I got this novel through LibraryThing's secret Santa exchange, and I loved it! It starts with a Navy captain capturing a French ship during the Napoleonic wars, and finding a huge dragon egg in the hold. Temeraire bonds with Captain Laurence and his life changes forever. He has to go for training as an aviator in the wilds of Scotland, where his strict naval background and high birth are liabilities. As his dragon grows quickly, rushed into training to help defend England from France's incursions, Laurence has to find his own place in the airman's corps. Temeraire is incredibly intelligent, often explaining concepts from the books that Laurence reads for him, and it was sometimes funny and sometimes poignant seeing how Laurence explains politics, duty and social mores to his young dragon. The characters are richly drawn, and the backdrop of war gives everything an urgency. The sexism of the period was deftly handled. I was sucked right into the story and am eager to track down the next book in the series. I also ended up re-reading it as soon as I got to the end, and this time caught a tiny hint about Temeraire's breed. :) ( )

fantasy, dragons, military, Napoleonic Wars ( )

 Random Comments review ( )

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this, but it was a surprisingly delightful read! Books about dragons can often be somewhat corny, but this one manages to avoid any corniness. The dragons are very believable, the main characters are all very likable, and the friendship between the dragon and his captain is very touching. I think that's what makes the book so good: deep down, all of us wish we could have a best friend who is loyal and smart and loving, and that is what the book is ultimately about. Of course, all of the warfare and dragon fantasy is fun too, but the friendship is what makes the book worth reading. ( )

Do you believe in dragons? This book is set at the time of the Napoleonic wars between Britain and France and center around the relationship and development of a dragon and his captain.
During a sea battle a British frigate captures a French sailing ship and discover part of their prize is a dragon egg. When the egg hatches the person to whom the dragon attaches himself, is thereafter his handler and basically gives up any chance at a normal life. This dragon attaches himself to the ship's captain. The book tells the tale of how the Captain and the Dragon Temeraire develop into a fighting team in the Aerial Corp for Britain.
It is delightful to see these wars from an alternate perspective which includes aerial attacks and transports by dragons of different species. The dragons which are treated as "bombers" in the Aerial Corps are separated in somewhat of a caste system according to their breed. For children, I see this as a marvelous moral tale which not only shows the cruelty of war but of how mistreatment and prejudice toward others can be perceived. The surprise of the book, is that the dragon's species turns out to be a CELESTIAL, a very rare and magical species. This is the first in the series and I will be looking for the next one in the future. Delightful for children. ( )