Throne of Jade

About Throne of Jade

Throne of Jade is the second volume in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series and the book that establishes the series' global ambitions. After the revelations of His Majesty's Dragon—that Temeraire is a rare and precious Celestial dragon born for the Chinese Imperial court—the Chinese government has demanded his return. Will Laurence cannot accept the loss of his partner, and the compromise is a diplomatic mission: Laurence will accompany Temeraire to China, and negotiations will determine whether the bond between man and dragon can override the claims of empire. The sea voyage to China is rendered with extraordinary attention to period detail—the ship's social dynamics, the slow rhythms of ocean crossing, the adjustment of Temeraire's crew to confined space—and Novik uses the journey to deepen both central characters before the political complications of arrival. China, in this alternate history, has the longest and most sophisticated tradition of dragon partnership in the world, and the contrast with British practice reveals everything the British take for granted about the relationship between humans and their dragon partners. The political intrigue at the Qing court is multi-layered: the Emperor's ministers have their own agendas, the Chinese dragons regard Temeraire with a mixture of respect and skepticism, and Laurence must navigate a court culture entirely unlike his own while advocating for an arrangement that has no precedent. Coming-of-age threads are present in Temeraire's rapidly expanding political consciousness—China shows him a world in which dragons are not merely weapons but partners with standing and the capacity to choose. Throne of Jade is the series' first major argument for what it is actually about—not just adventure, but the ethics of sentience and partnership—and it makes that argument with confidence and grace. Essential for anyone reading the Temeraire series.

Tropes & Themes