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skienight's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, War, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism
sydthewitch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, and War
Minor: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism
leahegood's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Summary
Captain William Lawrence is fair-minded, duty-conscious, and entirely committed to his career in the Navy. Until he and his crew capture a French ship carrying a precious cargo. The English military are in desperate need of more dragons, and the egg aboard the French ship is about to hatch. If the young dragon is not put under harness immediately--imprinted to a handler who will remain with the dragon for life--the dragon will never be of use to the military for more than training. Duty is clear. They must attempt to bring the hatchling under harness. But it will mean the end of a Navy career for whoever is chosen.
My Thoughts
I saw this book while meandering through Barnes & Noble and recalled a bookstagrammer displaying it as part of a book haul. I bought it based on the brief mention and the interesting back cover blurb. The book was further recommended when one of my best friends saw me pull it out of my bag and began to gush about the series.
The story reminded me of the Horatio Hornblower movie series + dragons. It has all the honor and duty elements of most military-based historical epics, but there are also dragons. What lover of fantasy and historical fiction can argue with that?
Apart from the dragons--which are (to varying degrees) intelligent, can talk, and have varying abilities such as spitting acid--there are no other fantasy elements. The dragons are treated as a very natural part of the very normal historical setting.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend to read more in the series, I will note that the plot was a little looser than I usually prefer. The main character has no true arc (he's a good guy, accepts and adjusts to his new lot in life quite pragmatically and quickly, and overall doesn't seem to have much to learn) and the arc of the story is also less dramatic than some as there is no real story goal other than a general "figure out life as dragon and dragon handler." The Writing Excuses podcast calls this kind of story the "elemental genre of wonder." The driving force of the story for the reader is, "This is a cool thing or place that I would like to enjoy through observation."
Content
Romance: A long-standing understanding is ended when the main character becomes a dragon handler. There are a couple of rather frank (though non-detailed) conversations about pr*stitution and producing children outside of marriage. It is implied that the main character is having physical relations with a female colleague, though to what extent beyond kissing is not spelled out.
Launguage: Minimal if any. It seems like there must have been a few d*mns or h*lls or at least bl**dys in a military novel, but if there were, they were so infrequent as to not stand out.
Violence: Several dragons are injured. Men die in battle. There is one execution. Nothing is graphic.
Religion: None that I can think of.
Captain William Lawrence is fair-minded, duty-conscious, and entirely committed to his career in the Navy. Until he and his crew capture a French ship carrying a precious cargo. The English military are in desperate need of more dragons, and the egg aboard the French ship is about to hatch. If the young dragon is not put under harness immediately--imprinted to a handler who will remain with the dragon for life--the dragon will never be of use to the military for more than training. Duty is clear. They must attempt to bring the hatchling under harness. But it will mean the end of a Navy career for whoever is chosen.
My Thoughts
I saw this book while meandering through Barnes & Noble and recalled a bookstagrammer displaying it as part of a book haul. I bought it based on the brief mention and the interesting back cover blurb. The book was further recommended when one of my best friends saw me pull it out of my bag and began to gush about the series.
The story reminded me of the Horatio Hornblower movie series + dragons. It has all the honor and duty elements of most military-based historical epics, but there are also dragons. What lover of fantasy and historical fiction can argue with that?
Apart from the dragons--which are (to varying degrees) intelligent, can talk, and have varying abilities such as spitting acid--there are no other fantasy elements. The dragons are treated as a very natural part of the very normal historical setting.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed this book and intend to read more in the series, I will note that the plot was a little looser than I usually prefer. The main character has no true arc (he's a good guy, accepts and adjusts to his new lot in life quite pragmatically and quickly, and overall doesn't seem to have much to learn) and the arc of the story is also less dramatic than some as there is no real story goal other than a general "figure out life as dragon and dragon handler." The Writing Excuses podcast calls this kind of story the "elemental genre of wonder." The driving force of the story for the reader is, "This is a cool thing or place that I would like to enjoy through observation."
Content
Romance: A long-standing understanding is ended when the main character becomes a dragon handler. There are a couple of rather frank (though non-detailed) conversations about pr*stitution and producing children outside of marriage. It is implied that the main character is having physical relations with a female colleague, though to what extent beyond kissing is not spelled out.
Launguage: Minimal if any. It seems like there must have been a few d*mns or h*lls or at least bl**dys in a military novel, but if there were, they were so infrequent as to not stand out.
Violence: Several dragons are injured. Men die in battle. There is one execution. Nothing is graphic.
Religion: None that I can think of.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War and Emotional abuse
miraclesnow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Breathtakingly emotional and deeply moving characters in this one. A pity I don’t have the next book in my hands as I write this review, I need it like I need air to breathe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Animal death, War, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexism
beanaroni's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Murder, Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism
themoonshoes's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
how this book hasn’t gotten an adaptation yet is beyond me. i do not want that to happen though
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Death, and Violence
Minor: Gore, Grief, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
directorpurry's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
arrono's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It's a good book! I like how the author explores the concept of the world in depth, with a fair amount of care and research into the implications of the oddities of their world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and War
o_romeo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Classism, Confinement, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
studiomikarts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
It's been over a decade since I last read this book. I remembered loving it at the time, so much so that I preordered all the sequels as they came available, but after the fourth book, life got busy and I never finished reading the series, even though I owned it. Well, this year, with many recent disappointments while trying to discover new fantasy books, and after hearing about the rerelease of the Temeraire series in a set of beautiful, matching trade paperback covers, I was inspired to read His Majesty's Dragon again.
I was afraid my memories of loving the book (I remembered nothing but my feelings about it; everything else had completely evaporated from my mind) might end up being rose-tinted relics of the past. That actually happened to me with a gryphon book series earlier this year; in an odd way, being disappointed by an old favorite is heartbreaking. So I was half expecting to be let down when I flipped to the first page of His Majesty's Dragon this time. Imagine, then, my elation when I was desperately taken by the story from the very first line! And how much pleasure I experienced when, every time I opened the book to continue reading, I felt just as excited by the plot and as enamored with the characters, as I had the last time I set the book down ❤️
Naomi Novik's storytelling has done nothing less than restore my faith in fantasy. My entire life, this genre has been my absolute favorite, but for many years now, I just haven't encountered anything satisfying outside my frequent rereads of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter series. I was legitimately questioning, when I picked up His Majesty's Dragon again, whether my tastes had actually changed as I've aged, and that the only fantasy I still liked were my childhood favorites. I am so grateful to feel completely reassured that I do indeed love fantasy books! I just need to be a little more selective when I give new books a try; from now on, if I don't feel gripped after reading the first page, I'll move on. I've spent too much time in recent years, trying to force myself to like a book, slogging through page after page, chapter after chapter, telling myself that I just need to give it more of a chance, perhaps reminding myself of how much other people have said they love it. As odd as it may sound, Temeraire has given me the confidence to respect my own tastes and opinions.
To get at last to talking about the contents of His Majesty's Dragon, I think my favorite part of the book is the deep, loving relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. There were so many moments that just touched my heart, and reminded me of my own feelings toward my non-human companions. I think, perhaps, the only reason I can write this review right now, is because of this heartwarming friendship. The reason being, just hours after I finished reading the book, my dog of 15 years passed away. I am still in the throes of grief as I write this, but rather than feeling like writing a book review is at odds with my feelings of loss and loneliness, instead I feel glad to finally have the motivation to put my ideas into words. The relationship between the principle captain and dragon in this story is so similar to those of us humans and our non-human friends, full of understanding, loyalty, love, comfort, and camaraderie that spans the boundaries of species (and confuses those who have not the pleasure of such a relationship).
But the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire isn't the only thing carrying this book. There is so much depth in the characters, different captains who have different relationships with their dragons (even entering the painful, heartbreaking realm of abuse and neglect), complex relationships between humans (mothers, fathers, daughters, lovers, commanders, subordinates, etc.), and of course the myriad of dragons who have varying levels of intelligence, sizes, features, desires, personalities, etc. The writing itself is so good that all of these things are very well presented, so that I was never confused about which dragon can do what, or why something was happening, or where the story was going next. I will say, however, that my love for late 19th and early 20th century British and French writing is probably a boon for me; if you're not good with the original Sherlock Holmes stories or the English translation of The Count of Monte Cristo, for example, you might find this writing style challenging. It is so akin to older such writing (at least that which I'm familiar with) I actually took a moment to see whether the author was British herself (nope, she's a fellow American 😊). After the characters and writing, the plot is the next feature I'd like to highlight. I remember when I first read this book, I had no interest in history whatsoever. The idea of Napoleonic Wars-era dragons was wacky and wild, which is why I gave it a shot, but I didn't expect to actually enjoy the historical aspects, which I did, both then and again this time! Just goes to show that well-written fantasy can make everything it's associated with awesome 😄
Something I liked about the end of this book is the excerpts from the "sketchbook of Sir Edward Howe". It's a very fun addition to the world of Temeraire and a nice way to ease the reader off the high of the final, exciting chapters of the story. The inclusion, as well, of an excerpt from the next volume in the series was also a great way to get readers excited about continuing their adventures with Temeraire. Well, for this reader, it's not just exciting but worrying! I want Laurence and Temeraire to be happy! I need to get reading Throne of Jade right away, so that the versions of that pair who live in my mind can overcome the challenge that has been set before them by this final teaser!
I was afraid my memories of loving the book (I remembered nothing but my feelings about it; everything else had completely evaporated from my mind) might end up being rose-tinted relics of the past. That actually happened to me with a gryphon book series earlier this year; in an odd way, being disappointed by an old favorite is heartbreaking. So I was half expecting to be let down when I flipped to the first page of His Majesty's Dragon this time. Imagine, then, my elation when I was desperately taken by the story from the very first line! And how much pleasure I experienced when, every time I opened the book to continue reading, I felt just as excited by the plot and as enamored with the characters, as I had the last time I set the book down ❤️
Naomi Novik's storytelling has done nothing less than restore my faith in fantasy. My entire life, this genre has been my absolute favorite, but for many years now, I just haven't encountered anything satisfying outside my frequent rereads of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter series. I was legitimately questioning, when I picked up His Majesty's Dragon again, whether my tastes had actually changed as I've aged, and that the only fantasy I still liked were my childhood favorites. I am so grateful to feel completely reassured that I do indeed love fantasy books! I just need to be a little more selective when I give new books a try; from now on, if I don't feel gripped after reading the first page, I'll move on. I've spent too much time in recent years, trying to force myself to like a book, slogging through page after page, chapter after chapter, telling myself that I just need to give it more of a chance, perhaps reminding myself of how much other people have said they love it. As odd as it may sound, Temeraire has given me the confidence to respect my own tastes and opinions.
To get at last to talking about the contents of His Majesty's Dragon, I think my favorite part of the book is the deep, loving relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. There were so many moments that just touched my heart, and reminded me of my own feelings toward my non-human companions. I think, perhaps, the only reason I can write this review right now, is because of this heartwarming friendship. The reason being, just hours after I finished reading the book, my dog of 15 years passed away. I am still in the throes of grief as I write this, but rather than feeling like writing a book review is at odds with my feelings of loss and loneliness, instead I feel glad to finally have the motivation to put my ideas into words. The relationship between the principle captain and dragon in this story is so similar to those of us humans and our non-human friends, full of understanding, loyalty, love, comfort, and camaraderie that spans the boundaries of species (and confuses those who have not the pleasure of such a relationship).
But the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire isn't the only thing carrying this book. There is so much depth in the characters, different captains who have different relationships with their dragons (even entering the painful, heartbreaking realm of abuse and neglect), complex relationships between humans (mothers, fathers, daughters, lovers, commanders, subordinates, etc.), and of course the myriad of dragons who have varying levels of intelligence, sizes, features, desires, personalities, etc. The writing itself is so good that all of these things are very well presented, so that I was never confused about which dragon can do what, or why something was happening, or where the story was going next. I will say, however, that my love for late 19th and early 20th century British and French writing is probably a boon for me; if you're not good with the original Sherlock Holmes stories or the English translation of The Count of Monte Cristo, for example, you might find this writing style challenging. It is so akin to older such writing (at least that which I'm familiar with) I actually took a moment to see whether the author was British herself (nope, she's a fellow American 😊). After the characters and writing, the plot is the next feature I'd like to highlight. I remember when I first read this book, I had no interest in history whatsoever. The idea of Napoleonic Wars-era dragons was wacky and wild, which is why I gave it a shot, but I didn't expect to actually enjoy the historical aspects, which I did, both then and again this time! Just goes to show that well-written fantasy can make everything it's associated with awesome 😄
Something I liked about the end of this book is the excerpts from the "sketchbook of Sir Edward Howe". It's a very fun addition to the world of Temeraire and a nice way to ease the reader off the high of the final, exciting chapters of the story. The inclusion, as well, of an excerpt from the next volume in the series was also a great way to get readers excited about continuing their adventures with Temeraire. Well, for this reader, it's not just exciting but worrying! I want Laurence and Temeraire to be happy! I need to get reading Throne of Jade right away, so that the versions of that pair who live in my mind can overcome the challenge that has been set before them by this final teaser!
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War