Here's one for the Links Page:

NAOMI NOVIK
Ever wonder what would have happened in the Napoleonic Wars if there had been an air force... composed of dragons? If you haven't, you should, because this notion is the basis of Naomi Novik's utterly superb "Temeraire" series. Novik takes this irresistable concept and proceeds to nail the period details, style, and action in her writing. For me, what puts the series over the top from "good" to "great" is how dragons are not just here for the action scenes, they are also the ones who question the unquestionables about society, forcing their human companions to look beyond their cultural views about sex, politics, and morality. Pick up the first book, His Majesty's Dragon, and give it a try. You won't regret it.

--Grayson Towler
November 2007