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Temeraire
Topic Started: Jul 23 2008, 05:43 PM (267 Views)
SladeJack
The Grand SladeJack
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An ASB series I just heard of:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/91728/ref=...ition=hardcover

The premise seems to involve the early-19th century world of history peopled with domesticated dragons of the sentient, linguistically fluent type. The British and French have taken to using them to support naval operations.

I didn't look at all the summaries but it has an AH component: in the most recent book, a rare instance of Amazon's suggestions for me not being hopelessly off-base, the French cross the Channel, realize they forgot to load their army onto its transports, sail back, pick them up, cross the Channel again, and march on London. I fear me it's Mad Anglo horsewash about how horrible Napoleon was but it still looked like it might be worth a gander. I'd guess the first four books also include AH components, and I'd ask, If the presence of dragons (apparently they've always been around) can dramatically reshape history, why hasn't it done so till this date? Also, reference was made to the author's meticulous reconstruction of the tactics of this era--wouldn't those tactics be different if every army and navy had aerial support?

Just the same it looked like it could be a charming little ASB series.
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Makkabee
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Perhaps the dragons lived in the tropical belt and only now are coming into contact with commercial/industrial society?
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Custer
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SladeJack
Jul 23 2008, 06:43 PM
the French cross the Channel, realize they forgot to load their army onto its transports, sail back, pick them up, cross the Channel again, and march on London.

Awesome.
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SladeJack
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"Perhaps the dragons lived in the tropical belt and only now are coming into contact with commercial/industrial society?"

They say dragons are ubiquitous and each country breeds its own special variety. The Chinese are the best at it, but theirs are very rare. The first book opens with a British ship assigned to stop a French one that is carrying a dragon egg from China and capture the egg live.

"Awesome."

Well the first and last bits are what happen. The middle were in there for your benefit.

From what I can gather the French are better at dragon-flying than the British and that net advantage has made them the naval equal or better of Britain. The hope was that the captured Chinese dragon would give the British air parity but something went wrong and the dragon's rider was scapegoated.

I may read it but not for some months yet--I've got too much on my plate.
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Custer
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My Napoleon invades England story was great by itself; no dragons need apply for the crossing in that one.
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Jake Featherston
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If you add dragons to any situation is immediately makes it 10000x awesome.

Jesus with dragons=AWESOME
The American Revolution with dragons=AWESOME
The Civil War with dragons=AWESOME
WWI and II with dragons=KICK ASS AWESOME
Cuban Missile Crisis with dragons=AWESOME
Michael Bay with dragons=....even he could fuck that up.

But yeah, I loved the Darkness series. A blitzkrieg with DRAGONS!!!!!
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SladeJack
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"If you add dragons to any situation is immediately makes it 10000x awesome."

I must have missed that algebra lesson.
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Makkabee
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Jake Featherston
Jul 24 2008, 02:31 AM
Jesus with dragons=AWESOME

Been done. "The Way of the Cross and Dragon" by George R.R. Martin won the Hugo award back in 1980.
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SladeJack
The Grand SladeJack
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"The Civil War with dragons=AWESOME"

Don't be too sure. In WBtP, the Thomas Edison analog finds a way to make the Rebs hallucinate dragons. They look up, say "Eep!" but then realize they're not real and pay them no further mind. Then some Reb wizard somehow makes a real dragon attack the George Thomas analog's HQ. A very brief skirmish, then the Edison analog finds some way to make it fly off and everyone just gets on with their lives. Riveting stuff, eh?
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Makkabee
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Turtledove's done the illusory dragon thing before. In the Videssos Cycle one of the armies tried that same trick -- didn't work so well there either.
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SladeJack
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I guess he's trying to make a point about matter over mind?
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