happy
naominovik got me. I was just reading the excerpt of Temeraire at her web page (It was released in the UK last month), but the U.S. edition, His Majesty's Dragon, will be released from Del Rey in March, with the second and third books to follow on a very speedy schedule.Well, the first sentence is confusing, and I had to reread it several times before I got an accurate mental picture. And there's a POV-break to describe the protagonist that distracted me, but your average reader will skip right past it without noticing a thing.
However, comma, the significant thing is that, having gotten past those two minor bobbles, I read it, with vast enjoyment and the occasional pause to reread and savor, through to the end. The voice is lovely, the characterizations nicely layered, and the worldbuilding seemingly effortless--and only somebody who worldbuilds for a living can tell you how much effort goes into making it look easy. Brava!
Upon reading the excerpt, I ran right over to Amazon UK and ordered the Brit edition because I bloody well wasn't waiting until April to read the rest. Twenty dollars in shipping be damned. This is the shit. Man.
Now I have to get my hands on a copy of Tooth and Claw...