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Dragon Sails

This sounds like an interesting book:

Novik Mixes Sail And Dragon

Naomi Novik, author of the upcoming historical fantasy His Majesty's Dragon, told SCI FI Wire that she undertook the novel with only an era in mind—"the Age of Sail and the time of the Napoleonic wars"—and was able to flesh it out after she asked herself: What if there were dragons? (The book is due in March.)

"I've long had a passion for the language and the monumental, almost legendary quality of this time period and the contrast of enormous, world-shaping events taking place against the backdrop of an everyday life that is at the same time recognizable to us now in many ways, and yet still very alien," Novik said in an interview. "I've [also] loved the idea of dragons since I was a child reading The Hobbit for the first time, an affection that's held through many, many variations on the theme, from Earthsea to Pern. ... I felt strongly that combining the two would allow me to put an original, speculative twist on both the Napoleonic era itself and the treatment of dragons."

In His Majesty's Dragon, a naval captain discovers a dragon egg aboard a captured French ship and bonds with the creature. As a result, he must leave his beloved navy for Britain's Aerial Corps—a division of His Majesty's Armed Forces that rides dragons into battle against France's own dragon-borne forces.

Novik's book shows influences of Patrick O'Brian and Anne McCaffrey, whose Pern series was for Novik "one of those formative reading experiences of childhood that the heart never quite lets go." Novik added that there are "legions of others a few more steps removed" who influenced Dragon, including Jane Austen, C.S. Forester and J.R.R. Tolkien.

His Majesty's Dragon is the first book in the Temeraire series; the sequel Throne of Jade will follow in April and Black Powder War in May. But the series won't end there. "I really envision the Temeraire books as an ongoing set of adventures in the [style of Patrick O'Brian's] Aubrey/Maturin [novels], rather than as a trilogy or a longer series with a set start and finish," Novik said. "I'm always a little frustrated myself by very long series, so I feel strongly about wrapping up the main plot in each book, while leaving some interesting hooks behind for future adventures and to reward continuing readers, without making it impossible for someone to come in fresh later on along the way. Book four of the series is already underway, with book five mostly plotted out, and various other ideas for the future brewing on the back burner."

Via SciFi Wire

Posted by Ithildin at January 17, 2006 4:34 PM | PROCURE FINE OLD WORLD ABSINTHE