Review: Temeraire by Naomi Novik

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.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2014
Star Rating: 5 stars

This is another one of those books which have different titles depending on which country the book is published. Mine was called Temeraire but it is also called His Majesty's Dragon.

I have wanted to read this for a while as I have heard a lot of good things about the series. It is my first book by Naomi Novik. What a great combination of fantasy, historical fiction and alternate history! With dragons!

I have only read one book before which was military based and I didn't like it that much but it was set in more modern times. But this book, set during the Napoleonic wars, I found really interesting. During these wars (in reality), no country had aerial squadrons which left battles to be fought at sea and on the ground but having dragons as part of the armed forces in this book gave the war a very different dynamic and obviously changed the course of the battles.

The story focuses on Laurence, a Captain in the British Navy who upon “winning” a French battleship in a fight, took possession of not only the ship but also what was on it including a dragon egg. So it hatches out and they need to put a harness on it as quickly as possible to “tame” it. After drawing lots as to who would do this, they wait for the dragon to hatch. And just like a cat, the dragon chooses who it wants to be as his rider/owner rather than the guy who was chosen by lots.

So from esteemed Navy Captain to Dragon Corp Captain, Laurence names his dragon Temeraire. Oh and I forgot to say that Temeraire is a talking dragon! Which I love! He is the true star of this book for so many reasons. Obviously, not being born to the Corp and Temeraire not being a native breed to England, both face difficulties trying to integrate themselves in to life in the Corp.

I really liked the relationship between the dragon and Laurence. Other reviewers have commented that they do not understand the relationship but I see Laurence caring for the dragon as one would with a beloved pet dog… that unconditional love… but with the added bonuses that you can have an intellectual conversation with it (and it be two way)… that it can take you from A to B (and it flys)… and that it is a truly magnificent animal.

The book is set during the Napoleonic War and Naomi Novik sure seems to know her stuff on this time period and does a great job at setting the scene and showing us what it would have been like at sea and at home during those battles. I loved the aerial battle scenes as well as the training drills for the dragons and their crews.

I have to say that I loved every minute of this book and I have added it to my Favourites shelf. I am very eager to continue on with the series and I can’t wait to hear more from Temeraire.

Temeraire said many a great thing. Here are two of my favourite lines from the dragon:

“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.”

“It is very nice how many books there are, indeed. And on so many subjects!”

Temeraire: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

Review: Age of Iron by Angus Watson

Bloodthirsty druids and battle-hardened Iron Age warriors collide in the biggest epic fantasy debut release of 2014.

LEGENDS AREN'T BORN. THEY'RE FORGED.

Dug Sealskinner is a down-on-his-luck mercenary travelling south to join up with King Zadar's army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.

First, Spring, a child he finds scavenging on the battlefield, and then Lowa, one of Zadar's most fearsome warriors, who's vowed revenge on the king for her sister's execution.

Now Dug's on the wrong side of that thousands-strong army he hoped to join ­- and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one rescued child and one unpredictable, highly-trained warrior with a lust for revenge that's going to get them all killed . . .

It's a glorious day to die.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2014
Star Rating: 4.5 stars

I was really excited to receive this book through NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Badgers Cocks! That was a good read! No I am not making up new expletives but it is one that Dug, one of the main characters in the book, uses. A LOT!!! Actually, he pretty much proceeds our usual swear words with Badgers. I thought this was a nice touch as it added some humour, lessening the impact of the language.

Still on the subject of language, I didn't like how sex and women generally were described. Shag this, bang that, and riding the red horse are just a few of the terms used. I suppose the language was in keeping with those who were saying it and may also be the culture of the time but it just bugged me a little.

I don't think the book was male focused, although that was my first impression based on the front cover (reminds self to take the advice of never judging a book by its cover). A lot of fantasy stories are male dominant in characters and the women tend to be weaker and in need of rescue so it was good to have some strong female characters in this one.

This book is being marketed as being similar to Martin's Game of Thrones series and Joe Abercrombie. I've read the former and loved it but none of the latter so I cannot comment on the similarities there unfortunately. It's dark, consists of battles between ruling “kings” of the three main regions of Britain, and plenty of raping and pillaging so I suppose that is why it has been compared to Game of Thrones. But that's really where the similarities end for me. This is no Game of Thrones in my eyes but I am a Thrones geek so perhaps I'm a bit biased. I don't like it when publishers compare new books to other authors.

That said, I still enjoyed this book. It is the authors first fictional debut in what looks like could be a promising new fantasy series. I say fantasy series as that is what it's listed as but it's not really fantastical. It's fantasy-light. Yes it mentions Druids who practice human sacrifice, tell the future by spilling the innards of children, and the odd bit of magic but that's as magical as it gets.

As well as it being light on fantasy, it is also light on history. The book is set around the time of the Roman Invasion of Britain and I think it's listed as historical fiction but it's more alternate history I'd say. This was my view while reading it but once I got to the end and read the authors “historical note”, it did give me a different viewpoint. He states that the book is “a fantasy story, not intended to be serious history. However, the history in it is generally accurate. I've made up the tribes and the characters, but all details – their homes, the towns and villages, clothes, industry, farming, flora and fauna, weapons, etc. - are as correct as they can be.”

If you can get past the lack of history and fantasy, for your historical fantasy book, then I think you'd enjoy the book. I like the writing style and the characters are well developed. It is darkly humorous in places too.

I thought the book started well by dragging us straight in to a battle (although it's pretty one-sided) and I thought I was going to be in for one hell of a ride with cover to cover battles but then things quietened down a bit and more characters were introduced and the story was developed. There is lots of action, some of which is a little disturbing in places but it isn't described in graphic detail so it's easy to skip it if you would rather do that. I thought it had the right amount of battles in it. As much as I like a good battle, I do like the journeys, chance meetings, and personal quests which help develop the characters.

The main three characters, Dug, Spring and Lowa are an unlikely trio, all stumble upon each other after the beginning battle. All of them have different agendas: Dug is trying to stay alive, Lowa is hell bent on revenge and Spring is just Spring. I loved all of them for different reasons.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy.

Age of Iron: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

Related Articles: First Paragraph - First Chapter - Tuesday Intro: Age of Iron

Review: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

If you were bewitched by The Night Circus…
If you were mesmerised by A Discovery of Witches…
If you were enthralled by Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell…
You will be enchanted by
THE GOLEM & THE DJINNI

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899.

Ahmad is a djinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world.

The Golem & The Djinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2014
Star Rating: 5 stars

In the synopsis, it mentions that if you liked any of the three books The Night Circus, A Discovery of Witches or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, then you'd love this one too. If I had based my reading selection on this first part of the synopsis, then I might have passed it by. I loved The Night Circus, I have A Discovery of Witches on my kindle ready to read soon but I had to abandon Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as it bored me to death! Anyway, I am glad I didn't let this stop me reading The Golem and the Djinni. This book was fantastic!

I have no knowledge of Jewish or Syrian folklore so I found those aspects of the story very interesting.

This book tells the story of a free spirited Djinni who becomes enslaved and trapped in a flask by a wizard and an obedient slave of a Golem set free when her master dies. Both "arrive" in New York, in a world and culture they do not understand, with their true natures limited by their circumstances. They are forced to lie to keep their true nature from the general populace which in itself causes them problems. Then the Golem and Djinni cross paths, they find solace in each other as each know what the other is feeling, although that doesn't mean they see everything eye to eye as after all, they have opposing natures. Then things turn disastrous and they find their lives are on the line.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It felt very exotic! And I really liked the characters, I had a really good sense of what they looked like and what they were like as people. I particularly liked the Djinni and the Golem but also the extended cast of characters were very likable too (except the baddie and I despised him as much as I loved the others which is I suppose what you want from a villain).

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel by Helene Wecker and I will be waiting with anticipation for her next release.

The Golem and the Djinni: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

First Paragraph - First Chapter - Tuesday Intro: Age of Iron

First Paragraph - First Chapter - Tuesday Intro is hosted by Bibliophile By the Sea.

I started reading Age of Iron by Angus Watson just this morning. In fact, I have read the exact amount as what you have read with this post. It is the first book in a new fantasy series and the author's fictional debut. The book isn't due out until September but I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

"Mind your spears, coming through!"

Dug Sealskinner shouldered his way back through the ranks. front rank was for young people who hadn't learned to fear battle and old men who thought they could compete with the young.

Dug put himself halway in that last catergory. He;s been alive for about forty tears, so he was old. And he wanted to compete with the young, but grim experience had unequivocally, and sometimes humiliatingly, demonstrated that the young won every time. even when they didn't win they won because they were young and he wasn't.

Age of Iron: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

What do you think? Would you keep reading?