In His Majesty's Service, by Naomi Novik, has been described as "Master and Commander with dragons." While I don't agree with that description, I can highly recommend this book as a good read. The main character, William Laurence, is a British naval captain during the time of the Napoleonic wars. He captures a French frigate with an unusual cargo - a dragon egg. The egg hatches before his vessel can reach port, and Laurence unwittingly becomes rider and companion of Temeraire, a highly intelligent Chinese dragon.
While much of this sounds like standard silly fantasy fare, two elements raise this above your run of the mill fantasy novel. One - the book reads more like good historical/military fiction than fantasy, with the use of dragons as an ersatz "air force" for the various militaries involved in the conflict. Two - the main character, unlike most fantasy heroes who are adolescents or coming of age, is a mature, accomplished adult when the book starts. While he still has much to learn, Laurence is a strongly written character with a well defined personality. This is a significant break with convention, and a welcome one.
The copy of the book available here at the Morton library is an omnibus edition - it contains the full text of the first three books of what is expected to become a nine book series. There are even rumors that Peter Jackson, director of the highly successful Lord of the Ring films, is planning a film series based on the novels.
For a compelling read with likable and well-realized characters, I highly recommend In his Majesty's Service. Review by John Howard
While much of this sounds like standard silly fantasy fare, two elements raise this above your run of the mill fantasy novel. One - the book reads more like good historical/military fiction than fantasy, with the use of dragons as an ersatz "air force" for the various militaries involved in the conflict. Two - the main character, unlike most fantasy heroes who are adolescents or coming of age, is a mature, accomplished adult when the book starts. While he still has much to learn, Laurence is a strongly written character with a well defined personality. This is a significant break with convention, and a welcome one.
The copy of the book available here at the Morton library is an omnibus edition - it contains the full text of the first three books of what is expected to become a nine book series. There are even rumors that Peter Jackson, director of the highly successful Lord of the Ring films, is planning a film series based on the novels.
For a compelling read with likable and well-realized characters, I highly recommend In his Majesty's Service. Review by John Howard
