His Majesty's Dragon

Temeraire, Book 1

By: Naomi Novik

Narrated by: David Thorn

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series, a rare bond is formed between a young man and a dragon, and together they must battle in the Napoleonic Wars.

“A terrifically entertaining fantasy novel.”—Stephen King

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 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.

“Just when you think you’ve seen every variation possible on the dragon story, along comes Naomi Novik. . . . Her wonderful Temeraire is a dragon for the ages.”—Terry Brooks

Don’t miss the magic of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series:

His Majesty’s Dragon • Throne Of Jade • Black Powder War • Empire Of Ivory • Victory Of Eagles • Tongues Of Serpents • Crucible Of Gold • Blood Of Tyrants • League Of Dragons

Dragon tales: don't miss the rest of the Temeraire series.

©2006 Naomi Novik (P)2007 Random House Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

“These are beautifully written novels—not only fresh, original, and fast paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart. [The Temeraire series] is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love—fantasy and historical epic.”—Peter Jackson

“A terrifically entertaining fantasy novel . . . Is it hard to imagine a cross between Susanna Clarke, of Norrell and Strange fame, and the late Patrick O’Brian? Not if you’ve read this wonderful, arresting novel.”—Stephen King

“A splendid series . . . Not only is it a new way to utilize dragons, it’s a very clever one and fits neatly into the historical niche this author has used.”—Anne McCaffrey

Horatio Hornblower with Dragons

I wanted it to go on forever. Absolutely amazing!!! The narrator made the Dragon(s) and people sound just right. His pacing was also very good and I was able to follow along during the several battle scenes without getting lost in the action. The naval battles were also very well described.

Not your typical Dragon Story

Where does His Majesty's Dragon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's solidly in the middle of the pack. It's a great story, that took a little to get into, but then it kept you going. I'd love to see this storyline continue.

What other book might you compare His Majesty's Dragon to and why?

Maybe Terry Brooks Landover series. Or Paolini's dragon series. This is an unusual take on dragons and puts them into our world right now, without being crazy.

What about David Thorn’s performance did you like?

He sounded very British, which fit this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Its a little long for one sitting, but I did find as it went on, I wished I could listen longer and longer.

Down with abridgments

Compelling story that is well performed. I do not read abridged books and I don't audit abridged books. I will revisit this series if and when they produce it unabridged.

lovely short intro

Great, short, and a wonderful way to introduce the reader to a new idea and concept. I cannot wait to read on and see what happens to the characters!

Abridged

This is an abridged version of the book but was not listed as such. Very disappointing Audible.

Eragon meets Master and Commander

The story: A wonderful alternate history of the Napoleonic war where dragons provide the aerial support for both sides of the conflict. Good swashbuckling fun written in an engaging prose that is evocative of the period it is set in without being cumbersome. Naomi Novik has created a wonderful secondary world and filled it with loveable characters both human and draconian; the death scene of one of the dragons brought tears to my eyes. Highly recommended.

The audiobook: David Thorn was an excellent choice for the narrator of Novik's series. His characterizations are different enough without being vocal caricatures, and his nasal, high tonality for the voices of dragons creates a trademark which allows the listener to just enjoy the ride without having to puzzle out who's speaking. Superb narration on a par with Simon Prebble's.

Good. Narration was decent.

I listened to this book a while a go and forgot to review it. I liked the story a lot, but the narration left a bit to be desired. It moved well and I will finish this series eventually. Good for anyone that loves dragons and history mashed up together.

Interesting.

This book is an interesting look into what the world might be like if dragons still lived.

The only thing I didn't like about the performance was that the reader spoke too low at certain times. Part of the time, I was listening at work in a loud environment, and so it made parts hard to hear. It was fine in the car.

Needs to be Unabridged!!

I have to admitt that I greatly enjoyed this book, but it leaves out so much detail of the actual book. We need to get an Unabridged edition of this audiobook.

About the Temeraire series

A little different: This entire series isn't alternate reality, but rather fantasy. A fun read if you can forget high school physics. And, as accurate as it is, the English 18th century attitude does get a bit tiresome.