A Natural History of Dragons Review
What a unique fantasy book! A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is the first of several books set in a world similar to ours; in a time period and place that heavily mirrors the 19th century in Europe. In this world, dragons are real. The main character is a woman named Isabella who is a scientist that studies dragons. She tells us her story in a memoir format. In this first book Isabella tells us how she first got interested in dragons. Then how she met her husband Jacob, who was also a dragon-loving scientist. The bulk of the story is about a trip Isabella, Jacob, and some of their friends take to another country called Vystrana (that seems to resemble Russia) to study rock-wyrms, a type of dragon. The main characters are from Scirland, which seems to resemble England. But while they are there, they end up getting caught in the web of a conspiracy that is tied to the dragons that they are studying. Isabella ends up having an unforgettable (and scary!) adventure...