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Temeraire

by Naomi Novik



      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.

The Book

Voyager (Harper/Collins Imprint)
January 2006
Hardcover
0-00-721909-1
Fantasy/Historical
More at Amazon UK
Excerpt
NOTE: Contains violence, rough language

The Reviewer

Jo Rogers
Reviewed 2006
NOTE:
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