From "real" dragons in the Temeraire series, to a wizard who is a dragon in name only in Uprooted; from a fantasy version of the Napoleonic Wars to a novel that takes the form of a Polish fairy tale--Naomi Novik's creative imagination provides readers with a new world.
It started very much like a book I read last year (Dragon Rose), and I was a little nervous about the similarity (of a girl chosen to leave her village and be a companion of the local dragon). Fortunately, Novik has created a story that captivates on several levels and has little in common with the other book.
Novik's Uprooted is one of those special fantasy/fairy tales that will seize your interest and curiosity, keep you in suspense, and linger long after you finish. It has that indefinable "classic" feel, yet the characters have a depth that classical fairy tale characters lack. The best of both worlds!
About the author:
Naomi Novik was born in New York in 1973, a first-generation American, and raised on Polish fairy tales, Baba Yaga, and Tolkien. She studied English Literature at Brown University and did graduate work in Computer Science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide.
Her first novel, His Majesty’s Dragon, was published in 2006 along with Throne of Jade and Black Powder War, and has been translated into 23 languages. She has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. The fourth volume of theTemeraire series, Empire of Ivory, published in September 2007, was a New York Times bestseller, and was followed by bestsellers Victory of Eagles and Tongues of Serpents.
On April 26, 2011, she published Will Supervillains Be on the Final?, volume one in a new graphic novel series titled Liberty Vocational. She is also currently writing League of Dragons, the final Temeraire novel. (naominovik.com)
Read in April; blog post scheduled for May 4.NetGalley/Random House/Del Ray Spectra
Fantasy/Fairy Tale. May 19, 2015. Print length: 448 pages.
Sounds like you enjoyed this book very much! I'll have to check this out.
ReplyDeleteI found Uprooted compelling (perfect for the Once Upon a Time challenge), and I'm happy that Novik is branching out from her original series about Temeraire!
DeleteI am glad to hear you liked this one, Jenclair. I love the sound of this one.
ReplyDeleteLove that Uprooted came at the right time for inclusion in Carl's OUaT challenge. And I'm happy that Novik's new book (after such a long series) is a terrific stand-alone!
DeleteFun fun fun! I liked the first few Temeraire novels and then found it to be diminishing returns as the series continued, but I'm definitely in to try another book by Naomi Novik. And this sounds really fun.
ReplyDeleteI loved the first Temeraire novel and liked the second, but you are right about "diminishing returns"--I lost interest fairly soon. I really liked Uprooted, although the conclusion was a little drawn out.
DeleteI'm excited for this! I have read all the Temeraire books and continue to enjoy them, though I think the series should have been shorter. Four or five at the most would have been enough.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like Novik's Uprooted! I'm glad she has branched out from the Temeraire series and am eager to see what she comes up with next. Another series or another stand-alone?
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