Helen recommends:
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Battle on the high seas in the Napoleonic Wars: the dashing Captain William Laurence and his crew board a French Naval vessel and claim its precious cargo – a dragon’s egg…
Temeraire (also known as His Majesty’s Dragon) is the first in a series of unashamedly fantastical adventures set in an alternate history. What raises it above other fantasy novels in the same mold is Novik’s characterisations and eye for detail. The dragons, used as aerial weapons by the warring countries of the early nineteenth century, attach themselves with unshakeable loyalty to their pilot companions from hatching: this precipitates the straight-laced Naval Captain’s admission into the less-than-reputable “Royal Aerial Corps”. Some species will only form bonds with women, necessitating their inclusion in the Corps: a fact that the Corps tries to to keep quiet and which lends an interesting interpretation of the prejudices of the period.
The real delight of the novel, however, is in the titular character, Temeraire. Novik gives the young dragon a credible voice – inquisitive and stubborn, and believably young, all in a 20 ton dragon. As the series progresses, his independent, curious nature creates increasing conflict between his companion, Laurence, and his commanders.
As with many fantasy novels, Temeraire is the first of a series (now on it’s fifth book) – unlike many fantasy authors, Novik seems to be maintaining the level of invention that makes Temeraire a delight, as well as having a keen eye for the realities of history.
Update 10/03/09: Naomi Novik recently announced that Temeraire is now available to download free from the Suvudu Free Book Library and from Amazon for the Kindle.
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