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A natural history of dragons
Apr. 24th, 2022 08:03 pmI very much enjoyed this series by Marie Brennan. Set in a Victorian style era, it is the memoirs of Lady Trent, a much-respected naturalist, looking back on the discoveries she made in their younger years, during the course of adventure-filled journeys to far-flung corners of the earth. The twist? The subject of all her scientific enquiry is dragons - but not magical dragons. This is a world in which dragons are just one more variety of wildlife, little different from tigers or wolves or bears. Her interest in them is to understand them For Science. The series is classed as fantasy, but it reads as a historical novel, just one set in a world that never was.
The setting is not an AU version of our world. The geography is different, with different country names, different leaders, different histories and different religions. However, most of the places visited have clear parallels in our world, as reflected in the language, names and social structure. "Ah, that's France. That's China. That's Indonesia," you can say, as different places are mentioned or visited. The main character's homeland very clearly equates to England in early Victorian times. Just like real Victorian England, it's a society dominated by rich men. Lady Trent is a pioneer, and has to fight sexism every step of the way.
The author has a background in anthopology and archaeology, and it very much shows. Most of Lady Trent's journeys involve stays with people whose social structures and values are very different from what she's used to, in interesting ways. Archaeology and ancient language is a strong thread running through the books, with some scenes carrying a strong Indiana Jones vibe - but an Indiana Jones who actually adheres to archaeological good practice. There's some romance, too, and some humour, and a solid cast of supporting characters who grow and change along with Lady Trent over the 20 or so years covered by the series.
I enjoyed it all very much, so much so that I immediately went back and read it all over again.
The setting is not an AU version of our world. The geography is different, with different country names, different leaders, different histories and different religions. However, most of the places visited have clear parallels in our world, as reflected in the language, names and social structure. "Ah, that's France. That's China. That's Indonesia," you can say, as different places are mentioned or visited. The main character's homeland very clearly equates to England in early Victorian times. Just like real Victorian England, it's a society dominated by rich men. Lady Trent is a pioneer, and has to fight sexism every step of the way.
The author has a background in anthopology and archaeology, and it very much shows. Most of Lady Trent's journeys involve stays with people whose social structures and values are very different from what she's used to, in interesting ways. Archaeology and ancient language is a strong thread running through the books, with some scenes carrying a strong Indiana Jones vibe - but an Indiana Jones who actually adheres to archaeological good practice. There's some romance, too, and some humour, and a solid cast of supporting characters who grow and change along with Lady Trent over the 20 or so years covered by the series.
I enjoyed it all very much, so much so that I immediately went back and read it all over again.
