and Laurence in their expedition to Africa to find a cure for the draconic flu. Tenzing Tharkay: A guide hired by a banker in Constantinople to bring Captain Laurence and his crew to the Turkish capital. While duplicitous in appearance, this is an air cultivated purposefully by Tharkay due to his mixed heritage. Dragons Temeraire: A Chinese Celestial dragon (mistaken for an Imperial dragon in the first book) and the titular character of the series. Named after Téméraire, a French vessel captured during the Napoleonic wars, his name means "reckless". His Chinese name is Lung Tien Xiang. Captain William Laurence is his companion. Possesses an extremely practical, inquisitive, and sometimes too blunt personality, although he sometimes can be overly sensitive about the differences between his appearance and that of western dragons. He is also quite possessive and protective of Laurence. Lien: A Chinese Celestial dragon partnered with Prince Yongxing until his death. As a white (albino) dragon, she is regarded as bad luck in the Chinese culture. She is an enemy of Temeraire and Laurence, holding them responsible for the death of Yongxing. She joins the Napoleonic forces and is the primary subject of the short story "In Autumn, A White Dragon Looks Over The Wide River". Maximus: a male Regal Copper heavy-weight dragon also in Temeraire's formation; suffers badly during the dragon plague. Handled by Captain Berkeley. Lily: a female Longwing heavy-weight dragon, nominally the leader of Temeraire's formation; also suffers during the dragon plague. Handled by Captain Harcourt—a female captain, since Longwings only take female captains (though this is not widely known outside the Aerial Corps). Iskierka: a female Kazilik (fire-breathing) dragon, native to Turkey but bought by the British during the Napoleonic Wars; prone to fighting and insubordination. Handled by Captain John Granby, formerly of Temeraire's crew. Cancelled film adaptation In 2006, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Peter Jackson, best known for directing the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, had optioned the rights to the Temeraire series. Jackson stated that Temeraire "is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love—fantasy and historical epic. I can't wait to see Napoleonic battles fought with a squadron of dragons. That's what I go to the movies for." On July 24, 2009, in an interview with IGN, Jackson said he had considered making a television mini-series instead; he was worried that if the first movie flopped at the