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kajsaschubeler's review against another edition
5.0
It’s the second time I’ve read this and I’m still in love. I like the mix between the navy, the 1800-setting, and dragons.
easolinas's review against another edition
5.0
Imagine if the Napoleonic wars had been fought using an air force... of dragons.
That idea is the root of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- an alternate-history fantasy that explores the idea of a Horatio Hornbloweresque navy officer who suddenly finds a dragon uprooting his life. And in the first three books of her series, compiled in "In the Service of the King," Novik stretches credibility here and there, but her stories are a solid, intelligent, often amusing adventure story.
"His Majesty's Dragon" enters the scene when Captain William Laurence's Reliant captures a French ship -- which turns out to have a dragon egg in its hold. And when the baby dragon hatches, it decides it wants Laurence and no other to be its rider. But accepting the dragon (now named Temeraire) means giving up his Navy commission and joining the Air Corps -- especially since Temeraire violently rejects the idea of accepting another rider. Both rider and dragon have a lot of learning to do. But as the bond between them grows and Temeraire grows rapidly to maturity, the Napoleonic Wars are raging -- and Temeraire's true power hasn't yet been shown.
And in "Throne of Jade," an ill-tempered Chinese prince demands that Temeraire be returned to the Imperial family. Temeraire and Laurence are having none of that -- and when they can't tempt away Temeraire, both dragon and rider are sent to China, along with the prince and his entourage. But the journey is full of storms and assassinations, and China turns out to be no less dangerous as Laurence learns of plot around Temeraire.
Having returned from China, Laurence and Temeraire don't even get to go home before being thrown into "Black Powder War." They're sent straight to Istanbul to pick up three dragon eggs sold to England by the Ottoman Empire -- only to deal with deal with wild dragons (who alone make the book worth reading) a treacherous Sultan, and the vengeful albino Celestial Lien.
Then there's a special short story unique to this omnibus -- the story of Lien's first weeks among Napoleon's forces, and her haughty disgust with everything about it (including the less refined European dragons, whom the generals want her to breed with). But she's determined to stick it out, so she can revenge herself for her prince.
The Temeraire series is what Christopher Paolini's books SHOULD have been -- a richly-drawn, intelligent series about the bond between a young man and his dragon. Novik still has some rough spots in her first three books ("His Majesty's Dragon" is rather short on plot, "Black Powder War" short on characterization) but they are undeniably fascinating meshes of what 19th century war would have been like if there had been dragons.
She conjures up a pretty fascinating world, giving dragons different breeds, quirks, biological features (they blast acid, fire, even sonic waves), and relationships with their riders (one poor little dragon whose rider treats him like a disposable vehicle). There's even some delving into dragon rights -- are the dragons being treated like slaves?
And despite long stretches of traveling over land and sea (often for months), Novik keeps it interesting with lush, detailed writing and some truly thrilling aerial battles aboard the vast dragons. On land, there's plenty of gentle comic relief ("I am afraid that some of them go there to drink, and keep low company." "Oh, you mean whores!") and lots of messy eating.
Temeraire and Laurence are a study in contrasts. The human is mannered, thoughtful and very tied to society's mores, while the dragon has a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, honesty and stubbornness (and frankly he's an adorable little dragon). There's also a colorful collection of supporting characters -- fellow Corps dragons Lily and Maximus, the malignant Prince Yongxhing, the mysterious Tharkay, and many others.
"In the Service of the King" is a solid trio of alternate history stories, with plenty of adventure, humour and a lot of lovable dragons. Definitely worth flying with.
That idea is the root of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- an alternate-history fantasy that explores the idea of a Horatio Hornbloweresque navy officer who suddenly finds a dragon uprooting his life. And in the first three books of her series, compiled in "In the Service of the King," Novik stretches credibility here and there, but her stories are a solid, intelligent, often amusing adventure story.
"His Majesty's Dragon" enters the scene when Captain William Laurence's Reliant captures a French ship -- which turns out to have a dragon egg in its hold. And when the baby dragon hatches, it decides it wants Laurence and no other to be its rider. But accepting the dragon (now named Temeraire) means giving up his Navy commission and joining the Air Corps -- especially since Temeraire violently rejects the idea of accepting another rider. Both rider and dragon have a lot of learning to do. But as the bond between them grows and Temeraire grows rapidly to maturity, the Napoleonic Wars are raging -- and Temeraire's true power hasn't yet been shown.
And in "Throne of Jade," an ill-tempered Chinese prince demands that Temeraire be returned to the Imperial family. Temeraire and Laurence are having none of that -- and when they can't tempt away Temeraire, both dragon and rider are sent to China, along with the prince and his entourage. But the journey is full of storms and assassinations, and China turns out to be no less dangerous as Laurence learns of plot around Temeraire.
Having returned from China, Laurence and Temeraire don't even get to go home before being thrown into "Black Powder War." They're sent straight to Istanbul to pick up three dragon eggs sold to England by the Ottoman Empire -- only to deal with deal with wild dragons (who alone make the book worth reading) a treacherous Sultan, and the vengeful albino Celestial Lien.
Then there's a special short story unique to this omnibus -- the story of Lien's first weeks among Napoleon's forces, and her haughty disgust with everything about it (including the less refined European dragons, whom the generals want her to breed with). But she's determined to stick it out, so she can revenge herself for her prince.
The Temeraire series is what Christopher Paolini's books SHOULD have been -- a richly-drawn, intelligent series about the bond between a young man and his dragon. Novik still has some rough spots in her first three books ("His Majesty's Dragon" is rather short on plot, "Black Powder War" short on characterization) but they are undeniably fascinating meshes of what 19th century war would have been like if there had been dragons.
She conjures up a pretty fascinating world, giving dragons different breeds, quirks, biological features (they blast acid, fire, even sonic waves), and relationships with their riders (one poor little dragon whose rider treats him like a disposable vehicle). There's even some delving into dragon rights -- are the dragons being treated like slaves?
And despite long stretches of traveling over land and sea (often for months), Novik keeps it interesting with lush, detailed writing and some truly thrilling aerial battles aboard the vast dragons. On land, there's plenty of gentle comic relief ("I am afraid that some of them go there to drink, and keep low company." "Oh, you mean whores!") and lots of messy eating.
Temeraire and Laurence are a study in contrasts. The human is mannered, thoughtful and very tied to society's mores, while the dragon has a child's enthusiasm, curiosity, honesty and stubbornness (and frankly he's an adorable little dragon). There's also a colorful collection of supporting characters -- fellow Corps dragons Lily and Maximus, the malignant Prince Yongxhing, the mysterious Tharkay, and many others.
"In the Service of the King" is a solid trio of alternate history stories, with plenty of adventure, humour and a lot of lovable dragons. Definitely worth flying with.
sascham's review against another edition
5.0
This series hit alllll the buttons on my want to read list! We got dragons, historical fiction, a mystery or two, a dashing sea captain, and lots and lots of angst. Holy cow, what a ride! I read the whole series in one glorious week and I'm never going back. Naomi Novik can play with my heart strings anytime.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
I got this because everyone seemed to be raving about it. I can understand why. The first book presents a very interesting alternate reality and plays around with the whole animal/human bonding theme that runs though some fantasy novels (think Pern, for instance). Novik also writes good history for she give the reader a real sense of time and place. I found the second book, "Throne of Jade", to be not as good as the first. The journey seemed to go on forever with nothing much happening. And that was my problem with the third, "Black Powder War", the pacing was slow, though there were some nice touches of humor.
ihkstuff's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
tita's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my. The emotion. The action. The alternate history plot. Perfect perfect perfect.
And how can one not fall for dromance (yea, I made it up, since one of the bro in the bromance is a dragon) between Captain Laurence and Temeraire? I would totally ship Temerence!
And the emotional tears I got from Levitas. And chuckles from Volatilus. Naomi Novik makes dragons as lovable as dogs.
The downside of the installment, perhaps, is the elaborate detail of the aerial battle, which is sometime kind of hard to imagine (as I never meet a dragon, really, except Komodo dragon, hahaha). Perhaps I also got lost every now and then during the description, due to unfamiliar vocabulary. But then again, it's on me, not Ms. Novik.
But I would totally read the next installment, the Throne of Jade. Temeraire absolutely IS the better alternative of Eragon (I read the phrase in a review somewhere in goodreads).
And how can one not fall for dromance (yea, I made it up, since one of the bro in the bromance is a dragon) between Captain Laurence and Temeraire? I would totally ship Temerence!
And the emotional tears I got from Levitas. And chuckles from Volatilus. Naomi Novik makes dragons as lovable as dogs.
The downside of the installment, perhaps, is the elaborate detail of the aerial battle, which is sometime kind of hard to imagine (as I never meet a dragon, really, except Komodo dragon, hahaha). Perhaps I also got lost every now and then during the description, due to unfamiliar vocabulary. But then again, it's on me, not Ms. Novik.
But I would totally read the next installment, the Throne of Jade. Temeraire absolutely IS the better alternative of Eragon (I read the phrase in a review somewhere in goodreads).
sashaknits's review against another edition
4.0
What's not to love? A very refreshing take on dragons. I absolutely loved Laurence floundering outside the Navy and polite society, bless him, and then kicking ass when people were disrespectful even by aviator standards. Temeraire not understanding all the rules then finally getting the point of duty to one's country was lovely. Looking forward to picking up the next one!
speljamr's review
4.0
3 novels in 1 binding, this book is a a good 800 page read. I found the initial book 'His Majesty's Dragon' to have a bit of a slow start. Things got better toward the end of that book and then picked up pace in 'Throne of Jade' and 'Black Powder War.' Of the 3 books in this edition I really enjoyed 'Black Powder War' the best.
milliep's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting story line and concept, I just wasn't a fan of the writing style.
sylviehelen's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it!
Laurence buying jewels for Temeraire even though they're expensive. Temeraire refusing to accept another handler. Laurence reading to Temeraire. Dragons enjoying the orchestra. Laurence calling Temeraire 'my dear' all the time. This if each honestly one of the best friendships I've read in ages.
DRAGONS.
I love it all.
Laurence buying jewels for Temeraire even though they're expensive. Temeraire refusing to accept another handler. Laurence reading to Temeraire. Dragons enjoying the orchestra. Laurence calling Temeraire 'my dear' all the time. This if each honestly one of the best friendships I've read in ages.
DRAGONS.
I love it all.