His Majesty's Dragon: Temeraire

A swashbuckling adventure tale, about a handsome naval captain who sacrifices his career, to ride a dragon with the mysterious Air Force.

The British ship Reliant, under the command of Captain William Laurence, captures a French frigate. Unknown to the captain it carries a very special cargo deep in the hold. Inside a large crate, lies a dragon egg, one that is very close to hatching. Sending the captured ship back to Britain with a small crew, Reliant, tries to make land before the egg hatches.

The crew chose a rider, but when the hatchling appears it has other ideas. Captain Laurence is chosen instead and it changes his life for ever. He has to give up the woman he’d planned on marrying, and is ostracized by the society he’d always been a part of. Sent to train in Scotland he encounters suspicion and danger, but falls under the spell of Temeraire and slowly gains the respect of his assigned crew.

TEMERAIRE is an alternate history fantasy that pulls you in with its authenticity, and the people of the era. The underlying tensions escalate as England fights Napoleon, with his superior force both on the high seas and in the air. There is also the tension and dislike that exists between the nobility and those who are chosen to be a part of the Air Crews. The dragons are characters in their own right, enjoying music and being read to. As Temeraire grows, he worries that he’s unlike any of the others, and becomes excited as his fighting skills develop in unusual ways.

The dragons have vivid personalities bringing the plot to life in a unique way, as they interact with the riders and crews. Temeraire has a delightful innocence, and seems to enjoy learning about the world as much as his rider.

Ms. Novik has written a refreshingly different style of fantasy, one that this reviewer found hard to put down.

July 2007