A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent

A Natural History of Dragons

A Memoir by Lady Trent #1

Publisher: Tor Books (2013)

Author: Marie Brennan

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Price: $15.99

Immediately upon opening the book I was struck by the strength and confidence clearly present in the narrator. After a brief preface the memoir begins and we're introduced to a girl not very much like the narrator at all. I think this will be a fun aspect of this series going forward; the audience will get to witness the events in Lady Trent's life that shaped her. The growth of the character from the nineteen year old that is the protagonist of the story, into the self-assured matron telling us the story will be fun to watch happen.

Despite the title of the book; dragons ,while a catalyst for the story, do not factor into the story as I expected. I was prepared for a series of anecdotes, perhaps Lady Trent's most exciting or informative studies. Those stories would help bring some science and biological detail to the fantastic beasts. This is not the case. While there is some content delving into the natural history and biology of dragons the majority of the book is filled with a courtship, political wrangling and conspiracies.

Is this a bad thing? Not at all. While I had started the book expecting one thing, and getting another, that's what you get when you start a book with all sorts of preconceived notions. I was treated to what was an enjoyable story, with tidbits concerning the science of dragons sprinkled in along the way. Marie Brennan makes the few scientific discoveries along the way seem very exciting by using an idealistic but intelligent main character that seems to have as much enthusiasm for dragons that I had for dinosaurs at a much younger age.

Conclusion: Not as much of a dragon-fix as I had hoped, but there is enough intrigue to keep the reader interested. I had feared that the examinations of social standing would be boring, but the way in which Marie Brennan presented them kept it interesting. I was left wanting dragons to take a more prominent role in the story, but overall can't complain about the story that was told.

Rating: 7.25/10