Of ceiling wax, clipper ships, and dragons....

Kasey Cox


For this week’s book column, I could tell you that Wally Lamb, author of bestsellers “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much Is True”, early Oprah Book Club discovery, has a new novel out this week, for the first time in ten years. I could tell you that there’s a “Complete Movie Guide” book for all the fans of the young adult romance “Twilight” series, whose first movie will be released on November 21st. Perhaps I could answer the FAQ about J.K. Rowling’s wizard fable book, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”, to be released at the beginning of December.

Although all of these announcements are news in the book world, and perhaps worthy of a column inch or two here in the Gazette, I’m going to take us in a slightly different direction, for several reasons. Because you can read these headline events in book and entertainment news anywhere. Because I enjoy letting you know a little bit about other choices you and yours have. Because after you’ve read Harry Potter, or Twilight, or the newest J.D. Robb, or the latest Jodi Picoult on the market, there are still others to enjoy. Little gems who don’t get the same flashing neon ads, who aren’t featured on NPR or the cover of the New York Times book review, but who are, nevertheless, great reads just waiting for you to discover them!

My latest discovery – (as I claim any credit for this, I can hear my friends Jen, and Justin, saying, “but we told you about this author months ago!!”; in my defense, if I tried to read every book that either of these two recommended to me, I’d never come out of my room) – is Naomi Novik. Novik debuted in the fantasy scene less than three years ago, but she obviously brings a great deal of skill and thought to the writing profession. And, thank goodness, Novik presents an original angle to the – dare I say it? – seemingly endless series of books about dragons. Though for some fans what I here declare will be blasphemy, Novik’s “Temeraire” series runs circles around Christopher Paolini’s more popular, more well-known, more financially successful “Eragon” series.

What’s so cool about the “Temeraire” series? Well, for starters, Temeraire brings to life the Napoleanic Era of Patrick O’Brien’s “Master and Commander” series. Although I like history, I find this era too often written about in terms as dry as the powder on the wigs the gentrified class wore. Novik creates characters and situations with page-turning life, instructing and exciting all at once.

For those of you who could care less about science fiction, fantasy, dragons, or any combination thereof, chances are you know someone who does like to read this kind of book. Since gift-giving season is upon us, I also suggest the “Temeraire” series because it’s something different, a series your loved one may not have read yet, and it’s available in inexpensive mass-market paperbacks, so everyone wins. For parents and kids, grandparents and grandchildren, teachers and students, Novik also provides a wonderful opportunity for discussion, books where many different interests can be met and shared.

Hobo was considering being the cat on a ship, but he’s not much of a mouser. He says he’s a lover, not a fighter. He likes some dragons, though – look at his relationship with occasional fire-breather, Kevin. He also sympathizes with David and Goliath stories, like England vs. the Napoleanic Empire, and indie stores vs. big, impersonal corporations. You can follow his battles at http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com