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Book Club: His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) **SPOILERS WITHIN**

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  • Book Club: His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) **SPOILERS WITHIN**

    So, here it is, nearly the end of the day (for me, at least), April 15. It's time to open up the discussion.

    For anybody who has not read this book, be aware that spoilers will occur. If you don't want to take the risk, then back out of this thread now.

    First up, there's a poll attached to this thread. Should this go onto our group's bookshelf? In a week, I'll take the results we have here, and follow up. If it's a yes, I'll add it in.

    Now, on to the book itself.

    My thoughts on it? I loved it. Temeraire was a delightful character to read, and his association with Will played out very well. Seeing how a Navy man became an Aviator, and seeing what effect it had on his life, all of it was very well handled.

    I liked that Will was a Navy man, completely inexperienced in the ways of dragons, at the beginning of the book. It made associating with him easier, since he knew only marginally more about dragons than I did. As a result, I was learning with him.

    I see many ways for this series to progress. The fact that Temeraire is a Celestial, a breed that is pretty much completely unheard of outside of China, means that everything about them is new to the people of Europe. They're going to be as surprised as I am while learning what he can do.

    I've already queued up the next several books in the series onto my ever growing list of books to read. How about the rest of you, what did you all think of it?
    10
    Yes
    100.00%
    10
    No
    0.00%
    0

    The poll is expired.


  • #2
    I have enjoyed it every time I have read it, which is several.

    The Main complaint which I have heard is that they would not use dragons in such a way. While yes, having a few riflemen on board to protect the Captain makes a certain amount of sense, using them as "Ships of the Air" using 2-D maneuvers better suited to the sea seems unlikely. Yes, they make the point that the dragons try to get "above" the others in altitude so they can drop crude Bombs, or fire from more riflemen stationed in the belly rigging, again it seems off for some reason, espcially at the time most are still using breech loading rifles. After the invention of cartridges and having multiple shots between reloads it would make much more sense.

    The series itself is quite good though the last couple have it flagging some. Book 2 deals with Lawrence and China. The third on his return from China. The fourth has him adventuring in Africa. The 5th sees him back in England, The 6th in Australia, and the latest in South America. It seems the Author is Taking Lawrence and Temeraire around the world, showing them (and by extention us) how different cultures and civilizations deal with dragons. The next novel will have the crew returning to China.

    I am glad I had the chance to show you something I enjoy. and look forward to reading other suggestions soon.
    Lister: This is Crazy. Why are we talking about going to bed with Wilma Flintstone?
    Cat: You're right. We're Nuts! This is an insane conversation....
    Lister: She'll never leave Fred and we know it.

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    • #3
      I liked the series myself. And this was vaguely surprising considering I find that style of period writing (the Victorian maritime books, i.e. Hornblower and the rest) very boring. Then again, I don't like boats. I like dragons.

      I also think I need to go ahead and address this: I loved the fact that it wasn't MacCaffrey. That usually seems to be the issue with most dragon books at this point; if they're very plot central, then they're MacCaffrey style. If not, then they're wild creatures who might eat you or might just talk to you telepathically, but are generally not extremely helpful. Bah.

      Anyway, loved the story. Will was an engaging protagonist, and Temeraire is a delightful companion. I do love how the relationship between them played out.

      Other than that, I think she caught the history nearly right, given the obvious differences, and the writing style seemed very spot on to writings from that time as well.

      So yeah, I liked it.
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      • #4
        I'm a big fan of the first three or so books in the series. I have serious problems with the world after book three, though. I read through book five, and I won't be reading any more of them.
        The High Priest is an Illusion!

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        • #5
          I've read them all, but I think 1-3 were the best. Haven't read the very latest. I love the idea of re-writing history with dragons!
          "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

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          • #6
            So...what? It's like WoT where the first few were great and then the middle just...drags?
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            • #7
              Quoth Kheldarson View Post
              So...what? It's like WoT where the first few were great and then the middle just...drags?
              It's not that the plot drags, it's poorly considered implications of the impact of dragons on society.

              Potential spoilers, highlight to read the rest: Dragon civil rights become a big issue after Temeraire learns about how dragons are treated in China (as people in their own right). In the earlier books it is implied that Temeraire is somehow special in his intelligence because he is a Celestial, which would make the way dragons are treated differently in China and in the rest of the world make sense. It turns out that basically all dragons are at least human level intelligence. I just don't buy that people with the ability to eat anyone who tried it would allow other people to make them slaves.
              The High Priest is an Illusion!

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              • #8
                Just a quick note: I think we should focus on this book. After all, not all of us have read more than this book, and we might prefer exploring the others on our own.

                DaDairyDruid: I'll admit that, for me, it made sense and worked. Of course, the reason it did was my lack of knowledge on such subjects.

                One thing that's worth noting, though, is that (until the rigging was brought out) I really didn't have a concept of the scale in the book, or of the strength of the dragons. As a plot device, having the full crew really helped me to grasp just how big these are. It's one thing to read "and he had a 60 foot wingspan, and was 80 feet long" (or whatever the numbers were). It's quite another to read about him carrying a full crew of 20 or so people and not showing any signs of strain.

                From a technical perspective, it might have weakened the story. From my perspective, it strengthened it.

                Kheldarson: I don't read a whole lot of fantasy myself. For instance (sacrilege time, sorry!) I never read Lord of the Rings. The book descriptions always leave me cold. I enjoy the books, but the descriptions on the backs are almost never enough to engage me.

                As a result, I don't have that same experience of how dragons are in other series/settings. From the sounds of it, I should be glad. This variation was very pleasant, and managed to make the dragons much more compelling.

                I'm definitely going to be looking for more. Just as soon as I get through a few others on my list...

                At least I've got more to read

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                • #9
                  It should also be worth noting that Peter Jackson (yes THAT Peter Jackson) has signed Movie Options on the first 3 novels.

                  Who would you want to play Lawrence?
                  Lister: This is Crazy. Why are we talking about going to bed with Wilma Flintstone?
                  Cat: You're right. We're Nuts! This is an insane conversation....
                  Lister: She'll never leave Fred and we know it.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth Pedersen View Post
                    Kheldarson: I don't read a whole lot of fantasy myself. For instance (sacrilege time, sorry!) I never read Lord of the Rings. The book descriptions always leave me cold. I enjoy the books, but the descriptions on the backs are almost never enough to engage me.

                    As a result, I don't have that same experience of how dragons are in other series/settings. From the sounds of it, I should be glad. This variation was very pleasant, and managed to make the dragons much more compelling.

                    I'm definitely going to be looking for more. Just as soon as I get through a few others on my list...

                    At least I've got more to read
                    I've actually never read LoTR either. I've read the Hobbit, but I start the Fellowship and I fall asleep.

                    And I will say I love McCaffrey's stuff, and do recommend her books, but since her main series was all about dragons and there's at least 20 books she's written (it's probably more honestly) it's no surprise it's influential.

                    I was just glad this didn't turn out to be like reading Eragon again. *shudder*

                    And it's being made into a movie? Sweet!
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                    • #11
                      I doubt it would ever be made into a movie. Lots of books get optioned without ever getting past that stage.

                      It would still be amazing to see though.
                      Lister: This is Crazy. Why are we talking about going to bed with Wilma Flintstone?
                      Cat: You're right. We're Nuts! This is an insane conversation....
                      Lister: She'll never leave Fred and we know it.

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                      • #12
                        I throughly enjoyed the book. But then I dragons.
                        I was really sadden by Rankin's total mistreatment of Levitas. Such a bastard.
                        And Choiseul's betrayal was suprising. Yet I should have seen it coming.
                        Driver Picks the Music, Shotgun Shuts His Cakehole.
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                        • #13
                          The series definitely falls into the young-adult category, much like Harry Potter and Twilight. I found it interesting enough to continue on and am now reading the 4th book in the series. I would however recommend not continuing the series in the book club, but would rather move on to something different.

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                          • #14
                            ack! Sorry I'm so late to the party. Don't know why, but thought we'd be discussing it on Goodreads.

                            HMD was a re-read for me, but I'm glad it was chosen, as it reinforced my like for it. I'm a huge alternate history fan and adding just a small difference to what is otherwise our world seems to be more engaging.

                            That said, there was something else I only vaguely remembered from my first read. There seems to be an air of apprehension hanging over the narrative. It's as though something calamitous is waiting a few chapters in the future. Kudos to Novik for drawing me in and making me sympathetic with the protagonist(s). Maybe it's the descriptions of separated dragons and riders? I'd hate for that to happen to our pair.

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