What Would You Recommend? - Naomi Novik

 This is a question I get asked all the time working in the bookstore: "What would you recommend for somebody who loved "_________"? (fill in the blank)" Usually I can come up with something, but that something can be a bit of a wild guess if it's not a book or genre I normally read. This is where you helpful people come in. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

This week I'm asking about the books by Naomi Novik. I've read the first three in the Temeraire series: His Majesty's Dragon,The Black Powder War and Throne Of Jade and loved them, but I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with recommendations for other books people who liked this world might like. I've heard the books being described simply as "Napoleonic Wars with dragons" and Naomi Novik has made a very different world here, using her dragons in a manner I've never seen before. The books aren't quite pure fantasy, being set in our world, but neither are they fully urban fantasy, being set in so much of an earlier time.

Too often though because it's not quite one thing or the other, it's made it difficult to make other suggestions. I've had enough people say they liked these, but they don't like fantasy or something similar. What would you suggest?

Upcoming and New Books

There are some good looking books coming out in the next few months:

J. R. Ward's latest, Lover Avenged just came out today in hardcover. It's the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and focuses on the character of Rehvenge.

The blurb from the Amazon.com page for Lover Avenged is:

J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood novels have introduced readers to a “different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing” (All About Romance)world. Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male’s loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested—and his dangerous mixed blood revealed…

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood—even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him—and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

Naomi Novik has some new books as well:

Victory of Eagles, the fifth book in the Temeraire series is due out in mass market paperback on May 19th according to the Amazon.com page. It follows the book Empire of Ivory.

So far, I've found this to be a great series, which I usually describe as being close to Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander series, but with dragons and less jargon. So far, the first three books in the series have been impossible to put down.

The blurb given by Amazon.com is:

For Britain, conditions are grim: Napoleon’s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon’s prime objective is the occupation of London. Unfortunately, the dragon Temeraire has been removed from military service–and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon’s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war. If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain’s scattered resistance forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before–for king and country, and for their own liberty.

And, the next book in the series, In His Majesty's Service is due out October 27th. The description is not yet given, however.

Black Powder War - Naomi Novik

Black Powder War
Naomi Novik
Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2006
9780345481306

From the back of the book:

After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty’s Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.

Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn–thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master’s death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army?

Black Powder War is definitely a good sequel to Throne Of Jade, but this has become a series where you need to have read the previous books, starting with His Majesty's Dragon, in order to get all of the details, as this book starts almost immediately after the previous book ended.

With this third book in the Temeraire series, we return from China to the Napoleonic war in Europe. Along the way of the return, as this is mostly a traveling book, there are some fascinating descriptions of landscapes and cultures, along with some very ambiguous characters, such as the guide, Tharkay. Actually, I found his background, for all there are no details given, to be fascinating. Of course, I am rather partial to books set in Imperial India, such as The Far Pavilions and Shadows of the Moon, so that would catch my attention.

Naomi Novik has proven herself adept at writing scenes of desolation and abandonment. I could almost hear the wind whistling as I was reading this book, or feel the cold and thirst.

On the other hand, this was the most depressing of the Temeraire series so far. New enemies, betrayals, you name it. Nothing seemed to go right for the characters at all until almost the end of the book, and even then, it really is a matter of degree.

Temeraire himself is still fascinating, curious about everything around him, intelligent, determined (sometimes to the detriment and frustration of Will Laurence, which can be amusing as he tries to distract the dragon with little success).

Feral dragons have been mentioned time and again in the earlier books, but little is said about them. Now, in Black Powder War, we finally get to see a bit of what they are like, which is likely to have implications far beyond the ending of this book. At the same time, we learn more about dragons minds and emotions.

Unlike the first two books, the ending of Black Powder War doesn't really end the story as there are still a number of unresolved points, and the war is still going on. Both His Majesty's Dragon and Throne Of Jade, although they were part of series, had the feeling of an ending when I turned the last page. This one didn't, and the ending snippet only heightened that feeling. Instead of an excerpt from a book on dragons, this book ended with a letter from an English priest, which I suspect might have implications for the events (and Temeraire's hopes and plans) in the next book.

Overall, I really liked the book, and if you're a fantasy fan or simply like stories with dragons I have to recommend this series.

So far, the books in the series are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne Of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire Of Ivory
Victory Of Eagles

Other reviews of this book:
Strategist's Personal Library: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
Cerebrate Contemplations: Throne Of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire Of Ivory

Throne Of Jade - Naomi Novik

Throne Of Jade
Naomi Novik
Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2006
9780345481290

From the back of the book:

When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo - an unhatched Dragon's Eg - Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain's Aerial Corps, man and drgon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte's invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands - and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East - a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

As with the last book in the series, His Majesty's Dragon, I found that I couldn't put this book down. I started it in the evening, and had the book half finished before bed, finishing the book yesterday afternoon.

Temeraire and the Chinese dragons in this book remind me of the two dragons in Mercedes Lackey's book One Good Knight from the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. Temeraire has, through the course of the book, learned to read and write, although in Chinese. However, I expect he's also either learned, or is going to learn, to do the same in English.

Will Laurence's attitudes certainly have changed throughout the previous book, too. Clearly it's not just duty that holds him to Temeraire by now, but also affection. Still, his honor and attention to duty continues to get him into situations, just as it did in the first book. He wouldn't be as interesting a character without it though.

The differences in attitudes towards dragons in the British and other western countries and in China is one of the main focuses of the book, and it clearly sets up one of the threads of the plot for the books that come after. It should be interesting to see how Temeraire reacts on his return to Britain (not a spoiler, I should hope, given that there are three more books already out after this one), having been exposed to the differences.

Throne of Jade isn't strictly an adventure/war story the way His Majesty's Dragon is, there is also somewhat of a mystery going on, which adds to the tension, and the complexity of the plot. Not to mention the politics and maneuverings of the various characters. Capt. Laurence's attitudes to politicians seem to be well justified given some of the other characters in Throne of Jade.

As with the previous book, at the end of this one, there is an excerpt from Edward Howe's (the expert whom Will Laurence has consulted a couple of times concerning Temeraire) works on dragons, this time focusing on the abilities of the Eastern dragons. These extracts add to the story without slowing it down I find, and being tucked away at the end, it means that anyone disagreeing can easily skip over them without missing much.

I should have noted this in the review for His Majesty's Dragon, but so far anyway, the series is equally friendly to older readers of the young adult section as it is to adult readers. It's books like this that make me consider the fantasy section of the bookstore a good stepping stone from the Teen section.

Anyway, I'm now half-way through Black Powder War and enjoying it nearly as much.

So far, the books in the series are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne Of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire Of Ivory
Victory Of Eagles

Other reviews of this book:
Mikko Reads: Naomi Novik: Throne Of Jade
No Middle Name: Throne Of Jade
Strategist's Personal Library: Throne Of Jade by Naomi Novik
Medieval Bookworm: Throne of Jade

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon
Naomi Novik
Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2006
9780345481283

From the back of the book:

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense by taking to the skies...not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future - and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarefied world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Termeraire, 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.

This is an incredible book. I started reading it two days ago, intending to only read the first chapter before I went to bed. One chapter ended up being the first third of the book. Same thing last night as well, letting me finish the book this evening. His Majesty's Dragon is rather a quick read (at least in comparison with the books I've been reading recently), but that doesn't impair the story in the slightest.

Dragons are a popular (and long lasting) theme in fantasy, fiction and myth, ranging from the dragon in Beowulf to Tolkien's Smaug, to more recent stories such as the Pern books and the Aerie series by Mercedes Lackey. On first thought, when I glanced at the series I thought it would be something like the last of the above list, but I was completely wrong. It reminded me more of the part of the one Patrick O'Brien book I read last summer. I think it's set at about the same time so the similarity is not unexpected.

Where I found the former book to be jargon-heavy to the point where it interfered in the story for me, that was certainly not the case here. This is an original concept and well done. The fighting, for all it's done in the air, seems to resemble more the naval action of the period (although I'm no expert in the subject), and makes sense with the way the dragons are described.

For once, the hero character isn't a teen or one new-come to adult-hood, he's an older man swept from a desired and stable career into something completely new, making this a change from so many contemporary fantasy stories, and the maturity of the characters makes for variety.

Although the dragons reminded me, at least at first, of the Pern books, I soon found them to be completely different, able to speak aloud, for one thing. Although this seems to be a common dragon-trait in fantasy, I've only seen it in the evil dragons such as Glaurung, Smaug and Maur (from The Hero And The Crown, by Robin McKinley). It was also different to see the way the dragons had such different capabilities from each other, breed to breed and individually.

His Majesty's Dragon may be the first in the series, but the plot isn't left trailing off for the next book to resolve, although as I'm finding, there is plenty of story to be picked up in Throne Of Jade from the hints in this book.

Before I finished reading the book, I was wishing the author had included more of the information and history of the dragons, but there is a big chunk at the end of the book, in the form of excerpts from existing books (in the world of Temeraire) on the breeding and character of the dragons.

In terms of the story, there's a bit of everything, from battle, to society, to politics and beyond. The pacing seems to be well done, and this is a book where all the positive hype on LibraryThing and elsewhere seems to be correct.

So far, the books in the series are:
His Majesty's Dragon
Throne Of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire Of Ivory
Victory Of Eagles

Other reviews can be found at:
Books And Other Thoughts:The Extraordinary Temeraire
Libritouches: His Majesty's Dragon: Temeraire
Naomi Novik: Temeraire / His Majesty's Dragon
Strategist's Personal Library: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novak
Cerebrate's Contemplations: His Majesty's Dragon
Confessions of a Bibliovore
Outside of a Dog: Kate Nepveu's Book Log: His Majesty's Dragon
Tamaranth's Non-Ephemera: Temeraire
ReadingAdventures: Temeraire (His Majesty's Dragon) by Naomi Novik

The David Gemmell Legend Award

There's a new award out there for fantasy books this year: the David Gemmell Legend Award. According to the website, it's an award for the best fantasy novel of 2008, and they've asked for readers to vote for the best fantasy novel to form their shortlist.

Some of the books on the list include:
Mage Guard of Hamor by L.E. Modesitt
Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

There are a whole host of other books as well. These are just the ones I remember seeing on the list. There's a good chance that one of your favorites will be on the list, so you should go and vote.