Throne of Jade

Throne of Jade

Author	Naomi Novik
Cover artist	Dominic Harman
Language	English
Series	Temeraire
Genre	Alternate history / Fantasy
Publisher	Del Rey
Publication date	April 25 2006
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	398 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-345-48129-1
Preceded by	His Majesty's Dragon
Followed by	Black Powder War

Temeraire: Throne of Jade

Author	Naomi Novik
Original title	'Throne of Jade'
Language	English
Series	Temeraire
Publisher	Voyager
Publication date	August 2007
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
ISBN	978-0-00-725872-7
Preceded by	Temeraire
Followed by	Black Powder War

Throne of Jade is the second novel in the Temeraire alternate history/fantasy series by American author Naomi Novik.

The story is set during an alternate history version of the Napoleonic Wars, in which dragons not only exist but are used as a staple of aerial warfare in Asia and Europe. The dragons of the story are portrayed as sapient and intelligent, capable of logical thought and human speech. The series centers primarily on events involving Temeraire (the titular dragon) and his handler, William Laurence. The first book of the series centered on how Laurence, formerly a Captain in the Royal Navy, becomes Temeraire's handler, and their early training in preparation for battles against Napoleon's aerial fleet.

Synopsis

After defeating Napoleon's forces at the battle of Dover, Laurence and Temeraire are confronted by envoys from Imperial China. The Chinese are eager to get their rare Celestial dragon back from the British. It is discovered that Temeraire was a gift from the Jiaqing Emperor to Napoleon, Emperor of the French. As a mere commoner, it is the position of the Chinese that Laurence is not worthy of Temeraire.

After several attempts to convince Laurence and the Royal Aerial Corps to return Temeraire to China fail, the Chinese and the British agree to have Temeraire and his flight crew — including Laurence — accompany the Imperial envoys back to China. As the land routes are deemed unsafe, the Navy has a dragon transport ferry the Celestial and his crew on a voyage to China. During the voyage, attempts are made on the life of Laurence in order to remove him from Temeraire. In addition, political machinations on the part of the British, French, and Chinese are discovered that threaten the position of Britain in the East, as well as the stability of the Chinese throne.

After their arrival in China, more direct attempts are made on Laurence's life, including a confrontation with the brother of the Emperor and a Celestial dragon that is Temeraire's cousin, Lien. Following these events, in a move to resolve the issues with Laurence's social status, as well as easing relations with Britain, the emperor of China himself adopts the Captain into his family.

Notes

Novik includes an allusion to the legend of Hua Mulan, or at least the Disney version:

[Laurence's] dismay was evident, and Zhao Wei, perhaps feeling a need to defend his nation's unusual practice, proceeded to narrate the legend which was its foundation. The details were of course romanticized: a girl had supposedly disguised herself as a man to fight in her father's stead, had become the companion to a military dragon and saved the empire by winning a great battle; as a consequence, the Emperor of the time had pronounced girls acceptable for service with dragons.

It is also apparent that in Novik's world, sailing ships such as the one that carries Temeraire to China do not have to follow the real world winds and currents. Novik's ship closely follows the African coastline on its voyage south whereas in the real world, the quickest and most efficient way of sailing to the Cape of Good Hope from Europe involves a course which crosses the Atlantic Ocean to the Brazilian coast before taking advantage of the prevailing winds to head for South Africa.