His Majesty's Dragon

Written by Naomi Novik

Narrated by Simon Vance

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 rarefied 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Jun 26, 2007
• ISBN: 9781415940150

Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik was born in New York in 1973, a first-generation American, and raised on Polish fairy tales, Baba Yaga, and Tolkien. She studied English Literature at Brown University and Computer Science at Columbia University before leaving to work in the games industry. She soon realized she preferred the writing to the programming, and decided to try her hand at novels. Temeraire was her first.Naomi lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

Reviews for His Majesty's Dragon

[imyril · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delightful alternate history with dragons - Temeraire is a joy from his first appearance on the page, but the real delight here is in the bromance he develops with straight-laced Captain Will Laurence. Although it's relatively slow going, Novik is a fine hand at inciting emotional attachment and evoking the social intricacies of the times. Don't expect too much warfare (I consider this a plus, but those seeking more action-driven military pseudo-history may be disappointed).Full review.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I feel like I'm late to the party. While I'd heard of Naomi Novik, I hadn't read her books until I picked up Spinning Silver. I loved it so I moved onto Uprooted. And now I'm into the Temeraire series. I'm especially baffled at my Novik-lack because I love Regency historicals and fantasy, so why haven't I read these books before?Anyway, Captain Will Laurence captures a French frigate in the Napoleonic wars, he discovers they were carrying a rare Chinese dragon egg. When it hatches, the dragon imprints on Laurence. He names it Temeraire and becomes a member of the aerial corps. Ms. Novik knows her Regency period, and the book is peppered with historical references. She manages to fit the dragons in very organically. Temeraire is a delight; he's so smart, and his relationship with Laurence is sweet. The other characters, both aviators and dragons, are wonderful. I can't gush enough about this book. So, onto the next one in the series.

[belles007-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book, but I'm not compelled to continue with the next book.

[fdholt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

His Majesty's dragon is the first novel in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. In this alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars, in addition to armies and navies, there are aviators who fly on dragons. Will Laurence is a navy captain who captures a French ship and part of the prize includes a dragon's egg. The egg hatches and Temeraire becomes a trainee of the British forces along with her aviator, Laurence.Novik sets up her fantasy world with a wonderful imagination and integrates the dragons and their crews into the regency period. She also provides drawings of some of the dragon species and selections from the definite book on dragons at the time. An enjoyable read and a great introduction to a new world.

[renbedell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute and enjoyable historical fantasy book set during the Napoleonic Wars where dragons are common tools in the fight. The story follows a man who stumbles upon a rare dragon egg and focuses on his bond with the dragon. The dragon can speak and a lot of the book is him trying to understand the human world and culture. It's a nice spin on exploring a society and the dragon is often adorable. The first book of the series centers on a lot of world building to understand the hierarchy of soldier and dragons, the war, and the bond between William and Temeraire. It is fun and an easy read.

[bravenewbks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So this series isn't intellectual by any means, but for whatever reason I can't stop reading. It is for dragons what the Sookie Stackhouse series is to vampires -- fun and inexplicably addictive reading. At least there's a bit of value in the historical setting; Napoleon, Admiral Nelson, Wilberforce, etc., all make appearances in the series.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book by Naomi Novik. It is very much a fantasy series that follows a main character and his military endeavors but a captain of a dragon rather than an army of soldiers (or at least what we'd imagine as the 'typical' military situation). I found myself loving Temeraire no differently than any other character in a book with a beloved animal companion. I started to read through the second one but never picked it back up. I'd like to revisit this series again and work my way through it a bit further.

[ashleytylerjohn · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I loved Uprooted, it might have been my favourite book that year. But this earlier novel failed to engage me, and I stopped halfway through. I know it has a huge fanbase, so there's every chance another reader we find it delightful--but it likely hit on too many elements that aren't my cup of tea (battles, pets that aren't really pets, military life), and I realised I didn't give two hoots about any of the characters, so that's that for that--life's too short. But she's a terrific writer--given a different subject, there's every chance I will love her again. Meanwhile I can reread Uprooted!

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).

[krau0098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the Temeraire series, there are nine books in this series. I really enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the dragons and the characters and the alternate history in here. The book was very well written and incredibly fun as well. I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed Vance’s narration. He does a great job with character narration and voices. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.This book has a lot of action but what really makes the story are the characters of Laurence and Temeraire. Laurence is such a respectable sea captain and harnessing Temeraire changes everything about his life. However, I love how Laurence takes everything in stead and does his best for Temeraire. I absolutely adored Temeraire, he’s just such a lovable dragon. Temeraire is intelligent, sensitive, and just amazing. Temeraire really made the book for me.The side characters are well done also. Additionally, the alternate history setting was very interesting. We get a good look at this alternate world and the wars that drive it. Most of the book focuses on Temeraire and Laurence and their training, but they do get drawn into combat as well.The story ends at a good point but hints at more interesting plot elements to come. This is a book I am considering reading with my middle schooler. There is a small part where Laurence has to explain the concept of whores to Temeraire but aside from that it is a read that is pretty friendly to pre-teens and older.Overall an amazing story that I really enjoyed a lot. I loved the characters and the alternate history setting. I would recommend to those who enjoy fantasies about dragons in historical settings. I definitely plan on continuing the series.

[jdifelice-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this! The world that Novik created is so cool, and I like how she worked dragons into the Napoleonic wars. Her world building was done seamlessly and I enjoyed how she incorporated the aerial forces into the militia and navy.

I enjoyed the characters a lot. Laurence and Temeraire are wonderful. I love the relationships between the dragons and their captains in general. The development of each main character and side character is really well done. i like how Laurence starts out not really wanted a dragon, and really just grows to love Temeraire and the lifestyle attached to it. He meets some really cool people (and some not super cool people), and I really enjoyed their character arcs as well.

The way she writes the action scenes and battle scenes is really well done, and not confusing at all. The style was easy to follow, and the descriptions were vivid as well. I found the pacing pretty decent, and felt that this was a bit of a set up novel, but a really good one at that. We get introduced to the characters and the conflict, and also get to see some really cool actions scenes as well.

Overall, this was really fun and I would definitely recommend if you like dragons and historical-ish fantasy. I am definitely looking forward to the next book!

[msaucier818 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was not entirely sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed the read. This book mixes true events in history during the Napoleonic Wars with the idea that dragons not only existed, but were used as as an air force for both sides. The dragons themselves can speak and reason and are completely loyal to their captains. A very interesting take on things and one that I enjoyed as being original and exciting. Also, the narrative is written with a Dicken's-like realism thought made the read that much more authentic. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone as a fun read.

[andrlik · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable book, with a unique take on dragons as intelligent beasts who bond with their handlers to serve as beasts of war. It may sound familiar, but details and method of execution in the story make it something quite new in my experience of reading fantasy. The twist of setting the story within an ongoing war between forces of Britain and the French army as led by Napoleon is a lot of fun.

This is a fun read, and focused very tightly on the development of the relationship between the protagonist and the dragon whom he has harnessed. As such it is a splendid character piece, but there was a part of me that hungered for a more complex plot for these two to navigate. That being said, judging by the sample of the second book of the series that was included at the end of this volume, that wish may be fulfilled later in the series.

[tonstant.weader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Captain Will Laurence is an up-and-coming naval captain who, at the opening of Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon has just captured a French ship in one of the many naval skirmishes of the Napoleonic Wars. British naval superiority was respected around the world, so the victory was no surprise. The cargo, though, was a whole other story.The French have a dragon egg, one that is just about to crack open. Laurence has all officers draw lots, including himself, for the dubious honor of becoming the dragon handler. It is not something these sailors would seek as dragon handlers are very much cut off from normal society. When the dragon hatches, he has no interest in the sailor who drew the bad lot and instead introduces himself to Laurence who is duty bound to become the dragon's handler, thereby losing his ship and his naval career.While he regrets the loss, he soon comes to love the dragon whom he named Temeraire whom he named after a famous ship. They develop a strong friendship and are soon off to learn how to fly in formation with other dragons preparing to defend England from the invading forces of Napoleon.This is a fun, inventive alternative history, one that is rooted in the Napoleonic Wars and its great battles, but with dragons, talking dragons. What could be more delightful?4pawsI enjoyed this book very much and will be checking out the next two volumes in the Temeraire series as soon as I can. Novik is an excellent writer of fantasy fiction. So many fantasy writers dream up this alternative world and then dump it all like an encyclopedia in long exposition. Novik trusts the reader to figure it out, letting readers learn as the characters learn. I love that. There's some humor and lots of adventure. The focus of the story, though, is on Laurence and Temeraire's training and their close friendship.Captain Will Laurence is an up-and-coming naval captain who, at the opening of Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon has just captured a French ship in one of the many naval skirmishes of the Napoleonic Wars. British naval superiority was respected around the world, so the victory was no surprise. The cargo, though, was a whole other story.The French have a dragon egg, one that is just about to crack open. Laurence has all officers draw lots, including himself, for the dubious honor of becoming the dragon handler. It is not something these sailors would seek as dragon handlers are very much cut off from normal society. When the dragon hatches, he has no interest in the sailor who drew the bad lot and instead introduces himself to Laurence who is duty bound to become the dragon's handler, thereby losing his ship and his naval career.While he regrets the loss, he soon comes to love the dragon whom he named Temeraire whom he named after a famous ship. They develop a strong friendship and are soon off to learn how to fly in formation with other dragons preparing to defend England from the invading forces of Napoleon.This is a fun, inventive alternative history, one that is rooted in the Napoleonic Wars and its great battles, but with dragons, talking dragons. What could be more delightful?I enjoyed this book very much and will be checking out the next two volumes in the Temeraire series as soon as I can. Novik is an excellent writer of fantasy fiction. So many fantasy writers dream up this alternative world and then dump it all like an encyclopedia in long exposition. Novik trusts the reader to figure it out, letting readers learn as the characters learn. I love that. There's some humor and lots of adventure. The focus of the story, though, is on Laurence and Temeraire's training and their close friendship.Captain Will Laurence is an up-and-coming naval captain who, at the opening of Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon has just captured a French ship in one of the many naval skirmishes of the Napoleonic Wars. British naval superiority was respected around the world, so the victory was no surprise. The cargo, though, was a whole other story.The French have a dragon egg, one that is just about to crack open. Laurence has all officers draw lots, including himself, for the dubious honor of becoming the dragon handler. It is not something these sailors would seek as dragon handlers are very much cut off from normal society. When the dragon hatches, he has no interest in the sailor who drew the bad lot and instead introduces himself to Laurence who is duty bound to become the dragon's handler, thereby losing his ship and his naval career.While he regrets the loss, he soon comes to love the dragon whom he named Temeraire whom he named after a famous ship. They develop a strong friendship and are soon off to learn how to fly in formation with other dragons preparing to defend England from the invading forces of Napoleon.This is a fun, inventive alternative history, one that is rooted in the Napoleonic Wars and its great battles, but with dragons, talking dragons. What could be more delightful?4pawsI enjoyed this book very much and will be checking out the next two volumes in the Temeraire series as soon as I can. Novik is an excellent writer of fantasy fiction. So many fantasy writers dream up this alternative world and then dump it all like an encyclopedia in long exposition. Novik trusts the reader to figure it out, letting readers learn as the characters learn. I love that. There's some humor and lots of adventure. The focus of the story, though, is on Laurence and Temeraire's training and their close friendship.Captain Will Laurence is an up-and-coming naval captain who, at the opening of Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon has just captured a French ship in one of the many naval skirmishes of the Napoleonic Wars. British naval superiority was respected around the world, so the victory was no surprise. The cargo, though, was a whole other story.The French have a dragon egg, one that is just about to crack open. Laurence has all officers draw lots, including himself, for the dubious honor of becoming the dragon handler. It is not something these sailors would seek as dragon handlers are very much cut off from normal society. When the dragon hatches, he has no interest in the sailor who drew the bad lot and instead introduces himself to Laurence who is duty bound to become the dragon's handler, thereby losing his ship and his naval career.While he regrets the loss, he soon comes to love the dragon whom he named Temeraire whom he named after a famous ship. They develop a strong friendship and are soon off to learn how to fly in formation with other dragons preparing to defend England from the invading forces of Napoleon.This is a fun, inventive alternative history, one that is rooted in the Napoleonic Wars and its great battles, but with dragons, talking dragons. What could be more delightful?I enjoyed this book very much and will be checking out the next two volumes in the Temeraire series as soon as I can. Novik is an excellent writer of fantasy fiction. So many fantasy writers dream up this alternative world and then dump it all like an encyclopedia in long exposition. Novik trusts the reader to figure it out, letting readers learn as the characters learn. I love that. There's some humor and lots of adventure. The focus of the story, though, is on Laurence and Temeraire's training and their close friendship.

[csmith0406-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable

As other reviews note, sort of Horatio Hornblower on a Dragon of Pern. Very well done with likeable characters I found very engaging and grew attached to, along with satisfying villains. Glad there are more books in this series, looking forward to reading more.

[bravekelso · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good read. A skilled writer, who uses the historical fiction trick of having 18th century characters talk like characters in fiction by Fielding, Austen, Dickens or any of the 19th century novels influence by Tom Brown's Schooldays, with atttention to military details (Patrick O'Brien, Bernard Cornwell) with an SF premise: what if dragons were real and bred to military uses. Hey, dragons is interesting. Some anachronism aimed at pleasing some modern readers - suppose some dragons wanted female handlers, and secretly, the Aviation service had women in combat in the Napoleonic Wars

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read Uprooted by Novik in the fall and absolutely loved it. I checked to see what else she had written and found this series. I listened to this first novel and loved it. Who doesn't love a dragon? Please!Thankfully, I didn't read much about the series. When I did, it was several months ago and forgot everything. When the library's Overdrive sent me notification that my book was available, I was excited because I had forgotten about looking for it. I listened to the novel in two days--nothing like a beautiful, cool day to work in the yard--I kept looking for more work to do so that I could continue to listen. Because I didn't remember anything, I didn't know who would be the dragon's handler. I could guess, but it's still nice to just let a story unfold without any prior-knowledge.In this novel, Lawrence is captain of his ship. After boarding one of Napoleon's French ships, Lawrence discovers a dragon's egg. England, as well as most big countries, uses dragons as part of their transportation & correspondence needs and war efforts. Because they have a medic on board who reads about dragons, they know what to do when the egg becomes hard. They'll need to harness the dragon in order to have him available for service or war. They draw lots to see who will leave his chosen career in the navy to become an Aviator. An Aviator has little life beyond his life with his dragon, so no one is interested in this change. When the egg hatches, the dragon is harnessed.The rest of the novel is about the dragon and his handler, as they are trained and participate in battles and meeting other Aviators. It's not a swashbuckling adventure, but it is an adventure. The relationship between the handler and the dragon is lovely. Also, the characters are engaging. i loved it. Perhaps I was in the mood for a good dragon book, but I am so glad to have read this novel. I will continue to read the series, and I am quite excited to do so. I still like Uprooted best, but I like this as well.

[dulac3_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Aubrey-Maturin fan fiction meets My-Little-Dragon-Pony, Friendship is Magic! Blech.

[baochuan-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book

[tapestry100 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. I was trying to decide on a TIOLI challenge book for March (read a book by an LT Author) and I needed something that was more brain candy than anything else, and after reading a couple of other reviews/recommendations of His Majesty's Dragon decided I'd pick up the first book if I found it at the bookstore. Much to my now pleasure, they had a copy and I went ahead and broke my no new book buying rule for about the 100th time this year and picked it up. Needless to say, the next four are on their way from Amazon now.Novik takes another look at the Napoleonic Wars in this series, one where dragons are an important part of all armies and their fighting forces. The dragons are harnessed at birth (when they emerge from their egg) with a human rider who becomes their captain, and together they become a fighting force with an entire crew that works to keep the dragon healthy and safe. When Capt. Laurence captures a French ship carrying a dragon egg, at first he imagines only what his share of the prize money will be, but when it is discovered that the egg will hatch before they reach port, the decision is made to try to harness the dragon right on the ship, something that has never been done before, as the Aerial Corps has always handled all eggs and the subsequent harnessing. Much to his surprise, when the new dragonet hatches, it completely ignores the man whose name was pulled to try the harnessing, and instead speaks directly to Laurence and allows him to do the harnessing. Now Laurence must leave the navy and with the newly named Temeraire, must learn the ways of the Aerial Corps. And I couldn't put the book down from here on out.I loved the growing relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. Instead of just being mindless beasts bent on destruction, Novik has created intelligent and engaging characters in her dragons, and from the moment that Temeraire speaks to Laurence, I was totally lost in their growing friendship and trust. I think this, above and beyond anything else in the book, was what had me hooked from the beginning. There was just something about the way that Novik had Laurence and Temeraire grow closer that I just found totally mesmerizing. The other side stories were just as equally well-written, but it was the experience of watching Laurence and Temeraire grow into their partnership that held the entire book together so unquestionably. Of course, there is so much more to the story than just their growing relationship; there is also their training and the interactions on both Laurence and Temeraire's parts with their new comrades and the battle at the end of the book where we learn the true nature of Temeraire's breeding. It's just all so well put together, I loved every moment of the book and read it in 2 days.I always enjoy discovering a new author, but to be able to find a book that I can so easily get lost in as well is a complete treat for me, and I can't recommend His Majesty's Dragon enough. I'm anxiously looked forward to moving on to the second book in the series, Throne of Jade. This will easily be topping my list of favorite books of the year.

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[bookappeal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[narilka · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[maggiedr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent combination of historical fiction and fantasy.

[nosajeel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Super creative and well written, reads like a Patrick O'Brian novel but with dragons as part of the royal navy. It's a series but I just plan to read the first book because after you get past the concept -- which holds the first hundred or two pages -- it really is that standard naval/dragon fare.

[ninelarks-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read books about dragons before. Heck, I've read about a million of them. Dealing with Dragons, Pern, Eragon, McKinley's Dragonhaven, Eona, and so many more. I thought I've read it all, that every other dragon book would be a derivative of these old dragon classics. But here, Novik makes dragons fresh again.

Laurence is a captain in the Navy with a strong sense of duty and loyalty to his lovely country. But when they discover a dragon egg, he might have to give up his life as he knows it to befriend a dragon.

Eh, who am I kidding. Duh, of course he has to give up his life as he knows it, otherwise there would be no story! But the point is, Novik writes this story well. The slow change of emotion of bitterness to gentle love and admiration from Laurence is beautiful. This is a slow-paced book. It does not tell you things explicitly or have many words to say. In fact, this is probably one of the most formal books I've read in a while, probably since Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. But if you stick around long enough, it's worth it to see the masks of formality drop a little and see raw emotion in small gestures.

A couple things are jarring: the strange ease in which Laurence starts to have intimate scenes with one Jane Roland and the mechanics of dragon fighting.

For the first, I am agog with disbelief. This formal, uptight prissy naval boy easily tumbling into bed? What the what? I think I need a little more convincing and more explanation about his philosophy of honor before I can buy it.

Dragon fighting in this world is quite ridiculous. Most of the time I don't really care because it's scifi and I always take it with a huge grain of a salt. But Novik tries to make it realistic. And she talks about sewing up a dragon's wound in midair, jumping onto different dragons midflight, etc. Uhhh? I don't think dragons are as similar to ships as she is trying to make them out to be....

One thing I don't understand is why dragons must be dependent on humans. And why dragons aren't more of a pest/threat. Seems to me the only thing keeping them linked with a human being is affection. Which I highly doubt could keep every single one of them attached. Meh. Improbable.

I am not terribly fond of the ending. It was less like a grand, final battle than a plot device to reveal Temeraire's powers. But I didn't hate it either.

I think I give this book a solid 4 stars, which is high praise from me. It was really beautiful. A slow development of world and characters.
Recommended for those who love a a bit of historical scifi. But anyone who has a soft spot for dragons should give this a try.

[amphipodgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delight start to finish. I like Temeraire very much, and his handler too.

[heaven_star · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delightful! Wonderful! All the enthusiastic twee words I can find!

This book was great and I'm putting the squeeze on the friend who recommended it to me to pony up the rest of the series immediately.
I was put off initially, like other reviewers seem to have been as well, by the blurb/pitch of "napoleonic wars - with dragons!" and, you know, I don't know how else you'd describe the book because it very much is about that. But it's also a lot more than that, and the stuff it is about is a lot harder to put on a blurb without sounding weird.

"It's about a man and his dragon and they're adorable, and curl up outside and he really gets the dragons and cares about them and helps the people who have been caring for them for ages see things from a new perspective..."

"It's one of those heartwarming fantasy books, you just want to hug everyone, all the time!"

"It's a ragtag band of dragonriders and they're all brash and rude and forward compared to the rest of English society at the time, they're like drunken fun vikings in the corner, but you still get the lovely formality of the English social stuff at the same time..."

See? None of that works on a blurb to get someone to pick up a book, but it really is every one of those things. It's fun. It's heartwarming. It's British in the best sort of way.

I can see the people commenting about the characterisation being shallow and the overall lack of conflict in the book, it's valid... but I didn't notice or care. I was enjoying it for what it was too much! Sometimes I want an optimistic fantasy, where everyone's friends and things turn out ok even when Napoleon is trying to invade and you might well have accientally pissed of the Chinese.

Read this if you're sick of grimdark. Read this if you think you're over reading about dragons. Read this if you've got a Sunday afternoon you don't know what to do with. Read this before a job interview and walk in feeling like you're more enthusiastic and English than Nigel Thornberry (true story).

Ignore the "napoleonic wars with dragons", it sounds boring like that - read it because it's fun!

[amymyoung_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I bought this for my husband in 2007, he wanted to read more fantasy novels, and my own love of dragons spilled over into my picking this up and suggesting it to him. He enjoyed it thoroughly and asked me to purchase the available sequels.

For the longest time I could not bring myself to read the series due to some conflicts with Ms. Novik's POV in certain issues related to her work with the Organization for Transformative Works (don't ask, I'm not discussing it). Finally, out of sheer boredom, I picked up the copy I had on the shelf and read through it.

It is quite clear that this is a first novel by an author who is more used to fan-fiction writing than full novel length storytelling. That (and other things) aside, it is a decent book with humorous interchanges between Laurence and Temeraire and Temeraire and the other dragons.

It will be interesting to see where Ms. Novik takes the story through the series.

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely wonderful and it's going to take all my willpower not to start the second volume straight away as there are a couple of books I need to read first. First of all, the premise is utterly unique - the tagline does this book justice, it really is the Napoleonic Wars with dragons. However, and this is a big however, I wasn't prepared for the deeply moving relationship at the heart of this book. Indeed, Laurence and Temeraire make for a very endearing pair, the dragon being both clever and revolutionary and Laurence being both the product of his upbringing and a kind-hearted fellow. I cannot tell you the many times I've turned into a ball of mush while reading about their affection for each other. The book also has incredible scope and touches upon many topics as Laurence teaches Temeraire about his surroundings - philosophy, politics - and the political ramifications of Temeraire's capture is a topic I absolutely cannot wait to read about. The battles are gripping even more so for the huge stakes at play for I learned to care about Laurence's colleagues and Temeraire's friends as much as for my own. Terrific first novel and one can only hope the sequels are as good.

[sarah_buckley-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What if the Napoleonic wars were fought with the help of dragons? Well, it would be a thousand times cooler for one, also would make history class super awesome.

I had no idea what to expect from these books. They were a recommendation to me from a friend whose taste in fiction is pretty close to my own. I must say that I found them to be exciting and charming. I read the book super fast, and was always interested in what was going to happen next.

Capt. Will Laurence is sucked out of his normal, "safe" seafaring life into a uncertain future with Temeraire, a dragon. I really liked the closeness and the bond that formed between the two (and indeed all dragons and their masters), it was very sweet. All the characters are fairly well realized and three-dimensional, I never really felt that anyone was poorly written.

I consider this series to be one of my favorites, and would recommend them to everyone!