By Susan Taylor
For the first time since I’ve started writing this column, there are no newly published books that excite me enough to review them, so I am going to briefly review three series that might catch your interest. Regularly scheduled reviews of brand new hardcovers will resume in April.
By Susan Taylor
For the first time since I’ve started writing this column, there are no newly published books that excite me enough to review them, so I am going to briefly review three series that might catch your interest. Regularly scheduled reviews of brand new hardcovers will resume in April.
For readers who enjoy historical fiction, there are two lengthy series, both in paperback, that will keep you busy for quite some time. Back in 1970, Patrick O’Brian published his first Aubrey/Maturin novel, Master & Commander. In it, we meet Jack Aubrey, a captain in the Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, a doctor and intelligence agent, whose friendship spans the Napoleonic wars. Jack is a hearty fellow; not particularly perspicacious on land, but a master sailor and strategist on the sea (his naval nickname is Lucky Jack). Stephen is an Irish and Catalan patriot, passionately devoted to independence, but most of all committed to defeating Napoleon, the biggest oppressor in the world. As a team, they sail the world, capturing prizes, adding to their wealth and exposing French spies whenever they can. In the 20-book series, both men fall in love, marry, lose and regain fortunes, are shipwrecked and land in prison. For most readers, the sailing terms will be gibberish, but they add a fine, salty tang to the story, even if you don’t have a clue as to what they mean. O’Brian’s sly humor is displayed more in the later books of the series, and the Royal Navy vernacular is delightful, if sometimes obscure. It is likely more men read this series than women, but women are depriving themselves of a real pleasure–this is a series that transcends gender. Perfect seaside reading!
Dorothy Dunnett, my favorite historical fiction writer ever, published the first of her Lymond Chronicles, The Game of Kings, in 1961. The six-book series starts in Scotland, in 1547, with the words, “Lymond is back.” Back from where, and why he left in the first place, are slowly revealed in this intricately detailed masterpiece that moves from Scotland to England to France, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and Malta. From clearing his name of charges of treason, protecting the infant Mary, Queen of Scots from her enemies, and entertaining the French court with music and acrobatics, Lymond is a man of many talents and is his own worst enemy. Each book in the series reveals more of his essential personality and almost boundless humanity, but the face he presents to the world is forbidding and unapproachable. This series requires concentration and some knowledge of European history if you want to understand the political machinations, but it is well worth the effort it takes. The Game of Kings, and the five subsequent books, opened my world in a way no other historical fiction ever has. For the reader looking to be swept into another world, this does the job.
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik, is the first book in the Temeraire series. It is a cross between fantasy and historical fiction in which dragons are used as an aerial corps during the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Lawrence, our protagonist, is a captain in the Royal Navy when his ship captures a rare dragon’s egg, which hatches on board. Unfortunately for Lawrence, the baby dragon chooses him as its master, which effectively ends his employment in the prestigious navy and sends him into the aerial corps as a socially ostracized dragon captain. He submits to his new orders with a heavy heart, but his growing attachment to Temeraire, his dragon, reconciles him to his diminished status.
Then the story really begins–Lawrence is plunged into dragon training, corps politics, and a world that is less hidebound than the British navy. Temeraire and Lawrence’s bond is deep and loyal; through Temeraire’s fight for dragons’ rights and Lawrence’s trial for treason, they have each others’ backs. This series (five titles and growing) is perfect for juvenile readers who have read the Eragon series and are looking for more on dragons. Lots of fun!
Susan Taylor has been in the book business, in one aspect or another, since 1982. She currently works at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza. Stop by the store if you are looking for a good book–she’s read a lot more than she can talk about here!