Dragons' World

How well do you know the history of the Napoleonic Wars? If the answer is “not very well,” you’re in luckNaomi Novik’s Temeraire series aims to educate you. Of course, there is the slight issue that Novik’s version of events includes air forces of dragonsa fact which other historians seemingly forgot to mention.While the novels might not be the best study guide for your history test, they succeed excellently as entertainment. There are seven known books so far. Novik says she plans to conclude with the ninth book, but whether she’ll hold fast to that is unknown. What we can say is that the series will see some sort of film adaptation by fantasy auteur Peter Jackson, who loves the books so much that he’s said he may turn his version into a miniseries to be able to portray a full story.The story begins with 2005′s His Majesty’s Dragon, which won the 2007 Compton Crook Science Fiction/Fantasy award. Throne of Jade and Black Powder War were both published in 2006. Empire of Ivory was released in 2007, Victory of Eagles in 2008, and Tongues of Serpents in 2010. Crucible of Gold is the seventh book in the series.In Novik’s world, dragons are capable of flight and speech, although their level of intelligence varies widely. Humans can form a “bond” with a dragon by bringing the creature its first meal after hatching, after which the dragon will protect their companion with every ounce of strength they have. Novik is skilled at world-building, imagining different relationships between humans and dragons in different cultures. Often, these relationships are based on the mythologies of the region. For instance, in China dragons are venerated as superior beings, while in Britain the dragons have been domesticated from wild beasts into military and breeding animals.Aside from Napoleon Bonaparte, historic events and legends from other cultures also appear in the series. The second book, Throne of Jade, references the legend of Hua Mulan, and Black Powder War portrays events in the city of Danzig, a real-life city of interest for Napoleon Bonaparte. Novik does research in a number of waysfor the fourth novel, Empire of Ivory, she travelled to Africa to gain first-hand experience.Before starting the series, Novik studied English Literature at Brown and then earned a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Columbia University. She helped to design the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide before beginning her writing career.