His Majesty's Dragon

His Majesty's Dragon

Author: Naomi Novik

Publisher: Del Rey (2006)

ISBN: 0345481283

pages: 356

genre: fantasy

subgenre: steampunk

3.5 (out of 5) STARS

Annotation: When the HMS Reliant captures a French ship and its priceless cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, Captain Will Laurence is swept into an unexpected kinship with an extraordinary creature and joins the elite Aerial Corps as a master of the dragon Temaraire, in which role he must match wits with the powerful dragon-borne forces of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Summary: 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 rarified 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. (www.goodreads.com)

Evaluation: His Majesty's Dragon was an enjoyable read. I have seen it listed a number places as a read-a-like to Soulless. And yes, it is fantasy and even steampunk, but it does not feel like Soulless. It lacks the romance and the humor. But it is a nice example of steampunk.

There were many unusual names of both people and dragons in this book. I got confused a number of times with all the names and characters. A character list at the beginning of the book would have been helpful.

Temeraire Series:

1- His Majesty's Dragon

2- Throne of Jade

3- Black Powder War

4- Empire of Ivory

5- Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire

6- Tongues of Serpents