Periodically when reading these books, I would turn to my wife and make a remark along the lines of, "These were made for me." I have long been a fan of the Horatio Hornblower television show and novels as well as the Master and Commander film (haven't gotten around to those novels yet). It would be impossible to overstate how absolutely perfect Novik is at capturing the vibe of Napoleonic naval fiction—only, you know, it's got dragons in it. The worldbuilding totally convinces because everything totally convinces. Even before you get to dragons, the series utterly captures that world of duty and obligation and cruelty. Every time some new wrinkle was introduced, I thought to myself, "Yes, if there really were dragons during the Napoleonic Wars, that's exactly how it would be," such as when she explores the rivalry between aviators and sailors in the second book, Throne of Jade. The idea that dragons would require whole crews, not just single riders, is clever and makes for a lot of interesting dynamics.

The first book is strong, mostly serving to set up the world, characters, and situation: Will Laurence is captain of HMS Reliant, but circumstances mean he ends up bonded to a newly hatched dragon, Temeraire, and so he must give up the career he has spent his entire life in and discover an entirely different way of living. We discover the world of dragons and aviators through the eyes of Laurence, and we also experience the developing bond between aviator and dragon. I was genuinely moved by a passage where Laurence and Temeraire are almost tricked into giving each other up Laurence ends up telling Temeraire, "I would rather have you than any ship in the Navy."

It would be easy for a series like this to just be formulaic adventures. I expected it to be nine volumes of fighting Bonaparte, even if I also expected it to be good. But the series impresses in two ways as it develops across the first three books, and I imagine it will continue to go further in both areas. The first is that Novik broadens the canvas: the second novel sees Laureance and Temeraire journey to China on a British dragon transport, so we see what China and bits of the British Empire are like in the world; the third has them travel overland from China to Turkey, and then into continental Europe, expanding the world even more. The other is that many dragonrider fictions make their dragons sentient... and then just have them happily serve their masters without complaint. The Temeraire books actually explore this, as Temeraire has a growing awareness across these three books of the ways in which he is not free, and in which he and his people are given little in the way of choice. Why should a human make a choice but a dragon be constrained? But at the same time the exigencies of war press heavily upon Captain Laurence. How can dragons make a push for freedom when all of Europe is in peril?

I enjoyed all three books collected here. As I already said, His Majesty's Dragon is a solid series opener. The long journey to China in Throne of Jade was fascinating, and the navigating of Chinese politics pulled together a lot of stuff in a clever way. The overland journey in Black Powder War was tense, and I really enjoyed the novel's second half, as Laurence, Temeraire, and crew are swept up in a series of devastating battles in continental Europe was utterly gripping, compelling reading. I am taking a bit of a break before going onto book four, but I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Reader note: I'm reviewing the entire nine novels of the Temeraire series in this review.

Such a surprise awaited when I flipped to the first page of His Majesty's Dragon: Napoleonic naval adventures married seamlessly and believably to an aerial component via dragons. All disbelief suspended. Stunningly delightful.

That surprise was further augmented by Novik's impeccable research, the solidity of her character and plot development. All my usual cynicism evaporated. Of course there are sentient dragons populating the globe. Of course Napoleon added those dragon recruits to his troops to great effect, as did the British, and the Swiss, and the Russians.

And of course the Chinese revered and recognized dragonkind, built their cities to accommodate their draconian neighbours, gave them rights and employment, allowed them to create their own hierarchies and culture.

In short, Novik's world building is some of the best I've ever read. This is fantasy married to alternate history at its peak. There is no peer for this, in my opinion. She has created a canon of work I believe will endure through time, come to be homed with classics like Adams' Watership Downs, and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

And in light of the fact I am such a very difficult reader to impress, it comes as astonishment that once I'd read all nine novels, I immediately, without hesitation, and with great delight, began the first in the series and swam my way through the entire series once again, relieving that joy.

It has been a very long time since I have been this mesmerized and delighted by a fantasy series, or frankly any literary work.

If you've never read the Temeraire series, you should. Right now. Go. Acquire His Majesty's Dragon, and then settle in for a delicious, entertaining, utterly believable adventure you're never going to forget. ( )

Great world-building, excellent writing -- I admire writers who just integrate the world's workings without lengthy expository. It makes the book very smooth and wholly immerses the reader. The characters are rather flat; I felt like the dragons had more three-dimensionality than the humans. Laurence was definitely a predictable British soldier type -- very nice and admirable and all that, but unsurprising. Temeraire was more interesting! ( )

Great series on dragons. Has a military aspect which I love. If you like dragons you are going to love this set! ( )

set in the era of the Napoleanic wars. Dragons are a part of life. The worlds' armies have learned to domesticate them and use them for warfare. A special group of the military, called Aviators, has come into being. Follows the adventures of Captain Laurence as he goes from being a British Navy Captain to an Aviator. First book, about him and Temeraire[the dragon] was good. Temeraire hatching, growing up, learning to fight, etc. It was a well written adventure yarn. The 2 following books, on the other hand, I didn't enjoy that much. Follows them to China and then as they make their way back to England. Political intrigue, dragon rights, etc, filled these stories instead of battle and action. I would have a hard time reading any further about Temeraire if future volumes[if there are any] continued in this vein. ( )