Throne Of Jade

An historical fantasy with bite. This deliciously addictive debut novel from Naomi Novik captures the Napoleonic period perfectly and skillfully layers history with imagination by adding a Dragon Air Force to the battle for England.As Napoleon's infantry rampages across Europe and his armada lies in wait for Nelson's smaller fleet, the war does not rage on land and water alone. Squadrons of aviators swarm the skies. Raining fire and acid upon their enemies, they engage in a swift, violent combat with flying tooth and claw... The Dragon Air Corps.Captain Laurence has a respectable commission aboard the ship Reliant, a pretty but ambitious fianceand his life all planned out. But months before the battle of Trafalgar, on patrol in the Atlantic, the Reliant captures a small French frigate, storm-damaged and possessing a fierce crew unwilling to surrender as easily as they should. On board Laurence finds a dragon egg.Having spent months on a slow journey from Asia, the egg hatches. Hatchling dragons must be put in a harness immediately otherwise the dragon-young become hard to control - fit only for the breeding colonies. The person chosen to first harness the beast must be an aviator, for the dragon will accept no other. The life of an aviator is not a desirable one; reviled by fashionable society, they live hard, lonely lives bound to duty and they frequently die young. Ignoring the young midshipman Laurence had assigned to the task, the dragon picks Laurence himself, and now his life will be changed forever.