His Majesty's Dragon

Now that's what I call a fantasy adventure! The premise—Napoleonic Wars with dragons—is a bit over the top, but there is enough genuine emotion and excitement on display to suspend disbelief without any second thought. I mean; who needs verisimilitude? There's dragons fighting over the Channel!

"It's just some light reading" is a phrase often heard when defending books that lack depth, tight plotting, or engaging characters. His Majesty's Dragon is the proof that a lighthearted tale is no excuse for shoddy writing. Yes, the story of Laurence and Temeraire is a light read: there is no philosophical treatise on the meaning of existence, no innovation in the turn of a phrase. But that doesn't make it "just" a popcorn book. The characters are engaging, and the story is written with enough tenderness and care that it is easy to fall in love with the characters.

What really anchors the story is the relationship between Captain Laurence and his companion of fortune, the dragon Temeraire. It's heartwarming to see them grow closer together, and their friendship is often touching and genuine. Let's call it what it is: an inter-species bromance. Laurence by himself is not that engaging a character; he's a bit stiff-lipped, and always offended by this or that breach of etiquette. But his genuine love for Temeraire, and the way this love ends up affecting other dragons, is really great to read. I couldn't help laughing at the gruff relationship between Maximus and Berkley, for instance, or shed a tear for poor Levitas.

I have a theory that male SF writers tend to focus on external conflicts, with interpersonal relationships playing a supporting role in the dramatic structure of a story, whereas the situation is reversed with women. His Majesty's Dragon supports this assertion: the book is much less about the war with Napoleon, and much more about relationships between the characters, and how the existence of dragons shapes their lives. The majority of the novel concerns itself with the growing relationship between Temeraire and Laurence, and their integration in the Corps. Oh, there is plenty of action, especially in the third act, and it was engaging and original, too. But it's clear that it's the relationships between captains and dragons that Mrs. Novik wanted to write about. It's a great thing, too, because it makes the story engaging in a way that would have been missing if it had only been about aerial combat between giant flying lizards.

All in all, a satisfying read with engaging characters and a unique, well-constructed setting. A lot of thought went into integrating dragons into the context of the Napoleonic Wars, and the result was satisfying. I'll definitely check out the sequel.