I was having issues with BL so I created a poll on my Wordpress blog.

https://tannatreads.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/snakes-and-ladders-pick-my-last-book/

Well, that worked out.

(Moonlight Reader's rule post)

Squares:

1. Author is a woman: Poulets grillés par Sophie Hénaff (2 dice: 2+6 = 8)

9. Author's last name begins with the letters H, I, J, or K: Blood Price by Tanya Huff (4+4 = 8)

17. Genre: horror: Salvage: a Ghost Story by Duncan Ralston (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

26. Part of a series that is more than 5 books long: An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters [Cadfael #11] (6+5 = 11)

37. Has won an award: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (1 die: 4)

41. Characters involved in politics: The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

50. Has a domestic animal on the cover: The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (4+3 = 7)

57. Was published more than 50 years ago: Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein (2 dice: 1+4 = 5)

I combined this with a couple of short stories from The New Voices of Science Fiction to be sure to hit the 200 page count mark.

62. Cover is more than 50% green: Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (2 dice: 3+2 = 5)

67. Set in a city with a population of greater than 5 million people: Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell (2 dice: 3+5 = 8)

75. Set in a fantasy world: Two Serpents Rising by Max Gladstone (2 dice: 4+1 = 5)

80. Main character is a man: L’énigme des Blancs-Manteaux by Jean-François Parot (2 dice: 6+1 = 7)

87. Snake - go back to 57

57. Was published more than 50 years ago: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (2 dice: 4+2 = 6)

63. Cover is more than 50% blue

You know which cover fits? The second Wimsey audio... Think I should?

So much for an easy, uneventful game...

(Moonlight Reader's rule post)

Squares:

1. Author is a woman: Poulets grillés par Sophie Hénaff (2 dice: 2+6 = 8)

9. Author's last name begins with the letters H, I, J, or K: Blood Price by Tanya Huff (4+4 = 8)

17. Genre: horror: Salvage: a Ghost Story by Duncan Ralston (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

26. Part of a series that is more than 5 books long: An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters [Cadfael #11] (6+5 = 11)

37. Has won an award: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (1 die: 4)

41. Characters involved in politics: The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

50. Has a domestic animal on the cover: The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (4+3 = 7)

57. Was published more than 50 years ago: Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein (2 dice: 1+4 = 5)

I combined this with a couple of short stories from The New Voices of Science Fiction to be sure to hit the 200 page count mark.

62. Cover is more than 50% green: Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (2 dice: 3+2 = 5)

67. Set in a city with a population of greater than 5 million people: Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell (2 dice: 3+5 = 8)

75. Set in a fantasy world: Two Serpents Rising by Max Gladstone (2 dice: 4+1 = 5)

80. Main character is a man: L’énigme des Blancs-Manteaux by Jean-François Parot (2 dice: 6+1 = 7)

87. Snake - go back to 57

57. Was published more than 50 years ago

(Moonlight Reader's rule post)

Squares:

1. Author is a woman: Poulets grillés par Sophie Hénaff (2 dice: 2+6 = 8)

9. Author's last name begins with the letters H, I, J, or K: Blood Price by Tanya Huff (4+4 = 8)

17. Genre: horror: Salvage: a Ghost Story by Duncan Ralston (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

26. Part of a series that is more than 5 books long: An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters [Cadfael #11] (6+5 = 11)

37. Has won an award: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (1 die: 4)

41. Characters involved in politics: The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (2 dice: 3+6 = 9)

50. Has a domestic animal on the cover: The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters (4+3 = 7)

57. Was published more than 50 years ago: Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein (2 dice: 1+4 = 5)

I combined this with a couple of short stories from The New Voices of Science Fiction to be sure to hit the 200 page count mark.

62. Cover is more than 50% green: Poseidon's Gold by Lindsey Davis (2 dice: 3+2 = 5)

67. Set in a city with a population of greater than 5 million people: Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell (2 dice: 3+5 = 8)

75. Set in a fantasy world: Two Serpents Rising by Max Gladstone (2 dice: 4+1 = 5)

80. Main character is a man

Maybe I can finish my French book for this square...

An enjoyable first part of a fantasy series - not so much as a single book, though.

When I picked up the book, I was intrigued by the premise: an alternate universe where almost everything is (mostly) similar to ours in the 19th century, except dragons exist, they're sentient and are used for war, and because of this they and their riders very sought after by the armies of most countries and empires.

From the premise, I guessed it would have either been a silly fun romp, but the world building did turn out to be much more deep and well crafted than I would have imagined. The author could have gone with a full blown high fantasy world, but instead she decided to stick to the real world of the time, and she definitely did her research. If the next books will focus a bit more on the other countries and how they fit into this world, or at least on other foreign characters, I will be definitely read more of this series.

However, a few things didn't completely grab me: the main characters, both Temeraire, the dragon, and Laurence, his human rider, aren't really that compelling, at least so far. There are a few elements in the story that I hope will be explored in future books, but for the moment there isn't much of note to them - aside form the fact that they both speak like dapper gentlemen, especially Temeraire. If I had a shot everytime either of them says "pray" instead of "please", I'd need a new liver.

The story itself is a pretty standard "boy and his dragon" kind of plot, not done badly and with some nice twists due to the realpolitiks of this world, but still a bit predictable in some parts. At points the book feels a bit more like a set up for the rest of the series than an enjoyable story of its own. I have a few more thoughts, but I'll hold them back until after I've finished the second book in the series.