His Majesty's Dragon

Temeraire, Book 1

De: Naomi Novik

Narrado por: Simon Vance

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 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.©2006 Naomi Novik; (P)2007 Books on Tape

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for His Majesty’s Dragon and the Temeraire series

“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

“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

“Enthralling reading—it’s like Jane Austen playing Dungeons & Dragons with Eragon’s Christopher Paolini.”—Time

“A completely authentic tale, brimming with all the detail and richness one looks for . . . as well as the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”—Entertainment Weekly (Editor’s Choice, Grade: A)

“Novik has accomplished something singular with her Temeraire series. . . . At its heart, it’s a story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species.”—NPR

“[Naomi Novik] is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”—The New York Times

“A thrilling fantasy . . . All hail Naomi Novik.”—The Washington Post Book World

“An amazing performance . . . [I] was immediately hooked by the writing, the research and the sheer courage of the whole enterprise.”—Chicago Tribune

“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Something new and quite wonderful . . . The Temeraire trilogy could well be this year’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.”—BookPage

“A superbly written, character-driven series . . . What keeps one turning the pages is the urge to find out what happens next to Captain Laurence and Temeraire, characters who win one’s heart from the beginning. Bravo!”—Booklist (starred review)

Dragon Riders of Pern meet Master and Commander

The comparison is a little simplistic, but this alternative history is tons of fun. The characters are consistant with the period, the writing is good, and Simon Vance is one of the best readers anywhere. I loved every minute of this book. A great adventure!

4 and a half was what I wanted, but it didn't quite reach my 5 star threshold.

Unique perspective of dragon rider

The Napoleonic wars - with dragons. Naomi Novik offers a unique view of the dragon rider - a core of the armed forces, with not a single rider, but a crew aboard a war harness complete with rifles bombs and swords aboard a winged battleship in areal battles, with warriors leaping across to "board" another dragon's back to fight to capture the Captain - the actual bonded dragon rider. What a fascinating portrayal. Novik's description of the various breeds of dragons in the world and weapons other than breathing fire (a rare gift), makes it also vary interesting. Her dialog captures the speech of British military men of the era, giving it a wonderful flavor. In addition, the audio reading of this book was excellent, down to the perfect British accents. The appendices at the end describing the various dragon breeds (the writings of the expert on the subject) were delightful and very well thought out. I have absolutely no complaints about this book and am eager to download the next volume.

Very fun intro

I love Ms Novik - I loved Uprooted and Spinning Silver. This seems like a much more drawn out series but she put in the same amount of details and research in this. If you like the merging of fiction and history -you will like this!

Great Book

I have only read one other of Novik's books so I thought I'd enjoy this one just as much. although this is a great book I personally dont believe that its up to par with her Spinning Silver book which I absolutely love and seriously hope that she writes a second book to.

Way better than I could have imagined!!!!

I’m a huge fan of The dragon riders of pern and thought I’d never read anything like it again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the same amazing depiction of dragons here! I’ll admit it started a bit slow for me and I almost gave up on it. But as soon as temeraire hatched, I was hooked. Could not stop listening!

Extremely Enjoyable!

Fantastic story and performance! I laughed out loud multiple times during this book and was brought to tears a couple times too.

I bought the next book before I finished this one and am excited to start

I took too long to listen to this gem.

very well written and narrated, if you like books about comradeship, period pieces, or high fantasy, then look no further.

awesome book and series.

The narrator was wonderful the book Capture attention from the start Very Enjoyable read and listen

Delightful and Entrancing

Highly enjoyed, will read again. I have to read the sequels now though! Simon Vance does an excellent performance as always.

Outstanding!

Best series I've read to date. Can't wait to listen to the next book. I recommend to anyone wanting a history novel with a perfect fantasy twist.