwrites]

Formal Wear/Polyamory

Temeraire - Granby/Laurence/Tharkay - 250 words - @slashmultiverse prompt, day 2

There was something delicious in seeing both of his lovers dressing in the fineries that they had earned, as much as they disliked them.

Tenzing combed his hair back but refused to wear a wig. He wore a green coat that matched the aviator colors too closely to be coincidental. The look was a calculated dig at high society, but he wore it with his back straight, without a hint of self-consciousness.

Will had a new set of Chinese robes, ultramarine blue and lovingly embroidered with dragons curling along the edges, the mark of the Imperial family. With the rumours of a war over trade on the horizon, it was as good as declaring his allegiance out loud. If the inevitable conflict disturbed him, he didn't let it show.

"Here, let me help," Will said, taking the cloth John had been holding in his good hand. He surrendered it easily.

The silk of Will's ample sleeves was a soft caress on John's skin as he fixed the cravat around his neck with practiced motions. His fingers were warm as they moved over John's body, pinning the medals and adjusting the jacket so it laid more naturally on his shoulders.

Unable to resist the pull, John leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Will's lips. Tenzing came closer, laying a hand on the small of his back. Will leaned into it, his hands still grasping John's lapel.

If they were to march into war again, they would do it as one.

[captainsvscaptains]

Battle of the Ships

Round 3 Part 3 Poll 1

Per Aspera : It’s a ship with several large masts with kind of magic sails.

Temeraire :

He's a uuhhhhhhh dragon.

While he's more of a 'plane' technically I guess, his captain is a navy captain, he's named after the original ship 'Temeraire', and something like 75% at least of the books takes place on/around navy ships... Plus he likes swimming so I guess in a way he's a sea-faring vessel??

As far as looks go; big-ass black dragon.

[kingoftheu]

My “hey what was the name of that dragon” look became a reread of the entire Temeraire series. So, without further ado: The Temeraire Books (sans Golden Age because that’s a different kettle of fish) from least-good to best.

#9 Crucible of Gold

Novik has a habit of ramming three plots into one book, even when that doesn’t really work. Crucible of Gold is the worst offender. We have the shipwreck/marooning plot, the Inca plot, then the Brazil plot. There were things that worked I think. The Inca dragons present another perspective that’s quite interesting and influences things going forward, Iskierka trying to get Granby hitched is fun. But the Brazil plot with Tswana is a let down, I will admit, we learn little of them, and while I do not expect realism from this series how tf are they holding together their empire. Napoleon showing up personally is unfortunate, I don’t think it was needed and lessened his mystique. Tom Riley’s death could have had a bit more oomf to it, but was a real surprise.

#8 League of Dragons

None of these are bad, and I think the ending is the strongest part. Laurence in command and Temeraire finally seeing fruits of his efforts at reform. Roland is a Duchess and Tharkay has his fortune! Yay. The Russian opening is a complete cop out though, ruining the cliffhanger of the last book. The Duel is fine, but the long recovery and weird romance thing is not. Would have liked to see the final battles of the series on page rather than that. Also, man, Lien did basically nothing personal to Temeraire and Laurence did she? She helped Napoleon a ton broadly which harmed them, but it’s hardly the personal touch I would expect from the main villain of the series.

#7 Blood of Tyrants

Another one with three plots in one. Japan, China, Russia. Japan feels the most like Novik felt like she was obligated to show off some new place every book. The aid who joins Napoleon is a neat concept, but otherwise it was a drag. The Amnesia plot was an unnecessary drama font, we’ve already been treated to Laurence being vaguely horrified by everything under the sun. The introduction to the Chinese Legions is suitably impressive, and Russian Dragonkeeping is suitably horrible, and the fake rebellion/conservative faction squabble in China functions well. But it all feels disconnected. I feel like Russia should have all been one book.

#6 Black Powder War

Central Asis to Istanbul to Prussia we go!!! Tharkay is of course a highlight of this one. And we are introduced to everyone’s favorite fire breathing brat. But it suffers from a lack of through-line. The Istanbul Plot gets finished and you feel like it’s all over but then there is a Prussian plot that just drags on. The frenzied chase is great, as is Iskierka’s introduction. But man. It has nothing to do with the rest of the book. Just a whole lot of disconnect between the parts. I do like how whittled down Temeraire’s crew winds up by the end of it all, adds some really stakes to the whole thing.

#5 Empire of Ivory

A surprising amount of this book is just them sitting around in England feeling bad about the Plague. And then them sitting around looking for the mushrooms. That’s boring. So boring. Tswana-kanda is cool and a fairly unique relationship with their dragons. I don’t know enough about Tswana culture to judge its accuracy/sensitivity, and them suddenly being able to reach thousands of miles and overrun the continent is a bit Deus Ex. But I really, really, can’t complain about that, because the slavers all get ducking wrecked and it is so satisfying.

The ending is what truly elevates this book. That is, without a doubt, the key turning point of the entire series. And is emotionally wrecking, while also establishing Napoleon’s characterization going forward. It is a moment of profound moral clarity for Laurence and Temeraire and justly a high point.

#4 Throne of Jade

It’s a slow boat to China, and perhaps a little too much time even getting them on that boat. On one hand this does give a sense of the time it takes to travel on the other hand it does leave out actual time in China a bit cut short. The scheming is largely out of the hands our protagonists, and fairly obvious at that. However this is our first, and most influential, trip abroad. Exposure to China sets up Temeraire’s arc for the rest of the series and even makes the reader reassess things. And it’s not like the boat trip is devoid of interesting moments. The Sailors v Aviators v Chinese Envoys bit is engaging, as is the split between Riley and Laurence. Hammond is also a personal fave.

#3 Tongues of Serpents

I’m as surprised as you are, considering how little this has to do with the rest of the series. But what it does have going for it is an intense and direct plot. A long chase through the Outback, with a decent start as they avoid political maneuvering. The reveal of who exactly is at the end of the trail is a surprise but does make sense. Kungile is a fine addition to the main cast of characters. Rankin is a suitably irritating figure and he and Caesar deserve each other. The convicts are a fun lot. The ending is perhaps a forced confrontation, but I do like the look at early Australia.

#2 His Majesty’s Dragon

The one that started it all. And really it introduces the characters so well. Laurence realizing the truth about Rankin is such a distillation of his character. Temeraire discovering himself is also a fun arc. And we the readers are eased into this brave new world as well. Some of it can be a little ‘event happens characters react’ until the final battle, and it was painfully obvious Trafalgar wasn’t the end of it. The divine wind comes out of nowhere to be honest. However the battle is still engaging and Laurence’s growth is strongest here. We also meet a fine cast of supporting characters in Lily’s formation.

#1 Victory of the Eagles

The Darkest Hour. Real consequences to Laurence’s actions in the prior book. Our first Temeraire POV book and that elevates things considerably. A frantic race against time as Napoleon’s novel tactics bring him closer to victory than at any other time in this book. Laurence’s depression and moral surrender. Wellesley! Termeraire’s band of breeding ground friends, and his first stabs at true leadership. The desperation of the countryside. The scene with the King is surprisingly heartbreaking. A triumphant victory in the end in one of the best battle scenes. But not an unmarred one. The fleet lost, and Laurence’s disgrace hardly undone. Transport to follow. A true high point for the series.

[lordbrezel]

Temeraire in the wild

Today was the last day of sunshine for a while, according to the forecast, so I had to walk into the forest and take some pictures of Temeraire.

[ask-the-aerial-corps]

So Temeraire, has it ever occured to you to found your own dragon nation?

"Yes."

Welcome to DRACOTOPIA

o0o0o0o0o

Oh wow, how long has it been since our last post? Nearly seven months you say? Well I can say that both mods are in fact alive and well haha. Both of our lives are pretty crazy with us still in school and just other life events, but fear not! We have not forgotten our little ask blog even if we haven’t posted in over half a year 😭

As you may have noticed this response was not the most serious one in the world, trying to keep everything 100% serious and in character has definitely not helped us reach our full creative potential, so with some of our responses we may not try to make it perfect so that we can at least make it something and not leave the ask in our inbox forever simply because we feel like it isn’t perfect. 

Thank you to everyone who stayed with us during our radio silence, I hope in the future we’ll be able to keep up with this blog a little more actively 💜

-Mod Nightie

[nighttimepatrons]

Desdemona, the Celestial/Yellow Reaper cross @travellingdragon and I have made! She's a bit like Ning only with 100 Charisma and Charm! I really wanted her to look mostly like a yellow reaper so she just gets a little bit of black hahah! I absolutely love that Travelling gave her more fingers on one wing than the other!