{"product_id":"throne-of-jade-isbn-9780593359556","title":"Throne of Jade","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn the second novel of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Temeraire series, the Napoleonic Wars take Captain Will Laurence and his dragon to China on a perilous mission.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Full of wonderful characters with real heart.”—Peter Jackson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo—an unhatched dragon's egg—Captain Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Napoleon Bonaparte’s invading forces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands—and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. A reluctant Laurence has no choice but to take Temeraire back to China—a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Readers with a penchant for both Patrick O’Brian and Anne McCaffrey may have found their perfect match. Naomi Novik beautifully renders an 1800s Europe in which naval buffs and dragon lovers will be keen to immerse themselves.”—Alan Dean Foster, author of the Pip \u0026amp; Flinx series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon’t miss any of Naomi Novik’s magical Temeraire series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON • THRONE OF JADE • BLACK POWDER WAR • EMPIRE OF IVORY • VICTORY OF EAGLES • TONGUES OF SERPENTS • CRUCIBLE OF GOLD • BLOOD OF TYRANTS • LEAGUE OF DRAGONS\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eHis Majesty’s Dragon\u003c\/i\u003e and the Temeraire series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These are beautifully written novels—not only fresh, original, and fast paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart. [The Temeraire series] is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love—fantasy and historical epic.”\u003cb\u003e—Peter Jackson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A terrifically entertaining fantasy novel . . . Is it hard to imagine a cross between Susanna Clarke, of Norrell and Strange fame, and the late Patrick O’Brian? Not if you’ve read this wonderful, arresting novel.”\u003cb\u003e—Stephen King\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A splendid series . . . Not only is it a new way to utilize dragons, it’s a very clever one and fits neatly into the historical niche this author has used.”\u003cb\u003e—Anne McCaffrey\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Just when you think you’ve seen every variation possible on the dragon story, along comes Naomi Novik. Her wonderful Temeraire is a dragon for the ages.”\u003cb\u003e—Terry Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Enthralling reading—it’s like Jane Austen playing Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons with Eragon’s Christopher Paolini.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A completely authentic tale, brimming with all the detail and richness one looks for . . . as well as the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Entertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (Editor’s Choice, Grade: A)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Novik has accomplished something singular with her Temeraire series. . . . At its heart, it’s a story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species.”\u003cb\u003e—NPR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Naomi Novik] is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A thrilling fantasy . . . All hail Naomi Novik.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“An amazing performance . . . [I] was immediately hooked by the writing, the research and the sheer courage of the whole enterprise.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Something new and quite wonderful . . . The Temeraire trilogy could well be this year’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“A superbly written, character-driven series . . . What keeps one turning the pages is the urge to find out what happens next to Captain Laurence and Temeraire, characters who win one’s heart from the beginning. Bravo!”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eNaomi Novik\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Deadly Education, The Last Graduate, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Enclaves,\u003c\/i\u003e the award-winning novels \u003ci\u003eUprooted\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSpinning Silver,\u003c\/i\u003e and the Temeraire series. She is a founder of the Organization for Transformative Works and the Archive of Our Own. She lives in New York City with her family and six computers.\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The day was unseasonably warm for November, but in some misguided  deference  to the Chinese embassy, the fire in the Admiralty boardroom had  been heaped excessively  high, and Laurence was standing directly before  it. He had dressed with especial  care, in his best uniform, and all  throughout the long and unbearable interview,  the lining of his thick  bottle-green broadcloth coat had been growing steadily more  sodden with  sweat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Over the doorway, behind Lord Barham, the official indicator  with its  compass arrow showed the direction   of the wind over the Channel: in the  north-northeast today, fair for  France; very likely even now some ships of the Channel  Fleet were standing  in to have a look at Napoleon’s harbors. His shoulders held  at attention,  Laurence fixed his eyes upon the broad metal disk and tried to keep   himself distracted with such speculation; he did not trust himself to meet  the  cold, unfriendly gaze fixed upon him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Barham stopped speaking and coughed again  into his fist; the elaborate  phrases he had prepared sat not at all in his sailor’ s mouth, and at the  end of every awkward, halting line, he stopped and darted a  look over at  the Chinese with a nervous agitation that approached obsequity. It  was not  a very creditable performance, but under ordinary circumstances, Laurence   would have felt a degree of sympathy for Barham’s position: some sort of  formal  message had been anticipated, even perhaps an envoy, but no one had  ever imagined  that the Emperor of China would send his own brother halfway  around the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Prince Yongxing could, with a word, set their two nations at war; and  there  was besides something inherently awful in his presence: the  impervious silence with  which he met Barham’s every remark; the  overwhelming splendor of his dark yellow  robes, embroidered thickly with  dragons; the slow and relentless tapping of his  long, jewel-encrusted  fingernail against the arm of his chair. He did not even look  at Barham:  he only stared directly across the table at Laurence, grim and thin-lipped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His retinue was so large they filled the boardroom to the corners, a dozen   guards all sweltering and dazed in their quilted armor and as many  servants besides,  most with nothing to do, only attendants of one sort or  another, all of them standing  along the far wall of the room and trying to  stir the air with broad-paneled fans.  One man, evidently a translator,  stood behind the prince, murmuring when Yongxing  lifted a hand, generally  after one of Barham’s more involved periods.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Two other  official envoys sat to Yongxing’s either side. These men had  been presented to Laurence  only perfunctorily, and they had neither of  them said a word, though the younger,  called Sun Kai, had been watching  all the proceedings, impassively, and following  the translator’s words  with quiet attention. The elder, a big, round-bellied man  with a tufted grey beard, had gradually been overcome by the  heat: his head had  sunk forward onto his chest, mouth half open for air,  and his hand was barely even  moving his fan towards his face. They were  robed in dark blue silk, almost as elaborately  as the prince himself, and  together they made an imposing façade: certainly no such  embassy had ever  been seen in the West.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A far more practiced diplomat than  Barham might have been pardoned for  succumbing to some degree of servility, but  Laurence was scarcely in any  mood to be forgiving; though he was nearly more furious  with himself, at  having hoped for anything better. He had come expecting to plead  his case,  and privately in his heart he had even imagined a reprieve; instead he  had  been scolded in terms he would have scrupled to use to a raw lieutenant,  and  all in front of a foreign prince and his retinue, assembled like a tribunal to  hear his crimes. Still he held his  tongue as long as he could manage, but when Barham  at last came about to  saying, with an air of great condescension, “Naturally, Captain,  we have  it in mind that you shall be put to another hatchling, afterwards,”  Laurence  had reached his limit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “No, sir,” he said, breaking in. “I am sorry, but no:  I will not do it,  and as for another post, I must beg to be excused.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sitting  beside Barham, Admiral Powys of the Aerial Corps had remained  quite silent through  the course of the meeting; now he only shook his  head, without any appearance of  surprise, and folded his hands together  over his ample belly. Barham gave him a  furious look and said to Laurence,  “Perhaps I am not clear, Captain; this is not  a request. You have been  given your orders, you will carry them out.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I will  be hanged first,” Laurence said flatly, past caring that he was  speaking in such  terms to the First Lord of the Admiralty: the death of  his career if he had still  been a naval officer, and it could scarcely do  him any good even as an aviator.  Yet if they meant to send Temeraire away,  back to China, his career as an aviator  was finished: he would never  accept a position with any other dragon. None other  would ever compare, to  Laurence’s mind, and he would not subject a hatchling to  being   second-best when there were men in the Corps lined up six-deep for the  chance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yongxing did not say anything, but his lips tightened; his attendants  shifted  and murmured amongst themselves in their own language. Laurence  did not think he  was imagining the hint of disdain in their tone, directed  less at himself than at  Barham; and the First Lord evidently shared the  impression, his face growing mottled  and choleric with the effort of  preserving the appearance of calm. “By God, Laurence;  if you imagine you  can stand here in the middle of Whitehall and mutiny, you are  wrong; I  think perhaps you are forgetting that your first duty is to your country   and your King, not to this dragon of yours.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “No, sir; it is you who are forgetting.  It was for duty I put Temeraire  into harness, sacrificing my naval rank, with no  knowledge then that he  was any breed truly out of the ordinary, much less a Celestial,”  Laurence  said. “And for duty I took him through a difficult training and into a   hard and dangerous service; for duty I have taken him into battle, and  asked him  to hazard his life and happiness. I will not answer such loyal  service with lies  and deceit.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Enough noise, there,” Barham said. “Anyone would think you were  being  asked to hand over your firstborn. I am sorry if you have made such a pet   of the creature you cannot bear to lose him—”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Temeraire is neither my pet  nor my property, sir,” Laurence snapped. “He  has served England and the King as  much as I have, or you yourself, and  now, because he does not choose to go back  to China, you stand there and  ask me to lie to him. I cannot imagine what claim  to honor I should have  if I agreed to it. Indeed,” he added, unable to restrain  himself, “I  wonder that you should even have made the proposal; I wonder at it   greatly.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Oh, your soul to the devil, Laurence,” Barham said, losing his last   veneer of formality; he had been a serving sea-officer for years before  joining  the Government, and he was still very little a politician when his  temper was up.  “He is a Chinese dragon, it stands to reason he will like  China better; in any case,  he belongs to them, and there is an end to it.  The name of thief is a very unpleasant  one, and His Majesty’s Government  does not propose to invite it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I know how  I am to take that, I suppose.” If Laurence had not already  been half-broiled, he  would have flushed. “And I utterly reject the  accusation, sir. These gentlemen do  not deny they had given the egg to  France; we seized it from a French man-of-war;  the ship and the egg were  condemned as lawful prize out of hand in the Admiralty  courts, as you very  well know. By no possible understanding does Temeraire belong  to them; if  they were so anxious about letting a Celestial out of their hands, they   ought not have given him away in the shell.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yongxing snorted and broke into  their shouting-match. “That is correct,”  he said; his English was thickly accented,  formal and slow, but the  measured cadences only lent all the more effect to his  words. “From the  first it was folly to let the second-born egg of Lung Tien Qian  pass over  sea. That, no one can now dispute.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It silenced them both, and for  a moment no one spoke, save the translator  quietly rendering Yongxing’s words for  the rest of the Chinese. Then Sun  Kai unexpectedly said something in their tongue  which made Yongxing look  around at him sharply. Sun kept his head inclined deferentially,  and did  not look up, but still it was the first suggestion Laurence had seen that   their embassy might perhaps not speak with a single voice. But Yongxing  snapped    a reply, in a tone which did not allow of any further comment, and Sun did  not  venture to make one. Satisfied that he had quelled his subordinate,  Yongxing turned  back to them and added, “Yet regardless of the evil chance  that brought him into  your hands, Lung Tien Xiang was meant to go to the  French Emperor, not to be made  beast of burden for a common soldier.”New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education","brand":"Del Rey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305142505701,"sku":"NP9780593359556","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593359556.jpg?v=1767742589","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/throne-of-jade-isbn-9780593359556","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}