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His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1)

by Naomi Novik

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2,5591201,014 (4.2)174
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Del Rey (2006), Paperback

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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. ( )
hangen | Jun 28, 2009 |  
I would give this a 4/5 stars. It is a fun read but nothing too deep ( )
Kindlefan | Jun 20, 2009 |  
The Napoleonic Wars - with dragons. This is a pretty awesome read, both as a work of fantasy and as historical fiction.
mangochris | Jun 10, 2009 |  
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. ( )
Jibrailis | May 24, 2009 |  
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. ( )
multilingualmaid | May 17, 2009 |  
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Epigraph
Dedication
For Charles, sine qua non
First words
The deck of the French ship was slippery with blood, heaving in the choppy sea; a stroke might as easily bring down the man making it as the intended target.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Book description
Published as "His Majesty's Dragon" in the United States and "Temeraire" in the United Kingdom.

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0345481283, Mass Market Paperback)

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. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:18 -0400)

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