Naomi Novik's novel His Majesty's Dragon follows the story of Captain Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant during the height of the Napoleonic Wars. However, this isn't historical fiction, at least in the traditional sense, for the war is fought not just with guns and cannons but dragons.
Despite the novel's premise, Laurence's original occupation is not draconic in the least; the Reliant is a standard British ship-of-the-line, though one he's very proud to be captain of. Everything changes in the blink of an eye, however, when the Reliant captures a French vessel and finds a rare and unusual prize aboard: an unhatched dragon egg. Far from any British ports, the egg hatches before Laurence and his crew can get it safely to the Aviators, Britain's much-maligned and outcast dragon-riders. Faced with either letting the dragon become feral or attempting to tame it, Laurence ends up harnessing the dragon when it takes a liking to him, much to his dismay. Suddenly the caretaker of Temeraire the dragon, Laurence must leave behind his successful naval career to become an Aviator and relearn everything he thought he knew about the war and the world.
Novik's novel is outstanding, particularly in its worldbuilding, which is expansive, creative, and thoughtful. She spends a large portion of time describing the different breeds of dragon, highlighting their size and abilities. However, what makes the novel stand out is how it always goes deeper than just surface level; Novik considers and conveys how different dragons are used in the war effort, from smaller dragons like Greylings whose speed makes them excellent couriers to massive dragons like Royal Coppers whose primary purpose is aerial combat with other dragons. Another example of Novik's creative worldbuilding is the fact that dragons don't just carry their riders, but entire crews of soldiers strapped on to their harnesses. These soldiers carry guns and swords for aerial fighting and boarding, bombs for bombing runs, and large quantities of gauze to wrap dragon wounds in the middle of the battle. Unique ideas like these make the book feel extremely fresh and stand out from other novels with a similar premise.
Novik also does an excellent job conveying the bond between Temeraire and Laurence. Though Laurence is initially resentful of being saddled with the dragon, he quickly comes to love Temeraire, and the dragon loves Laurence from the very start. Laurence reads to the dragon often, even during their time training for the Aviator Corps, and once Temeraire grows larger Laurence often sleeps by him under his wing. They become inseparable, more than just partners or even friends. Their relationship is the book’s emotional core and it’s extremely evocative as a reader.
Finally, I want to talk about the book’s themes. His Majesty's Dragon explores topics such as the importance and meaning of duty and the value of companionship, along with others. Without getting into the details too much, Novik offers quite an interesting perspective on each of the novel's themes. From the beginning, Captain Laurence is extremely loyal to England and duty and honor are pillars of his life, but as his relationship with Temeraire deepens, he begins to refine and reform his views. Temeraire is born into service, but his innate intelligence and propensity for independent thought causes him to question duty as a concept, acting as an effective foil for Laurence's convictions and creating an interesting dynamic between the two. In a similar vein, the book focuses heavily on the bonds between dragons and humans, highlihgting many different relationships that exist within the Aviators. Just as companionship is tied to the question of duty, so too is duty a large part of the question of companionship. Though as soldiers, dragon and rider have an ostensibly professional relationship, they are tied to one another until death, meaning that they often develop a highly intimate connection. Novik places different characters on the spectrum of human-dragon relationships often as a judgment on their characters; the most likable characters are those who care for their dragons and treat them as equals, while those meant to be reviled see their dragons as tools. All in all, Novik's themes interweave to reinforce each other, making His Majesty's Dragon a thematically powerful book.
Overall, His Majesty's Dragon is a perfect book for those who enjoy fantasy novels with strong worldbuilding, especially if you enjoy settings that directly mirror our own reality. Among books I have read, the Bartimaeus trilogy comes to mind as a particularly apt comparison for His Majesty's Dragon; both novels are set in an alternate-history Britain in which a set of magical creatures (in Bartimaeus's case, demons) fundamentally alter life. If there was to be any major knock against His Majesty's Dragon, it might be that it's only the first of a nine-book series; but if you love it as much as I did, that might just mean eight more books to look forward to!
