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Search - His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, Bk 1)
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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, Bk 1) Author: |
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Book Description:
From Publisher's Weekly: In this delightful first novel, the opening salvo of a trilogy, Novik seamlessly blends fantasy into the history of the Napoleonic wars. Here be dragons, beasts that can speak and reason, bred for strength and speed and used for aerial support in battle. Each nation has its own breeds, but none are so jealously guarded as the mysterious dragons of China. Veteran Capt. Will Laurence of the British Navy is therefore taken aback after his crew captures an egg from a French ship and it hatches a Chinese dragon, which Laurence names Temeraire.
When Temeraire bonds with the captain, the two leave the navy to sign on with His Majesty's sadly understaffed Aerial Corps, which takes on the French in sprawling, detailed battles that Novik renders with admirable attention to 19th-century military tactics. Though the dragons they encounter are often more fully fleshed-out than the stereotypical human characters, the author's palpable love for her subject and a story rich with international, interpersonal and internal struggles more than compensate.
When Temeraire bonds with the captain, the two leave the navy to sign on with His Majesty's sadly understaffed Aerial Corps, which takes on the French in sprawling, detailed battles that Novik renders with admirable attention to 19th-century military tactics. Though the dragons they encounter are often more fully fleshed-out than the stereotypical human characters, the author's palpable love for her subject and a story rich with international, interpersonal and internal struggles more than compensate.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Karen F. (
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
A wonderful alternate history, Novik manages to give a respectful nod to the whole of dragon fantasy while taking it to new heights. Both the dragons and their crews are fully realized, the action exciting, the history perfectly drawn. I am just sorry that I allowed this series to wait as long as I did to begin reading it - this first book stands comfortably in stature with the first Pern trilogy and is a gem within the genre. If there were six stars this book would deserve them.
Alexis T. (
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was so good! I love Temeraire!
I took this with me to read on a trip and finished it yesterday on the plane home. Overall impression - exciting story with lots of details and great dragons! The author did a wonderful job of incorporating dragons into the alternate historical setting. The characters were all very well done too. The humans weren't people with present day sensibilities who happened to be wearing old-fashioned clothes - they really fit the time period. And the dragons were fabulous of course!
(By the way, it seemed especially fitting to be reading about dragon flying maneuvers and aerial battles while flying across the country in a little puddle-jumping Embraer with a lot of turbulence. I did end up rereading a lot of sentences as the book jumped away from my eyes, but that's OK - they were pretty good sentences!)
Hana C. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is the most charming book! Ms. Novik has an excellent writing style that succinctly recalls the time period her story is set in. I am not at all surprised that Jane Austin is one of her favorite authors. And I was extremely impressed by her use of vocabulary, how exciting to find an author unafraid of adjectives. The story itself is wonderful, and I love Temeraire. The whole concept Ms. Novik has created only deserves the highest praise!
Edward C. S.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
a really neat twist on the dragon rider theme. It combines a naval officer like one of the various fictional naval heroes [Hornblower, Bolitho, Drinkwater, etc ] and various talking dragons in a well written tale of naval air battles in Napoleanic times. This is a good one and I look forward to the rest of the series.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I enjoyed this book. Would've enjoyed a more in-depth book even more. Debating whether or not to finish the series. With my time being at a premium, I don't have time to read just okay books. Wasn't full of language. Wasn't gratuitously graphic with the violence (wartime). It certainly wasn't a romance novel! So, you can tell what was left out. :P
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Finally a series about a dragon and the human he bonds with from hatching that is exciting and adventurous! In addition, the historical research is awesome, as well as the "what if . . ." factor of the use of aerial combat between the British and the French.
When HMS Reliant captures a french frigate and seizes an unhatched dragon egg during the war the Napoleon, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future and unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarefied world of the British Aerial Corps as master of the dragon he names Temeraire, eh will face a crash course in learning tactics of airborne battle. Temeraire is not only a dragon who welcomes helping fight air battles with the French, his love for Laurence and his eagerness to learn new things with his increasing intelligence gives the reader an interesting ride.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a wonderful book. The author did an excellent job combining historic fiction with a unique perspective about dragons. This is the first book of the series.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
#1 in series .. history and dragons great mix! great read
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The first book in the Temeraire series.
"Just when you think you've seen every variation possible on the dragon story, along comes Naomi Novik...Her wonderful Temeraire is a dragon for the ages." - Terry Brooks
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Just finished reading this first book in the series, and it's actually very good! After I read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell I started looking for other Historical Fantasy and this one filled the bill so to speak. Her writing style is great and from the very beginning you're drawn into it. The relationship between dragons and riders and society is actually quite refreshing from the norm.
Please Rate these Book Reviews
Very good story, interweaving history and fantasy together in a very believable way. It's fast-moving with strong characters and a good narrative voice. Totally original ~ I've never read another story like it.
Absolutely enchanting. Noble characters (both human and dragon), and interesting story. Alternate history of England waging war against Napoleon using dragons instead of aircraft. Well worth a read.
Loved this book and am anxiously awaiting the second in the series to arrive!!
Katy (What a great book! Most of the stories with dragons in them that I have read are in a medieval-type fantasy setting, but this one is like an alternative history with dragons involved in the Napoleonic Wars. I thought it was a clever storyline, and have already started on book two of the series.
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense by taking to the skies...not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.
When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future-and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarefied world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle.
Karina F. (Surprising great read... Author injects dragons into history.
Alternate history, with the Napoleanic war being fought on dragon-back.
Cathy B. (
Pamela G. (Book Wiki
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