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A review by book_concierge
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
4.0
The Napoleonic War is the framework for this fantastical adventure tale that includes not only naval battles, but air combat aboard dragons. A French frigate is captured by a British ship, and among the spoils is a dragon egg – one that is about to hatch. Unfortunately, a newly hatched dragon must be harnessed immediately, and the person who harnesses the beast is forever bound to it. As luck would have it Captain Will Laurence is the person the dragon chooses to be his master, which means leaving his established Navy career to begin training with the Air Corps.
What a rollicking good adventure / war story! Temeraire is a dragon unlike any I’ve previously encountered in literature. He’s intelligent, a keen judge of character, loyal to a fault, intensely curious, brave and playful. Capt Laurence is truly an officer and a gentleman – principled, duty-bound, intelligent, a fair taskmaster, kind to animals, and a true leader. I love how the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire develops over the course of the novel.
If I have any complaint it’s that more than half the book is taken up with Temeraire’s training and the slow discovery of his breed, and attributes. Of course, this part of the book also introduces the reader to the many dragon breeds, their characteristics, captains and crew and the rules of aerial maneuvers. It’s a training session for the reader as well, before we ever get into combat. But the combat scenes are exhilarating. I kept wondering why this hasn’t already been filmed. It’s a movie I would definitely go to see.
I’ll definitely read the next in the series.
What a rollicking good adventure / war story! Temeraire is a dragon unlike any I’ve previously encountered in literature. He’s intelligent, a keen judge of character, loyal to a fault, intensely curious, brave and playful. Capt Laurence is truly an officer and a gentleman – principled, duty-bound, intelligent, a fair taskmaster, kind to animals, and a true leader. I love how the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire develops over the course of the novel.
If I have any complaint it’s that more than half the book is taken up with Temeraire’s training and the slow discovery of his breed, and attributes. Of course, this part of the book also introduces the reader to the many dragon breeds, their characteristics, captains and crew and the rules of aerial maneuvers. It’s a training session for the reader as well, before we ever get into combat. But the combat scenes are exhilarating. I kept wondering why this hasn’t already been filmed. It’s a movie I would definitely go to see.
I’ll definitely read the next in the series.