His Majesty's Dragon

It is the early 1800's. The French Empire, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, is at war with many of Europe's nations. Britain, though small, is leading the resistance. Both side's aerial combatants have taken to the skies to advance the war efforts. There is one twist: instead of aircraft the combatants having taken flight on the backs of dragons.

His Majesty's Dragon is the first in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. Historical fantasy usually isn't my thing so when my book club picked this one for the monthly read I wasn't excited. Having always loved dragons I decided to give the book a try anyway and I'm so glad I did. The story opens with the HMS Reliant capturing a French ship. Part of her cargo is an unhatched dragon egg. England's Aerial show more Corps are always in need of more dragons and this is a handsome prize! Much to everyone's surprise the ship's doctor determines that the egg is close to hatching. Captain Will Laurence has all of his officers, himself included, draw lots to see who will be the unfortunate man charged with the task to attempt to harness (bond with) the dragon. If successful that would mean the end of the man's Navy career and he would have to enter the Corps. Little does Laurence realize just how his life is about to change.

Laurence is a proper gentlemen and could easily have been lifted straight out of Pride and Prejudice with his formal attire, mode of speech and sense of duty and propriety. Temeraire absolutely stole my heart. He is highly intelligent, charming, funny and sees the world with a child's wonder. He is full of exuberance and the desire to learn. Their growing friendship and bond is the best part of the book. The relationship between dragon and aviator is all consuming and it is great to see what lengths a good aviator will go to in order to care for his dragon. Or her dragon, as there are also female aviators, though they are not as common. It's the small details, such as Laurence spending an evening reading to Temeraire, that has me completely sold on the camaraderie and affection between the two.

The Aerial Corps are also quite unique. The dragons have an entire crew that joins them in battle by using a complex system of hooks and harnesses to stay on board during flight. The crew includes gunners, spotters, bombers, etc., similar to what you'd find on a ship. They all train together to form one cohesive team. I liked the concept a lot.

The story is not without its faults. The plot is straight forward, following Laurence and Temeraire's training in the Corps and on to their first couple battles. There are no plot twists so it was fairly easy to see where things were going and several of the supporting characters have a stereotypical feel to them. These were not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the book.

And I really enjoyed this book. I ended up reading it between meetings at work it was that hard for me to put down. It's a short, light and satisfying read, a great start to a series. I look forward to reading more of Temeraire in the future. show less

Ah me. I love these books. This is my second time through the series and now that I'm not frantically devouring every page I can truly savor the excellence.

William Laurence is a naval captain in Napoleonic era England. When he takes a French Man of War as a prize he has no idea that his life is about it change. In the cargo hold, his crew finds a large egg, a dragon egg, and it is dangerously close to hatching.

England's aerial division is in desperate need of more animals, but the aerial corp itself is much looked down upon by the rest of the armed forces. Still, duty must be done, someone must harness the dragon before it becomes feral. Lots are drawn but Laurence is dismayed when the beast inexplicably takes a liking to him rather show more than the chosen crew member. show less

The Napoleonic Wars. The British Navy. And dragons! I knew this series would be good, but I didn't know how gripping it would be until I had plunged into Naomi Novik's fully realized world of Regency-era fantasy. Temeraire (alternately titled His Majesty's Dragon) owes much to one of Novik's favorite authors, Patrick O'Brian, but does not fail to carve itself a more-than-honorable place in the genre of historic fantasy.

Captain William Laurence of the British Navy is appalled when his ship takes a French prize carrying a dragon egg about to hatch. Dragons must be presented with their captain immediately upon hatching, or else they'll go feral and be useless to the British cause. But that's the business of the Aerial Corps, not the show more Navy... or was, until this astonishing turn of events. Impelled by his strong sense of duty, Laurence accepts the responsibility of the dragon when it emerges from its shell and chooses him for its captain. But Temeraire will cost him everything he has ever hoped for, as the life of an aviator is lived outside the pale of refined British society.

I haven't been this enthralled with a series since Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, and I love the sense of immersion that a story like this can create. Novik is clearly at home in this historical setting and writes with a smooth fluidity, managing her characters' dialogue and her own narrative voice with equal ease. The subculture of the British Aerial Corps, with all its distinctive practices and wholly believable battle maneuvers, is simply fascinating.

And the characters themselves are lively and realistic, making mistakes and behaving believably in the context of their world. Laurence, initially reluctant to cut short his Navy career to be an aviator, soon learns to love Temeraire as he comes to appreciate the dragon's eager intelligence and warm companionship. Laurence will need all the courage he can muster as he faces the challenge of learning in a few months what is usually many years' training. Napoleon, of course, won't wait, and the British need is desperate. Laurence and Temeraire are thrown quickly into battle — with results that even the most seasoned of the Aerial Corps cannot begin to imagine.

This story is deftly written, with winning characters and a sense of period so intuitively right. I applaud Novik and eagerly look forward to the rest of the series. show less

I had been craving a story about dragons for a while, and this book absolutely delivered on its promise. In this historical setting of the Napoleonic wars, dragons are integrated so realistically into the military that it made the world feel much more real. I loved the idea of the dragons being set in a different role, in that they have a whole crew of riders and ground support, and it felt like a unique point of view on these creatures.

I will admit that I found the intensity of war disturbing at times, but likely realistic, and it made me sad to see these magnificent dragons being handled badly by some of the officers (and in reality, that is what would happen due to some humans being incredible horrible). The contrast of our main show more character captain Laurence, who deeply cares for his dragon and his peers, gave me hope and built a great friendship between species that I enjoyed reading about.

So for me it was an absolutely fascinating story that I wanted to get back to every evening and read a lot quicker than expected, thus an earned five stars. And I still regularly think about Temeraire and Laurence weeks later and could not wait to continue the series. show less

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.

The tone, language, and style is much more Horatio Hornblower than typical fantasy. It's the Napoleonic Wars if sapient dragons just happened to exist to give an aerial aspect to the battles. In fact, if you dislike C. S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian, you'll most likely dislike Noami Novik. Personally, I love the effect.

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 show more 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. show less