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. ( )

A very engaging book, I read it in a few hours on a very cold Sunday afternoon & evening. I didn't want to put it down. Historically, it is set about the early 19th century during Napoleon's reign. Told from the POV of a British sea captain, but the twist is that dragons are a part of the war effort between the two. Our captain/hero gets caught up in that part of the war.

Characterization is very good as is the portrayal of British society & military. There isn't a lot of military detail, but just enough to lend authenticity, while leaving the book very readable & open for a great story.

The book stands on its own, but after reading it, I want to get the other books books in the series (5 total, at this time). I highly recommend. ( )

An absolutely wonderful book. His Majesty's Dragon centers on the relationship formed between an initially unenthusiastic naval captain and the dragon who came to him in the hold of an enemy ship that he and his crew had overtaken. The language, though feeling somewhat awkward in a very few instances, is formal and elegant throughout. Captain Lawrence is successfully characterized as the very pinnacle of the English Officer-as-Gentleman, devout in his sense of duty to the crown. The anxiety with which he takes on the mantle of the Aerial Corps and the stoicism he displays when accepting the fact that his life is forever changed because of his "harnessing" of Temeraire at hatching is slowly overcome by the obvious love he begins to feel for his new life-companion. The two battle scenes in the book are wonderfully executed and quite a thrill, and though some might think the general lack of action to be off-putting, I find myself looking eagerly forward to the next two installments of the series. Over all, a very strong introduction to a brilliant alternate history. ( )

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, “If this is the sort of book you like, you’ll like this book.” So far roughly 600,00 of the books of this series have been sold, so very many people have indeed liked this book. If, however, you believe the tag line that His Majesty’s Dragon is “Patrick O’Brian with dragons” you may be disappointed.

Skilled writers of nautical fiction selectively use idiosyncratic detail to the illuminate world of a man-of-war. In His Majesty’s Dragon, the details on shipboard are often vague or simply wrong. Given the popularity of the series, most readers probably don’t mind, but as a fan of nautical fiction, I found it distracting and a bit annoying.

Overall the pacing of the book is not bad and the climactic battle to save England, fought by the outnumbered English dragons against an aerial armada of French dragons, is fine, I suppose, though by this time I reached that point in the book, I was finding all the dragon terminology numbing rather than engaging. I couldn’t tell a Yellow Reaper dragon from a Greyling, a Winchester, Poux-de-Ceil, Petit Chevalier or a Pascal’s Blue. (Perhaps I should now feel more sympathy for novice readers of nautical fiction who can’t tell a futtock from a buttock.)

The Temeraire books, of which His Majesty’s Dragon is but the first, have been very popular and I wish Ms. Novik joy in her success. As noted on the blurb on the book’s cover, Stephen King found it “terrifically entertaining.” Regrettably, I do not share his opinion.

http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2009/03/20... ( )

The concept's a cross between C S Forester and early-and-still-readable Anne McCaffrey, the writing's brisk and competent, the characters are engaging, the dragon is sweet! Other than some overlong and tedious battle scenes, a very likeable novel. ( )

Believe it or not, Ron recommended this book! I seem to be unable to turn down his book recommendations. But this is an enjoyable read, in which naval men croon to dragons. Who needs a strong woman to change your ways when a dragon can do it? I'm definitely planning to read the other books in this series,. ( )

Will Laurence is happy with his life as a captain in His Majesty's Navy during the Napoleonic wars, but everything changes when newly-hatched dragon imprints himself on him. He must become an Aviator. Older than most other learners and set in the ways of the Navy, it's not always easy for him to pick up the new skills and settle into a new social environment with its own special codes and conventions. What makes Laurence so endearing is that he doesn't always get it right the first time, but he's willing to learn from his mistakes. And then there's Temeraire and the strong bond that develops between him and Laurence through the training and care. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

Yes, I loved this book, and the irony is that had it not been offered free for the Kindle, I never would have read it. Let me be more blunt, actually. Not only would I not have read it, but I would have scoffed at it. "His Majesty's Dragon"?? Come on. At best I would have read the title aloud in a mocking tone and escaped the fantasy/sci-fi section with haste. See the cover art? Just like every other magic-y, Lord-of-the-Rings-y, fantasy book you see piling up in bookstores. What's to differentiate one from another? They all blend together into a haze of something that might as well be labeled "for fans of this genre only."But it was free for the Kindle. So I took a look. I checked up on some reviews, and the Washington Post was very favorable. What the hell, I need metro train reading, let's try the first few pages. Hooked. Schooled. It's smart, it's charming, it's subtle. It respects the reader, the characters are fully realized, complete with quirks that are just visible enough to fool you into thinking these people (and dragons) are real. So smart business model. I'll be buying all the rest in the series forthwith. Stupid-sounding titles or no.Oh, and having read the book, the title's not actually stupid. Hmph. ( )

The noble dragon Temeraire and the people who support him are elements in this engaging novel, the first of a series, and I look forward to more books about Temeraire. ( )

I would give this a 4/5 stars. It is a fun read but nothing too deep ( )

The Napoleonic Wars - with dragons. This is a pretty awesome read, both as a work of fantasy and as historical fiction.

Summary: What would the Napoleonic Wars be like if there were dragons? Captain William Laurence of the Navy captures a French ship only to discover that they have a dragon’s egg aboard. The egg hatches and the dragon Temeraire bonds himself to Laurence, so Laurence forsakes the naval life to undergo training as a member of Britain’s aerial corps.

Review: The Time review for this book describes it as Jane Austen playing Dungeons & Dragons against Christopher Paolini, and I have to say that’s about as accurate a description as anyone can get. The tone of the book has an old-fashioned nineteenth century feel to it, which floored me because I am such a sucker for tone. As an English Lit major I’ve read books from this time period and while His Majesty’s Dragon doesn’t sound like them exactly, it rings truer than a lot of historical fiction I’ve read. It actually reminds me of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, another fantasy novel set during the Napoleonic Wars that wrote in the style of the times, and I loved that book too.

His Majesty’s Dragon, in addition to being written well, is also well-researched. I believed not only the details about the naval life but also the details about the wars and the customs and even the food. Laurence acts like a man of his time should — he is scandalized by a woman wearing breeches, for example. Overall Novik has done an excellent job of recreating a particular era in history, and then she adds her own twist by adding dragons.

The dragons are really the winners here. Laurence himself is a likable if not particularly memorable character but the dragons like Temeraire and Levitas really made the book worth reading. The dragons have such fantastic personalities and that means a lot to me because I’m not normally a huge fan of the talking animals genre. I prefer humans to dragons, except in this case because while the humans are decent, the dragons are wonderful.

Some of the battles didn’t interest me, and I much preferred the first half of the book where Laurence and Temeraire begin their training to the latter, but in general His Majesty’s Dragon is quite enjoyable and charming.

Conclusion: A promising start to a series that manages to get me to like talking animals. ( )

His Majesty’s Dragon takes place during the era of the Napoleonic Wars, and Captain Will Laurence suddenly finds himself chosen to harness a very rare and valuable dragon that Britain desperately needs to add to its fighting ranks. Now, as Laurence and his dragon Temeraire become members of the aerial corps, they must prepare to do battle in the skies against Napoleon’s mighty forces.
The dragons in Novik’s novel are presented as highly intelligent, amiable creatures who enjoy close companionship with their captains. The growing relationship between Laurence and Temeraire is priceless. Far from being mere pets, however, these dragons are trained for battle. In an era without airplanes, the defense of the skies is guarded by the dragons and their surprisingly numerous crew members. Each dragon is almost like an airborne ship-of-the-line! I love how Novik combines the mythical and the historical is such a seamless fashion. She makes it all seem entirely plausible. I also appreciate that her main characters value integrity, duty, and loyalty, and yet remain compassionate throughout. The book’s ending will leave you wanting to know more and anxious for the next installment in this wonderful series. ( )

Well-written page-turner. This is really a platonic romance between the dragon Temereire and his handler Laurence. The idea of handlers having children for the sole purpose of providing a future handler for a loved dragon is unique. Couldn't put it down. ( )

Let me preface this review by saying that I never read fantasy. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I read this story and liked it. At its heart, is a story about the Napoleonic wars and an English Captain Laurence who learns how to use a dragon as a war weapon. The fact that dragons are used during this time in wars becomes believable as well as the friendship that develops between Laurence and his talking dragon. This is at once a very odd notion and an enjoyable one. ( )

Captain Laurence is a Naval officer whose ship has captured a French one when they discover there is a dragon egg on board. The egg hatches, and the dragon Temeraire will only accept Laurence as his handler. Forced to leave the Navy, Laurence eventually finds himself fighting the Napoleonic war from much higher than he'd originally planned.
I read this when it first came out but had never gotten around to reading the other ones, which are back at the top of my to-read list. Although I enjoy the author's writing, serious historical fiction, especially this time period, really isn't my thing. Particularly as like in most novels with battle scenes I find it hard to visualise these. However, the alternate universe setting does make it more interesting to me and I like all the characters which is enough to make me want to continue.

The Napoleonic wars suddenly became much more interesting. There are people in the militia, ships in the navy, and dragons in the aerial forces.

Captain Laurence was a officer for England's Navy until circumstances bring him a dragon. As the dragon's captain, he becomes a member of the Aerial Forces, continuously under threat of French invasion.

Laurence and Temeraire make a remarkable pair. They are well-matched to make interesting reading, especially with Laurence's tendency towards formality and Temeraire's preference for frankness. Their growing relationship is endearing and makes me want a dragon myself.

The secondary characters are also well-developed and fun to get to know. I love Temeraire's fellow dragons and crews. Their unique personalities were lifelike, making the reader as sympathetic to their plights as to Laurence and Temeraire's.

I have never had much taste for history but that does not hamper my enjoyment of this book. While it is essentially historical fiction, the incorporation of dragons makes any otherwise dull historical aspect far more entertaining than a history book. Though I admit I am not familiar enough with the Napoleonic wars to know how closely facts are incorporated nor how far they are distorted.

The many different breeds of dragons are brilliant. Sizes and abilities vary greatly in each breed. The world Novik has created with this book is wonderful in its attention to detail and readability. Of the many dragons stories I have read, this is one of my favorites. ( )

This book is a pretty light read. The concept is novel- the world's armies around the time of Napoleon have air forces, not of planes, but of dragons. They are piloted by crews of many men, used as fighters and bombers in the time of musketry. The writing is simple and the dialogue a bit stilted in the British fashion but as a book for consumption it's not bad. Interesting book. ( )

Eighteenth-century British naval warfare + dragons = awesomeness! The book is set in England and Scotland during the Napoleonic Wars, but with a twist: the British armed forces are supplemented by an aerial fighting corps composed of dragons and their officers. I liked this book a lot; it was a real page-turner, and I think it has something for everybody. There's humor, action (including some detailed and amazing battle sequences, both aboard ship and aboard dragon), a little romance...and, at the center, a strong bond between hero Captain Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire. Since dragons are sentient in this novel, they're friends, not pet and owner, and it's a really interesting dynamic. I'd recommend this to anyone, and I definitely plan to read the others in the "Temeraire" series!

This is what you get if you cross Hornblower with Dragons. It's a very entertaining fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars, except that dragons are commonplace and form a part of the military tactics of all nations.

I want to read more! ( )

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