From Scirland, something like Victorian England during the height of scientific discovery and exploration, Isabella, Lady Trent, defies convention and risks personal peril and terrible loss by joining an expedition into the darkest and most dangerous reaches of storied Eriga to investigate the habits and habitat of dragons. Written much in the fashion of Charles Darwin traveling to the Galapagos — think Amelia Peabody, with dragons — this reminded me of everything from Star Trek: TNG’s The Measure of a Man to H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy. Written from Isabella’s old age with a clear eye for scientific observation both of herself and her surroundings, including illustrations of dragons by Isabella’s own hand, this is an adventure novel as well as a coming of age novel, and what looks to be the first in a long series of her adventures. A fun read.

Book Review Monday Chatter A Natural History of Dragons Marie Brennan