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Karsa Orlong

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A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

 

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2014 - Tor ebook - 335 pages

 

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

 

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

 

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

 

 

I would imagine that everyone on BCF loves it when a book comes along out of the blue and captures your imagination so completely that you become lost in its world and never want to leave.  To be fair, it's happened to me a few times this year, mainly with Patrick O'Brian, but - in his case - I was expecting it.  When I saw Laura's photo of the cover of Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons, and then went off to read the sample on Amazon, I really wasn't expecting this book to do the same.

 

I read a few of the comments on Amazon and goodreads just now and had to laugh.  Apparently there are some people out there who didn't look beyond the novel's stunningly beautiful cover art by Todd Lockwood (who has also produced cover art for the likes of Tad Williams and C J Cherryh) and bought it on the assumption it was going to be an art book full of paintings of dragons  :doh:   :lol:   Apparently, there are also some people who only like their dragons in Tolkien or Martin-esque form, slaying and being slayed, sitting on hordes of gold etc etc.

 

To dispel those ideas immediately, this is neither of those kinds of books.  What Brennan has done here in, I think, quite remarkable fashion, is to craft a story - set in a quasi-Victorian, pre-suffrage world - about a young woman striving to break the boundaries expected of her gender in that society and become what she wants to be.  This is not fantasy in the mould of Tolkien or Martin, but rather a fantasy conjured from the science fiction of Jules Verne and H G Wells via the romanticism of Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, except the love interest is not human.

 

It is dragons that fire this need within Isabella, discovered at the age of seven when she finds a dead sparkling (a tiny, dragon-like creature) at the bottom of the garden, and her persuading her father to buy Sir Richard Edgworth's book, A Natural History of Dragons, which serves to inspire everything that follows.  As this is a memoir, it is her elderly self narrating the story, looking back on her early life with a critical eye and self-deprecating wit.  She tells us of her childhood adventures, of how her mother had more traditional ideas for her future, and of how she manages to inveigle herself onto an expedition to the far away country of Vystrana (which comes across a little like Transylvania) where a dragon 'problem' has reared its head.

 

Finally Dagmira said bluntly, "Get rid of the dragons."


"Get rid of them!" I shot to my feet, appalled.

She flung one impatient hand at the sky. "They eat our sheep, attack our shepherds—what good do they do us?"

All my childhood obsession with dragons welled up in my throat, choking me. "But they're-they're"—I was not capable of having this conversation in Vystrani, where my vocabulary lacked the word for "magnificent." Perhaps it was for the best; the struggle to convey my meaning gave my brain time to catch up. Beauty and splendour are all very well, but they put no food on the table for a mountain peasant, nor do they keep the house warm in winter.

But I could hardly commit myself to their eradication, either.

 

I was reading The Martian and it was irritating the hell out of me because I hated the narrative voice so much.  The contrast here could not be greater.  Brennan's narrative voice is almost spot on.  A few 'Americanisms' sneak through (things like 'I'll go look' instead of 'I'll go and look', or the use of that damned 'obligated' instead of 'obliged') which tended to kick me out of what is otherwise an immaculate evocation of Victorian times.  But really, it only happens on four or five occasions in the novel, not enough to be a deal-breaker.  For the other 99.9% of the book I'd say it was perfect, a joy to read, and completely immersive.  Add to this Isabella's sketches of the various types of dragon and environments (again by Lockwood) and the book becomes a window into a forgotten past.

 

The characters are great.  You would expect this of Isabella, as it is her voice telling the story, but to find other gems such as Jacob, Mr Wilker, and the wonderfully grumpy and gothic Dagmira, was a real surprise.  The relationship between Isabella and Jacob is especially impressive because there were a couple of instances where their interactions actually brought a tear to my eye and managed it without any kind of sentimentality (of which there is a pleasing lack).  All this, and she manages to address not only issues of gender and equality but also of class and social graces, whilst creating a plot full of mystery and intrigue.  

 

I loved it.  I can't wait to read more of Lady Trent's adventures.  Of course, the one gripe is that maybe there aren't enough dragons, and perhaps that is true.  Their appearances are brief and scattered throughout the book, but Isabella's love, awe, and fear of them is pervasive.  Some people will inevitably be disappointed.  But, if they're prepared to look beyond that disappointment and delve beneath the surface, they will find a unique, inventive, engaging, absorbing tale.  

 

It is so much more than a book about dragons.

 

Be warned, then: the collected volumes of this series will contain frozen mountains, foetid swamps, hostile foreigners, hostile fellow countrymen, the occasional hostile family member, bad decisions, misadventures in orienteering, diseases of an unromantic sort, and a plenitude of mud.

 

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Edited by Karsa Orlong
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Awesome review Steve! :D Will comment more when I've finished the book myself, but totally agree about the narrative voice being superbly engaging. Certain little turns of phrase really give it character and humour (such as when she says "horses don't have wings - a fault I have never entirely forgiven them for", or some such), and I've spent most of my time reading it so far with a smile on my face. :)

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Have you read any of her other books ? I like the look of Warrior ( Doppelganger 1 ).   :smile:

 

No I haven't.  I hadn't even heard of her until Laura mentioned her :D

 

 

 

I have this one on my wishlist too. :) Reviews are very mixed though . . .

 

Can't say that one appeals, but the 'Onyx Court' series looks interesting :smile:

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Awesome review Steve! :D Will comment more when I've finished the book myself, but totally agree about the narrative voice being superbly engaging. Certain little turns of phrase really give it character and humour (such as when she says "horses don't have wings - a fault I have never entirely forgiven them for", or some such), and I've spent most of my time reading it so far with a smile on my face. :)

 

Thanks! :smile:   Yeah, the narrative voice is wonderful  :smile: 

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Go Laura !  :D

 

Aye, she knows her stuff, does Laura  :D

 

 

I'm just over halfway through Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay.  I'm getting the urge for some historical fiction after this.  Don't know what, though.  O'Brian withdrawal symptoms are starting to set in.  I thought I might read The Empty Throne, to get up to date with Cornwell's 'Warrior Chronicles', but then I see the next book in that series is out imminently (although I refuse to pay £12.99 for it on Kindle :irked: ), so I wouldn't be up to date after all  :doh:

 

Then I watched the first ep of Midwinter of the Spirit and thought I should really get back to the 'Merrily Watkins' series, cos it's an age since I read the fourth book.  Maybe.  Perhaps.  :unsure:

 

I'll see how I feel when I finish Trust Your Eyes :shrug:

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No I haven't.  I hadn't even heard of her until Laura mentioned her :D

 

Maybe you should read more books you hear about from me. :D (*cough* Empire *cough*) :rolleyes:

 

It`s nice when we all feel excited about a book.  :blush2:  Go Laura !  :D

 

Aye, she knows her stuff, does Laura  :D

 

Aw you guys. :blush::D

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Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay


 


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2012 - Orion ebook - 505 pages


 


What would you do if you witnessed a murder - but no one believed you...? Another masterful suspense novel from the bestselling author of the Richard & Judy summer read winner, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE.


 


This is the story of two brothers, Ray and Thomas Kilbride.  Both in their mid-to-late thirties, Ray is a successful cartoonist working for various publications and websites, whilst Thomas lives with his father.  He is schizophrenic and at an early age developed an obsession with maps.  Now he spends all day in his bedroom, on his computer, using Whirl360 (think www.instantstreetview.com) to explore cities all over the world, committing them to memory, and believing this is work he is doing for the CIA because of an impending catastrophe that only he can help them avoid.


 


Soon after their father is killed in a mysterious gardening accident (he must've been a drummer with Spinal Tap  :giggle2: ), Thomas is exploring New York's streets when he pans up to look at a building.  And there, caught in the camera lens, he witnesses a murder in progress.


 


Of course, being Whirl360, they have no way of knowing how long ago the photo was taken, but - just to appease Thomas - Ray travels to NYC to see what he can find out.  That's when the trouble really starts. 


 


This is the first Linwood Barclay novel I have read.  I found his writing style instantly engaging and very readable.  I was most impressed by the relationship between Ray and Thomas, which I found very believable.  Ray's difficulties in dealing with his brother's mental illness are conveyed in a fraught first-person view, whilst other characters are represented in third person.  I thought this might be jarring but it worked surprisingly well, jumping backward and forward in time to tell what each character is doing whilst other events are unfolding, then bringing them slickly together towards the end.


 


There are a whole load of twists, several of which I did not see coming at all, and they are fairly evenly spread throughout the novel, accelerating in frequency towards the end.  In fact, the only slight issue I had with the book is that the ending wasn't quite as tense and exciting as it possibly could have been and took some liberties with leaps in logic, with the twists coming thick and fast.  The final twist actually felt like one too many, as if it was just thrown in for the hell of it rather than because it made any sense.


 


The plot itself is far-fetched but well-realised, and it all fits together very well.  I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely read some more of Barclay's work.


 


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Never mind, it's the thought that counts  :D

 

 

 

 

Just recently I've been having trouble settling on what I want to read, more than I have done in a long time.  I started The Martian but dumped it for various reasons, one of which was that I really wanted to be reading A Natural History of Dragons.  Then I thought I'd want to read some historical fiction, got distracted thinking I should get back to the 'Merrily Watkins' books, then decided on a halfway house in Naomi Novik's Temeraire (largely because I found out she's a big Patrick O'Brian fan and the book was marketed as 'Aubrey/Maturin with dragons' - which I suppose it is, but it's very basic and aimed at a younger audience), read 150 pages of that and started getting distracted by historical fiction again.

 

Last night I decided to dump Temeraire, but I still couldn't decide what to read instead.  I was torn between the next Cornwell, Penman's Lionheart, and Christian Cameron's Killer of Men (which I picked up for 99p in a Kindle Daily Deal a week or two back).  So what did I do?  Bought two new books instead :doh: : Cameron's Alexander: God of War (cos I've been wanting to read more about Alexander) and Mary Renault's The King Must Die.  And then I couldn't decide between them, either! :rolleyes::lol:

 

Too much choice, that's what it is  :D

 

 

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Last night I decided to dump Temeraire, but I still couldn't decide what to read instead.  I was torn between the next Cornwell, Penman's Lionheart, and Christian Cameron's Killer of Men (which I picked up for 99p in a Kindle Daily Deal a week or two back).  So what did I do?  Bought two new books instead :doh:

 

I did that recently ; sometimes you just want to have something new in your collection.  :smile:

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I did that recently ; sometimes you just want to have something new in your collection.  :smile:

 

Yes, that's true.  I'm still not sure why none of the other historical fiction I already had seemed to grab me, though :unsure:

 

 

 

 

Ah, shame about Temeraire, but on the upside at least you've saved me from buying it. :giggle2:

You may like it :shrug:  You have a higher tolerance for bog-standard fantasy than I do  :giggle2: 

 

 

 

Daughter of the Empire, perhaps? :yes:

 

There's about as much chance of that as there is of you reading any David Gemmell any time soon  :hide:  :D

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Recent purchases:

 

Killer of Men by Christian Cameron

Tribune of Rome by Robert Fabbri

Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka

The Whale Road by Robert Low

Relentless by Jack Campbell

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

Alexander: God of War by Christian Cameron

The King Must Die by Mary Renault

The Tropic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

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