Cover of Crucible of Gold

Crucible of Gold

core novel 2012 Temeraire

Record

First published2012
Original language EN
Work typenovel
Canon statuscore
Reader rating3.99 (19,828 ratings, collected 2026-09-14)
Page count325
First-edition ISBN9780345522863
Internal chronology7

Synopsis

Crucible of Gold continues the Temeraire series after Tongues of Serpents, drawing Laurence and Temeraire out of a peaceful retirement in New South Wales when word arrives that Portuguese-held Brazil is under siege by forces allied with Napoleon. Accompanied by the diplomat Arthur Hammond, Captain Granby and the dragon Iskierka, the pair sail to South America to help secure Brazil, only to find that Napoleon has forged an alliance with the Tswana people, who control large parts of Africa and are seeking the return of enslaved Africans taken from their lands. British efforts to negotiate with the Inca Empire grow complicated when Napoleon personally proposes marriage to the Incan empress, while Rio de Janeiro itself falls under Tswana occupation, leaving Laurence to try to broker an uneasy peace between Brazilian, Tswana and British interests before the conflict spreads further.

Where it sits

  • Universe: Temeraire
  • Series: Temeraire core; position 7 of 9 in the series' recorded order
  • Author: Naomi Novik

Notes

  • From the series record (Temeraire): 9-novel completed historical-fantasy sequence (2006-2016): the Napoleonic Wars in a world where an intelligent-dragon aerial corps supplements every nation's military. One continuous linear narrative; publication order equals in-story order. Unusual debut cadence: the first three novels were all published in 2006 (Del Rey rapid-succession launch).

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

Sources

← Temeraire dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.