His Majesty's Dragon, a book review

[kippurbird]

I finished "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik.



I have a very mixed reaction to it. First of all it took me about a week to finish it. It NEVER takes me a week to finish a book. Or at least a regular paperback. Other ones like the Count of Monte Cristo will take a while. But I digress. I found the concept of the book to be very interesting. What if dragons were a species of animals on Earth and how would they effect the way warfare is done? A perfectly logical question. The book takes place during the Napoleonic war, and focuses on a Navy Captain who unwillingly becomes a handler for a dragon when his ship captures a French ship carrying the dragon's egg. In this world a dragon is matched up with a human handler who oversees the training and welfare of the dragon and is a companion to it. A similar concept found in the Pern Series, except for the fact that the dragon and handler aren't psychically bonded and share a telepathic bond etc. There are all sorts of different breeds of dragons, each country or area having their own breed. Dragons that aren't "put into the harness" when they're hatched, that is they don't select a handler, they become wild and feral.

But there is a problem with this. See, the dragons have human or above intelligence. The main character dragon is able to understand physics and mathematics and in some cases explains it to his handler, Laurence. He's able to speak fluent English once he hatches and converses constantly with people. Other dragons are able to do the same. Since these creatures are obviously sentient, I wondered, why are they allowing themselves to be treated like flying warships and bred like prized horse stock. (In the back of the book there is a selection from a book that talks about the breeding of dragons and how certain kinds were created by cross breeding and things like that.) The dragons have no culture or desire to have an equal say in their treatment when obviously they are intelligent enough to think about such things.

If there had been a separate dragon society that evolved along side with the human society and they allowed themselves to become flying warships because they too feel the need to protect their homes and lands, then that would make more sense with them being intelligent. But instead they're treated like talking horses. The handlers are often portrayed as being utterly devoted to their dragons, to the point that they put their dragon first beyond anyone else. But they still treat their dragons like animals, leaving them in their harnesses and things like that.

Not only that, but the dragons regularly outlive their handlers. There is one dragon that had three handlers (all from the same family) and then when he refused the next generation handler he was still considered "tame" and actually taught the dragons how to fight.

Then there is the fact that the dragons appear to be only used for military service and are not integrated into human society. It would be reasonable to think that the dragons would be a part of every niche in society where a dragon might be useful. Since the amount of dragons is small and only certain people are chosen to handle them, there should have been a bit of prestige attached to being allowed to try and harness a dragon. Instead becoming a dragon handler is treated as a career ending move by society. The exception to this rule are those bred around the dragons themselves. Those who are brought up handling and living with dragons.

As for the story itself, it feels like the style of Sense and Sensibility. The prose and the society is very similar as well as the way the characters talk. The only thing that's really missing is the obsession about who's worth what and how many pounds a year someone is given. The main character is Will Laurence a Navy captain. He becomes the handler for a dragon that he names Temeraire. At first his reluctance is shown because it's basically the end of his career. However the reluctance is quickly turned to affection and he finds the dragon's company to be preferable to human. He harbors no resentment to Temeraire for ruining his life and his potential marriage to a girl.

Laurence, being ignorant of typical dragon handling treats his dragon differently. This way of treating his dragon, of course, is superior to how the regular dragon handlers do their thing. For example he allows his dragon to bathe and lets him be washed down instead of letting him clean himself off like the other handlers do. He also reads to Teremaire when no one else has thought to do that. Teremaire himself is able to do things that the other dragons can't but this is explained away by the fact that he's a Chinese dragon and not a European dragon. Still, he is faster than most and cleverer than most.

All in all I was entertained by the book. I did find that the execution wasn't well done, the existence of the dragons wasn't thought out and their repercussions on society. I don't think I'll buy the second book in the series.

Comments

[bardsong.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit sad to read this. I really want to read this series, so it seems a pity the execution isn't good.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's perfectly readable. You just don't want to think too hard about the background details or the whole puff of smoke dissapears.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It is, as said, perfectly readable, and I did enjoy reading it. The idea was quite fascinating. It just... well, when you start to think about these things... you kind of go... O_o

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Have to agree with you on all points there. I think the author approached the story with the attitude of "Dragons! In the Napoleanic Wars! Nifty!" and didn't think too hard about the consequences of mixing the ideas together.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It does feel like that. And it is, apparently, her first novel. But still... you do need to think things a bit more through than "Dragons! In the Napoleanic Wars! Nifty!"

[huinesoron.livejournal.com]

I've read it (UK edition, simply called Temeraire) and liked it. The one problem I had was basically: dragons have been around for at least three thousand years (tamed in China a thousand years before the Romans did it), but there's still a Napoleon and a Nelson and a Victory and a Temeraire? I think, perhaps, not. It's pretty low odds that there's even a France.

However, as to your main problem with it: I think the principle is that dragons are and always have been rare in Europe. The UK has, what, a couple of dozen? France maybe 40? Not enough for a society of their own. Er... spoiler for Jade Throne, the sequel, below. Highlight to read, just in case anyone does want to read 2.

In China, the dragons pretty much do have their own society alongside the human one. So it almost has to be down to the numbers.

Other than that, there are a few flaws, mostly what you mentioned (Laurence's quick change and his being better than everyone else, although much of the latter does come from the unusual situation of their beginning), but I found it enjoyable. The main problem, as I said, is that the basis of the book is fundamentally impossible. Which is quite depressing, because it's a nice basis.

Oh, well. I'll still buy the rest when they appear/over here.

Taming...

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a lot of issues with the whole fundamental basis, I think. For instance, if they are sentient, can you really call them tame? Society or not, if they are intelligent enough then it's more of a mutual agreement and not a matter of domestication at all. (Admittedly, they aren't human, which is always a drawback with the general population understanding the distinction there but... still.)

But then, that's probably just one of my personal misgivings regarding the whole 'Magical-Creature-Rider' theme and I imagine it's not a big issue with most people.

Re: Taming...

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

You know, what could work is if the dragon's mental development was directly dependant on how much stimulus they receive while growing up. So by careful training they could end up with dragons that are cunning, devoted and battlewise, but are otherwise stupid as stumps when it comes to things outside very tightly defined spheres.

Then along comes the new guy, who [i]reads[/i] to his dragon, introduces it to concepts and ideas and [i]thinking[/i]... THAT would be an advantage and a solid reason for being 'better' than anyone else.

And a potential (if slightly obvious) plot thread when the new dragon decides to enlighten his kin...

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I've read it (UK edition, simply called Temeraire) and liked it. The one problem I had was basically: dragons have been around for at least three thousand years (tamed in China a thousand years before the Romans did it), but there's still a Napoleon and a Nelson and a Victory and a Temeraire? I think, perhaps, not. It's pretty low odds that there's even a France.

I forgot about that. Heh.


However, as to your main problem with it: I think the principle is that dragons are and always have been rare in Europe. The UK has, what, a couple of dozen? France maybe 40? Not enough for a society of their own.

If they only have a couple of dozen then how are they having different kinds of species? There's too much diversity within the small space for there to be so few dragons. Logically and biologically speaking there needs to be more dragons than just a half a dozen. Plus they're talking about breeding dragons and wild dragons.

I did enjoy the book as well, and I may pick up the second... I dunno.

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

I think you really hit one of the big problems with the books: dragons are human smart or better yet are happy to be treated like warhorses or fighterjets. In a way this is just a magnification of the problem of the magician's familiar, in that the familiar has to be smart enough to supply good banter for the magician to responde to and also to allow the author to info dump without being obvious yet at the same time the familar rarely has any society/culture of its own even though it has to come from somewhere else. Off the top of my head the only really good familiar I've seen deal with this problem was Mercedes Lackey's wolf-like familiar from her Oathbreakers and Outbound books because the familiar did have a defined culture that had a place for its members who wanted to go off and be familiars.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I think you really hit one of the big problems with the books: dragons are human smart or better yet are happy to be treated like warhorses or fighterjets.

Yes. Exactly. He never once asks "Why do I need to wear this harness?

I hear Steven Burst's Jehrg books are also good with familars.

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

I think that's the thing though, he's never given reason to. He seems to accept it in a childish, trusting way at first, and besides, he's more focussed on food at first... and maybe as he grows, he does see it as a necessity for Laurence in riding, which he does enjoy.

As for the rest of the dragons, I don't think they've ever known anything better or different. They're raised to it, and when people are raised to a certain way of thinking that they come to see as 'normal', it's very hard for them to discard that, if they never find a 'better'.

Really, it's the attitude of the aviators that seems more at fault, not the dragons themselves. Look at Volly, look at Levitas. One raised for speed over brains, the other neglected badly... and yet only Laurence pays it any real mind. Is that because the writing is similarly neglectful, or is it just a depiction of human nature?

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

Aaaaand a little further in, I find that Levitas is somewhat of an exception, but still, the fact that nobody interferes? There does seem to be a general attitude of the dragons being little better than fighterjets.

The difference, to me, is that the writer doesn't treat them that way... like Paolini.