Every Friday, we here @ Del Rey Spectra will place a 50 page excerpt of a selected title on Suvudu. Whether it be science fiction, epic fantasy, alternate history, horror, urban fantasy, paranormal, the possibilities are endless.
This week’s excerpt comes from His Majesty’s Dragon, by Naomi Novik, a wondrously imaginative fantasy tale that combines dragons, aviation, and the Royal Navy. Novik’s main dragon in the novel, Temeraire, is charming, curious, and full of life. Here’s what esteemed Del Rey Spectra editor Betsy Mitchell had to say about the book:
“Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series has delighted hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide since publication of the first book, His Majesty’s Dragon. Twenty-seven publishers around the world picked up Del Rey’s edition: in Finland it’s known as Kuninkään Lohikaarme, in Croatia Zmaj Njegova Veličanstva. The Catalan edition carries the Stephen King quote “Tremendament entretingut” (“terrifically entertaining”). Film director Peter Jackson obviously agreed; he’s optioned the film rights to the first six books in the series.
If you haven’t yet explored this wonderful alternate universe–which follows the fighting dragon Temeraire and his human captain, Will Laurence, in their efforts to protect England from the juggernaut armies of Napoleon Bonaparte—we’d like to get you started with the first 50 pages of His Majesty’s Dragon. There are six books in print so far and Naomi Novik is at work on the seventh in the series, so you’ll have plenty to continue with if you like this sample!”
As always, feel free to give us feedback in the comments. Or let us know on Twitter via a direct message to our esteemed Twitter maven, editor David Pomerico: www.twitter.com/delreyspectra . Or write on the wall of our Facebook page: Like us at www.facebook.com/delreyspectra .
Please enjoy this extensive excerpt of His Majesty’s Dragon, which is available now in paperback and ebook. And be sure to check out In His Majesty’s Service, an omnibus edition of the first 3 books in the Temeraire series: His Majesty’s Dragon, Throne Of Jade, and Black Powder War.
This is a fantasic read, it’s impossible not to fall in love with Temeraire, he’s a gentleman at heart. I’m excited that Peter Jackson is interested in doing the movies. Fantasy tends to be his genre, and I hope he can bring the books to life as well as Novik did!