This is the sequel to His Majesty’s Dragon; I enjoyed it just as much as its predecessor. Captain Will Laurence’s dragon, Temeraire, is a Chinese dragon, a Chinese dragon of a most superior breed. Temeraire’s egg had been destined for the Emperor Napoleon, a gift from one emperor to another; the Chinese are outraged that Temeraire has been matched with a common “soldier”. They insist on Temeraire being returned to China.

Of course, it’s difficult to get a dragon, especially a large dragon, to do anything it doesn’t want to do; and Temeraire refuses to go without his Captain. There follows a delightful sea journey by dragon transport, rife with incident, and a lovely if rather confrontational and Byzantine sojourn in the Middle Kingdom. But stout English virtue must necessarily triumph, and such is the case here.

Next, Black Powder War.