His Majesty's Dragon

I don't read a lot of fantasy, but His Majesty's Dragon (#224) by Naomi Novik was included on an NPR list a while back, and the idea of the Napoleonic Wars being waged with dragons intrigued me.  What can I tell you?  My husband and I are both now officially Temeraire fans.

Will Laurence has finally reached a comfortable place in his naval career as captain of the HMS Reliant, and is ready at long last to propose to the young lady of his choice and settle into his proper place in society.  But on his voyage home, his ship intercepts a French naval vessel in bad shape.  Its crew is easily overcome, but the captain fights to protect the precious cargo on board: a dragon's egg.  England has few dragons for its defense, so the egg is a valuable prize of war.  It can be turned over to the Aviator Corps as soon as they reach home, to hatch and bond for life with its handler.  But as fate would have it, the egg doesn't wait, and when Temeraire emerges from his shell, he chooses to bond with Will Laurence, not the young officer assigned to him.

For the good of the country, Will Laurence does his duty and remains with Temeraire, turning command of his ship over to his second, and joining the Aviator Corps himself for training along side his dragon.  His career hopes are dashed, as the Aviator Corps is considered a big step down from the Royal Navy, and Aviators don't as a general rule marry.  Training provides many surprises for Will, and he finds himself growing increasingly attached to the intelligent and highly unusual Temeraire.  A dragon expert finally identifies Temeraire's breed as a Chinese Imperial dragon, and the presence of the egg aboard a French ship leads Laurence and his commanders to conclude that the dragon was a gift for Napoleon.  Napoleon is determined to invade England and reclaim his dragon at the same time.  Will Laurence and his fellow Aviators may be the last line of defense for England if the Navy cannot hold the invaders off.

This series really has it all: part Jane Austen, part Horatio Hornblower, part Wizard of Oz, it's a perfectly satisfying blend of all three with Will Laurence doing his duty with honor and humanity, and a  host of interesting and unexpected characters on the ground and in the air, not least of which is the stable of dragons, each with his or her own personality and fighting strengths.

We read this book while on vacation in Portland, Oregon, and looking for the second and third books in this series to fill in the gap at our local library gave us the perfect excuse to explore an amazing store - Powell's Bookshop.  I'm happy to say we were successful in our mission (along with a number of other acquisitions we couldn't leave on the shelves!).  Thanks, Ms. Novik for your fertile imagination that still managed to make dragons feel right for the period.  We'll be eagerly following Temeraire through all his future adventures.