by Naomi Novik
First published 2006
Captain William Laurence's comfortable naval career is upended when he's tasked with training a newly hatched dragon. As the dragon, Temeraire, chooses Laurence as his companion, Laurence is forced to abandon his fiancée and social standing to join the elite corps of dragon riders. But with Napoleon's armies poised to invade Britain, Laurence and Temeraire may be the nation's last hope. In this soaring fantasy, Laurence must reconcile his sense of duty with his growing bond to the remarkable beast, all while navigating the treacherous world of aerial warfare.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
400 pages · Paperback · Del Rey