This volume is a collection of short stories and vignettes (which Naomi Novik calls drabbles) all set in her alternate world historical fiction universe that feature dragons along side the fighting ships of the Napoleonic time. There are a couple of very interesting longer tales such as dragon pirates (Golden Age) and a Jane Austin re-write ( Dragons and Decorum) plus plenty of small windows into the world of Temeraire. As an added bonus, there is an illustration for each story. So if you like Novik's work, or her dragons, you are likely to enjoy Golden Age and Other Stories

I am a big fan of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, which basically is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy, set in the Napoleonic era with real people and events, but in a world where dragons exist and a part of the battles. This is a collection of short stories set in that world. Definitely not for people who are not already fans of the series, as it does not provide an introduction and if you don't already know the world and some of its characters you would be totally lost. Even for fans, it's hard to say this is a must-read as it is kind of a mixed bag. There are 6 regular short stories, and then the end is a collection of "drabbles" of stories of 100 words or less. The drabbles I'm sure were a fun writing exercise, but are pretty pointless as a reader. 4 of the 6 short stories were just okay. But two of the stories were totally terrific - one imagines a different start to the story in the books, where after a shipwreck Temeraire ends up hatching alone on an island but ultimately still meeting Laurence; the other story is a terrific Pride and Prejudice with dragons - Elizabeth Bennet as a captain of a Longwing! Those two stories were great and totally worth reading, but averaging it out with the rest of the book I'm going to rate this one 3 stars. I nonetheless will continue to read everything Naomi Novik writes.

Beautiful book for fans of Temeraire

If you love dragons (and who doesn't) than you will know Naomi Novik's Temeraire universe. So you surely will love this anthology, consistsing of six short stories and many drabbles (that are stories consisting of 100 words exactly).
What really makes it outstanding, is the fan-art that is included.

Regarding the stories, I think you will need knowledge of the novels to really appreciate them. So the book is not the right place, for someone, who wants to start with Novik's world.
In my opinion, the only story that can stay alone is “Dragons and Decorum”, an enjoyable riff on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Finally, for me, the drabbles are more an intellectual game, laking to much to be immersive reading.

So all in all a book, that caters to the existing fans of the series, with not enough "flesh" to bring new readers to it.

Thank you very much for approving me for this book. I have attempted to read it a few times but could not connect with it. I don't intend to review the book or comment upon it, since I don't feel that would be fair under the circumstances.

Naomi Novik is an author whose books I believed I would greatly enjoy. Her stories sounds fascinating and fantasy is the genre I constantly gravitate towards: win, win! I thought these tales would be a good introduction to her work and whilst they did ensure me of the prowess of her penmanship, I found the actual content of the stories a little overwhelming. Without having read of the world they are all set in, I was repeatedly confused with the terminology used. The species of dragon and the world itself was never introduced, as I should have expected, and with no prior knowledge I was lost in this collection. This isn't to say I will never revisit this anthology, but perhaps only after I have read the series that accompanies them.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

golden age and other stories (Naomi Novik)

Title: golden age and other stories

Author: Naomi Novik

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardback)

ISBN: 978-1596068292

Source: NetGalley

Ah the beautiful cover with both dragons and ships lured me in. Arrrr! The author, Naomi Novik, hooked me and had me super excited to read this collection of stories revisiting the dragon, Temeraire and his world. This collection did not disappoint. It contains 6 stories and 26 drabbles. What is a drabble? I'll get to that . . .

"Volly's Cow"

This is a very short story about Temeraire trying to obtain the vote of Volly. I am not quite clear on the whole voting plotline as I have yet to finish the whole Temeraire series but of course I like silly Volly and the story did entertain.

"Planting Season"

This story showcases John Wampanoag, an enterprising dragon trader. Apparently he shows up later in the Temeraire books. All I know is that this story was one of the highlights for me. This is a colonial-era story with John's navigation of both Native American and European factions. Short yet sweet.

"Dawn of Battle"

This story involves Jane Roland before the Battle of the Nile and the destruction of L'Orient. Jane is a young captain trying to exert her influence on her male crew. I adored her relationship with Excidium. It is amazing that this story took place before the action of the battle and yet was exciting in its own right.

"Golden Age"

This fabulous story is a re-imaging of how Temeraire and Laurence meet. Temeraire, called Celeste in this incarnation, is washed up on the shore of a seemingly deserted island. The first part of the story is told from Celeste's point of view about how he develops and what occurs on this island. The second half is from Laurence's point of view. From battles at sea to fights with kraken to the burgeoning friendship of man and dragon, this one was a pure delight.

"Succession"

A lovely story that takes place in China and tells the story of Temeraire's inception and the start to how his egg ends up meeting Laurence. I loved the viewpoint of Qian and her viewpoint of the Chinese politics. It shows such a different dragon culture from the European fighting forces centered one.

"Dragons and Decorum"

A Pride and Prejudice retelling with Elizabeth Bennett as a Captain with her own dragon. Amazing. 'Nuff said.

"Drabbles"

Apparently a drabble according to the author is "a story of 100 words - and while there are many debates on how strictly this limit should be observed, for purposes of this collection I have kept to the exact number." The collection contains 26 of them. These snippets were very interesting and well written but overall just left me wanting them to be longer. Perhaps these will be turned into longer stories in the future. Mulan with dragons anyone? Yes please.

While I enjoyed this collection immensely, there was one flaw of the kindle edition - the artwork. It was black and white which I did not mind for the historical feel of it. But each image was so small and several were missing altogether. I wish the art could have been enlarged when clicking on it so I could have seen the full details. I am assuming that the hardback will have no such problems of course. So if ye like dragons in general and Temeraire specifically, then pick this collection up!

Side note: the author's website has larger versions of the artwork on it! Hooray! Reading by Amy Thompson is me favorite with Dragons in a Winter Clearing by Stephanie Mendoza being a close second. Okay but the cover art by Sandara Tang is awesome. That much wonderful dragon art . . . can't complain. Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Subterranean Press!

Subterranean Press' website has this to say about the novel:

Naomi Novik ended her acclaimed, beloved nine-volume Temeraire series last year with a stunning finale, League of Dragons. Fans missing their favorite series can now rejoice: Novik returns with an original Temeraire collection as unique as the world she has created, with each tale inspired by an accompanying piece of fan art. The Temeraire novels provide a window into an alternate nineteenth century populated with Novik’s own richly human and unforgettably draconic characters as they adventure alongside well-known historical figures. That tradition continues here. Readers will delight at appearances by fan-favorite characters from the series and historical figures like the famed explorer Matteo Ricci. In “Planting Season,” Novik shows us an early glimpse of American dragon John Wampanoag at Boston Harbor. “Golden Age” finds a dragon who believes he remembers being called Celeste hatch from a shipwreck-tossed crate onto an island where he meets others of his kind. But other famous fictional characters are to be discovered here as well. Readers will certainly recognize a certain Miss Bennet (here Captain Bennet) and her suitor, Mr. Darcy, in “Dragons and Decorum.”Filled with the inventive world-building, rich detail, sparkling wit, and deep emotion that readers have come to expect from Novik’s work, Golden Age and Other Stories is a treasure at home on any Temeraire-lover’s bookshelf.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Naomi Novik - Author

To buy the novel go to:

golden age and other stories - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Inspired by fan art, Novik has produced a series of short (sometimes extremely short) stories set in her Temeraire universe. The briefest tales, which bookend the collection, are forgettable, but the five in the middle are all well worthwhile. They fill in back story for secondary characters, illuminate other nations' relationships with dragons, and examine alternate possibilities. The standout entry is “Dragons and Decorum,” a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice if Elizabeth Bennet were burdened with a highly opinionated dragon. A charming love letter to the series and its fans.

Absolutely delightful read for a pre-existing Temeraire fan, although I'm not sure if someone new to the series would get much out of it. The only thing that would have made me enjoy it more would be if it were twice as long!

Golden Age and Other Stories is a lovely collection of illustrations, short stories and drabbles featuring characters from the Temeraire canon as well as the author's own musings. I particularly enjoyed seeing Jane again and Laurence's tale before the hatching of Temeraire. The drabbles were interesting but did not diminish my appreciation of the collection all that much.

However, the jewel in this collection is Novik's interpretation of Pride and Prejudice. Imagine a no-nonsense Lizzie and a surly Darcy - but with dragons. This alone is a reason to order this book.

"You mercenary creature. Are these the qualities which have won him your pardon?"

Novik ability to capture the period really stands out in this 50 or so page short story. I believe Ms Austen would have been pleased. To that end, I would love another regency book if you have the time! You capture that era so effortlessly and if it happens to be a full interpretation of another of Austen's works, I would not complain!

If you enjoyed the Temeraire series be sure to grab this beautiful illustrated collection and also read Novik's standalone novel, Uprooted!

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. Thank you so much the opportunity!

I am a long time fantasy/sci fi reader. My friends have long exhorted me to read Novik. This was a very poor choice to begin with. I felt thrown into canon and character for which I had no frame of reference. This slight book took me forever to slog through as it was confusing and in many parts made no sense. It is my belief that this would be more appropriate as a fan favor at cons or a special publication to be sold at appearances. Just didn't work for me at all.

I wanted to read something by Naomi Novik, but didn't realise this collection of short stories was fan fiction related to the Temeraire series, which I haven't read. Never mind, it's a good test of a story collection like this to see if it can stand on its own.

The first story, Volley's Cow, did leave me a little bewildered. I think there was an assumption of familiarity with the characters, both human and dragon, as well as adventures they had been through in the series. The second story, Planting Season, was more self-contained and stood on its own well.

This was followed by Dawn of Battle, which I think probably reflected the sort of military battle atmosphere of the series and gave me a taste of the dragons and how they work in this world.

Then there is the title story, Golden Age. This one is longer than the others and rather good. My impression was that it was an alternative history using the characters from the first book of the series and focused very much on the nature of the dragons.

The next story, Succession, takes place in China and tells about how the French came to have a Celestial egg. This is followed by Dragons and Decorum, about a young woman being recruited into the air Corp, because female dragons will only have female handlers. Although I haven't yet read Pride and Prejudice, the use of the names Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy suggest there might be a nod to that book in this story.

The book wraps up with a section of Drabbles, 100 word stories. These were amusing and gave me some snippets of the world in which this series manifests. thought it was a nice way to finish up the collection. The artwork alone is worthwhile.

Over all an enjoyable read that I'm sure will be indispensable to readers of the Temeraire series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the opportunity to read this digital galley.

I have been a fan of the Naomi Novik stories featuring Temeraire since I read the first sentence of the first book. When I saw this collection which seemed to be offering short stories to accompany the now finished series I literally almost broke my finger smushing it down on the "request" button. Naturally, since I already know the author's writing style I enjoyed this book. I don't know if that will be said of anybody who isn't already a fan but who buys this book because they see dragons in the illustrations.

There are six short stories at the beginning of the book, five are very short, one is much longer and, honestly, that is what saved the whole reading experience for me. The first is a Temeraire story which will only make sense to fans who have read the series and understand why dragons voting is such a big deal. The final short story is Novik's take on the Meryton Ball sequence from Pride and Prejudice except - naturally - from a totally different angle. I absolutely loved that!

Following the stories are 26 Drabbles. Quite honestly, I had no idea what a Drabble was. Novik explains that it is a story in 100 words and she followed that rule - 100 words only in each story. Not only was I underwhelmed, I was totally underwhelmed. It seemed to me that these drabbles were notes made on cocktail napkins, on the backs of grocery lists, jotted down on used envelopes......whatever. They felt more like an exercise in how to organize thoughts for an idea which could be filled out later on. Pretty non-earthshattering stuff.

This book seems to be available in print only - at least when it is first released. I'm sure the reason for that is so the artwork in the book can be shown to best advantage. I can see the art quite clearly on my Kindle, but lack all the color the print copy will have. I'm sure it will be stunning. So, if you have a collection of all the Temeraire stories you will definitely want to think about adding this new release to your collection. For me, "Dragons and Decorum" was a total delight and simply points out what a truly talented author Naomi Novik is.

This is basically Naomi Novik writing fan-fiction of her own series. My absolute favorite story in this bunch was Golden Age, which is an alternate universe meeting between Laurence and Temeraire. It was utterly delightful and I kind of love it even more than the original, canon meeting in His Majesty's Dragon. My second favorite story was Dragons and Decorum, which can be summarized as Pride and Prejudice and Dragons. Novik does that premise justice.

As for all the other, shorter bits, I really liked the story with John Wampanoag and the ones that gave Jane Roland more backstory. I felt like the drabbles at the end were a little hit or miss. Some offered interesting glimpses into the world and some didn't feel like they had enough substance.

This book should have nice artwork for each story. I couldn't see it terribly well on the Kindle version I received from NetGalley, but I imagine the print version will be beautiful.

So awesome to be back in this world!!! This book had some Great stories in it I highly recommend!!!

Golden Age and Other Stories is a short story collection from Naomi Novik, all set in her Temeraire universe – set in the Napoleonic period, with the inclusion of sentient dragons. I’ve really enjoyed Novik’s efforts recently – her Uprooted, which I reviewed last year, was brilliant. So this collection had me quite excited as I went into it.

The collection contains several short stories, and a set of ‘drabbles’, stories of exactly one hundred words. All have accompanying art, which both sets the mood for the associated story and, to be honest, look rather nice on the page.

The first story, Volly Gets a Cow is rather short, tracking Temeraire, the sentient dragon at the heart of the series, as he attempts to get the notoriously unfocused Volly to vote for a dragon member of parliament. Volly is uncooperative, mostly because his attention is focused on his own hunger, and the titular cow. There’s a warmth to this story, the gentle aggravation of Temeraire trying to nudge others into doing something they want to do. We only get quick strokes of Volly and his potential MP here – but enough that their personalities shine through; the dragon representative is a smidge arrogant and abrasive, Volly wooly-headed and, well, hungry. But it’s a cheerful comic tale, showcasing the sort of gentle warmth and humour that sits near the heart of the series, alongside more serious issues – that dragons should be politically represented is an interesting turn, and if it’s only lightly touched on here, still suggests an interesting larger tapestry of events at play.

But it’s not all Temeraire – or if it is, sometimes in a different context. Planting Season for example shows us a dragon in the hinterlands of America, after the convulsions of the Revolution. Here, the dragons acts a bridge between the Native American and European cultures – shuttling goods from one to the other, and stepping between the cultures of both. It’s sympathetic and sharply observed, giving us people on both ends of the trade simply trying their best – and left me wondering how the counterfactual Americas were getting on after the fact; the policy of careful integration suggested here is intriguing, and Novik’s talent for making both colonial-era Boston and the Native American wider spaces feel colourful and alive is in full force.

Then there’s Golden Age, which shows us an alternative meeting for Temeraire and his Captain – the latter sent out to investigate rumours of French piracy, the former, somewhat accidentally, the cause. The dialogue between Temeraire and the Captain here evoked something in the tradition of Aubrey Maturin; both coming to the table as equals, even if one is a naval officer, and the other a thirty-foot lizard which can breathe fire. Here, it seems like the theme is acceptance – as what would be Temeraire sleeps warmly on a beach, gathering treasure and food – and is shocked out of complacency by the arrival of a human with a loud voice, and a willingness to negotiate.

There’s a sense in which several of the stories work better if you’re aware of the larger series; it works as a stand-alone collection, but the context from the wider series helps give it more depth. It was great to see some of the genesis of Roland, for example – a woman with a fine career ahead of her, a forceful personality if ever there was one. As presented, the story of a young woman’s growing into her Captaincy of a dragon, refusing to back down into social expectations, and leading her crew by strength of will and main courage is inspiring and delightful. Knowing what she will go on to do in the broader series gives it the narrative a more complex (but no less pleasant) flavour.

One story that works as a genuine standalone, and which I thought was the highlight of the collection, was Dragons and Decorum. Blending the fictional world of Temeraire with that of Austen, it gives us an Elizabeth Bennett who is a naval officer, leading a dragon crew. Novik scrupulously matches Austen’s prose style, but injects her own energy and enthusiasm. Watching an Elizabeth Bennet with agency approach a nervous Darcy, both still constrained by the customs of manners embedded in society of the period – well, it’s an absolute delight. I laughed, several times, and was transported by the evident genuine emotion growing between the two. Bennett is an active participant here, and all the better for it. If other stories in the collection are love letters to fans, then I’d say this one is a paean to the regency novel genre – one which plays with the conventions of that genre, and produces a fine alloy as a consequence.

The drabbles are fun, leaping across time and space equally, and providing more insight into the Temerire universe. They’re like short mood paintings, and after the main repast that is the collection, make an excellent dessert.

Is it worth buying? Well, if you’re a fan of Temeraire, this may be the last fiction available in that universe. It’s a diverse collection of stories, and there’s something for every fan here – it’ll probably reward your time. If you’ve never read the series before, I’d say it works as a stand alone – but you owe it to yourself to give the other books a try, as they’ll make this collection a richer, more complex experience.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This little anthology is sure to be a hit with anyone who's read and enjoyed the Temeraire series. With 6 short stories, followed by 26 drabbles of exactly 100 words each, and an accompanying piece of fanart for each tale, this collection revisits some of the best-loved characters from the series and explores some alternate universes along the way.

I absolutely loved all of the short stories, but three stood out for me in particular: Dawn of Battle gives us a glimpse into the life of a much younger Jane Roland, who cuts a no less formidable figure even so and reminded me just why she's such a fantastic character; the eponymous Golden Age, a reimagining of Laurence and Temeraire's first meeting, balances high seas adventure with the gentle friendship that characterised the entire series; and Dragons and Decorum, which was probably my favourite of the whole bunch, is literally the impossibly charming, utterly delightful Pride and Prejudice dragon AU that I never knew I needed. I absolutely couldn't put it down!

The drabbles were a bit more of a mixed bag, but there were a few gems in there too - the Tharkay-centric one, in particular, was absolutely lovely. All in all, I would definitely recommend Golden Age and Other Stories to any Temeraire fan!

4.5 stars

What a wonderful collection of 7 short stories all illustrated! I absolutely love how Novik writes dragons, they're like spoiled cats, very self-assured and witty. I also love how Novik incorporates a lot of different cultures into her stories - her stories are always varied and diverse.

My absolute favorite story was 'Dragons and Decorum' which is a delightful retelling of Pride and Prejudice with Lizy as an aviation Captian with her own dragon. Novik imitated Austen's writing style to the T, it was just as playful, witty and delightful as the original!

If you liked The Temeraire Series - these short stories will delight you!

Delightful! And frankly, altogether better than some of the books in the main Temeraire series.

Although the opening story didn't do much for me, and neither did some of the closing drabbles, all of the stories in between are gems. The longest -- which literally rewrites Jane Austen characters into the Temeraire storyworld -- is a bit self-indulgent but also amazing: the best kind of fan-fiction, really. I also enjoyed the story going into Jane Rowland's backstory, but my personal favorite may be the AU "What if?" story where Laurence and Temeraire meet under different circumstances. This is even more clearly Novik writing fan-fiction of her own fiction, and it too is amazing.