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I've been able to read the second two books in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, the first one in this country called His Majesty's Dragon (soon out, if not now), followed by Throne of Jade next month, and Black Powder War the month after. Alas, the fourth book is yet to be written.

When I briefly met Naomi Novik last June in New York I was told beforehand, "She's written this incredible series, it's like Patrick O'Brian--with dragons!"

A great log line, I thought, but that combo could be either really great, or a mess, if the dragons are grafted onto period of history known so well, and so brilliantly written about not just by O'Brian but so many others. The first positive sign was when she said that her dragon was called Temeraire, which is the name of one of the ships at Trafalgar. That seemed a pretty good sign she'd done her historical homework, but what about the dragons?

My two favorite dragon books are Hambly's Dragonsbane, and Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw which has no humans at all, but, mapped onto the so-called social set of Victorian England, is all about unquestioned savagery masquerading as order and civilization.

Now I have three favorites, because Temeraire's roman fleuve joins those two above. How much to say, when the books are not even out yet? I guess I can talk about my experience of reading.

When I began the first, I dinged against the familiar notion of bonding with an emerging dragon--in this case by the captain of an English frigate during Napoleon's war. I read on--and within maybe ten pages of Temeraire's emergence from the egg, I was caught. First, by Temeraire himself, who is anything but a cutesy dragon, or a horror-story savage one. Temeraire is romantic in the sense of the romantic age, rather than the Romance of pretty people with powers and dog-like devoted dragons whose lives are wrapped around human concerns. Temeraire began asking questions all those other dragons never asked. As for the world, Novik slips in subtle hints that this isn't this universe's Napoleonic War, it's the next one over.

So our hero, Will Laurence, is forced to give up his captaincy. He is no Jack Aubrey clone--he now has to find a new life in the Dragon Corps, which is far more free and easy than His Majesty's navy. Think, oh, of the early air corps around World War One, which is not a bad model for so many reasons.

We begin to meet dragons and their riders, and then get to see them in action during Napoleon's attempted Great Invasion. By the end we find a big surprise, which leads directly to the second book, and a trip to China which neither Temeraire or Laurence wish, but for military and diplomatic reasons they must do their duty.

Ofr course there cannot be spoilers--this second book is a month away from publication. Let me just say that Novik's world becomes more fascinating, the characters more complex, the twists unexpected, the tragedies both sharp and real, but binding it all together like a thread of gold is the sense of honor and duty that Temeraire and Laurence both feel, yet have to keep defining. And it is increasingly less easy to define. Deeply troubled by questions of history, diplomacy, social useage--and finally the relationship between dragon and human (yay! Why did no one previous ever think this one out?)--Laurence and Temeraire and their adventures kept the pages turning while I left piles of work undone.

The third book, Black Powder War, begins with them traveling to the Ottoman Empire, thence to Europe. Those who know their history, let me just mention the battle of Jena, and nothing more; Novik does a superb job of presenting that battle from the POV of one universe over.

Each book ended with enough resolution to be satisfying, but with enough open questions to leave me yearning hard for more. Now. Please.

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