IMAGINE CS Forester's Hornblower series with dragons and you get some idea of Temeraire.
The hero in Novik's first novel is Capt Laurence RN, whose life is turned upside down when the inadvertent capture of a dragon's egg leads to him becoming the creature's lifelong friend.
He descends socially from moving in good circles to being a lowly "aviator" and learns how to lead a team of fellow aviators in the British Aerial Corps who have to fend off a dragon-borne invasion in the aftermath of the Battle of Trafalgar. The only difference between the real Napoleonic Wars and the novel are the dragon breeds and their handlers.
This is a book you cannot put down. Novik paints a convincing and detailed picture of this slightly changed world with the depth so often lacking in fantasy novels. Her characters are varied and real. I look forward to her next novel.
Updated: 10:17 Saturday, January 21, 2006
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