The combination of dragons and the Regency era will always be something that immediately captures my interests. Dragons alone - a shoo in. The Regency era - Jane Austen is to blame for my interest, and the subsequent adaptations, sequels, homages, and alternate universes have done nothing to allay my intense focus. His Majesty’s Dragon is the first in a series, and Naomi Novik has been a favorite since I first read Uprooted.
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain 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.
Summary from Goodreads
My Review
First of all, Captain Will Laurence, the main character is just … such a man. Swoony, for all the right reasons, though his swooniness is not the point of his character. In fact, the ‘swoon’ component is organic as he moves about with honor and intelligence and kindness.
His relationship with the dragon, Temeraire is darling and an example of strong, stalwart, interspecies friendship and partnership that is lovely to read about.
The dragons are delightfully described, and the specific scenes of them flying or midst battle are spectacular and cinematic.
The story follows an alternate universe logic - dragons in the middle of Napoleonic imperialism and England’s defense against the French army and navy - and Aerial Corps. The first two are real and historical - the dragons are what give this alternate history edge.
The worldbuilding - spliced with seemingly accurate historical detail - makes the world of the His Majesty’s Dragon both fantastical and plausible. The details gave nuance and excitement to each scene, and the historical details gave validity to the fantasy component.
I realize that books of this nature are not cozy by definition, but there is a coziness to the Regency manners and the feeling of a looming happily ever after, even amidst wartime Regency era England. You get the feeling that these characters will make it out, and while I have yet to read the subsequent novels, I do not believe that this series is meant to be tragic. For someone who loves fantasy of all kinds, it is nice sometimes to find a robust series with less tragic circumstances and more adventure. While the adventure is not without its sad moments, the bulk of the tale is spent high in the clouds with friendly, intelligent dragons and honorable men and women. It is an adventure on the ‘high clouds’, and it’s just good fun.