So this is an interesting take on dragons. Usually, when one encounters stories with dragons, said stories would fall under the category of "fantasy" (not terribly surprising, and quite possibly one of the main draws for you, faithful readers, to even be reading reviews on this here fine website). His Majesty's Dragon, though, is almost as non-fantasy as a fantasy novel could be. As it takes place during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800's, the book could perhaps be more accurately labeled as historical fiction or perhaps alternate history... just with dragons. Think Horatio Hornblower, or Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, but with the added feature of an Air Force made up of dragons and their crews. The combination works, overall, so if you're a fantasy fan but not a fan of alternate history (or vice-versa), the book is worth checking out anyway.

The plot follows Will Laurence, captain in the Royal Navy, whose ship captures a French frigate in battle and discovers in the hold a dragon egg about to hatch. Dragons attach themselves to people quite quickly upon hatching, and wouldn't you know it, this particular dragon attaches himself to Will (which is probably a good thing, as had it been someone else, having Will be the main character wouldn't have made all that much sense), which thus forces Will to leave his Naval career to become an aviator. The dragon, named Temeraire by Will, turns out to be a rare Chinese breed with some unique capabilities compared to the normal breeds used by the British in their Aerial Corps. The rest of the book follows both Temeraire's growth and education, as well as the training of the two of them in operations and maneuvers as part of the Corps.

One of the best things about the book is how natural it feels. Considering that the setting (i.e. England during the Napoleonic Wars) has been well studied and oft-used, making an alternate version thereof that includes dragons could have come across as somehow fake. But Novik's writing, with her descriptions and characterizations, makes the addition of dragons feel natural. It works.

And the main characters of Will and Temeraire work as a pairing. With Temeraire's natural inquisitiveness and curiosity combined with Will's sense of duty and resentment over the loss of his chosen Naval career, the characters feel natural in their interactions. It is a little hard to define their relationship, it must be said, as it is sort of a combination of a friendship, partnership, parent/child relationship, and perhaps even a marriage. A little odd, particularly with Novik's attempt (usually successful) at 1800's-esque language and conversation style, but it, too, works.

There are a few things that I would have liked to have seen done differently, though. One of the biggest is that I felt that Will's naval experience was underutilized. He accepted his new position in life as Temeraire's partner and member of the Aerial Corps rather easily (explained via his strong sense of duty), but there were only a few places where his expertise really shone. I think that there could have been a lot more in terms of how his knowledge could be adapted, modified, or otherwise put to use toward dragon combat or even just training.

Another area would be perhaps a better view of the overall bigger picture of the war going on. A little better sense of why certain battles were important, or how dire the situation was for the British, could have pulled the reader into the story even more as it would have given a better sense of character motivations.

But overall, this is a worthwhile read (it was nominated for the Hugo) for anyone who likes dragons and/or Napoleonic War-esque historical fiction (heavier on the dragons), and is a good start to a new series. Yes, this is a series (hence the mention of this book being "Temeraire, Book 1" at the very top. Wasn't that thoughtful of me?). I must say, though, that while I enjoyed this one quite a bit, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the sequel. There are six books thusfar in the series and due to my thoughts on the second book... I haven't continued on with it. It's not that I despised the second book or anything – it just left me feeling apathetic. I think I should give it, and the further books another shot. And you, dear readers, should definitely give the first book, His Majesty's Dragon a try regardless of my particular feelings for the sequel.

  -- K. Burtt