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His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)

Naomi Novik

Start date: December 8, 2011

Finish date: December 31, 2011

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Jun 02, 2013 Athena Shardbearer rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

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Jan 27, 2019 Richard Guion rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This has been in my TBR pile forever, really enjoyed reading it. I love the setting during the Napoleonic Wars & that a British naval officer comes to be linked up with the dragon Temeraire. This story moves along at a brisk pace, everything was fascinating from the action to the little details of how the Dragon air corps operates. The relationship between Laurence & Temeraire is beautiful. I still struggle with imagining the vast size of these creatures, carrying a flight crew & supplies as wel ...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Brenda Clough rated it it was amazing

A thrilling book! Just as described, Horatio Hornblower crossed with Dragonriders of Pern!

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Apr 30, 2011 EA Solinas rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, reviews

Imagine if the Napoleonic wars had been fought using an air force... of dragons.

That idea is the root of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- an alternate-history fantasy that explores the idea of a Horatio Hornbloweresque navy officer who suddenly finds a dragon uprooting his life. The plot is a bit thin in the first book of the series, "His Majesty's Dragon," but Novik makes up for this with her richly-realized alternate world and adorable friendship between man and dragon.

Captain William Laurenc Imagine if the Napoleonic wars had been fought using an air force... of dragons.

That idea is the root of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- an alternate-history fantasy that explores the idea of a Horatio Hornbloweresque navy officer who suddenly finds a dragon uprooting his life. The plot is a bit thin in the first book of the series, "His Majesty's Dragon," but Novik makes up for this with her richly-realized alternate world and adorable friendship between man and dragon.

Captain William Laurence's Reliant has captured a French ship -- which turns out to have a dragon egg in its hold. And when the baby dragon hatches, it decides it wants Laurence and no other to be its rider. Unfortunately, accepting the dragon (now named Temeraire) means giving up his Navy commission and joining the Air Corps -- especially since Temeraire violently rejects the idea of accepting another rider.

But both rider and dragon have a lot of learning to do, especially since Laurence has some very unusual ideas about how to treat his dragon. And Laurence discovers that not all riders treat their dragons with such love, and that life among the Corps is very different from 19th-century England's. But as the bond between them grows and Temeraire grows rapidly to maturity, the Napoleonic Wars are raging -- and Temeraire's true power hasn't yet been shown.

The Temeraire series is what Christopher Paolini's books SHOULD have been -- a richly-drawn, intelligent series about the bond between a young man and his dragon. Novik still has some rough spots in "His Majesty's Dragon" -- such as the all-too-convenient explanation for how Temeraire speaks English right out of the egg -- but it's an undeniably fascinating mesh of what 19th century war would have been like if there had been dragons.

So she conjures up a pretty fascinating world, giving dragons different breeds, physical makeup, quirks, biological features (they can blast acid, fire, even sonic waves), and relationships with their riders (one poor little dragon's rider treats him like a disposable vehicle, inspiring Laurence's rage).

Admittedly there's not much plot until the last quarter; most of the book is about Laurence and Temeraire getting used to the Corps and each other. But Novik keeps it interesting with lush, detailed writing and some truly thrilling aerial battles aboard the vast dragons. On land, there's plenty of gentle comic relief ("I am afraid that some of them go there to drink, and keep low company." "Oh, you mean whores!") and lots of messy eating (including a very reluctant sheep).

And our heroes Temeraire and Laurence are a study in contrasts. The human is mannered, thoughtful and very tied to society's mores and expectations, while the dragon has a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, honesty and stubbornness (and a gold chain he uses like a security blankie). The supporting cast -- dragons and humans alike -- are a likable bunch as well, such as a delicate schoolgirl and her refined Longwing Lily, the vast Maximus, and even a vaguely sinister Frenchman.

"His Majesty's Dragoin" is a solid introduction to a brilliantly-conceived series, with plenty of adventure, humour and a lot of lovable dragons. Definitely worth flying with.
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Jun 24, 2017 Jeannette rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, ermadlibs-2017

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had high hopes for this book, but I completely mistook what the book was going to be about somehow. Perhaps because I read Uprooted first, and this is very different from that. Finding myself in the middle of an alternate history about the Napoleonic Wars was not exactly my idea of a fun, kick-off-my-summer kind of book. And yet in the end I still found it incredibly fun to read!

Laurence and Temeraire are great characters. Temeraire especially. His simplicity and cleverness were sweet and funn ...more

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Jun 29, 2016 Elise rated it it was amazing

I LOVED this book! It hooked me from the very start and I flew through it. I feel like I could go into a really in depth break down of why I loved this book so much and how many feelings (SO MANY FEELINGS!) this book gave me. But I won't, because I might end up gushing all day. Suffice to say, I had to put it down at certain points just to process my emotions and be like 'holy shit this book is AMAZING'. ...more

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