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Loading... His Majesty's Dragonby Naomi Novik
  
Best Fantasy Novels (93) Best Historical Fiction (145) » 30 more Top Five Books of 2013 (295) Top Five Books of 2014 (509) Female Author (288) Books Read in 2014 (963) One Book, Many Authors (132) SantaThing 2014 Gifts (107) Dragonriders (2) Books tagged favorites (176) Books Read in 2012 (134) mom (12) io9 Book Club (67) Favorite Long Books (223) Swashbucklers (10) Unread books (702) 1   imyril | Dec 18, 2016 |  The bromance is under fire when China sends a Prince to London to demand Temeraire's return. I loved this second instalment even more than the first, possibly because of its single minded focus on relationships rather than military interludes. I’m delighted to say I couldn’t guess all the plot twists, and if the knowledge that there’s numerous books left in the series undercut the tension to a certain extent, it didn’t reduce my enjoyment in the slightest. My only criticism is that this second novel is incredibly male-dominated; I very much missed Jane Roland once the boys set sail, and was sad that the lady dragons of China stayed largely off the page for all their influence. I hope for a more balanced community in the next book. Full review. (  ) imyril | Dec 18, 2016 | This series takes the Napoleonic Wars and adds dragons to the weaponry. But what was so unexpected about this first entry is the character of Will Laurence, an experienced Navy captain, who accepts the responsibility of a dragon that hatches after they capture a French ship. He knows nothing about being a dragon master except that it will require him to abandon his Naval post and join the Aerial Corps - not something he had intended to do! The dragon, whom Laurence names Temeraire, is quite remarkable. He speaks English fluently, right out of the egg, and proves to be an intellectual challenge to Laurence. Simon Vance gives perfect voice to Temeraire, sophisticated and knowing yet naive and sometimes vulnerable. The relationship that develops between dragon and master is heartwarming, amusing, and admirable. The naval battles will appeal to some readers but even those who do not appreciate military strategy will find much to love in this unlikely and compelling story. Though this is only the beginning of a lengthy series and some will want to know the fate of Laurence and Temeraire, the resolution is satisfactory enough for the book to stand alone. (  ) bookappeal | Dec 12, 2016 | I imagine the author read the Aubrey/Maturin series and thought "I'd like to write that same type of book. With dragons." Set in the Napoleonic Wars, this is a historic novel for the most part, with the exception that dragons are real and used by the British and French for airborne battles. It begins when Naval captain Will Laurence captures a dragon egg from a French ship and forms a bond with the young dragon Temeraire after he hatches. Laurence and Temeraire quickly form a close relationship, but Laurence is forced to resign from the Navy and join the Aerial Corps, which is not only mysterious and dangerous, but has very low social standing. Laurence learns that life in the Aerial Corps is more relaxed than in other branches of the military, and that women are paired with dragons and afforded equal standing, so the book is also a comedy of manners in many ways. Plus, there are cool aerial battles. (  ) Othemts | Oct 24, 2016 | 3.5 / 5 (  ) Amanda105 | Sep 5, 2016 | no reviews | add a review
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LibraryThing AuthorNaomi Novik is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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