Comments on: His Majesty’s Dragon

By: Bookgasm: Reading Material to Get Excited About » Blog Archive » Empire of Ivory

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:02:20 +0000

[...] this was a good dramatic technique in the first book – HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON – by the time this book takes place, Temeraire already has visited China, where dragons are [...]

By: FRIDAY AFTERNOON REGASM >> 7.14.06 » Bookgasm

FRIDAY AFTERNOON REGASM >> 7.14.06 » Bookgasm — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 20:04:49 +0000

[...] Mark Rose is BOOKGASM, Ltd.’s resident fantasy genius. He’s sensitive to nuance (no, I’m not making a joke about how that dragon book made him cry) and has an eye for story, so his ultra-positive review of FIREBIRD by R. Garcia y Robinson should be taken as fact. I said read it, Bilbo! [...]

By: FRIDAY AFTERNOON REGASM >> 6.16.06 » Bookgasm

FRIDAY AFTERNOON REGASM >> 6.16.06 » Bookgasm — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 21:33:12 +0000

[...] *And one time he cried. [...]

By: Bookgasm » Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe

Bookgasm » Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:02:45 +0000

[...] Blithe’s newness to the Navy and to magic is explored in depth. The book spends much time discussing Blithe’s training in magic and combat, and we learn more of the Arcanian way as Blithe goes through boot camp. But Blithe’s inexperience eventually ends up costing the ship dearly, and he must work hard to win the respect of his fellow crewmates. It’s a fairly standard sea adventure story, except for the marvelous descriptions of magical effects and the presence of dragons. While I’m a sucker for books on dragons, I don’t quite get Ward’s ecology of the beasts as he describes it here. It seems at some point they have exposed internal organs, which seems unlikely in the least. In all, dragon lore isn’t handled nearly as well as in Naomi Novik’s HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON. [...]

By: Bookgasm » BOOK WHORE >> 3.28.06

Bookgasm » BOOK WHORE >> 3.28.06 — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:04:05 +0000

[...] • Anyone out there not read THE DA VINCI CODE yet? If so, Dan Brown’s thriller is set to take them prisoner as it hits paperback today, while the hardcover still rakes in it on the Top 10. It’s been almost three years since I read it, pre-success, pre-parodies, pre-movie, pre-lawsuits; what’s been lost since then is that it’s an extremely well-done read. • HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON is the first book in a fantasy trilogy from Naomi Novik, about giant dragons fighting wars. BOOKGASM reviewed it last week here; it made our reviewer cry. Twice. In public. Must be damn good. • Michael Gruber’s NIGHT OF THE JAGUAR is a supernatural thriller that serves as a follow-up to TROPIC OF NIGHT and VALLEY OF BONES. One review I read mentioned something about a shapeshifting jungle cat, which spells “intriguing” to me. • For those seeking behind-the-scenes dish on the films ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, SWAMP THING and CREEPSHOW, search no more! Buxom ’80s actress Adrienne Barbeau busts out with her autobiography, THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO. We give the cover two thumbs up. • Egyptology nuts could do worse than TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD, Elizabeth Peters’ 18th entry in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. • GONE is where Jonathan Kellerman hopes his latest crime novel goes from store shelves. It’s the 19th in his Alex Delaware series. Suck on that, Peabody! • Ruth Reichl recounts her experiences as an undercover food critic for The New York Times in GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES: THE SECRET LIFE OF A CRITIC IN DISGUISE. Part memoir, part recipe book, it made me all hungry. • Hitting paperback is ONE SHOT, the most recent Jack Reacher thriller from Lee Child. Dig in before Reacher returns this summer in THE HARD WAY. Me, I’m still two books behind! • The third book in Raymond E. Feist’s CONCLAVE OF SHADOWS series, EXILE’S RETURN, arrives in paperback to appease fantasy fans. • From 2003, Jane Jensen’s DANTE’S EQUATION gets reprinted in this heady sci-fi thriller combining codes and the Kabbalah. Piece of red yarn not included. [...]