Justine Larbalestier

reading, writing, eating, drinking, sport

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I want a dragon!

I haven’t felt this way since I was a kid gobbling up the Anne McCaffrey books, but Naomi Novik’s Temeraire (His Majesty’s Dragon in North America) has led to a desperate longing for my very own dragon. It doesn’t even have to be a Chinese one. Honest. But I want one! Now!

I’ve been stuttering around, unable to settle on any particular book for a while, and those I have finished lately, I haven’t much cared for. Though it could well be me and not the book, cause the last such book is acclaimed up hill and down dale and those in the know say it’s a likely Printz award shortlister. Left me cold. Worse than cold: I was bored. And the ending made me want to throw the book across the room. Bleach! I’ve been trying to get purchase with Tale of Genji and keep failing miserably. I haven’t even been able to finish the Gideon Haigh I started and I know I like his books.

So it was with great relief that I started Temeraire and found myself immediately sucked into the story. The first time I looked up I was more than a hundred pages in. It’s a cracker. Rips along. It has battles and honour and (discreet) sex and dragons! Lots and lots of dragons! It’s set during the Napoleonic wars and it’s fabulous. The protag, Laurence, is the best stick-up-his bum hero ever. And I won’t tell you anything more, except to say that you should really, really, really not read the cover copy because it gave away a couple of key plot points I’d've been much happier not knowing. It’s the first in the series, but who knows when the next two books are going to be published here (her website doesn’t say) and there’s no way I can be expected to wait. I want more. Now!

Posted by Justine at 22:31, 6 January 2006 under Praising, Reading | 11 Comments »

Comments

  1. Jonathan Says:

    Who needs to wait? You know both the second and third books in the trilogy will be published in the US in mass market paperback in May and June respectively? I think the UK publisher is waiting quite a bit longer, but…

    January 7th, 2006 at 9:40 AM

  2. lili Says:

    how good is it! i gave it to my dad to read and he read the whole thing in a day. didn’t get out of his chair. at first the whole (slightly hidden) homoerotic laurence/temeraire thing freaked me out a bit, but by the time it got to ‘stroking his tendrils’ i was all for it.
    do you think if i had a dragon, instead of a car, i would still have to take him to reservoir every six months to get the mafia to service him?

    January 7th, 2006 at 10:00 AM

  3. Sherwood Smith Says:

    Isn’t it WONDERFUL???

    January 7th, 2006 at 10:47 AM

  4. 4. Justine Says:

    Jonathan: I can’t twait till May!!! Are you insane?

    Lili: I read it in pretty much one gulp, too. It hits almost all my buttons. Historical: check. Witty: check. Sly digs at other historicals set during that period: check. Great characters: check. Riproaring plot: check. Things blowing up: check. Dragons: check. The only thing missing was Elvis. For which I’m willing to forgive her.

    Sherwood: Yup. Right now it’s my fave book ever.

    January 7th, 2006 at 11:12 AM

  5. Rachel Brown Says:

    I loved it too, and I can’t wait to read the sequels.

    January 7th, 2006 at 11:44 AM

  6. 6. Justine Says:

    Rachel: I know, it’s just cruel to expect us to wait. All good books in a series should come out within seconds of each other!

    January 7th, 2006 at 12:41 PM

  7. Sir Tessa Says:

    Yes! That’s that writer of that book you had to tell me about! Thanks. :)

    January 7th, 2006 at 6:44 PM

  8. Cheryl Says:

    Didn’t read my review did you. That would have told you when the other books were out. :-)

    But you are right, it is a great book. I can’t wait for the next one either.

    January 8th, 2006 at 6:06 AM

  9. 9. Justine Says:

    Sir Tessa: As always I am your humble servant.

    Cheryl: Here’s my dread secret: I don’t read reviews unless I’ve already read the book (or have no interest in reading it). I have a dread fear of spoilers. I wish all books came in brown paper bags with no clues as to their contents. Same for films and tv shows. I wish to know nothing about a book before I read it.

    January 8th, 2006 at 10:54 AM

  10. Chris S. Says:

    Just devoured my ARC of HMD this weekend, and plan to pester my Random House rep for early copies of the next two in the series. And yes, here in Canada (and the US, I’m assuming), the books will be released in April, May and June. My customers are in for a real treat.

    January 9th, 2006 at 7:16 AM

  11. 11. Justine Says:

    Chris S: Isn’t it fab? I envy you your possibility of advance copies of the next two books in the series. Lucky dog!

    January 9th, 2006 at 9:44 AM

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