Even I have to take a break from my regular diet of RPG books, Pulp stories and Sword and Sorcery tales. I found this gem the other day quite by accident. It's set during the Napoleonic wars, the twist is Dragons exist and they are used much the same way we use our modern air forces. It's one part Horatio Hornblower and one part Dawn Patrol. "His Majesty's Dragon" is the first in a series of books, the author Naomi Novik tells a tale rich in detail and characterization. She takes her time and builds her story, involving you with the characters the whole way through. she doesn't write in the screenwriters short story style, she has a tale to tell and it's a rich one. This is an excellent book to enjoy and savor at your leisure.
The whole series is really great, I got hooked about a year ago on a friend's recommendation. Apparently Peter Jackson is making a movie based on the first book as well.
ReplyDeleteDo you like alternative history types of stories, Jeff? I really enjoyed the "Island in the Sea of Time" series by S.M. Stirling, which rips the entire island of Nantucket (including a Coast Guard ship in the area) out of its current time and plops it in the same space in 1250 BC. They have to figure out how to survive without modern technology while Greeks, Babylonians, and Aztec Jaguar Cultists all trying to dice them up. It has the same kind of gritty, "real" feeling that these dragon books have, that I think you'd like.
Hey Jeffy,
ReplyDeletethat looks like a great read and I am going to put it on my "must read" list..
I am also gonna check out the book Mr. Herbert reccomended too..
To earn my keep I will add a must read for the two of you..
"Arrowsmith" by the great Kurt Busiek
http://www.answers.com/topic/arrowsmith-comics?cat=technology