Temeraire (Temeraire series book 1) [Paperback]

I got this book, mainly because amazon seemed insistant on recommending it to me constantly. But I am very glad that I did.

Not only is this an incredible story, with some great characters that you cannot help but love from the outset, it is also rather heartwarming. The relationship between Laurance and his dragon, Temeraire, is just so special. The only other relationship I have read like it is that between Fitz and Nighteyes in Robin Hobb's Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies, and that was a perfect relationship, so for Laurance and Temeraire to come close (for me anyway) that is something special.

Each of the dragons and characters have their own personalities as well. In some stories I've read, dragons often get lumped with the same generic persona, but here they have as much personality, if not more, than the humans.

Temeraire himself is just lovely! He is just so pure and true that I couldn't help but love him! Simple things like his excitement over a sparkly trinket or getting a bath are just fantastic little additions to this story.

Laurance, being the main character, is also rather charming. In the first few pages, I wasn't sure about him, but then his personality really began to shine through once Temeraire hatches, and I loved him from then on.

What I also enjoyed was the fact that there is a distinct lack of over-complicated phrases to do with sailing or war, everything is kept to a good, understandable minimum, making it easy to follow, but still very realistic.

I was dubious about 'Temeraire' as I'm not usually a fan of books like this, where the author has taken an event in the past, and changed it for fantasy purposes, in this case putting dragons into the battle against Napoleon. But Novik certainly pulls this off without a hitch!

Another thing I worried about, before reading this book, was the perhaps the opening would be far too long, given the descriptions on the backs of books usually tell you roughly what will happen, but usually turn out to be telling you what happens once you get about a third of the way into the book, I was worried that we would have to wait at least 100 pages before the dragon hatched. But luckily I only had to wait a few pages, as you are thrown right into the story, just after the battle where Laurance's crew manage to get the dragon egg from the French, so no waiting around, which was excellent!

I really look forward to reading the other books in this series, as I have high hopes for them given how much I enjoyed this one! Highly recommended!

As a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels, as well as the much under-rated Georgette Heyer's beautifully observed Regency novels, I found this story charming and absorbing. Temeraire himself is quite delightful, the book is well-written and easy to read and I think fans of C.S. Forester's 'Hornblower' would also be intrigued by this unusual mix of naval battles and dragons. There is plenty of action, but not too much to put off those of us not entirely enthralled by battle scenes. Well worth reading; I can't wait for the sequel!

This is the story of a somewhat `stiff upper lipped' (but very likable) sea captain in the British navy during the Napoleonic wars who somewhat unwittingly becomes the keeper and `aviator' of a very intelligent Dragon. In his world, there has been a long history (since pre Roman times) of dragon breeding largely for military purposes. Dragons can talk and many are at least as intelligent as their keepers. Temaraire is Captain Laurence's extraordinary dragon and he is equally likable.
I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, which I bought on offer for 99 pence (kindle edition). The author creates a wholly convincing fictional world in which the main characters really come to life. The archaic style of language and the sensitive treatment of both humans and dragons added to the mystique and I had trouble putting the book down. The author showed considerable skill in developing both the characters and the plot and the book has a very satisfying ending - unlike some works such as the Game of Thrones books which never seem to reach a resolution. I rather fancy that this book would make an excellent 3D movie (like Avatar)- Wake Up Hollywood! I will keep my eye out for more works by this author.