Temeraire is British author Naomi Novik's debut novel, and what a spectacular debut
it is! The book is well written, with loveable, believable characters. One of the most
loveable characters is the title character himself, the dragon, Temeraire.
The story takes place during the Napoleonic wars. It begins with the battle between
the British ship, Reliant, and the smaller, thirty-six gun French frigate, Amitié.
It was a battle the Reliant won easily. Still, Reliant Captain Will Laurence
did not understand why the French captain had fought an obviously losing battle so hard
and at such loss of life. He soon found out, for the Amitié carried a precious
cargo - a dragon's egg.
The egg was within a week of hatching and the Reliant could not reach port for
three weeks at best. If the dragonet didn't accept human control by way of agreeing to
be harnessed, the dragon would go feral and be useless to all but breeding. Britain was
short enough of these huge, flying war beasts without losing even one. Laurence had no
choice but to have one of his men take control of the hatchling. He did the only fair
thing he could - he had them draw lots from all the single men, including himself.
The winner, Jonathan Carver, was afraid of heights, but gamely tried to harness the
black dragon. The dragon would accept only one handler, Captain Will Laurence. So, as his
command of the Reliant and his dreams of marriage slip from his grasp, Will Laurence
embarks on a life he could never have imagined. He is now an aviator.
Not since Anne McCaffrey's beloved dragons have I read of so charming a dragon as Temeraire.
He is different from any of the Pernese dragons and faces a different foe. Yet his character
is as well constructed as any. Read Temeraire and fall in love with dragons all
over again.