With orders to proceed to Istanbul and pick up two dragon eggs, Temeraire and Laurence head overland from China to Turkey. It is a difficult journey, and doesn't yield the results they expected: an enemy from China has beaten them to Turkey and ruined their plans. Now in possession of two stolen dragon eggs, Laurence and Temeraire are sucked into the European theater of the Napoleonic Wars, and things are not going well. 
 Black Powder War was much better paced than Throne of Jade; even though it contained a journey just as long and perilous as the previous book, Black Powder War didn't drag as badly as Throne of Jade. However, the major shift in focus and geography midway through the book creates a serious divide between the two halves, which isn't addressed by the three-part structure. 
 Yet Temeraire's continued interest in dragon's rights, his difficulty getting the German dragons as interested, and the slow evolution of Laurence's understanding of Temeraire's desire to be truly free are reason enough to read Black Powder War. The introduction of Isierka is an unexpected bonus that kept me giggling throughout the last few chapters despite the serious nature of the plot.