Temeraire
#3503.99 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 9 books Status Complete 2006–2016 Reading commitment High Naomi Novik Last reviewed 2026-08-05
Overview
Naomi Novik's Temeraire (2006–2016) retells the Napoleonic Wars in a world where an intelligent-dragon aerial corps supplements every nation's military: British naval captain William Laurence is bonded to the hatchling Temeraire and transferred to the Aerial Corps. A completed 9-novel sequence with an unusual debut cadence, the first three novels were all published in 2006, and this database's first series-level award registration (the 2017 Hugo Best Series nomination, attached to the series record itself).
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (9 works) counts toward ranking
Temeraire Naomi Novik
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | His Majesty's Dragon; US first edition (Del Rey, March 2006) precedes the UK edition (August 2006, published as 'Temeraire'), registered under the US first-edition title, with 'Temeraire' recorded as the UK variant title. | 2006 | 1 | core | 4.07 (114,537 ratings) |
 | Throne of Jade | 2006 | 2 | core | 3.90 (57,356 ratings) |
 | Black Powder War | 2006 | 3 | core | 3.91 (44,639 ratings) |
 | Empire of Ivory | 2007 | 4 | core | 3.99 (34,647 ratings) |
 | Victory of Eagles | 2008 | 5 | core | 4.09 (29,524 ratings) |
 | Tongues of Serpents | 2010 | 6 | core | 3.77 (24,573 ratings) |
 | Crucible of Gold | 2012 | 7 | core | 3.99 (19,716 ratings) |
 | Blood of Tyrants | 2013 | 8 | core | 4.00 (16,682 ratings) |
 | League of Dragons | 2016 | 9 | core | 4.17 (14,209 ratings) |
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).
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Golden Age and Other Stories (2017) ; Subterranean Press collection of Temeraire short stories each inspired by fan art, plus 26 drabbles. Several pieces are explicitly alternate-universe (e.g. the title story is an AU origin for Laurence and Temeraire; 'Dragons and Decorum' is a Pride & Prejudice crossover), canonically unreliable by design, hence Expanded. Two further uncollected in-world shorts ('In Autumn, a White Dragon Looks Over the Wide River', 2009 omnibus original; 'Vici', 2009 anthology story set in the same world's ancient Rome) are not separately registered pending collection, the same treatment applied to the Dresden Files' own uncollected stories.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Temeraire? Temeraire's Core Canon is 9 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Temeraire? Publication order, starting with His Majesty's Dragon. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Temeraire finished? Complete (2006–2016).
- How much reading does Temeraire take? High reading commitment (estimated from 9 Core Canon books · ~3,314 pages).
- How is Temeraire ranked? #350 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 355,883 reader ratings across 9 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #350?
Ranked #350 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.99 across 9 core books.
- Backed by 356k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #349, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 9 books · Complete · 356k ratings · Ranks #350 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (9 Core Canon books)
- Black Powder War (2006)
- His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
- Throne of Jade (2006)
- Empire of Ivory (2007)
- Victory of Eagles (2008)
- Tongues of Serpents (2010)
- Crucible of Gold (2012)
- Blood of Tyrants (2013)
- League of Dragons (2016)
Documented internal/story order
- His Majesty's Dragon (2006)
- Throne of Jade (2006)
- Black Powder War (2006)
- Empire of Ivory (2007)
- Victory of Eagles (2008)
- Tongues of Serpents (2010)
- Crucible of Gold (2012)
- Blood of Tyrants (2013)
- League of Dragons (2016)
Awards (verified)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2007: nominated: His Majesty's Dragon; Lost to Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End.
- Compton Crook Award, 2007: won: His Majesty's Dragon; Baltimore Science Fiction Society award for best first SF/F novel.
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 2007: won: His Majesty's Dragon; Locus reader-poll winner (1st place). Some sources credit the omnibus title form 'Temeraire: In Service of the King'; registered under the novel.
- Dragon Award (Best Alternate History Novel), 2016: won: League of Dragons; Inaugural Dragon Awards.
Related universes
- Same author Uprooted: Both by Naomi Novik. Uprooted was flagged as a candidate at Temeraire's admission and confirmed a wholly separate standalone continuity.
- Same author Spinning Silver: Both by Naomi Novik. Spinning Silver was flagged as a candidate at Temeraire's admission and confirmed a wholly separate standalone continuity.
- Same author The Scholomance: Both by Naomi Novik. The Scholomance trilogy was flagged as a candidate at Temeraire's admission and confirmed a wholly separate continuity.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Temeraire and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Elemental Masters Historical fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Ongoing · High commitment · 3.97
- Crown of Stars Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.87
- The Golem and the Jinni Historical fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.13
- The Legend of the Condor Heroes Historical fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.12
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.99 across 355,883 ratings on 9 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Temeraire admitted; Core Canon = the 9-novel sequence; Novik's other universes flagged as candidates accepted 2026-08-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: Core = the 9 novels (2006–2016), one continuous linear narrative; publication order equals in-story order. The lead novel is registered under its US first-edition title, His Majesty's Dragon (Del Rey, March 2006), with the UK variant title 'Temeraire' noted. Expanded = Golden Age and Other Stories (2017, Subterranean), a fanart-inspired collection containing explicitly alternate-universe pieces.