Naomi Novik asked one of the best questions in alternate history: what if the Napoleonic Wars had been fought with dragons? Her answer, the nine-novel Temeraire series, made her name, and she has since won the Nebula, Locus, British Fantasy and Mythopoeic Awards for fairy-tale novels and a magical school trilogy. This guide covers every Novik book in order, where to start, and which of her worlds suits which reader.
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About Naomi Novik
Early Life
Naomi Novik is an American writer from New York who grew up in Roslyn Heights on Long Island. She is a second-generation American: her father’s family were Lithuanian Jews and her mother’s family were Polish Catholics. That Eastern European heritage would later shape her fairy-tale novels.
She studied English literature at Brown University and went on to a master’s degree in computer science at Columbia University, and she worked in computing before her first novel was published. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, the writer and entrepreneur Charles Ardai.
Writing Career
Novik’s debut, His Majesty’s Dragon, came out in 2006 (in the UK it was titled Temeraire), and the next two Temeraire novels followed the same year. The first book won the Compton Crook Award for best first novel and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and in 2007 Novik won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. The series reached its ninth and final book, League of Dragons, in 2016.
In 2015 she turned to fairy tales with Uprooted, set in a fantasy kingdom inspired by Poland, which won the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Spinning Silver (2018), her take on Rumpelstiltskin, won the Locus Award. The Scholomance trilogy followed from 2020 to 2022, then the story collection Buried Deep and Other Stories in 2024 and the novella The Summer War in 2025.
Away from her own books, Novik helped to found the Organization for Transformative Works, the nonprofit behind the fan fiction site Archive of Our Own. In 2019 she accepted the Hugo Award for Best Related Work on behalf of the archive and everyone who writes and reads there.
Writing Style
Novik takes her premises seriously. Her dragons are not mounts or weapons but people, with opinions about how they are treated, and the Temeraire books keep asking what Britain owes the creatures that fight its wars. The same habit runs through her fantasy, where a magical school or a fairy-tale bargain is followed through to its hard consequences.
Her voice changes with the world. Temeraire is written in a formal, period style close to a Regency novel, the fairy-tale books are lyrical and dark, and the Scholomance novels are told by a sharp, sardonic narrator. What stays the same is the warmth: her central relationships, whether between a captain and his dragon or between two unlikely allies, are what readers remember.
Naomi Novik Series in Reading Order
The Temeraire Series (2006 to 2016)
Setting: An alternate Napoleonic Wars, from Britain to China, Africa, Australia, South America, Japan and Russia
Number of books: 9 novels (complete)
Main characters: Captain William Laurence of the Royal Navy and the dragon Temeraire
When Laurence’s ship captures a French frigate carrying a dragon egg, the dragon that hatches chooses him, and the naval officer is pulled into the Aerial Corps. The series follows the pair through the course of the Napoleonic Wars and around the world, and each new country shows a different way of living with dragons. It is complete, so new readers can go from the first book to the last.
- His Majesty’s Dragon (2006), published in the UK as Temeraire
- Throne of Jade (2006)
- Black Powder War (2006)
- Empire of Ivory (2007)
- Victory of Eagles (2008)
- Tongues of Serpents (2010)
- Crucible of Gold (2012)
- Blood of Tyrants (2013)
- League of Dragons (2016)
The first three novels are also collected in one volume, In His Majesty’s Service: Three Novels of Temeraire (2009), which adds a short story about the Chinese dragon Lien.
For a spoiler-free summary of every book, the short fiction and what to read next, see our Temeraire series reading order.
The Scholomance Trilogy (2020 to 2022)
Setting: The Scholomance, a school of magic with no teachers, where the monsters are real and graduation is a fight for survival
Number of books: 3 novels (complete)
Main character: Galadriel “El” Higgins, a half-Welsh, half-Indian sorceress with a gift for dark magic
The Scholomance books are Novik’s sharpest and funniest. El tells the story in a prickly first-person voice, and the school’s lethal rules expose the gap between the wealthy enclave families and everyone else. Though they were not marketed as young adult books, many teenage readers love them.
1. A Deadly Education (2020)
El has decided that Orion Lake, the school’s golden hero, needs to die after the second time he saves her life. Everyone expects El to become a dark sorceress who will level mountains, and the school seems to want it too, but she has other plans.
2. The Last Graduate (2021)
El has reached her senior year with a handful of allies, and the school has developed a very particular appetite for her. Between endless waves of monsters and homework, she has to work out how anyone will survive the graduation hall.
3. The Golden Enclaves (2022)
The final book follows El beyond the school gates. The graduation plan did not bring the peace everyone hoped for: someone else has taken up the destruction of the enclaves, and a war between them is brewing.
Standalone Novels and Novellas
Uprooted (2015)
Agnieszka’s valley lives in the shadow of the corrupted Wood, and its people rely on a cold wizard known as the Dragon to hold it back. His price is one young woman to serve him for ten years. Everyone knows he will take Agnieszka’s beautiful friend Kasia, but when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he chooses. Uprooted won the Nebula, Locus, British Fantasy and Mythopoeic Awards.
Spinning Silver (2018)
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, and her father’s failure to collect his debts has left the family close to poverty. When she takes over the business, she earns a reputation for turning silver into gold, and a careless boast draws the attention of the Staryk, cold fey beings from a winter realm. This Rumpelstiltskin retelling won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
The Summer War (2025)
A novella. Celia discovers her magic on the day her beloved eldest brother, Argent, leaves home, and her angry words become a curse that dooms him to a life without love. Growing up in a land torn by a centuries-old war with the immortal summerlings, she searches for a way to undo what she has done.
Short Story Collections
Golden Age and Other Stories (2017)
A collection of new Temeraire stories from Subterranean Press, each inspired by a piece of fan art. It includes historical figures such as the explorer Matteo Ricci and a Temeraire take on Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.
Buried Deep and Other Stories (2024)
Thirteen stories from across Novik’s worlds, old and new. Among them are a Scholomance story, the founding of a Dragon Corps in ancient Rome after Mark Antony hatches a dragon’s egg, and a first look at the setting of her next fantasy series.
Where to Start with Naomi Novik
Best First Book
For historical fiction readers, start with His Majesty’s Dragon. It introduces Laurence, Temeraire and the Aerial Corps, and it shows straight away how seriously Novik builds her alternate Napoleonic world.
If You Want…
- Dragons and history: start with His Majesty’s Dragon and read the Temeraire books in order, or buy the first three together in In His Majesty’s Service.
- A standalone fantasy: start with Uprooted, her Nebula winner.
- A fairy tale retelling: try Spinning Silver.
- A dark magic school: start the Scholomance with A Deadly Education.
- A short read: The Summer War is a novella, and Buried Deep and Other Stories samples all her worlds.
Books by Time Period
The Napoleonic Wars
All nine Temeraire novels follow the Napoleonic Wars, from the invasion fears of the early 1800s to Napoleon’s Russian campaign and the last battles against him. Real figures such as Napoleon and William Bligh appear alongside the dragons. For historical fiction about the real conflict, see our Napoleonic Wars historical fiction guide, and for the war at sea, our list of the best naval historical fiction.
Fairy-Tale Eastern Europe
Uprooted, set in a kingdom inspired by Poland, and Spinning Silver, with its winter fey and moneylenders, draw on Eastern European folklore rather than real history. They are fantasy, not historical fiction, but readers who love the folk traditions of the region often enjoy them.
Popular Naomi Novik Series
The Temeraire Series
Temeraire is Novik’s great contribution to alternate history. The premise is simple and irresistible, but the series lasts because of the relationship at its heart: a correct, honorable naval officer and a curious, outspoken dragon who changes the way he sees the world. Readers often call it Patrick O’Brian with dragons, and the publisher’s own pitch places it between O’Brian’s sea novels and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern.
The series takes history seriously. It keeps the broad course of the Napoleonic Wars, and it does not look away from the uglier sides of the period, including the slave trade and the convict colony in New South Wales. The dragons raise the questions, and the books follow them through.
In 2017 the whole series was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Series. Peter Jackson optioned it for film in 2006, but nothing was made, and the rights have since returned to Novik. Start with our Temeraire reading order.
Awards and Recognition
- Nebula Award for Best Novel: Uprooted (2016)
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel: Uprooted (2016) and Spinning Silver (2019)
- British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel: Uprooted (2016)
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature: Uprooted (2016)
- Alex Award: Spinning Silver (2019)
- Audie Award for Fantasy: Spinning Silver (2019)
- Compton Crook Award: His Majesty’s Dragon (2007)
- Locus Award for Best First Novel: Temeraire: In the Service of the King, the omnibus of the first three novels (2007)
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: 2007
- Hugo Award finalist: His Majesty’s Dragon, Uprooted, Spinning Silver, the Temeraire series (Best Series, 2017) and The Summer War
For the full record, see the Locus Science Fiction Awards Database.
Writing Schedule and Upcoming Books
Novik’s latest book is The Summer War, a novella published in 2025. Buried Deep and Other Stories (2024) includes a first look at the world of Abandon, the setting of a new epic fantasy series she has in progress; no title or date has been announced. For news, follow her official site, naominovik.com.
Similar Authors You’ll Enjoy
Patrick O’Brian
The closest match for Temeraire. O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels follow a naval captain and his friend through the same wars, with the same period voice and the same friendship at the center. Start with Master and Commander, and see our Patrick O’Brian guide.
C.S. Forester
Forester’s Hornblower books cover the naval war against Napoleon at a faster pace, following one officer from midshipman upward. Start with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and our Hornblower reading order.
Susanna Clarke
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell brings magic back to England during the Napoleonic Wars, written in a pastiche of nineteenth-century style. It is the nearest thing to Temeraire’s mix of real history and the fantastic, and it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Harry Turtledove
For readers who came for the alternate history, Turtledove builds whole alternate timelines in political detail, most famously in his Southern Victory saga. See our Harry Turtledove guide.
Philip K. Dick
Dick’s novel of an America that lost the Second World War is one of the founding classics of alternate history, and a good next step for readers curious about the genre beyond dragons. See our Philip K. Dick guide.
Diana Gabaldon
Gabaldon’s Outlander books share Novik’s blend of real history and a fantastic premise, her wide geographic sweep, and a central relationship tested across many volumes. See our Diana Gabaldon guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Naomi Novik’s best book?
For historical fiction readers, His Majesty’s Dragon, the first Temeraire novel, is the best place to begin. Among her fantasy, Uprooted won the Nebula Award and Spinning Silver won the Locus Award, and both are widely loved.
In what order should I read Naomi Novik’s books?
Her series and standalones are separate, so you can start with any of them. Read the nine Temeraire novels in publication order, starting with His Majesty’s Dragon, and the Scholomance trilogy in order, starting with A Deadly Education.
Are Naomi Novik’s books connected?
No. Temeraire, the Scholomance trilogy, Uprooted, Spinning Silver and The Summer War are separate worlds. The collection Buried Deep and Other Stories includes stories from several of them.
Is the Temeraire series historically accurate?
It is alternate history. It keeps the broad course of the Napoleonic Wars and real people such as Napoleon and William Bligh, but dragons change battles, alliances and whole countries. It is best read as a careful what-if built on real history.
What time periods does Naomi Novik write about?
The Temeraire series covers the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. Uprooted and Spinning Silver are fantasy inspired by Eastern European folklore, and the Scholomance trilogy is set in a modern world of hidden magic.
Is Naomi Novik still writing?
Yes. Her novella The Summer War was published in 2025, and she has a new epic fantasy series in progress, first glimpsed in Buried Deep and Other Stories.
Are Naomi Novik’s books suitable for teenagers?
Many older teens enjoy them. Temeraire was published for adults and includes war, battlefield deaths and themes such as slavery. The Scholomance trilogy was not marketed as young adult fiction but is popular with teenage readers, and it includes violence and monsters.
Has Naomi Novik’s work been adapted for film or TV?
Not yet. Peter Jackson optioned Temeraire in 2006, but the rights have since returned to Novik. Warner Bros. bought the film rights to Uprooted in 2015, and Universal Pictures optioned the Scholomance trilogy in 2020, but neither has reached the screen.
Is His Majesty’s Dragon the same book as Temeraire?
Yes. The first novel was published as His Majesty’s Dragon in the United States and as Temeraire in the United Kingdom.
Where can I find news about Naomi Novik’s next book?
Her official website, naominovik.com, carries news about her books. No title or release date has been announced for her next series.
Conclusion
Naomi Novik is one of the few writers equally at home in alternate history, fairy tale and dark fantasy. For historical fiction readers the way in is clear: the Temeraire series, nine complete novels that turn the Napoleonic Wars into a world-spanning adventure without losing sight of the real history underneath.
Start with His Majesty’s Dragon and follow our Temeraire reading order. When you reach the end of League of Dragons, Uprooted is the best next step into the rest of her work.