His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1)

In the first novel of the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series, a rare bond is formed between a young man and a dragon, and together they must battle in the Napoleonic Wars.

"A terrifically entertaining fantasy novel."--Stephen King

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 rarified 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.

"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

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Published Mar 28, 2006

384 pages

Average rating: 7.97

29 RATINGS

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PerpetualRevision

Dec 22, 2025

8/10 stars

I love dragons, and I loved getting to know Temeraire. I'm glad the story has a few more female characters than would likely be true if it were written by a man, but I still wish it had more, to offset the overall feeling that this is a "man's tale" of warfare and adventure. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it after the first few chapters if it weren't for the promise of the dragon. And he was worth it!

LiziB

Feb 23, 2023

8/10 stars

In general I'm not a dragon-genre reader (though I did love Pern), and I don't like military fiction -- but though the Temeraire series is both, I am in love. Solid characters, excellent dragon bonding, and uniquely incorporating the dragons into very well-written Napoleonic-era battles. I read Uprooted by this author and, wanting more, was led to this series, which looks like it could keep me busy for a while. Three novels in so far and waiting for the fourth in my library queue.

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