Temeraire
The Temeraire Series (Book 1)
- Author Naomi Novik
- Narrator Simon Vance
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date 6 December 2018
- Run Time 9 hours and 28 minutes
- Format x-book®
- Genre Historical fantasy, Napoleonic War fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only £3.99.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price per title
- £8.99
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Listen to a sample
What to expect
Naomi Novik’s stunning series of novels follow the adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.
As Napoleon's tenacious infantry rampages across Europe and his armada lies in wait for Nelson's smaller fleet, the war does not rage on land and water alone. Squadrons of aviators swarm the skies – a deadly shield for the cumbersome canon-firing vessels. Raining fire and acid upon their enemies, they engage in a swift, violent combat with flying tooth and claw… for these aviators ride dragons.
Captain Laurence is a satisfied man with a respectable commission aboard the ship Reliant. His career is born from a love for the sea and he takes his duty very seriously
Months before the battle of Trafalgar, on patrol in the Atlantic, The Reliant takes a small French frigate, storm-damaged and possessing a fierce crew unwilling to surrender as easily as they should. On board Laurence finds a dragon egg – a great prize as England is in sore need.
Having spent months on a slow journey from Asia, the egg hatches. A sinewy new-born emerges from the fragmented shell, ignores his harness-bearer, approaches Laurence and changes his life.
Hatchling dragons must be put in a harness immediately otherwise the dragon-young become hard to control – fit only for the breeding colonies. The person chosen to first harness the beast must be an aviator, for the dragon will accept no other captain. The life of an aviator is not a desirable one; reviled by fashionable society, they live hard, lonely lives bound to duty and they frequently die young. Laurence must now join them; duty demands it, though his heart is broken.
But, more astonishing than the dragonet – named Temeraire by Laurence – are the documents found with him, documents addressed to Napoleon from the greatest, most skilled dragon-breeders in the world – the Chinese.
The dragon Temeraire was meant for the Emperor Napoleon himself and promises to grow into no ordinary creature.
Critics Review
'I took a jaundiced view of dragon books until Novik won me over with her first novel. the combination of military history, sympathetic characters, and engaging style makes this series great, intelligent fun.’
The Times
‘Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention. In short a treat.’
The Telegraph
‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.’
Peter Jackson
‘Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy of the first order.'
Sunday Sport
'In the best tradition of fantasy, historical fiction and nautical novels.'
Guardian
| Author | Naomi Novik |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Simon Vance |
| Series | The Temeraire Series |
| Duration | 9 hours and 28 minutes |
| Release Date | |
| ISBN | 9780008338879 |
| Format | x-book® |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Genre | Historical fantasy, Napoleonic War fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages |
| Availability | AU, GB, IE |
More from the same
About xigxag and the x-book®
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by “x-book” to find them.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.