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

It turns out, and I wouldn't have discovered this without reading A Natural History of Dragons [US] [UK] by Marie Brennan, that I really like dragons slaying, riding, attacking, hoarding, speaking, snoozing, probably even over-easy ... but to witness them studied for science bored me to death.

I feel really bad about this, because there are some great things about this book, I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

A Natural History of Dragons is a memoir of the life of the famous Lady Trent, who tells about her first interest in dragons and some of her early experiences with them.

The Good

Brennan does a great job sticking to character. The Lady Trent, or just Isabella Camherst as she's known throughout the book, is a woman of science and Brennan very convincingly characterizes her as such. She's so brimming with eagerness to study and learn and discover and it's apparent in both the beginning of her life and her characterization later in life that we only get through the actual telling.

This Victorian era-type place is brought to life with all its sensibilities, especially those that go against a budding young naturalist who is a woman and her constant battle with all those inherent sensibilities. Then she adds dragons to this era! Very cool. Especially since they're all over, from the tiny sparklings that are considered to be insects by many to much larger ones.

And then there's the beautiful artwork by Todd Lockwood. Not only do we get this gorgeous cover, but there are dragons (among other things) depicted throughout the book that are just as captivating.

(I realize the book cover's in the upper left, but this bears repeating!)

The Bad

The problem is that with the over-intrusion of the narrator, Lady Trent, and possibly with the addition of the aristocracy's confidence in their own imperviousness, there really isn't a lot of suspense. Possibly at the very end at one single moment, but that's it. We already know she's fine, she's telling the story and interjecting points about how young and naive she used to be. Now, you can say this about most first-person narratives, but this was even more obvious.

The characters are just not relatable to me. I mentioned above that Brennan nailed the era, but these are high class people that can't even go anywhere without a servant of some sort. I just couldn't love them and I'll take responsibility for this - I know plenty of people love it, but it did not work for me.

It took me a while to figure this out, but it sounds like we're going to get through her whole life in this one book, when really it's only the first couple experiences. Therefore, it seemed to drag on (dragon, get it) this one event. The Lady Trent alludes to many experiences, especially early on, and it sounds like those are all going to happen in this book, but it took me till about 50% in to figure out that it was mainly focused on this one event and that was it. This also could have just been my lack of awareness about sequels because I thought this was a stand-alone book.

In the end, I really do think the problems were my own. A Natural History of Dragons is a well-executed story that I found was just not for me.

2 out of 5 Stars (Just Okay)

 

A Natural History of Dragons will be available for purchase February 5, 2013.

 

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher

Giveaway: A Star Shall Fall, by Marie Brennan

A Star Shall Fall is the third installment in Marie Brennan's Onyx Court series. We are big fans of Marie's work here. We did a signed giveaway for In Ashes Lie, the second book in the series, based on Michael's very enthusiastic review of Midnight Never Come, the first book in the Onyx Court series. Lo an behold, a lucky reader will now be able to walk away with an advance copy of A Star Shall Fall! The curious are encouraged to visit Marie's site and read a chapter or two...

I rather like the cover art, even though it goes against my no dragons on the cover rule. Fairly surprised no one round the old blog-o-sphere has mentioned it yet.

How to Enter This Giveaway

E-mail me your name and address, with "STAR" as the subject of the email. Snarky comments in your entry increase your chances of winning and win bonus entries for future giveaways. The giveaway is open worldwide as long as delivery doesn't require the mounting of an expedition into remote wilderness.

Winner: In Ashes Lie (Signed)

---

The random number generator has spoken. Congratulations to Theresa from South Carolina! May the book sate your "burning need". Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought when you are done with it, as Michael should have a review up some time in the near future.

---

Signed Giveaway: In Ashes Lie, by Marie Brennan

In Ashes Lie (2009), by Marie Brennan is a delightful Historical/High Fantasy set during the great London fire of 1666, and is a followup to Midnight Never Come (2008). To win a signed copy, read the giveaway rules below.

"The year is 1666. The King and Parliament vie for power, fighting eachother with politics and armies alike. Below, the faerie court has enemies of its own. The old ways are breaking down, and no one knows what will rise in their place.

But now, a greater threat has come, one that could destroy everything. In the house of a sleeping baker, a spark leaps free of the over-and ignites a blaze that will burn London to the ground. While the humans struggle to halt the conflagration that is devouring the city street by street, the fae pit themselves against a less tangible foe: the spirit of the fire itself, powerful enough to annihilate everything in its path.

Mortal and fae will have to lay aside the differences that divide them, and fight together for the survival of London itself..."

Giveaway Rules

Want this book for free? Done. Just follow these simple giveaway instructions for your chance to win (giveaway runs for a week from the date of posting):

1) E-mail me your name and address with the title of the book, in caps, as the subject. Snarky comments increase your chances of winning.
2) Sign up for site updates either in RSS or with Friend Connect on the side. This will also let you know about future giveaways!
3) Think happy thoughts.
4) (OPTIONAL) Share or link to any post on the blog--this earns you brownie points as well as increasing your (if you have made it this far) already significant odds.
5) There is no rule number five. I just like odd numbers.

Bona Fide's Two Cents: Seven Essential Second-step Fantasies

On 12th of August 2009, The New Yorker posted an online-article about fantasy book recommendations for readers of books like "Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials, Twilight, Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, The Dark Is Rising." Of course this list aroused interest and it didn't take long until you could read about it on several blogs. I don't want to bother you with a long list of links. I recommend to read the article by Aidan over at A Dribble of Ink. I mostly agree with him except The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers because it did not work for me.

From the original list I read five books. I didn't read The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks and nothing by Guy Gavriel Kay.

That lead me to questions: Am I a fantasy book lover? Am I experienced enough to comment this list? Is it hubris when I try to recommend other books?

As I told you before I'm a fan of Aidan's list but there are still books which I recommend which are not mentioned there. That means I didn't create my own list. I just present you some proposals. Anyhow there are still too many books I have not read so far.....

I start my recommendations with The Last Rune series by Mark Anthony. I don't want to repeat my last post. So please read Bona Fide: Living in a Fantasy World? for more information. I think this series is proper next step for readers of Harry Potter and Narnia. It delivers two worlds and adult heroes.

I'm not a fan of Twilight. But within this year I read a book which shows completely different vampires. I'm talking about Fevre Dream [US] [UK] by George R. R. Martin which has been published first in 1982. I know that Twilight and Fevre Dream are like two sides of coin. That means it is a challenge for Twilight readers.








I liked to read the following two books after Harry Potter - yes I have read all Potter books.

The first one is Un Lun Dun (2007) by China Miéville [US] [UK]. A book with exuberant imagination. You will meet an extraordinary house pet: Curdle, an empty milk carton. Discover the secret life of broken umbrellas and, and, and, ......






The second one is a bit older but still worth reading.
Discover a bizarre realm beneath London and follow Richard Mayhew into a world full of monsters, saints, murderers and angels in Neverwhere (1996), by Neil Gaiman [US] [UK].







Now I want to direct your attention to a historical fantasy book. As I don't know Guy Gavriel Kay I would like to recommend: Midnight Never Come (2008) by Marie Brennan [US] [UK]. This is the first book of The Onyx Court series. The books (so far Marie Brennan has signed a contract for four books) in this historical fantasy series are set in my favorite town, London, and cover different periods of English history. The title of the book is derived from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlow [Free online read].

"Now hast thou but one hower to live
And then thou must be damned perpetually:
Stand stil you ever moving spheres of heaven
That time may cease, and midnight never come!"

For more information please read my review.

My last recommendation is a real intense book and I know a lot of people will tell me that it is no fantasy from a technical point of view. And it is a big book (more than 900 pages). But when you like an awesome story with a historical background then there is no way out to read Terror (2007) [US] [UK] by Dan Simmons.
He tells the story of the last expedition of John Franklin, who tried to find the Northwest Passage in 1845 with the ships HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. Based on the know facts, Dan Simmons presents an expressive and quite impressive metaphor of the expedition. I felt the cold on nearly every page. Let's not forget the intense description of the feelings of the expedition members. Beside all the obvious fun, the reader gets to learn a lot about the customs and traditions of the Eskimos.

The appendix contains the list of crewmembers, a glossary and explanations of Eskimo terms. I recommend this book warmly to everyone who is interested in Arctic Zones, Explorers, and the depths of the human soul.

Review: Midnight Never Come, Marie Brennan

Midnight Never Come (2008) by Marie Brennan [US] [UK] is the first book of The Onyx Court series. The books (so far Marie Brennan has signed a contract for four books) in this historical fantasy series are set in my favorite town, London, and cover different periods of English history. The title of the book is derived from The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlow [Free online read].

"Now hast thou but one hower to live
And then thou must be damnd perpetually:
Stand stil you ever moving spheres of heaven
That time may cease, and midnight never come!"

The Setup

Earth, England, London, Elizabethan Age. Elizabeth I, Virgin Queen, Gloriana rules England. She holds court in Hampton Court Palace in south west London and her "spymaster" Sir Francis Walsingham suspects a conspiracy against the Crown. To be honest this story also fits neatly with other non-fiction works, such as Sir Francis Walsingham: A Courtier in an Age of Terror (2007) by Derek Wilson [US] [UK] and Elizabeth's Spymaster (2007) by Robert Hutchinson [US] [UK].

But it is only half of the setup. Marie Brennan introduces us to a second court. The Onyx Court is beneath London and there Queen Invidiana rules. She is a... FAERIE. Both courts are connected by secret bounds and it is up to Michael Deven, a young man who must attempt to serve both Queen Elizabeth I and Lady Lune, a faerie, to both solve a dangerous riddle and reveal a dark betrayal. Two Queens, two courts; one shines bright in the daylight while the other exists in the shadows. "But a great light casts a great shadow" This is the prelude to a superb story...

My Take in Brief

I won the book at a giveaway in May 2009 and read it during my holiday in July as part of my summer reading list. So the stasis time on my bookshelf has been short compared to unread books I bought up to two years ago.

The story alternates, letting us see both through the eyes of Michael Deven and Lady Lune. Right from the beginning we are rewarded by Marie Brennan's extraordinary writing style, which manifests itself with stunning world-building and characterization; she pampers readers with her prose. The more the plot unfolds, enriched as it is by sumptuous detail -- can you imagine how a human tastes to a faerie -- and supported by memories and flash-backs, the more you loose contact with the real world. You may think now that there is no action in the book, but I promise you there is plenty, and more than enough people die or are tortured to satisfy even the most physical of readers. Sadly though, the depiction of violence is nothing compared to other books like The Ten Thousand (2008) by Paul Kearney [US] [UK] -- which is a powerful read where depictions of battle are so realistic you will find yourself ducking at sword thrusts.

The use of magic is well proportioned and it is refreshing to read about beings with magical abilities who don't manifest themselves as supernatural entities. The whole book is like a hot bath in winter -- but not an ordinary hot bath -- it is bath where soft music plays in the background, a glass of champagne sits next to you, and the water is foam-flecked and generously seeded with your favorite bath salts. Bathe your brain in Midnight Never Come... but beware, once you open the book you can't escape.

Bona Fide's Book Oracle

I can't deny it any longer, I must confess that I am an Anglophile. I like the country, the history, the language, the pubs, the beer, the castles, and even the fog, but most importantly, London. I am vulnerable to books which are set in England, and especially London. You should know this already since you read Bona Fide: The Magic of London.

Uh oh, my alter ego Bona Fide is mumbling in the background: "Stop this senseless yammering and drink two pints of ale. Maybe that will loosen your tongue, and you can finally praise this extraordinarily well written book. Beware, for if the ale doesn't work, I will have to call Gog and Magog. They will give you a good kick in the pants which will surely speed up your thoughts. Now, tell your readers about this brilliantly woven historical fantasy, how it accurately integrates fact and faery myth. Indeed, so well is the feat achieved, so subtly does it suspend disbelief, that one might easily classify the book as a History. You can easily recommend this book to all those who enjoy a superb mix of history, myth, romance, fantasy, politics, with intrigues and riddles woven throughout. Damn you, you woeful reviewer. Use my thoughts and write!" My answer:"Shut up, you have clouded my thoughts! How shall I concentrate with such an annoying voice in my head!" Dear reader, please accept my apologies for the interruption. Of course I have my own opinion about this book. I highly recommend Midnight Never Come to anyone who loves the Elizabethan Era; who is still fascinated by faeries and their myths; who wants to read historical facts masterfully interwoven with fantasy in well written prose; who wants to uncover the price that must be payed when you fall in love with immortals.

Links

For more information please check out following sources: Marie's Live Journal blog and Marie Brennan's homepage. Don't miss the The Stories of The Onyx Court section which contains free reads and a novellas. The idea of the Faerie Queen has been inspired by the epic poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, written in praise of Elizabeth I.

Piqued Your Interest?

For you who will read until the end of the post I will beg on you to open your purse and buy copies of Midnight Never Comes and In Ashes Lie (2009) [US] [UK] the second book of The Onyx Court series. Don't worry, I am only just one step ahead of you because a copy of In Ashes Lie is whispering to me from my shelf: "Read me, read me, read me..."