General Information

Title:                  His Majesty's Dragon
Author:                 Naomi Novik
Read By:                Simon Vance
Copyright:              2006
Audiobook Copyright:    2007
Genre:                  Fantasy
Publisher:              Books on Tape
Series Name:            Temeraire
Position in Series:     01
Abridged:               No

Original Media Information

ISBN:                   9781415940167
Media:                  Library Download
Number:                 9
Source:                 Library

File Information

Number of MP3s:         9
Total Duration:         9:57:10
Total MP3 Size:         273.43
Parity Archive:         No
Ripped By:              A_S
Ripped With:            Easy CD - DA Extractor
Encoded With:           LAME 3.97
Encoded At:             CBR 64 kbit/s 44100 Hz Mono
Normalize:              MP3Gain, Track 88dB
Noise Reduction:        None
ID3 Tags:               Set, v1.1, v2.3

Book Description

Description

The first volume in the critically acclaimed Temeraire series.

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars
as valiant warriors rise to Britain's defense by taking to the skies
atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons. When HMS Reliant captures
a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an un-hatched dragon
egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an
uncertain future—and an unexpected kinship with an extraordinary creature.
Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the
dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics
of airborne battle. For as France's own dragon-borne forces rally to
breach British soil in Bonaparte's boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire
must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars
as valiant warriors take to the skies atop the mighty backs of fighting
dragons.

Excerpts

From the book

The deck of the French ship was slippery with blood, heaving in the
choppy sea; a stroke might as easily bring down the man making it as
the intended target. Laurence did not have time in the heat of the battle
to be surprised at the degree of resistance, but even through the numbing
haze of battle-fever and the confusion of swords and pistol-smoke, he
marked the extreme look of anguish on the French captain’s face as the
man shouted encouragement to his men.

It was still there shortly thereafter, when they met on the deck, and
the man surrendered his sword, very reluctantly: at the last moment
his hand half-closed about the blade, as if he meant to draw it back.
Laurence looked up to make certain the colors had been struck, then
accepted the sword with a mute bow; he did not speak French himself,
and a more formal exchange would have to wait for the presence of his
third lieutenant, that young man being presently engaged belowdecks
in securing the French guns. With the cessation of hostilities, the
remaining Frenchmen were all virtually dropping where they stood; Laurence
noticed that there were fewer of them than he would have expected for
a frigate of thirty-six guns, and that they looked ill and hollow-cheeked.-

Many of them lay dead or dying upon the deck; he shook his head at the
waste and eyed the French captain with disapproval: the man should never
have offered battle. Aside from the plain fact that the Reliant would
have had the Amitié slightly outgunned and outmanned under the best
of circumstances, the crew had obviously been reduced by disease or
hunger. To boot, the sails above them were in a sad tangle, and that
no result of the battle, but of the storm which had passed but this
morning; they had barely managed to bring off a single broadside before
the Reliant had closed and boarded. The captain was obviously deeply
overset by the defeat, but he was not a young man to be carried away
by his spirits: he ought to have done better by his men than to bring
them into so hopeless an action.

“Mr. Riley,” Laurence said, catching his second lieutenant’s attention,
“have our men carry the wounded below.” He hooked the captain’s sword
on his belt; he did not think the man deserved the compliment of having
it returned to him, though ordinarily he would have done so. “And pass
the word for Mr. Wells.”

“Very good, sir,” Riley said, turning to issue the necessary orders.
Laurence stepped to the railing to look down and see what damage the
hull had taken. She looked reasonably intact, and he had ordered his
own men to avoid shots below the waterline; he thought with satisfaction
that there would be no difficulty in bringing her into port.

His hair had slipped out of his short queue, and now fell into his eyes
as he looked over. He impatiently pushed it out of the way as he turned
back, leaving streaks of blood upon his forehead and the sun-bleached
hair; this, with his broad shoulders and his severe look, gave him an
unconsciously savage appearance as he surveyed his prize, very unlike
his usual thoughtful expression.

Wells climbed up from below in response to the summons and came to his
side. “Sir,” he said, without waiting to be addressed, “begging your
pardon, but Lieutenant Gibbs says there is something queer in the hold.”-

“Oh? I will go and look,” Laurence said. “Pray tell this gentleman,”
he indicated the French captain, “that he must give me his parole, for
himself and his men, or they must be confined.”

The...

Reviews
AudioFile Magazine...
In a world that combines fantasy and history, humans and dragons have
lived side by side for thousands of years. Now it is the early 1800s,
and the powers are feuding. Captain Will Laurence's impressive career
on the high seas comes to an end when a dragon hatchling bonds to him.
He must be trained as a dragon-rider to fight for England against an
aggressive Napoleonic France. Simon Vance executes Laurence's stern
yet compassionate personality flawlessly. Vance keeps a steady rhythm
in delivering the narrative while also executing various vocal shifts
for different characters. Additionally, he incorporates the story's
action when performing voices so that Laurence's voice, for example,
turns into a deliberate shout when he rides his dragon, Temeraire. L.E.
(c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Stephen King...
"Terrifically entertaining."