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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1)

by Naomi Novik (Goodreads Author)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 21,368 ratings · 2,162 reviews

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordi...more

Paperback, 353 pages

Published March 28th 2006 by Del Rey (first published January 1st 2006)

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Jul 10, 2007 Irene rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't expecting much when I picked up His Majesty's Dragon. To tell the truth, if I'd seen it in a bookstore, I wouldn't have picked it up. But it was recommended to me by a reliable source as a better alternative to Eragon, and it was a historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars. I figured I'd give it a try. I didn't regret it.

I don't love this book because Naomi Novik's writing style is equal to that of Tolkien. I don't love this book because it's perfect in every way - indeed, some...more I wasn't expecting much when I picked up His Majesty's Dragon. To tell the truth, if I'd seen it in a bookstore, I wouldn't have picked it up. But it was recommended to me by a reliable source as a better alternative to Eragon, and it was a historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars. I figured I'd give it a try. I didn't regret it.

I don't love this book because Naomi Novik's writing style is equal to that of Tolkien. I don't love this book because it's perfect in every way - indeed, some of the subplots were rather weak, and should have been changed or cut out altogether. Rather, I love this book because Naomi Novik took a boring, cliche idea, and put on a spin on it that's so brilliant and yet mind-bogglingly obvious I have to wonder why in the world someone hadn't thought of it before.

In all of the previous dragonrider books I'd read, there was always one rider. One lone human on a dragon the size of a house. And somehow, that was supposed to be special and sensible and realistic. But no - if a dragon is that large, then why is there only one rider? Why can't there be more? Having one rider on a dragon is like putting one passenger on a plane that could potentially carry fifty.

And that's where Naomi Novik takes the Temeraire series. Her fight scenes aren't one-on-one affairs, they're all-out aerial battles fought with crew members dangling precariously from leather harnesses, forced to make the best of inaccurate rifles. It's true, the captain has a special relationship with his or her dragon, but there's the distinct feeling of a team - that the captain would really be nowhere without the support of a crew behind him. What's more, Novik makes the battles work - they're clearly planned out and make sense in a historical context.

The main characters are also unusually engaging - Laurence, as a former naval captain who accidentally stumbles upon a dragon egg, is plunged into a branch of the military completely unlike the one in which he's served, and his confusion and stiffness are only to be expected. While his stubbornness and sense of propriety are on occasion mildly irritating, his reactions to elements of the Aerial Corps are only natural given his character. And Temeraire, the dragon that hatches from the egg Laurence discovers, is more than a mere sentient ship - his naive, inquisitive personality is adorably appealing, and the political views he develops at times contrast sharply with those of Laurence.

And then there's the matter of the main villain - there is none. There's no evil overlord to face, no Dark Lord Napoleon who tries to foil Laurence's and Temeraire's plans at every turn. In fact, despite the fact that the book is from a strictly British point of view, Novik portrays Napoleon fairly, and his character only grows more sympathetic as the series goes on. Napoleon doesn't even make an appearance during the first book - it's just the British Aerial Corps versus the French Armee de l'Air. It's a lovely change; as the battles grow steadily more climactic, one gets the feeling that they're in a war against other dragon-crews just like theirs, not fighting some unseen maniac.

Like I said, His Majesty's Dragon isn't perfect. The subplot with Choiseul is ultimately disappointing in its resolution, and Laurence's love interest is perilously close to a Mary-Sue and should have been cut (thankfully, there's a lot less of her in the following books). Still, it's a refreshingly original spin on an overused idea, and all in all a very good read.(less)

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Dec 22, 2008 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, fantasy

A very engaging book, I read it in a few hours on a very cold Sunday afternoon & evening. I didn't want to put it down. Historically, it is set about the early 19th century during Napoleon's reign. Told from the POV of a British sea captain, but the twist is that dragons are a part of the war effort between the two. Our captain/hero gets caught up in that part of the war.

Characterization is very good as is the portrayal of British society & military. There isn't a lot of military detail...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'll go ahead and applaud Novik for originality; she pulled me back into the exhausted dragon-rider genre that as far as I'm concerned McCaffrey bludgeoned to death and Paolini shanked up the ass.

But that says more about me than her.

At some point after two-hundred pages I lifted my head and realized nothing had happened. Oh yes, Laurence had rushed from point A to B and done This and That, but what's there to say about Laurence? He's boring, brainless, carries on ambiguously erotic dragon love...more

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Jul 11, 2007 Dafna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

God, I admit, I'm one of those douchey fucks that look down on fantasy readers while I sit firmly ensconced in my igloo composed of "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron" and "Star Trek: The Lost Years" books. Of course, it'd be a book about dragons fighting for the British army against the encroaching Napoleonic forces to get to me to realize: DRAGONS ARE FUCKING COOL.

Especially dragons with awesome Han Solo type female riders and plucky young girls manning the gunnery and uptight, strong silent type men...more

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Nov 06, 2007 rgb rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bored SF fans

This is a tough one to review in some ways. First, I've read lots of "dragon books", and this is far, far from the best. For one thing, I'm a physicist and while I'm willing to suspend disbelief up to a certain point, the image of dragons capable of carrying anywhere from tens to hundreds of humans at a time (plus weapons and armor!) for distances that again range from tens to hundreds of miles in a day just does not compute. Let me count the ways it violates natural law, not just by a little bi...more This is a tough one to review in some ways. First, I've read lots of "dragon books", and this is far, far from the best. For one thing, I'm a physicist and while I'm willing to suspend disbelief up to a certain point, the image of dragons capable of carrying anywhere from tens to hundreds of humans at a time (plus weapons and armor!) for distances that again range from tens to hundreds of miles in a day just does not compute. Let me count the ways it violates natural law, not just by a little bit but ludicrously: energy conservation, scaling laws, biology -- you name it, her dragons violate it. Her dragons carry loads like 747 airliners carry loads -- to carry the load described in the last book of this series, where Temeraire helps ferry people over a hundred at a time from a fort out to a boat, well -- imagine hanging 100 people from an elephant. Hmmm, no way. A brachiosaurus? Sorry, I can't imagine more than 30 or 40. A blue whale? Now we're talking.

100 humans at 200 pounds each is an easy 10 tons of humans. Add this to the (conservatively) 100 ton body mass of an animal large enough to hang all these people on and you're talking the good sized airliner, all supposedly powered by muscles on the fuel of the energy content of an occassional cow. Waste heat alone would cook such a beast until it starved to death, assuming of course that they weren't crushed under their own weight as they attempted to stand.

Okay, you say. We know dragons aren't real, so why can't they be whatever she likes? They can, of course, but even my 12 year old thought that it was a bit odd and hard to believe. And it's not that I don't like dragons. McCaffery's dragons are close enough that I can suspend disbelief -- Pern's gravity is lower, air is maybe thicker, they're hollow bodied and don't have to carry huge loads, just a person and saddle and load of firestone, which (for all I know) is a light and porous rock or the dragons couldn't chew it. Battledragons are also believable -- basically smallish dinosaurs in armor who like noodles as much as meat. One can go down a veritable list of dragons back to King Arthur, and never has their been a storybook dragon so very out of kilter with common sense.

Once you get past this, the book is still flawed in several ways. Laurence (the main human protagonist) is a middling flawed individual -- priggish, filled with notions of duty and obligation, blind to his surroundings, out of touch with the real world, a supposedly "romantic" character that comes across looking more foolish than believable. He persists in referring to his (male) dragon as "dear" throughout the book. No man calls his male companions or pets (however you want to view the dragon) as "dear", and even viewing the dragon as his "child" it still sounds odd. Because he's a dodo-brain when it comes to politics he naturally gets into all sorts of scrapes that could easily be avoided, which gives the book a bit of stilted or contrived feel. Even the economics of dragons doesn't really compute -- at a good sized piece of livestock a day, dragons are remarkably expensive to feed (a cow takes months to years to grow and can feed a lot of humans). Yet we see dragons by the dozen being supported for their military potential, we see dragons "making a living" carrying messages or people around a city. Hell of a taxi service, if the taxi driver/cab combo earns enough to buy an entire cow a day.

Given all of this, if you accept the series as being a simple historical "what-if" novel exploring the Napoleanic wars with dragons being used as a living "air force", it's a decent read. Worth it for exactly three novels, which unfortunately wasn't enough to get close to terminating the endless story. I will not buy any more.

(less)

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rgb Dawn wrote: "I would call this fantasy, not science fiction, so who cares if the laws of physics apply or not? I didn't. And to judge the character ba...more Dawn wrote: "I would call this fantasy, not science fiction, so who cares if the laws of physics apply or not? I didn't. And to judge the character based on today takes him out of his context."

Fantasy versus science fiction is a tough line to draw. Anne McCaffery's Dragon series is clearly SF, not fantasy, because she at no point introduces the slightest bit of magic into her story. Her dragons have completely rational scientific origin, first as evolved creatures (fire lizards), second as genetic manipulations of same in a laboratory. Their fire has no supernatural origin either. Their ability to jump across space and time is exotic SF, true, but again it isn't "magic" -- she simply assumes that space and time are more complex than we imagine and that fire lizards evolved to be able to cross certain dimensional boundaries that ordinarily would require complicated machinery to access. This is something we have to suspend disbelief about, but it isn't "magic" in the sense of supernaturalism.

She even is careful to specify that gravity on the world in question is lighter than that of the Earth (and the atmosphere thicker) to make it more plausible that large beast would be able to fly and carry a significant payload. This doesn't really work, but at least it makes it easier to suspend disbelief.

Similarly, Her Majesty's Dragons seems to very much follow this sort of presentation. The dragons are not "magical" dragons, they are supposedly real beasts that really can fly and really can carry a burden of cargo in a real society. And here my ability to suspend disbelief breaks down. Sure, I can (and did) still read the story with the "given" that the dragons "just can do it" -- that whatever she illustrates them doing can be done, that the economics of feeding dragons with whole cows works out. But it is jarring; every unexplainable or unexplained absurdity interferes with my ability to stay "in the story". It's like she decided that she needed a dragon that could do X in her plot line, and poof, a dragon that could do X (where X might be "ferry hundreds of people at a time arbitrary distances by flying them through the air") appears to do her bidding. Where it came from, and what it eats when it is not ferrying hundreds of people from here to there is not explained. Write a war story involving airlines and jets and tanks and jeeps, replace jets and tanks and jeeps with dragons and fuel with cows, and just don't worry about the rough edges.

In the end, I might have managed even that, but "judging" the character or not, I eventually found him really annoying. Again the comparison with McCaffery (a far, far better writer) is inevitable. She fully explains the "bond" formed between dragon and rider in the context of her story, and one gets the feeling that Novik is simply copying this bond in her own book without actually using a term like "impression". McCaffery's dragons and riders transplanted from Pern to a steampunk world, with all of McCaffery's carefully reasoned quasi-believable "rules" governing her dragons bent into impossible shapes, with a generally unappealing main character -- as I said, it isn't a matter of judging the character in or out of context, it is just that I stopped caring about learning how he was going to get out of the next scrape he was going to get into.(less)
Mar 18, 2012 08:37am

Dawn McCaffery gave the book her endorsement, so I'm guessing she's okay with it. I haven't read her work yet (I know it's a classic dragon series), so I c...more
Mar 18, 2012 12:09pm

Apr 29, 2013 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kim by: Theobroma

Shelves: action, alternate-history, fantasy, war, hugo-nominee, female-author, 2000s, 2006, book-club-scifi-and-fantasy

Naomi Novik's Temeraire books are set in an alternate reality in which dragons are found around the world, are intelligent and have allowed themselves to be linked to a rider.

Set during the Napoleonic Wars the drgaons are, at this point, recruited by both sides as an Air Force changing the way the war actually went by adding in an extra element. The main characters are Temeraire, a Chinese dragon whose egg was captured from the French, and his handler, Capt. Laurence.

From the start I found the...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Jamie

Shelves: 2009, in-by-of-england, vamps-and-other-mythical-beasts, reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi

I wasn't going to read this book. I have seen it in bookstores a dozen times and not once did it call out, Elizabeth, I'm awesome. You will love me!

What it said was, Elizabeth, I'm another wanna-be dragon-riding book set in some pseudo-historical period which is incompletely researched and annoyingly contrived. To make it worse, it's set on a ship. Early nineteenth century ships are not someplace any sane person would want to be; the necessary historical details are likely to turn the modern re...more I wasn't going to read this book. I have seen it in bookstores a dozen times and not once did it call out, Elizabeth, I'm awesome. You will love me!

What it said was, Elizabeth, I'm another wanna-be dragon-riding book set in some pseudo-historical period which is incompletely researched and annoyingly contrived. To make it worse, it's set on a ship. Early nineteenth century ships are not someplace any sane person would want to be; the necessary historical details are likely to turn the modern reader's stomach, and I have no interest in description-induced seasickness.

So I was reluctant to pick it up. It took me months to open if after it made it home. But here were are, two days after I began the book, and I am about to write a (mostly) glowing review.

First, the time shipboard is blessedly brief. We only learn that they kept live animals aboard (when possible) and were spared any description of what the hold (or the men) must have smell liked.

Second, the characters are clever. Laurence and Temeraine are great fun to hang out with. I appreciated the challenges to habit (in behavior and thinking) that the author set her protagonist to overcome. I didn't mind the more obvious ones because I liked the way Laurence reacted. I liked his change in thinking over time. I liked the way he solved problems. They weren't always the obvious solution either, which was refreshing.

Third, there are dragons. I am not sure where the fascination with dragons came from. Was it from childhood stories? My mother had a great book about a Chinese dragon who saved a town from invaders because the poorest street boy gave him a bowl of rice. I remember reading it over and over again. I remember seeing Reign of Fire, and certainly not for Matthew McConaughey's brilliant dialog (They're like fish, man). I am more likely to read a book about dragons before any other magical creature, but they cannot be the only attraction. I couldn't finish Dragonhaven by an author I truly love, even with a dragon, and I don't think there's any reason to discuss Eragon.

This is a fun, quick read. It's perfect for a plane or a rainy afternoon or doctor's waiting room. It is not perfect for bed-time; you will not get to sleep. I made that mistake and only managed to put it down because I got annoyed by a couple of things. Too-neat resolution of certain subplots was one. It seemed like the author (or her editor) wasn't quite sure which things were important to her and so didn't make the necessary sacrifices (or rewrites) to tighten up some of her ideas. (Ask me about the Frenchman some time). And then there were the Roman-built baths in caves under the hills outside of Inverness. Inverness! This little tidbit drove me crazy (much like the fish comment in Reign of Fire, actually). I don't usually read alternative histories for exactly this reason. I'll give you a Chinese dragon fighting for Britain in 1815, with a whole corps of them flying in formation over the English Channel, but the idea of these baths really bothered me.

There, I have vented and you have been forewarned. Now you can simply enjoy the story and not worry about the petty details. I've already started the second book. I love it when that this happens.

(less)

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Mar 12, 2009 Chloe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, e-book

Napoleonic wars with dragons. Really, do you need much more of an explanation? These are dragons written how I always wished they were, in a world that I care about. Alternate histories are dicey things- either the author hews too closely to the original events for the story to take on its own life or the history just serves as a lure to get unsuspecting nerds to take the plunge. Novik pulls off the ultimate balancing act, however, weighing Nelson's naval maneuvers with aerial raids from French...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Beanbag Love rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd actually give this a 4.5. I found it intriguing and hard to put down. It was different from many books I've read recently.

This is an alternative history where dragons are a part of the military and have a long tradition of bonding with their 'aviators' and fighting international skirmishes.

I won't go into much detail because it's laid out so nicely in the book it's a joy to read it fresh. I will say that this takes place during the Napoleonic wars and it's set in England. It isn't romance, a...more

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May 03, 2013 Jon added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: SciFi & Fantasy Book Club December Theme (Alternate History)

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, read-in-my-40s, alternate-history, hugo-nominee, loved-it

4 stars

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book now resides, safe and secure, at my blog. You can read it by following this link: http://bit.ly/12xtvrc

On sale today (5/3/2013) for 99 cents!

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Apr 09, 2009 Kristjan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Dragon fans

Recommended to Kristjan by: GR Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club

Shelves: book-club-selection, high-fantasy

It would have been hard for me to hate this story as I am a sucker for Dragons. I am also a former tall-ship sailor, so the initial 19th century naval setting of the story (aka Master and Commander style) only added to my enjoyment … provided I suspend a fair amount of disbelief in how much can actually fit on a dragon (think heavily lift helicopter with everything inside sprawled into slings underneath and tents topside). In fact, even the aerial combat was difficult to imagine realistically, s...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Pretty much anyone that enjoys fantasy fiction, even a little.

Recommended to Richard by: SciFi & Fantasy Group 2008-12 Fantasy Selection

Shelves: fantasy, bookclub, series

This was the Fantasy selection for the Goodreads SciFi and Fantasy Book Club for the month of December 2008. Visit this link to see all of the discussions, group member reviews, etc.

Some very trivial spoilers are, I suppose, present below. But not really anything more detailed than one could discover in the book's marketing copy and promotional blurbs. But if you are hypersensitive, then skip to the next review...

I thought it was charming that the first blurb inside the front cover of my paperba...more

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Jul 24, 2008 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, fiction, brit-lit, regency, owned

I believe I can safely say that this is the first and likely only book in which I finished it and thought: "OMG, I want to hug a dragon."

Temeraire is sooo adorable. Can I say that about a dragon? He is, though! Lovable, intelligent, sincere, earnest, and AWESOME. Novik has a wonderful creation in Temeraire. He's appealing to read about, even without the drama of battle and human relations surrounding him. I give the books an extra star just for him.

As evidenced by the fact that I finished this i...more I believe I can safely say that this is the first and likely only book in which I finished it and thought: "OMG, I want to hug a dragon."

Temeraire is sooo adorable. Can I say that about a dragon? He is, though! Lovable, intelligent, sincere, earnest, and AWESOME. Novik has a wonderful creation in Temeraire. He's appealing to read about, even without the drama of battle and human relations surrounding him. I give the books an extra star just for him.

As evidenced by the fact that I finished this in less than two days, I was really into this book. Adding in dragons to the Napoleonic Wars is a really fun idea (that I wish I'd thought of first), and there's a whole set of tactics and battle strategy to learn along with it that's really interesting. Also, its really entertaining to see these stuffy 19th cen. British people just accept dragons as a fact of life and then go off to their tea parties a moment later. Just like they had seen any other panda at the zoo. That amused me. I really liked a lot of the supporting cast of characters- Jane Roland, Berkley and Maximus, Volly and James, Harcourt, etc. The prose is engaging, the action moves fast, and it rips you along like the best epic movies. Loved it.

However! I just must say! Our hero Captain Laurence, is a huge priss with a big stick up his butt. He's a good guy, but he needs to loosen up. We really need a main character whose thoughts don't pull me out of the story to roll my eyes at him this often. I think Novik is equally guilty of that sort of attitude in her writing. I think she tried just a bit too hard to get in some Jane Austen and capture the spirit of the era, and her sometimes stiff prose and dialogue suffers a bit for it. I hope she lets both her main character and herself loosen up a bit more.

Also, I have to say that Naomi Novik does throw an awful lot at you very fast, without much explanation. She tends to have her characters do things, or bring up dragon types, as if she expects it to mean something to us, and only later does she thrown in an explanation. Not a big fan of exposition, this girl. I mean, I figured it out, but it does throw you out of the story trying to figure out what's going on sometimes.

... but as evidenced by the fact that I'm immediately starting the second one, it obviously didn't bother me /that/ much.(less)

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Apr 28, 2011 Jenny Maloney rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: have-read

I picked this book up (and it's two follow-ups) because there was a great write-up in Writer's Digest about how Novik turned this story into a 'great new series'. Um, after reading it, I'm not sure quite how she managed that.

There are scenes. Sometimes really exciting scenes. But I fail to see the over-arching problem...and I don't know how you would drive a whole series without a bigger problem. The relationship between the rider, Laurence, and the dragon, Temeraire, is strange...to say the le...more

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Jun 05, 2007 Siria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, alternate-history, american-fiction, fantasy, historical-fiction

I really, really enjoyed this. For a first novel, it's quite some achievement. It's a fantastic , original blend of Regency period naval adventure with pure fantasy, a world that's recognisable as the one about which Jane Austen and Patrick O' Brian wrote, but which is inhabited by dragons. The premise is mostly well thought through, and slots in well into early nineteenth century society. The dialogue also manages to walk the fine line between being appropriate to the period, and being a pastic...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Hayes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, tbr-challenge-2012

3+ Stars.
I didn't think I would enjoy this so much: I was afraid there would be too much battle stuff (and I did not enjoy Master and Commander ), but the book is really about the developing relationship between Temeraire, the Dragon won from the French in battle while still an egg, and Captain Laurence. At times the relationship seemed a little absurd. Wait... what? Is the dragon his lover--gifts of jewelry, fits of jealousy, and does he really call that 10-ton creature "my dear"?

But it was loa...more

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Jul 24, 2008 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jamie by: Julie Carter

Shelves: regency-napoleonic, fantasy, time-travel-alt-history

Horatio Hornblower meets Dragonriders of Pern. This is a really fun, light read. It's predictable - you can see plot twists coming a mile away, but that doesn't make the story any less satisfying.

There's no magic in this book. It's an alternate history where dragons are a normal part of warfare. The author is pretty good at making it a believable story, even if you might raise one eyebrow a little at dragons capable of carrying a dozen men or more.

I do love Regency England, especially the dialog...more

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Dec 09, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008

A very quick read - I checked it out from the library yesterday and finished it last night. It's good enough to make me want to make a special trip back to the library to check out the next one.

This book is set during the Napoleonic wars and has dragons, two elements which have long been included in my favorite reading. In sixth grade I devoured Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels. And I've been reading Regency era romance novels for years, as well. Combine those two, and add a dragon who loves to read...more A very quick read - I checked it out from the library yesterday and finished it last night. It's good enough to make me want to make a special trip back to the library to check out the next one.

This book is set during the Napoleonic wars and has dragons, two elements which have long been included in my favorite reading. In sixth grade I devoured Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels. And I've been reading Regency era romance novels for years, as well. Combine those two, and add a dragon who loves to read about math and science, and you've got a winner for me.

I liked the developing relationship between Temeraire and Laurence, although Laurence was a little bit overboard with 'My Dear'. Temeraire is mentally mature when he hatches from the egg; he only needs to have contextual information, supplied from conversation and books, to be Laurence's best friend. This relationship is the most important in Laurence's life, and very time consuming; it precludes the possibility of marriage, in his mind at least.

I've heard Laurence described as kind of stuffy - and I found him to be this way as well, particularly in regards to women and their roles. I think this is intentional; without his stuffiness, someone not familiar with the time period would not be able to see how advanced was the Aerial Corps' inclusion of women.

This aspect of the novel actually did not work well for me. At the celebration at the end of the book, it was remarked that the females among the Corps were assumed to be wives, as female dragon riders would be entirely unacceptable. This hits on a larger problem I have with the concept; if dragons and their riders had existed throughout history, I find it highly unlikely that the world would have developed in the same way. Attitudes towards women would have been different. And the balance of power in Europe, and between Europe and Asia, would have been different.

This is the first alternate history book I've read. This book alters history in it's entirety, by assuming that dragons have always existed on earth, but then it only looks at the ramifications of that assumption as applied to one particular time period. This just causes problems for me.

But I loved the characters. I loved the idea of dragons being used somewhat like aerial ships. I eagerly look forward to reading the next 4 published books in the series. (less)

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Apr 21, 2012 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bettie by: Susanna

Shelves: tbr-busting-2012, paper-read, spring-2012, historical-fiction, napoleonic, dragons, seven-seas, young-adult, war, published-2006, fantasy, debut, swashbuckler, adventure, madeira, britain-scotland, edinburgh, eye-scorcher

Dedication: for Charles, sine qua non

Opening: 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.

This would be SO good as a way to introduce youngies into history, jeepers I wish I was back aged seven and someone was reading me this. As it is I can only muster 3* on my own account and although I have the next four in the series as audio books it might be a while before I break into them.

Tip...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Ren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy avid readers

Shelves: own-paperback, fantasy, chunkster-500-more, 5-stars, top-read-2013, tower-team-b-reading-challenge, read-2013, dragon

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Kamu suka novel fantasy? Suka novel yang ada naganya? suka novel dengan genre historical?

Kalau jawabannya adalah salah satu dari atas, atau ketiganya, sekarang gw nanya deh, Udah baca His Majesty's Dragon belom? . Kalau jawabannya belom, atau ngeles kan bahasa Inggris or males ah baca ibuk, siwer mata gw, then sham...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Anna-louise rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: couldn-t-finish

No i couldn't finish! I was getting to the point where i was not looking forward to reading and i don't think life its long enough to read books that make you think that.

So why didn't i finish? Well pure and quite simply the main character is about as exciting as someone telling me they enjoy cars, oh and football in detail! Booorrrinnngggggg! the saving grace in the book is the dragons and that's why it was OK and 2 stars. I love history and alt. history is fun, but just oh my goodness this bo...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Suna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, maritime, dragon-fiction, alternate-history

Well I can only say that I vastly suffered from Sense & Sensibility syndrome reading this book.
(Having seen the movie umpteen times first, I had adjustment issues with the novel's differences.)

When I started reading the series I managed to be saddled with a faulty copy: The cover of the first installment housed the third book, which I therefore mistakenly read as the start to Laurence's adventures.

Irritatingly this book is now so unsurprising as to spoil my reading experience.
How I would hav...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Ken-ichi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ken-ichi by: Sarah Hawley

Shelves: escape, fantasy

Dang, that was fun. If you enjoy Patrick O'Brian, are not averse to the fantastic, and are looking for a quick, fun read, please overlook the corny cover and check this out. Though perhaps not as funny or as brilliantly wordy as O'Brian at his best, Novik does an excellent job illustrating the details of a remote time and lifestyle, exploring not only technical details of gear and rigging, but also the social constraints of being an "aviator." Riders bond with their dragon for life, which essent...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Ben Babcock rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, fantasy, from-library, own, british-historical, historical-fiction, hugo-nominee, 2012-read

Have you ever taken a good, long look at the Napoleonic Wars and thought, “These are cool, but they could really use more dragons”? Naomi Novik did, so she wrote a book about it.

That’s really all you need to know about the Temeraire series: if it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then it’s not going to change your mind about dragons or about the Napoleonic Wars. But if it sounds awesome, then you’re in for a treat. I originally gave this five stars when I added it to Goodreads, having read it...more

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Dec 24, 2008 Brad rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, historical

It would be easy to slip into hyperbole about His Majesty's Dragon, so before I get to the hyperbole I want to make it clear that while I did enjoy Naomi Novik's story of dragon riding in Napoleonic Europe, it is not the most amazing book ever. Although I will probably continue in the series, it isn't at the top of my to read list.

Now for the hyperbole.

His Majesty's Dragon is very entertaining. Novik sweeps us into the world of her dragonriders and delivers action at a perfect pitch, even makin...more

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Jul 10, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shannon (Giraffe Days) by: Betsy

Shelves: fantasy, 2008

What do you do when you have a passion for both the Napoleonic Wars and dragons? Why, combine them of course. In Novik's debut novel she's taken the Napoleonic wars and added dragons and aviators to produce a unique new fantasy.

The younger son of a Lord, Laurence is a young captain in the British navy, and proud of it. His life is by no means pat but he has some hopes of marrying Edith and making enough prize money to keep her in the manner to which she is accustomed. His plans and hopes for the...more What do you do when you have a passion for both the Napoleonic Wars and dragons? Why, combine them of course. In Novik's debut novel she's taken the Napoleonic wars and added dragons and aviators to produce a unique new fantasy.

The younger son of a Lord, Laurence is a young captain in the British navy, and proud of it. His life is by no means pat but he has some hopes of marrying Edith and making enough prize money to keep her in the manner to which she is accustomed. His plans and hopes for the future and his career are shattered when, after capturing a French frigate, they find a precious dragon's egg in the hold and, when it hatches a week later, the dragon accepts Laurence as his handler. No well-bred woman will marry an aviator - perhaps no woman at all, as they have much more uncertain lives than naval officers.

Laurence names the unusual dragon Temeraire and over the weeks it takes to reach the nearest naval base, he becomes very attached to the creature - and Temeraire to him. He's too old to be an aviator, but Temeraire won't accept another, so they travel on to Scotland for intensive training. The British don't have as many dragons as some other countries, including the French, and their most formidable breed is the longwing which spits acid. Trained in the arts of war, these massive dragons battle the equally huge French dragons while, below, the navy tries to keep Napoleon from landing his forces on British soil.

This is an unusual fantasy is several ways, not least of all the premise, which is very engaging - after a while, you forget that they didn't have dragons to help them win that war, or any other. So solidly is the idea built upon the period, so seamlessly is it incorporated into the established history, that it becomes entirely plausible. Probably the only logistics not worked out is how they produce enough cattle and sheep to feed these humungous beasts, on top of the human population's normal consumption.

Novik has also attempted to keep the tone of books written in the period or thereabouts, such as Jane Austen. The prose is light on descriptions, not in the least bit flowery, and has that strange ability to draw you close to the characters whilst simultaneously keeping you distanced. The perspective is always from Laurence or, in the gaps, some vague omniscient narrator, yet we never learn all that much about Laurence - or anyone else for that matter. We don't even know what he looks like, and the other characters are distinguished by only one or two characteristics, like Captain Roland's facial scar. It is their mannerisms, behaviour and style of speech that defines their personality, as well as their actions.

The dragons, though, add flesh to the story. Their personalities are distinct and they're sweet and funny. They don't think like humans but are easier to relate to and sympathise with. The simple-minded Volly made me laugh so hard when he is invited to share Temeraire's meal and stares with wide eyes at the cattle and says "Cows!" I could picture that so clearly! I tried very hard not to cry when one particular dragon dies, because I was reading it on my lunch break at work, but every time a dragon got hurt or died I felt awful.

There's some delightfully humorous moments, and some poignant ones. The scenes of training in Scotland are kept lively by the relations between both people and dragons, and from learning about the somewhat mysterious and secretive aviators alongside Laurence. The final section, when they battle the French, is by no means a sure thing and put my heart in my mouth. While I would have liked to get closer to the characters, the blend of "old-fashioned" (Laurence and polite society) and modern (the aviators, who include some women and are much less formal) is well done and sustained throughout; the details and mannerisms of the period are, to the best of my knowledge, accurate; and the steady pace never wavers. While I didn't fall in love with the book I certainly enjoyed it and intend to read the others in the series.(less)

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Nov 15, 2007 Mj rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: already-read

I'm amazed at how many people enjoyed this book. The premise is fascinating and extremely creative. And for that it avoids a single star. Otherwise, the characters are bland, there is minuscule character development to speak of, and THERE ARE NO REAL CONFLICTS. Every conflict is conveniently tied up with no trade offs. This isn't fantasy, it's day dream.
By far, the most amusing portion of the book is the conversations between Laurence (the protagonist) and Temeraire (the dragon)-amusing to the...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Christopher rated it 3 of 5 stars

His Majesty's Dragon is a tender story about the beautiful, homosexual, inter-species love between the protagonist and his gigantic black dragon.

Ok, so that's not really what it's about, but seriously ... the homoerotic undertones in what is otherwise a fun, if not particularly challenging, historical fantasy are pretty amusing. Not only does the main character basically forgo women entirely in favor of his dragon (with the exception of a single night spent with a fellow "aviator" who basically...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2013 Daniel Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, fantasy, wwe-wogf

Now that's what I call a fantasy adventure! The premise—Napoleonic Wars with dragons—is a bit over the top, but there is enough genuine emotion and excitement on display to suspend disbelief without any second thought. I mean; who needs verisimilitude? There's dragons fighting over the Channel!

"It's just some light reading" is a phrase often heard when defending books that lack depth, tight plotting, or engaging characters. His Majesty's Dragon is the proof that a lighthearted tale is no excuse...more Now that's what I call a fantasy adventure! The premise—Napoleonic Wars with dragons—is a bit over the top, but there is enough genuine emotion and excitement on display to suspend disbelief without any second thought. I mean; who needs verisimilitude? There's dragons fighting over the Channel!

"It's just some light reading" is a phrase often heard when defending books that lack depth, tight plotting, or engaging characters. His Majesty's Dragon is the proof that a lighthearted tale is no excuse for shoddy writing. Yes, the story of Laurence and Temeraire is a light read: there is no philosophical treatise on the meaning of existence, no innovation in the turn of a phrase. But that doesn't make it "just" a popcorn book. The characters are engaging, and the story is written with enough tenderness and care that it is easy to fall in love with the characters.

What really anchors the story is the relationship between Captain Laurence and his companion of fortune, the dragon Temeraire. It's heartwarming to see them grow closer together, and their friendship is often touching and genuine. Let's call it what it is: an inter-species bromance. Laurence by himself is not that engaging a character; he's a bit stiff-lipped, and always offended by this or that breach of etiquette. But his genuine love for Temeraire, and the way this love ends up affecting other dragons, is really great to read. I couldn't help laughing at the gruff relationship between Maximus and Berkley, for instance, or shed a tear for poor Levitas.

I have a theory that male SF writers tend to focus on external conflicts, with interpersonal relationships playing a supporting role in the dramatic structure of a story, whereas the situation is reversed with women. His Majesty's Dragon supports this assertion: the book is much less about the war with Napoleon, and much more about relationships between the characters, and how the existence of dragons shapes their lives. The majority of the novel concerns itself with the growing relationship between Temeraire and Laurence, and their integration in the Corps. Oh, there is plenty of action, especially in the third act, and it was engaging and original, too. But it's clear that it's the relationships between captains and dragons that Mrs. Novik wanted to write about. It's a great thing, too, because it makes the story engaging in a way that would have been missing if it had only been about aerial combat between giant flying lizards.

All in all, a satisfying read with engaging characters and a unique, well-constructed setting. A lot of thought went into integrating dragons into the context of the Napoleonic Wars, and the result was satisfying. I'll definitely check out the sequel.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2012, sci-fi-fantasy, ebooks

I'd had this downloaded to my Kindle app for years, I think it was free at some point, but I hadn't felt any great incentive to actually read it, because I'm just not a dragon person. I didn't like Eragon, for instance, but that might be because it was written by a teenager without a lot of new ideas. I was intrigued by the end of A Game of Thrones, but am still waiting for Mr. Martin to finish that little series before I delve back in.

I may never be a dragon person. It might just never happen....more

2 likes · like · see review

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About Naomi Novik

An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings, Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University, and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to partic...more

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“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.” — 70 people liked it

“Temeraire said, 'It is very nice how many books there are, indeed. And on so many subjects!” — 27 people liked it

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