History NightmareFuel / Temeraire

** Heck, the spitting acid is disturbing enough. A random French dragon gets hit in the face with a lot of acid towards the end of ''His Majesty's Dragon'', forcing her captain to MercyKill her before things can get any nastier. And one of Lily's harness-men dies in ''Empire of Ivory'' by falling from a cliff after acid in a handhold destroys his hand.

** Poor [[spoiler:Digby]] jumps for a badly-secured egg to keep it from falling off of Temeraire. [[spoiler:He]] does catch it, but in midair, far off the ground.

* Russian ferals are kept on the brink of starvation, and their wings are kept chained so they can't even fly away. [[spoiler: A clever French officer gets the idea of turning the starving ferals into a weapon by unchaining them and setting them loose. The dragons are so savage that they actually begin to eat the wounded (human) soldiers - something no sane dragon has been seen to do in the series.]]

* Almost immediately after the above, Temeraire [[spoiler: almost gets burned alive by peasants hoping to cashing on the Tsar's reward for killing a feral dragon. Temeraire was mistaken for one for travelling alone and without his harness on]]. He even develops post-traumatic stress from the ordeal, so much so that [[spoiler: watching a pavillion catch fire]] is enough to make him recoil.

* The first Longwing to die of the plague got himself into a coughing jag one cold winter's night, causing the bone-destroying acid so fearsome in battle to build up on his spurs. As the night wore on, the acid kept coming until it finally reached his jaws proper, [[BodyHorror melting through his own hide and muscle and down to the bone]]. [[MercyKill His captain had to shoot him.]]

** Heck, the spitting acid is disturbing enough. A random french dragon gets hit in the face with a lot of acid towards the end of ''His Majesty's Dragon'', forcing her captain to MercyKill her before things can get any nastier. And one of Lily's harness-men dies in ''Empire of Ivory'' by falling from a cliff after acid in a handhold destroys his hand.

* The first Longwing to die of the plague got himself into a coughing jag one cold winter's night, causing the bone-destroying acid so fearsome in battle to build up on his spurs, as the mechanism that causes the coughing uses the same channels as what allows Longwings to generate their acid. As the night wore on, the acid kept coming until it finally reached his jaws proper, [[BodyHorror melting through his own hide and muscle and down to the bone]]. [[MercyKill His captain had to shoot him.]]

* The first Longwing to die of the plague got himself into a coughing jag one cold winter's night, causing the bone-destroying acid so fearsome in battle to build up on his spurs, as the mechanism that causes the coughing uses the same channels as what allows Longwings to generate their acid. Eventually, the acid kept coming until it finally reached his jaws proper, [[BodyHorror melting through his own hide and muscle and down to the bone]]. [[MercyKill His captain had to shoot him.]]

* The first Longwing to die of the plague got himself into a coughing jag, causing the bone-destroying acid so fearsome in battle to build up on his spurs, as the mechanism that causes the coughing uses the same channels as what allows Longwings to generate their acid. Eventually, the acid kept coming until it finally reached his jaws proper, [[BodyHorror melting through his own hide and muscle and down to the bone]]. [[MercyKill His captain had to shoot him.]]

** An unamed French captain mercy kills his (probably) fatally injured dragon. While flying. The narration notes that he would have been able to jump to safety, but gave up his chance.
** Poor [[spoiler: Digby]] jumps for an badly-secured egg to keep it from falling off Temeraire. [[spoiler: He]] does catch it, but in midair, far off the ground.

** Russian ferals are kept on the brink of starvation, and their wings are kept chained so they can't even fly away. [[spoiler: A clever French officer gets the idea of turning the starving ferals into a weapon by unchaining them and setting them loose. The dragons are so savage that they actually begin to eat the wounded (human) soldiers - something no sane dragon has been seen to do in the series.]]

---> ''Laurence could see directly down into its jaws and throat... a pallid hand within desperately clinging to the tissue of the gullet, a face bloodied but not yet senseless gazing up at him in utter horror...''

** ''Black Powder War'' shows that Ground combat can be leagues more horrifying; as dragons abscond with entire cavalry units, and gouge bloody furrows through rifle companies.
** Novik reaches a new level in ''Blood of Tyrants''. Russian ferals are kept on the brink of starvation, and their wings are kept chained so they can't even fly away. [[spoiler: A clever French officer gets the idea of turning the starving ferals into a weapon by unchaining them and setting them loose. The dragons are so savage that they actually begin to eat the wounded (human) soldiers - something no sane dragon has been seen to do in the series.]]

* The bunyips in ''The Tongues of Serpents'' live in the Australian desert, lurking underground beneath special pit traps and strike like giant, reptilian trapdoor spiders, snatching people away before they even have time to scream and often so fast that no one around them even notices.

* The attack of the sea serpents in the sixth book. Just try to imagine scores of large, hungry, bloodthirsty sea serpents descending on a small fleet and twining and coiling around the ships. It was so grisly that the ones who provoked the sea serpents to attack aided in rescue efforts.

* The aftermath of [[spoiler:the ''Allegiance's'']] destruction in ''Crucible of Gold''. Three dragons flying for three days straight over the open ocean with next to no rest, 200 or so passengers between them, and '''no water''' is at best an extended OhCrap moment for the reader.

** Heck, the spitting acid is disturbing enough. A random french dragon gets hit in the face with a lot of acid towards the end of ''His Majesty's Dragon'', forcing its captain to MercyKill it before things can get any nastier. And one of Lily's harness-men dies in ''Empire of Ivory'' by falling from a cliff after acid in a handhold destroys his hand.

** Novik reaches a new level in ''Blood of Tyrants''. Russian ferals are not kept alive on the brink of starvation, but their wings are kept chained so they can't even fly away. [[spoiler: A clever French officer gets the idea of turning the starving ferals into a weapon by unchaining them and setting them loose. The dragons become so savage that they actually begin to eat the wounded (human) soldiers.]]

-> ''Laurence could see directly down into its jaws and throat... a pallid hand within desperately clinging to the tissue of the gullet, a face bloodied but not yet senseless gazing up at him in utter horror...''

* The attack of the sea serpents in the sixth book. Just try to imagine scores of large, hungry, bloodthirsty sea serpents descending on a small fleet and twining and coiling around the ships. Not helped by a description of a man clinging desperately inside the mouth of a sea serpent before being devoured. It was bad enough that the ones who provoked the sea serpents to attack seemed to have been made queasy by it.

* The Bunyips in ''The Tongues of Serpents'' live in the Australian desert, lurking underground beneath special pit traps and strike like giant, reptilian trapdoor spiders, snatching people away before they even have time to scream and often so fast that no one around them even notices.
** The fact that they are intelligent enough to communicate between lairs and prepare traps for dragons too big to attack directly add to the fuel. YMMV on if their ability to comprehend and willingness to accept bribes mitigates things or adds even more to it.

* The aftermath of [[spoiler:''Allegiance's'']] destruction in ''Crucible of Gold''. Three dragons flying for three days straight over the open ocean with next to no rest, 200 or so passengers between them, and '''no water''' is at best an extended OhCrap moment for the reader.

** Heck, the spitting acid is disturbing enough. A random french dragon gets hit in the face with a lot of acid towards the end of ''His Majesty's Dragon'', forcing its captain to MercyKill it before things can get any nastier. And one of Lily's harness-men dies in ''Empire of Ivory'' by falling from a cliff after acid in a handhold destroys his hand.

* The aftermath of [[spoiler:''Allegance's'']] destruction in ''Crucible of Gold''. Three dragons flying for three days straight over the open ocean with next to no rest, 200 or so passengers between them, and '''no water''' is at best an extended OhCrap moment for the reader.

* The aftermath of [[spoiler:''Allegance's'']] destruction in ''Crucible of Gold''. Three dragons flying for three days straight over the open ocean with next to no rest, 200 or so passengers between them, and '''no water''' is at best an extended OhCrap moment for the reader.

* [[spoiler: The aftermath of ''Allegance's'' destruction in ''Crucible of Gold''. Three dragons flying for three days straight over the open ocean with next to no rest, 200 or so passangers between them, and '''no water''' is at best an extended OhCrap moment for the reader.]]