I got this fair-condition softcover from this Little Free Library in Cambridge, MA, while dropping off some books of my own. It's the second in the wonderful series about intelligent dragons in an alternate-reality Napoleonic era, following on the events of His Majesty's Dragon.

In this volume, Laurence and Temeraire must face the wrath of the Chinese government, which has discovered that Temeraire - intended as a gift to Napoleon - has been co-opted by the British. Our heroes travel to China to try and work things out, but there, a still-young-and-naive Temeraire learns just how differently dragons are treated: they're not kept captive as machines of war, but are educated and respected, and have citizenship in their own right!

By the end of the book, our heroes are faced with a choice: remain in China, where Temeraire would become a very highly-ranked individual indeed - and Laurence would be safe from charges of treason by his British superiors - or head home and try to improve the lot of the British dragons...

[There's a TV Tropes page for the series that's entertaining and informative; just beware of spoilers!]

I left this book in the Little Free Library on this sunny day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]