Naomi Novik Books in Order: Complete Reading Guide
Naomi Novik writes across three distinct series and two beloved standalones, none of which share a universe. Temeraire is her nine-book alternate history series reimagining the Napoleonic Wars with dragon-rider corps. The Scholomance is her most recent trilogy: a darkly funny magic school series with a brilliantly hostile narrator. Uprooted andSpinning Silver are standalone fairy tale retellings. All are independent — you can start anywhere.
Quick Stats
Author
Naomi Novik
Total Books
14 (across 3 series + 2 standalones)
Status
All series complete
Genre
Fantasy / Alternate History
Best Start
A Deadly Education or Uprooted
Where to Start
For most new readers, A Deadly Education is the best entry point. It is fast, funny, high concept, and complete in three books — a much shorter commitment than Temeraire. Uprooted is an equally strong starting point if you prefer standalone fairy tale retellings with romantic threads.
Temeraire requires the most investment — nine books across a complex alternate history — but rewards patient readers with one of fantasy's great partnerships between a human and a dragon. Start with His Majesty's Dragon and give it two books before deciding if the series is for you.
Temeraire
9 books — alternate history Napoleonic Wars with dragon-rider corps. Must be read in order. A complete series.
- 1
His Majesty's Dragon
Book 1 — Start here
British naval captain Will Laurence captures a French ship and discovers an unhatched dragon egg — which promptly hatches and bonds with him. Laurence is pulled out of the navy and into the Aerial Corps, where he and his dragon Temeraire become one of Britain's most unlikely weapons against Napoleon.
The essential starting point for the Temeraire series.
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Throne of Jade
Book 2
The Chinese government demands Temeraire's return — he is of a rare and sacred Chinese breed — and Laurence must accompany him on a diplomatic mission to China. The scope expands from Britain to the globe.
- 3
Black Powder War
Book 3
Laurence and Temeraire travel overland from China through the Ottoman Empire to Prussia, where Napoleon's forces are advancing. The Napoleonic Wars escalate and the stakes for Laurence's loyalty to Britain begin to fracture.
- 4
Empire of Ivory
Book 4
A plague is killing the dragons of Britain's Aerial Corps. Laurence and Temeraire travel to Africa searching for a cure. One of the series' most politically charged books — it confronts the slave trade and Britain's imperial hypocrisy directly.
- 5
Victory of Eagles
Book 5
Napoleon has invaded Britain and Temeraire, separated from Laurence, must organize a dragon militia to resist. The series' most action-packed installment, with the central relationship tested by circumstances that push both Laurence and Temeraire to their limits.
- 6
Tongues of Serpents
Book 6
Laurence and Temeraire are transported to Australia as punishment for treason. The series temporarily shifts from the European theater to the Pacific, introducing new dragon breeds and the politics of the British penal colony.
- 7
Crucible of Gold
Book 7
Recalled from Australia, Laurence and Temeraire travel to South America on a diplomatic mission to the Inca Empire. The global scope of the series reaches its widest point as multiple theaters of the Napoleonic Wars converge.
- 8
Blood of Tyrants
Book 8
Laurence washes ashore in Japan with no memory of the past eight years. As he reconstructs his past, Napoleon's forces push into Russia and Temeraire leads the Aerial Corps into the campaign that will decide the war.
- 9
League of Dragons
Book 9 — Series conclusion
The final book in the Temeraire series. The Napoleonic Wars reach their conclusion across multiple continents as Laurence and Temeraire fight for a world that might finally recognize the rights of dragons. A satisfying end to one of fantasy's great partnerships.
The Scholomance
3 books — a magic school with no teachers, no safety, and one of fantasy's most memorable narrators. Must be read in order. A complete series.
- 1
A Deadly Education
Book 1 — Best starting point for new readers
El is a student at the Scholomance — a school with no teachers, no holidays, and no exits that doesn't kill you first. She has a natural affinity for dark magic powerful enough to destroy the world, and she has no intention of using it. Until the most popular boy in school decides she's worth saving.
Completely independent from Temeraire. The best starting point for readers new to Novik.
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The Last Graduate
Book 2
El's senior year at the Scholomance, where graduation is the most dangerous event the school has — and she has a plan to change that. The Last Graduate escalates everything from the first book and ends on one of fantasy's great cliffhangers.
- 3
The Golden Enclaves
Book 3 — Series conclusion
The conclusion of The Scholomance trilogy. El and Orion face the magical enclaves that control the wizarding world — and the truth about how those enclaves were built. The most politically ambitious book in the series.
Standalones
Two fully independent fairy tale retellings. Can be read in any order.
- 1
Uprooted
Standalone novel
A young woman is taken by the powerful wizard who protects her valley — a cold, demanding man called the Dragon — and discovers she has magic of her own. Inspired by Polish fairy tales, Uprooted is dense with folklore, features a deeply satisfying romantic arc, and won the Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Fully standalone. No connection to Temeraire or The Scholomance.
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Spinning Silver
Standalone novel
A moneylender's daughter boasts she can turn silver to gold — and is taken at her word by the cold, inhuman king of the Staryk. A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin drawing on Russian and Jewish folklore, with three interwoven female protagonists and one of fantasy's most satisfying structural twists.
Fully standalone. Often paired with Uprooted but set in a different world.
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Do Her Series Connect?
No — Temeraire, The Scholomance, Uprooted, and Spinning Silver are set in entirely separate worlds. They share Novik's distinctive sensibility — meticulous world-building, folklore-adjacent magic systems, and protagonists who find their power in unexpected places — but you can read any of them without context from the others. This makes Novik an unusually flexible author: pick the premise that appeals to you and start there.