REVIEW: His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik has created much buzz due to reviews from both Dear Author and The Crooked Bookshelf.  My feelings about the book are pretty much the same. It’s a recommend from me, too.

Here is the back blurb:

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies … not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarefied world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

I think what I loved about this book was the premise and the fact that you had dragons used in aerial combat during the Napoleonic Wars. Will Laurence’s fate is sealed when the egg they find on a enemy battle ship hatches, forever changing Laurence’s life. The author does an excellent job with the development of the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. As the story progresses, the two become inseparable. It is a very well developed relationship that stole the show.

However, there were a few instances where the narrative was pretty rough going but being that this is a new author, that’s to be expected. Also, outside of Laurence and Temeraire’s relationship, I found myself rather bored with the other details of the story. I was fascinated with everything that dealt with Temeraire’s heritage and the whole process of harnessing. The harnessing is one the most difficult parts of an aviator’s life. Once an egg has hatched, the aviator who harnesses the dragon is forever tied to that dragon. It’s a solitary existence because your giving up a traditional life for one that is rather dangerous and extraordinary one. It’s the chance of a lifetime but at a cost.

So, Laurence leaves the Navy and joins the reclusive Air Force. The troublesome parts of the book for me was the training that I thought tedious and the constant resentment that Laurence faces because of his lack of training and his harnessing a rare breed of dragon. Laurence respects Temeraire as if he was another human being but Laurence soon finds that he is the exception  and not the rule in his treatment of dragons.

This is a character driven story. The author gave me a few tense moments and she has the talent to make you really care about the protagonists. I loved Temeraire and his loyalty to Laurence. Their relationship is the main reason why I loved reading this book. Excellent world building and great dialogue. His Majesty’s Dragon is an original and solid fantasy novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend to other readers.

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