Black Powder War Audiobook By Naomi Novik cover art

Black Powder War

Temeraire, Book 3

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Black Powder War

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

Temeraire, Book 3

After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty’s Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.

Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn - thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master’s death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army?

Dragon tales: don't miss the rest of the Temeraire series.©2006 Naomi Novik (P)2007 Books on Tape
Alternate History Contemporary Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Fantasy Historical Paranormal & Urban Science Fiction

Critic reviews

  • Locus Award, 2007

"Novik's magical 18th century, peopled with sympathetic characters, induces avid reading. Long may she write!" (Booklist)

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What listeners say about Black Powder War

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Engaging Story Captivating Characters Intriguing World-building Vivid Descriptions Gripping Adventures
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Exciting adventure across Europe

This series of books are wonderful with mixing history and fantasy. With Simon's voice added into it just makes the characters come that much more to life.

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Dragons and Simon Vance!

The stories are fun as well as thought provoking, the characters well drawn and again Simon Vance. Nothing else needs to be said.

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Good continues

Interesting to see where the story goes based on historical Napoleonic record. Looking forward to the next chapters.

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Characters, narrative, and language all glow!

If you could sum up Black Powder War in three words, what would they be?

Characters, imagination, relationships

What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Powder War?

Being within feet of Napoleon - and not killing him

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

His vocal resonance underlined the sheer delight of the language.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me intensely sympathetic with the characters, and want to see more.

Any additional comments?

The comparison between the treatment of dragons in China and England is a mainspring that powers the book, given additional power by the character of the dragons themselves.

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Great book, bad accents

Where does Black Powder War rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the third book in the series and it's on par with the rest of them, fairly good.

Any additional comments?

Then narrator does a good job of reading but his accents are absolutely awful. EVERYTHING that isn't British sounds like a bad 1950's Charlie Chan movie.

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The World Tour continues

Another excellent installment, full of adventure and intrigue and Temeraire being unintentionally hilarious - and of course this book features the debut of my beloved Tharkay! He is a wonderful foil for Laurence, and it's fun to see their interactions before our hero knows what to make of him. Also Iskierka is a bloodthirsty delight. Simon Vance continues to be an excellent narrator, juggling voices and accents in what seems (to my untutored ear) a top-notch performance.

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Still interesting

Flying through the series it is so interesting I hope the dragons get rights I love that world building aspect

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Lovely book

This book is a continuation of the series. It is well written and performed well.

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Temeraire

Simon Vance as narrator does not disppoint and the series by Naomi Novik is very good!

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Another wonderful chapter in the Temeraire series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I am loving the entire series of books, and was thrilled to learn Peter Jackson has bought the wrights to make "His Majesty's Dragon" into a film! This book his hard on Temeraire and Captain Lawrence, but their love and dedication carry them through. It's colorful and brilliantly plotted out, and we get to see more of the world in which they live.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lawrence - he always does the right thing

Which scene was your favorite?

The birth.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Danger at every turn.

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