Naomi Novik is going to write a Temeraire-universe short story about Elizabeth Bennet as a dragon captain, based on fanart sent into a contest she is holding on her site. The squee we emitted upon reading this could be heard in space.
“The story for this one is actually going to be the longest of the collection, because having seen this picture I now can’t NOT write Captain Elizabeth Bennet’s story…!” — Naomi
For those unfamiliar with the Temeraire books, they are a fantasy series set during the Napoleonic Wars, with dragons outfitted with crews and arms giving aerial support to the Royal Navy and the Army. It is an alternate universe setting (obviously!) so some historical details are different–for one thing, France invades Britain at one point.* Women serve in the Aerial Corps–though their existence is kept more or less secret as society disapproves–because certain species of dragons will only accept women companions/captains. The novels have an amazing period feel in both the dialogue and the action. Temeraire the dragon is an absolutely delightful character (as are most of the dragons) and his companion, Captain William Laurence, is a real Hottie McHotbreeches in many ways–good-looking, heroic, and tortured. (Paging Richard Armitage; Mr. Armitage, please pick up the white courtesy phone.) If Jane Austen and Patrick O’Brian and Anne McCaffrey had a love child (yes, we know, but stay with us) they would be these novels. If you have any liking at all for fantasy or Age of Sail novels–we love both–check these out!
*We were kind of freaked out in one scene to hear Lord Nelson discussing the Battle of Trafalgar and then we thought “WAIT WHAT DRAGONS” and got over it.
AustenBlog 
Squueee!, too. 🙂
Gotta read the latest Temeraire first, though. Somehow it got pushed back in my TBR-List.
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AWESOME!!
The only thing better would be steampunk Austen.
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This book series sounds intriguing, though for Age of Sail I prefer Hornblower to Aubrey. But where and when might someone read this short story of dragonriding Elizabeth?
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S, Naomi is writing some stories based on winners of a fanart contest, to be published as a limited edition book hopefully by the end of this year. There will be higher-quality leatherbound edition and a less-expensive hardback. Once the books sell out, the stories will be published on her website. So we’ll have to wait a while.
I prefer Hornblower as well but the humor and period feel of the Temeraire books are more O’Brianish, I think. And she’s obviously read her Austen as well. Compared to a lot of so-called historical fiction being published these days, and despite the AU-ness of it–there are changes to the historical timeline as well as the inclusion of dragons–the Temeraire books really feel more correct to the period, IMO.
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I’ll have to give them a go.
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