Where to Start with Naomi Novik
- Best entry point → Spinning Silver
- Best standalone → Uprooted
- Start the Temeraire series → His Majesty's Dragon
- What fans keep coming back to → Throne of Jade
- Best narrator for Naomi Novik → Black Powder War
- Highest rated by listeners → Victory of Eagles (Temeraire #5)
- 1
Spinning Silver
The Mortal Instruments
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Lisa Flanagan
★ 4.41 ABR Score (163.3K ratings)★ 4.18 Goodreads (154.1K) ★ 4.68 Audible (9.2K)More about this pick
Lisa Flanagan weaves together three women's voices in Novik's Rumpelstiltskin retelling where a moneylender's daughter can turn silver into gold.
- 2
His Majesty's Dragon
Temeraire • Book 1
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.24 ABR Score (118.8K ratings)★ 4.07 Goodreads (112.8K) ★ 4.57 Audible (6.0K)More about this pick
Simon Vance captures the evolving bond between naval Captain Laurence and dragon Temeraire as they enter the aerial corps during an alternate Napoleonic War where dragons rule the skies.
- 3
Uprooted
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Julia Emelin
★ 4.05 ABR Score (275.7K ratings)★ 4.02 Goodreads (266.7K) ★ 4.31 Audible (9.0K)More about this pick
A village girl's magical apprenticeship to a centuries-old wizard becomes something far stranger and more dangerous when an ancient corrupted forest begins its assault on human settlements.
- 4
Throne of Jade
Temeraire • Book 2
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.14 ABR Score (59.9K ratings)★ 3.9 Goodreads (56.3K) ★ 4.58 Audible (3.6K)More about this pick
Vance's measured delivery captures both the diplomatic intrigue of Napoleonic-era politics and the emotional bond between dragon and captain as they journey to Imperial China.
- 5
Victory of Eagles
Temeraire • Book 5
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.27 ABR Score (31.5K ratings)★ 4.08 Goodreads (29.0K) ★ 4.69 Audible (2.5K)More about this pick
Dragon Temeraire and Captain Laurence face disgrace after their failed African mission during the Napoleonic Wars. Vance continues this acclaimed alternate history series where dragons serve as aerial cavalry in European conflicts.
- 6
Black Powder War
Temeraire • Book 3
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.16 ABR Score (46.7K ratings)★ 3.91 Goodreads (43.8K) ★ 4.61 Audible (2.9K)More about this pick
Captain Laurence and dragon Temeraire journey from China to Prussia via the Silk Road, collecting dragon eggs and battling Napoleon's forces along the way.
- 7
Empire of Ivory
Temeraire • Book 4
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 4.22 ABR Score (36.7K ratings)★ 3.99 Goodreads (34.1K) ★ 4.66 Audible (2.6K)More about this pick
Dragons are dying from a mysterious plague, leaving Temeraire and his captain to seek a cure in Africa's unexplored territories.
- 8
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
by John Joseph Adams, Stephen King, Robert J. Sawyer, Michael Moorcock, Sharyn McCrumb, Stephen Baxter, Anne Perry, Barbara Hambly, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Rob Rogers, Naomi Novik, Anthony Burgess, Dominic Green, Laurie R. King, Barbara Roden, Tim Lebbon, Peter Tremayne, Bradley H. Sinor, Edward D. Hoch, Vonda N. McIntyre, Darrell Schweitzer, Mary Robinette Kowal, H. Paul Jeffers, Geoffrey A. Landis, Amy Myers, Chris Roden, Tony Pi, Chris Roberson, Mark Valentine
Narrated by Simon Vance, Anne Flosnik
★ 3.88 ABR Score (23.4K ratings)★ 4.39 Goodreads (22.7K) ★ 3.96 Audible (736)More about this pick
Twenty-five years of the best Holmes short fiction gets collected, featuring Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and other masters reimagining the detective across genres. Simon Vance and Anne Flosnik handle the varied styles with appropriate range.
- 9
Unfettered II: New Tales
Gunnie Rose #0.0 - The Gunnie
by Shawn Speakman, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Michael J. Sullivan, Janny Wurts, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Mark Lawrence, Seanan McGuire, Peter Orullian, Aidan Moher, Erin Lindsey, John A. Pitts, Anthony Ryan, Scott Sigler, Django Wexler, Rachel Caine, Sarah Beth Durst, David Farland, Terry Brooks
Narrated by Sarah Coomes, Michael Kramer, Emily Woo Zeller, Nick Podehl, Erin Mallon, Tim Gerard Reynolds
★ 3.78 ABR Score (1.5K ratings)★ 3.92 Goodreads (1.1K) ★ 4.25 Audible (340)More about this pick
Twenty-one fantasy heavyweights contribute original stories to this charity anthology, creating a sampler that showcases the genre's current masters across multiple narrative styles.
- 10
Unfettered III: New Tales
The Chathrand Voyage #Thasha's cure for cabin fever • Book 3
by Shawn Speakman, Tad Williams, Naomi Novik, Megan Lindholm, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Ramon Terrell, Peter Orullian, Terry Brooks, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, Delilah S. Dawson, Mark Lawrence, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Todd Lockwood, Cat Rambo, Robert V.S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Scott Sigler, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner
Narrated by Khristine Hvam, Natasha Soudek, Mark Bramhall, Michael Page, Vikas Adam, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Andrew Wincott, Luke Daniels, Brian Nishii
★ 3.84 ABR Score (779 ratings)★ 3.98 Goodreads (571) ★ 4.37 Audible (208)More about this pick
This charity anthology features stories from fantasy's biggest names, with multiple narrators bringing each author's unique voice to life.
- 11
Tongues of Serpents
Temeraire • Book 6
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 3.86 ABR Score (24.1K ratings)★ 3.77 Goodreads (24.1K) ★ 4.48 Audible (31)More about this pick
Simon Vance guides Temeraire and Laurence to the Australian penal colonies, where dragon eggs and political exile create new complications in Novik's alternate Napoleonic world.
- 12
Crucible of Gold
Temeraire • Book 7
by Naomi Novik
Narrated by Simon Vance
★ 3.92 ABR Score (19.3K ratings)★ 3.99 Goodreads (19.3K) ★ 4.64 Audible (11)More about this pick
Captain Laurence and dragon Temeraire return to action despite being exiled to Australia, facing both Napoleon's forces and their own government's continued suspicion.
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Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.
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