His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Genre: Fantasy
Length: 342 pages

Reviewed by: Laurelyn Aubrey

Laurence could not help feeling the liveliest curiosity, and after a moment’s struggle he yielded to it.

“Mr. Gibbs, I think we shall have a look inside,” he said, stepping out of the way. The top of the crate was thoroughly nailed down, but eventually yielded to the many willing hands; they pried it off and lifted out the top layer of the packing, and many heads craned forward at the same time to see.

No one spoke, and in silence Laurence started at the shining curve of eggshell rising out of the heaped straw; it was scarcely possible to believe.

Dragon stories are as old as time, but Naomi Novik brings a pleasantly fresh perspective to her subject as she blends the stuff of legends with historic British warfare in this first book of the Temeraire series. When Capt. Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant captures a French ship at sea, he thinks he has done nothing more than his duty to protect his country. But when his men find a dragon egg aboard the captured ship, Laurence unwillingly recognizes that his duty, career, and life are about to change in a way he never dreamed. As the bond between the former sea captain and the dragon Temeraire grows, the two of them must take to the skies and learn the complex tactics of aerial warfare before joining a desperate battle to save England from the invading forces of Napoleon.

This book is impressively well-written, especially since it is Novik’s first novel. The author develops her characters into friends, and brings the reader right in the middle of the scene with them, without being overly wordy. The details of dragon anatomy, the flavor of Napoleon-era British culture, and the descriptions of aerial maneuvers are believable and fascinating.

Though containing dragons, this book is refreshingly free of the magic and wizardry so often found in fantasy stories. Despite the misleading cover illustration, Novik’s dragons are not dark and mystical, but regular animals with regular men to handle them. Religion is never brought up, but duty, self-sacrifice, self-control, patriotism, and bravery are frequently shown as praiseworthy. Negative aspects of the book include the presence of a few women in the fighting force (present because some dragons will only take female captains), a few brief discussions of more mature topics, and frequent mild language.

The enjoyableness of this book can be demonstrated by mentioning that I read it in three nights, and was willing to sacrifice extra sleep in order to read just a little more. A few unfortunate aspects would make me cautious in recommending it to a young audience, but for older and more discerning readers it is a splendid escapade into a world of flying beasts, loveable characters, and battles for king and country. I’m greatly looking forward to reading the rest of the series.