The new historical fiction/fantasy writer Naomi Novik moves along with her acclaimed series about Will Lawrence, naval captain turned aviator in England’s Aerial Corps. The twist in his situation is that England is fighting Napoleon, so there are no airplanes in the Corps but only dragons, harnessed from incubation and pressed into service for their country. Novik gives the dragons full reasoning capacity, and indeed, they have innate insights into mathematical and scientific phenomena that far surpass our own abilities.
Fearful and enormously strong, the dragons in this series continue to enchant us as characters developed in their own right, human-like yet with distinct dragon characteristics, such as their natural aggression and their attraction to treasure. Will’s dragon is Temeraire, and some parts of the story are told from his point of view. Will’s view is necessarily more complex, and he struggles with the political and tactical ramifications of his and Temeraire’s revolutionary actions. Temeraire is no ordinary dragon, but an ancient and rare Chinese breed who finds himself by chance in the thick of war between England and France under Napoleon. Having visited China (in Book 2), Temeraire sees the contrast between how his ancestral country respects and accommodates dragons, and how the European nations view them as beasts to be used for military purposes only.
Novik does not hesitate to plunge her characters in desperate straits, and heroic action may bring accolades or devastation. In this book, Will and Temeraire struggle to be true to each other and to their compatriots as they deal with the dishonor and punishment allotted them for obeying their consciences. Novik skillfully allows both of their ideas of honor and of what noble action consists of to be tested over and over again.
Fearful and enormously strong, the dragons in this series continue to enchant us as characters developed in their own right, human-like yet with distinct dragon characteristics, such as their natural aggression and their attraction to treasure. Will’s dragon is Temeraire, and some parts of the story are told from his point of view. Will’s view is necessarily more complex, and he struggles with the political and tactical ramifications of his and Temeraire’s revolutionary actions. Temeraire is no ordinary dragon, but an ancient and rare Chinese breed who finds himself by chance in the thick of war between England and France under Napoleon. Having visited China (in Book 2), Temeraire sees the contrast between how his ancestral country respects and accommodates dragons, and how the European nations view them as beasts to be used for military purposes only.
Novik does not hesitate to plunge her characters in desperate straits, and heroic action may bring accolades or devastation. In this book, Will and Temeraire struggle to be true to each other and to their compatriots as they deal with the dishonor and punishment allotted them for obeying their consciences. Novik skillfully allows both of their ideas of honor and of what noble action consists of to be tested over and over again.
Note: For photos, maps, and unpublished excerpts, check out Novik’s website at http://www.temeraire.org/. (Peter Jackson, the director of the Rings Trilogy, has purchased the film rights to the series.)
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