After reading Uprooted, I had high expectations for the Temeraire series. I had enjoyed Novik's imaginative and folksy style, but His Majesty's Dragon is quite different; Novik's writing has clearly evolved. Laurence, this book's hero, is a bit stilted, pompous, and one-dimensional. He and Temeraire fawn over each other, and their relationship seemed a little too, well, fake. I know from past reviews that these things bothered readers. I viewed it as evidence of Novik's growth as a writer. Especially battle scenes, which I feel are very difficult to write with the popularity of action films, captivated my imagination. Dragons as fighting aircraft? Awesome.

Recommended if you like alternate history timelines, if you want to stretch your imagination a little, if you loved How to Train Your Dragon, and if you wish your pets could talk to you.

Quote:
"I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on." - Temeraire, page 54