His Majesty’s
Dragon
Naomi Novik
Reviewed by Sarra Borne
Infusing fresh blood into the alternate history
fantasy
field, Novik begins the first book in her debut trilogy during the
Napoleanic
wars. Novik rewrites the era replete with naval battles and an aerial
corps of
fighting dragons. With nods to both Anne McCaffrey the grand-dame of
dragons
and Patrick O’Brian the grandmaster of maritime fiction she has
freshened up
and combined the genres.
When veteran Captain Will Laurence of HMS Reliant finally
captures the French frigate he has been battling he has cause to wonder
why
they fought so hard not to surrender, even though it is obvious that
the crew
is in poor shape. A quick inspection of the hold reveals an almost
hardened
dragon’s egg, which on examination is discovered to be dangerously
close to
hatching.
Panicked and knowing next to nothing about dragon care,
straws are drawn and preparations are hurriedly made, just in the nick
of time.
Unfortunately, nobody explained the plans to the newly
hatched dragon. Finding himself bonding
with the beast Capt. Laurence realizes that his naval career is over,
to be
replaced with service in the aerial corps. Naming his dragon Temeraire
after a
dreadnought battleship, Capt. Laurence soon finds himself in the
closest
relationship of his life.
He discovers to his delight that Temeraire is affectionate,
intelligent and a superb companion. After a
fortuitous meeting with “the” dragon expert Sir Edward Howe,
Laurence is
surprised when it is revealed that Temeraire is a rare Chinese dragon,
as the
oriental breeds are almost unknown on the British isles. Even more
surprising
is what he discovers when sent to the dragon training grounds at Loch
Laggan, an
isolated base in Scotland.
Novik believably integrates a dragon-based aerial fighting
force into the late-eighteenth-century military. She has also written
an
incredibly character driven novel, which keeps the pages turning not
just for
the action, but so the reader can find out what happens next to
Temeraire and
his captain. Included at the end of the book is an excerpt from the
second in
the trilogy, Throne of Jade, and this
only serves to whet the appetite for more.
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