What do you think?
Rate this book
The Memoirs of Lady Trent #1-5
The Complete Memoirs of Lady Trent
This discounted ebundle includes: A Natural History of Dragons, The Tropic of Serpents, The Voyage of the Basilisk, In the Labyrinth of Drakes, Within the Sanctuary of Wings
“Lady Trent is the Jane Goodall of dragonkind, and I’m glad she’s finally sharing her story withthe world.” ? Jim C. Hines, author of Libriomancer
A Victorian Age science fantasy series by Marie Brennan, The Lady Trent Memoirs chronicle the adventures of Isabella, the renowned dragon naturalist whose study of the legendary creatures have taken her around the world on thrilling expeditions.
Other books by Marie Brennan
Books of the Varekai
Cold Forged Flame
Lightning in the Blood
Deeds of Men
Midnight Never Come
In Ashes Lie
A Star Shall Fall
With Fate Conspire
Other books
Warrior
Witch
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
1345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2018
38 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
About the author
Marie Brennan
172 books3,253 followersMarie Brennan a.k.a. M.A. Carrick
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 28, 2018
Auch wenn ich schon meine drei Cent zu »A Natural History of Dragons« verloren habe, dem Auftakt der Lady Trent Reihe von Marie Brennan, möchte ich hier noch einmal ein paar Worte zur gesamten Reihe verlieren, denn auch wenn ich es für mich als nicht notwendig erachte, jeden Band einzeln zu rezensieren, da sich sehr vieles wiederholen würde, lohnt es sich, einen Blick auf alle fünf Bände zu werfen. Ich werde versuchen, es möglichst spoilerfrei zu halten.
Isabella war schon als junges Mädchen sehr aufgeweckt und neugierig und wollte alles über die Welt um sie herum erfahren. Das brachte sie in einige verzwickte Situationen, da ein solcher Entdeckergeist in ihrer unserem viktorianischen Zeitalter entlehnten Welt für ein Mädchen, besonders eines aus gutem Hause, als ihrer nicht angemessen angesehen wird. Doch sie hat einen starken Willen und setzt alles daran, ihrem Lebenstraum, Drachen zu erforschen, nachzugehen. Heute ist sie eine der führenden und angesehensten Wissenschaftlerinnen auf diesem Gebiet. Doch der Weg dorthin war lang und steinig. In ihren fünf Bände umfassenden Memoiren erzählt sie ihre Geschichte von ihren Anfängen als Drachenforscherin bis hin zu ihren größten Entdeckungen.
Jeder Band ist in sich geschlossen und enthält quasi ein Abenteuer. Jedes Mal erfährt der Leser zusammen mit Lady Trent etwas Neues über Drachen. Das sind jedoch keine zusammenhangslosen Wissensfetzen. Sie tragen zum einen zum Worldbuilding bei (immerhin stehen Drachen hier im Fokus der Geschichte!), zum anderen führt jedes Stück ein wenig weiter zu den großen Entdeckungen in Lady Trents Karriere, die ihr ihren Ruhm einbrachten, wo sie am Ende ein großes Ganzes bilden. Einige Themen ziehen sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Bücher, wo sie vielleicht nicht immer ganz dominant sind, aber doch nie in Vergessenheit geraten. Das sind zum einen die Draconischen Ruinen, die Lady Trent auf ihren Abenteuern immer wieder entdeckt, und zum anderen das Thema der Präparation und Nutzbarmachung von Drachenknochen als extrem leichtes und stabiles Baumaterial, was auch von großem wirtschaftlichen und militärischen Interesse ist – und damit eine Bedrohung der Drachenarten durch Ausrottung um ihrer Knochen willen darstellt.
Die Entdeckungen, die Lady Trent macht, beginnen bei den Basics, da in ihren jungen Jahren noch kaum etwas über Drachen in wissenschaftlichen Kreisen bekannt war, bis hin zu unheimlich spannenden Details, die aber immer wieder auf den vorigen Erkenntnissen aufbauen und damit einen konsistenten Wissensfluss bilden. Auch das mit dem roten Faden einiger Themen, die sich durch alle Bücher ziehen, ist sehr schön, da so diese Themen, die mehr und mehr an Bedeutung in Lady Trents Welt gewinnen, nicht hintenüber fallen gelassen werden, sondern ebenfalls ihren runden Abschluss in der gesamten Reihe finden.
Auch Lady Trent selbst ist eine beeindruckende Figur. Sie ist eine willensstarke Frau, sich sich gegen alle Widrigkeiten ihrer Gesellschaft durchzusetzen weiß und für sich und überhaupt alle Wissenschaftlerinnen in einer von Männern dominierten Gesellschaft kämpft. Sie erwirbt quasi im Selbststudium eine große Qualifikation auf ihrem Gebiet, wird aber immer wieder damit konfrontiert, dass sie nur aufgrund ihres Geschlechts auch in Wissenschaftskreisen, wo es ja vor allem um das Wissen und nicht die Person gehen soll, die dieses Wissen besitzt, immer wieder benachteiligt wird.
Ebenfalls sehr schön zu lesen (und eine Ergänzung zu meiner ersten Rezension) ist der Umstand, dass auch die Gegenseite gezeigt wird. Gerade im ersten Band sehen wir auch, was das umgekehrt für Isabellas ersten Ehemann Jacob Camherst bedeutet, eine so willensstarke und eigenständige Frau geheiratet zu haben. Nicht nur Isabella hat mit den gesellschaftlichen Normen zu kämpfen, auch auf Jacob strahlt das aus, von dem nun erwartet wird, dass er seine Frau an der kurzen Leine zu halten hat, was er gar nicht will. Auch ein Ehemann sieht sich in dieser Zeit gewissen Erwartungen gegenüber, die mitunter mit seinen persönlichen Ansichten kollidieren und denen er nicht gerecht werden will, aber mitunter muss, wenn er seine Position in der Gesellschaft behalten will oder gar muss.
Die Charaktere sind alles aber nicht einseitig. Über ganze fünf Bücher haben sie viel Zeit, sich zu entwickeln, neue Erfahrungen in der weiten Welt zu sammeln und erwachsener zu werden. Lady Trent reflektiert das aus ihrer Retroperspektive immer wieder (sie schreibt ihre Memoiren im hohen Alter) und scheut auch nicht, ihre jugendliches Ungestüm in den ersten Bänden anzusprechen. Ich schrieb es schon in meiner ersten Rezension, aber in ihrem Wissensdurst und ihrem Kampf gegen gesellschaftliche Normen erinnert Lady Trent an Shallan aus Brandon Sandersons Stormlight Archive.
Die Abenteuer, die Lady Trent erlebt, führen sie in die entlegensten Winkel der Welt. Dabei erlebt sie eine ausgesprochen spannende und fesselnde Momente. Besonders der letzte Band der Reihe hat es absolut in sich, warum er in meinen Augen nach Band drei der beste Band der Reihe ist.
Alles in allem sind Lady Trents Memoiren ein absoluter Genuss und großer Lesespaß! Alle Bände sind reich illustriert von Tedd Lockwood und sind somit auch etwas für's Auge. Wir haben spannende Abenteuer und tolle Charaktere. Und Drachen! Drachen! Drachen! Drachen! Was will man mehr von einem Buch?
Isabella war schon als junges Mädchen sehr aufgeweckt und neugierig und wollte alles über die Welt um sie herum erfahren. Das brachte sie in einige verzwickte Situationen, da ein solcher Entdeckergeist in ihrer unserem viktorianischen Zeitalter entlehnten Welt für ein Mädchen, besonders eines aus gutem Hause, als ihrer nicht angemessen angesehen wird. Doch sie hat einen starken Willen und setzt alles daran, ihrem Lebenstraum, Drachen zu erforschen, nachzugehen. Heute ist sie eine der führenden und angesehensten Wissenschaftlerinnen auf diesem Gebiet. Doch der Weg dorthin war lang und steinig. In ihren fünf Bände umfassenden Memoiren erzählt sie ihre Geschichte von ihren Anfängen als Drachenforscherin bis hin zu ihren größten Entdeckungen.
Jeder Band ist in sich geschlossen und enthält quasi ein Abenteuer. Jedes Mal erfährt der Leser zusammen mit Lady Trent etwas Neues über Drachen. Das sind jedoch keine zusammenhangslosen Wissensfetzen. Sie tragen zum einen zum Worldbuilding bei (immerhin stehen Drachen hier im Fokus der Geschichte!), zum anderen führt jedes Stück ein wenig weiter zu den großen Entdeckungen in Lady Trents Karriere, die ihr ihren Ruhm einbrachten, wo sie am Ende ein großes Ganzes bilden. Einige Themen ziehen sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Bücher, wo sie vielleicht nicht immer ganz dominant sind, aber doch nie in Vergessenheit geraten. Das sind zum einen die Draconischen Ruinen, die Lady Trent auf ihren Abenteuern immer wieder entdeckt, und zum anderen das Thema der Präparation und Nutzbarmachung von Drachenknochen als extrem leichtes und stabiles Baumaterial, was auch von großem wirtschaftlichen und militärischen Interesse ist – und damit eine Bedrohung der Drachenarten durch Ausrottung um ihrer Knochen willen darstellt.
Die Entdeckungen, die Lady Trent macht, beginnen bei den Basics, da in ihren jungen Jahren noch kaum etwas über Drachen in wissenschaftlichen Kreisen bekannt war, bis hin zu unheimlich spannenden Details, die aber immer wieder auf den vorigen Erkenntnissen aufbauen und damit einen konsistenten Wissensfluss bilden. Auch das mit dem roten Faden einiger Themen, die sich durch alle Bücher ziehen, ist sehr schön, da so diese Themen, die mehr und mehr an Bedeutung in Lady Trents Welt gewinnen, nicht hintenüber fallen gelassen werden, sondern ebenfalls ihren runden Abschluss in der gesamten Reihe finden.
Auch Lady Trent selbst ist eine beeindruckende Figur. Sie ist eine willensstarke Frau, sich sich gegen alle Widrigkeiten ihrer Gesellschaft durchzusetzen weiß und für sich und überhaupt alle Wissenschaftlerinnen in einer von Männern dominierten Gesellschaft kämpft. Sie erwirbt quasi im Selbststudium eine große Qualifikation auf ihrem Gebiet, wird aber immer wieder damit konfrontiert, dass sie nur aufgrund ihres Geschlechts auch in Wissenschaftskreisen, wo es ja vor allem um das Wissen und nicht die Person gehen soll, die dieses Wissen besitzt, immer wieder benachteiligt wird.
Ebenfalls sehr schön zu lesen (und eine Ergänzung zu meiner ersten Rezension) ist der Umstand, dass auch die Gegenseite gezeigt wird. Gerade im ersten Band sehen wir auch, was das umgekehrt für Isabellas ersten Ehemann Jacob Camherst bedeutet, eine so willensstarke und eigenständige Frau geheiratet zu haben. Nicht nur Isabella hat mit den gesellschaftlichen Normen zu kämpfen, auch auf Jacob strahlt das aus, von dem nun erwartet wird, dass er seine Frau an der kurzen Leine zu halten hat, was er gar nicht will. Auch ein Ehemann sieht sich in dieser Zeit gewissen Erwartungen gegenüber, die mitunter mit seinen persönlichen Ansichten kollidieren und denen er nicht gerecht werden will, aber mitunter muss, wenn er seine Position in der Gesellschaft behalten will oder gar muss.
Die Charaktere sind alles aber nicht einseitig. Über ganze fünf Bücher haben sie viel Zeit, sich zu entwickeln, neue Erfahrungen in der weiten Welt zu sammeln und erwachsener zu werden. Lady Trent reflektiert das aus ihrer Retroperspektive immer wieder (sie schreibt ihre Memoiren im hohen Alter) und scheut auch nicht, ihre jugendliches Ungestüm in den ersten Bänden anzusprechen. Ich schrieb es schon in meiner ersten Rezension, aber in ihrem Wissensdurst und ihrem Kampf gegen gesellschaftliche Normen erinnert Lady Trent an Shallan aus Brandon Sandersons Stormlight Archive.
Die Abenteuer, die Lady Trent erlebt, führen sie in die entlegensten Winkel der Welt. Dabei erlebt sie eine ausgesprochen spannende und fesselnde Momente. Besonders der letzte Band der Reihe hat es absolut in sich, warum er in meinen Augen nach Band drei der beste Band der Reihe ist.
Alles in allem sind Lady Trents Memoiren ein absoluter Genuss und großer Lesespaß! Alle Bände sind reich illustriert von Tedd Lockwood und sind somit auch etwas für's Auge. Wir haben spannende Abenteuer und tolle Charaktere. Und Drachen! Drachen! Drachen! Drachen! Was will man mehr von einem Buch?
August 21, 2020
I love 99% of this series and will recommend it to anyone who might have an interest in dragons or Victorian-era alternate universes. However, my one complaint is that Marie Brennan chose to use different names for months and days, and throughout all five books, I never grasped any sense of their relation to our world's names for them. And so I found myself a little lost when those came up, but I wouldn't even say it detracts from the whole story. I still give it 5 stars without a doubt.
Book five felt a bit rushed. There are big sections of time the narrator simply skips in order to "get to the important parts." At one point, she even says "I could take a whole book on that part of the journey alone." And while I still enjoyed the end of the series and, again, have given it five stars, the last book could have perhaps been longer to address the bits that were only mentioned.
Book five felt a bit rushed. There are big sections of time the narrator simply skips in order to "get to the important parts." At one point, she even says "I could take a whole book on that part of the journey alone." And while I still enjoyed the end of the series and, again, have given it five stars, the last book could have perhaps been longer to address the bits that were only mentioned.
October 10, 2019
Dang it, I lost my review. That's what I get for stepping away from my computer overnight in mid-review.
Well, the major point was that I felt it was both simultaneously too short--because I thoroughly enjoyed it--and too long. Brennan's worlds feel so rich and colorful, to say nothing of Isabella. Brennan's ability to capture a setting with all the senses is so brilliant that at times I think it may have overwhelmed some of the personalities of background characters. I was also impressed with how much was packed in plot-wise without feeling rushed, at least until the end of the last book.
So, why did I think the series was too long? The fourth book felt a little slow, less world-building-y, and predictable until , and the fifth book took a little longer to get through the winter than I might have wished. Probably if I'd read the books as they published instead of all at once I would have been swept up each time. Actually, I probably wouldn't have gone past the first book, what with my aversion to getting involved with series. So for that reason, I'm glad I only found this series when the last book published.
The books also follow Victorian travel-writing conventions almost to a fault: we have little information about "off screen" characters, which became especially frustrating after Isabella . And finally, I actually wished there were a few more details about dragon study. I shed an internal tear every time Isabella referred us to one of her more scholarly works.
Once again, I am behind on reviews, so I will skip to the quotes and move on. I did read this on a tablet, since I didn't want to take four books with me on my honeymoon, so I don't know what those page counts are based on, as there isn't a print omnibus edition.
QUOTE ROUNDUP
Bursting with spoilers, folks. Read on at your own risk.
Book 2: The Tropic of Serpents
p. 380) The Moulish have few possessions, and little concern for personal property as most of us see it. Their way of living neither permits it nor derives much benefit from it. To own more than you can carry is folly; you will have to abandon it when the camp moves. But most of the things you own--if the "you" in this instance is Moulish--are easily replaced anyway, so their abandonment is no great loss. To try and hoard more than those around you have is a grave insult to social harmony and, I think, to the spirits; it invites ridicule from your fellows and, if that fails, more aggressive methods of forcing you to share. From this the Moulish get their reputation as thieves, but that word belongs to a different world.
See? A fascinatingly different culture for us 'Muricans (though slightly familiar from my anthropology class) with a healthy trace of social commentary for the reader. Brennan is brilliant at this.
p. 386) All those of a given age group within the camp are brothers and sisters, as all those above them are mothers and fathers, or (if older still) the camp's elders.
This is kind of community sounds like a dream, to me.
p. 446) "We have the forest. You are villagers, and our home will eat you."
Wickedest mic drop ever.
p. 491) Despite the unsightly scar on my arm, there was a part of me that thought in delight: I've been bitten by a dragon!
Have I mentioned that I love Isabella?
Book 3: The Voyage of the Basilisk
p. 590) If I had been outrageous on previous expeditions, I found myself surprisingly reluctant to behave in such ways in front of my son. The nobler part of me said that I did not want to set a bad example for him. The selfish part said that I did not want him to think less of me. But which sort of mother would I rather be? The sort who did not go swimming without a proper costume--which in those days consisted of voluminous pantaloons and a knee-length overdress, all in a stiff fabric which would not cling when wet--or the sort who did what she had sailed halfway around the world to do?
"Very well," I said. "Let us go swimming with dragons."
p. 674)
p. 678) It has been so very long since there was any satisfying scandal about me. I find that respectability grows wearisome after a time, when one is accustomed to being a disgrace.
Book 4: In the Labyrinth of Drakes
p. 841) "Umm Yaqub" was my appellation there: parents are commonly known as the mothers and fathers of their children, and "Yaqub" is the Akhian form of "Jacob."
I loved this detail...and the thought that parents can, essentially, choose their own names when they choose their child's.
p. 896) My outraged squawk startled lizards back into the rocks. "It was not a love note!"
"From you? 'A piece of research material' is as good as a lock of your hair, tied up in a scented ribbon."
I may have mentioned that I love Isabella, but I also love her brother Andrew.
p. 897) "Ah yes," I said ironically. "I have made myself exceptional. It is a wonderful game, is it not? Because I am exceptional, anything I achieve does not reflect on my sex, for of course I am not like them. Strange, though, how that division seems to vanish when we are speaking instead of my shortcomings. Then I am a woman, like any other."
p. 910) There were descriptions of my beauty that likened me to a camel--a high compliment in that society, but in my case both unfounded and not at all an aesthetic I could comprehend.
Not quite sure why I found so many quotes in book 4, when I said it was the one I found slowest. Weird.
p. 927) The pronoun pulled me up short. "She? Your physician is a woman?"
Mahira looked scandalized. "Do you think I would allow a man to examine my body?"
When she put it that way, I could hardly say that I took it for granted. As some of my readers may know, the first university in Akhia was founded by a woman--the mother of one of the caliphs--and apparently she had been in favor of training women physicians, so as to uphold propriety while also caring for the patient's health.
If only people had thought that way in the real world...
p. 955) There is a proverb that says, To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If I had a gun, it would shape my thinking; the violent response would always be there.
Say it louder for the 2nd Amendment defenders in the back, Isabella!
p. 968)
Book 5: Within the Sanctuary of Wings
p. 1080) The Mrtyahaima proper lay behind, beyond my vision, rising even higher than I could imagine. Had I seen what I faced while still in Parshe...I believe I would have continued, for my life has been a recurrent tale of my failure to truly understand my peril until it is too late for me to turn back. But I cannot be certain.
p. 1102) "No." Thu sat very upright, then said in a rush, "She wants to know if all four of us are your husbands."
I read about this in my anthropology class: a researcher wrote about a Himalayan culture in which several brothers would marry one woman to avoid splitting up inherited land. Pretty sure it was debunked, but it was fun to see it in here!
p. 1112) A part of my mind was constantly examining my research, asking at every turn, And what else? It was a peculiar feeling. On the one hand, I lamented the loss of my girlish glee, the sense that it was enough simply to learn a new thing and record it for other people to learn. On the other hand, it was also exhilarating, for I was challenging myself to look further, to think harder, to fit what I saw into a larger picture and then tease out its implications.
p. 1160) In my defense I can only say that I had spent my entire tenure in that village either unconscious, in hysterics, or reeling from the flood of new information; and as a consequence, I had the attention span of a gnat: no sooner did I begin pondering one aspect of the puzzle than some equally interesting angle distracted me.
p. 1171) It was hard enough when I must explain myself in my native tongue; in Draconean, I could barely string together an entire sentence that was not about yaks.
VOCABULARY
I used to keep track of new words I learned in each book (even if I could figure it out with context)...at least until I started reading on the subway and pulling out a pencil meant I might elbow someone. It didn't occur to me until near the end of book three that it's much easier to mark words on a tablet.
I'm out of room in this review, so if you really want to see my vocab list, head on over to my blog.
Well, the major point was that I felt it was both simultaneously too short--because I thoroughly enjoyed it--and too long. Brennan's worlds feel so rich and colorful, to say nothing of Isabella. Brennan's ability to capture a setting with all the senses is so brilliant that at times I think it may have overwhelmed some of the personalities of background characters. I was also impressed with how much was packed in plot-wise without feeling rushed, at least until the end of the last book.
So, why did I think the series was too long? The fourth book felt a little slow, less world-building-y, and predictable until , and the fifth book took a little longer to get through the winter than I might have wished. Probably if I'd read the books as they published instead of all at once I would have been swept up each time. Actually, I probably wouldn't have gone past the first book, what with my aversion to getting involved with series. So for that reason, I'm glad I only found this series when the last book published.
The books also follow Victorian travel-writing conventions almost to a fault: we have little information about "off screen" characters, which became especially frustrating after Isabella . And finally, I actually wished there were a few more details about dragon study. I shed an internal tear every time Isabella referred us to one of her more scholarly works.
Once again, I am behind on reviews, so I will skip to the quotes and move on. I did read this on a tablet, since I didn't want to take four books with me on my honeymoon, so I don't know what those page counts are based on, as there isn't a print omnibus edition.
QUOTE ROUNDUP
Bursting with spoilers, folks. Read on at your own risk.
Book 2: The Tropic of Serpents
p. 380) The Moulish have few possessions, and little concern for personal property as most of us see it. Their way of living neither permits it nor derives much benefit from it. To own more than you can carry is folly; you will have to abandon it when the camp moves. But most of the things you own--if the "you" in this instance is Moulish--are easily replaced anyway, so their abandonment is no great loss. To try and hoard more than those around you have is a grave insult to social harmony and, I think, to the spirits; it invites ridicule from your fellows and, if that fails, more aggressive methods of forcing you to share. From this the Moulish get their reputation as thieves, but that word belongs to a different world.
See? A fascinatingly different culture for us 'Muricans (though slightly familiar from my anthropology class) with a healthy trace of social commentary for the reader. Brennan is brilliant at this.
p. 386) All those of a given age group within the camp are brothers and sisters, as all those above them are mothers and fathers, or (if older still) the camp's elders.
This is kind of community sounds like a dream, to me.
p. 446) "We have the forest. You are villagers, and our home will eat you."
Wickedest mic drop ever.
p. 491) Despite the unsightly scar on my arm, there was a part of me that thought in delight: I've been bitten by a dragon!
Have I mentioned that I love Isabella?
Book 3: The Voyage of the Basilisk
p. 590) If I had been outrageous on previous expeditions, I found myself surprisingly reluctant to behave in such ways in front of my son. The nobler part of me said that I did not want to set a bad example for him. The selfish part said that I did not want him to think less of me. But which sort of mother would I rather be? The sort who did not go swimming without a proper costume--which in those days consisted of voluminous pantaloons and a knee-length overdress, all in a stiff fabric which would not cling when wet--or the sort who did what she had sailed halfway around the world to do?
"Very well," I said. "Let us go swimming with dragons."
p. 674)
p. 678) It has been so very long since there was any satisfying scandal about me. I find that respectability grows wearisome after a time, when one is accustomed to being a disgrace.
Book 4: In the Labyrinth of Drakes
p. 841) "Umm Yaqub" was my appellation there: parents are commonly known as the mothers and fathers of their children, and "Yaqub" is the Akhian form of "Jacob."
I loved this detail...and the thought that parents can, essentially, choose their own names when they choose their child's.
p. 896) My outraged squawk startled lizards back into the rocks. "It was not a love note!"
"From you? 'A piece of research material' is as good as a lock of your hair, tied up in a scented ribbon."
I may have mentioned that I love Isabella, but I also love her brother Andrew.
p. 897) "Ah yes," I said ironically. "I have made myself exceptional. It is a wonderful game, is it not? Because I am exceptional, anything I achieve does not reflect on my sex, for of course I am not like them. Strange, though, how that division seems to vanish when we are speaking instead of my shortcomings. Then I am a woman, like any other."
p. 910) There were descriptions of my beauty that likened me to a camel--a high compliment in that society, but in my case both unfounded and not at all an aesthetic I could comprehend.
Not quite sure why I found so many quotes in book 4, when I said it was the one I found slowest. Weird.
p. 927) The pronoun pulled me up short. "She? Your physician is a woman?"
Mahira looked scandalized. "Do you think I would allow a man to examine my body?"
When she put it that way, I could hardly say that I took it for granted. As some of my readers may know, the first university in Akhia was founded by a woman--the mother of one of the caliphs--and apparently she had been in favor of training women physicians, so as to uphold propriety while also caring for the patient's health.
If only people had thought that way in the real world...
p. 955) There is a proverb that says, To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If I had a gun, it would shape my thinking; the violent response would always be there.
Say it louder for the 2nd Amendment defenders in the back, Isabella!
p. 968)
Book 5: Within the Sanctuary of Wings
p. 1080) The Mrtyahaima proper lay behind, beyond my vision, rising even higher than I could imagine. Had I seen what I faced while still in Parshe...I believe I would have continued, for my life has been a recurrent tale of my failure to truly understand my peril until it is too late for me to turn back. But I cannot be certain.
p. 1102) "No." Thu sat very upright, then said in a rush, "She wants to know if all four of us are your husbands."
I read about this in my anthropology class: a researcher wrote about a Himalayan culture in which several brothers would marry one woman to avoid splitting up inherited land. Pretty sure it was debunked, but it was fun to see it in here!
p. 1112) A part of my mind was constantly examining my research, asking at every turn, And what else? It was a peculiar feeling. On the one hand, I lamented the loss of my girlish glee, the sense that it was enough simply to learn a new thing and record it for other people to learn. On the other hand, it was also exhilarating, for I was challenging myself to look further, to think harder, to fit what I saw into a larger picture and then tease out its implications.
p. 1160) In my defense I can only say that I had spent my entire tenure in that village either unconscious, in hysterics, or reeling from the flood of new information; and as a consequence, I had the attention span of a gnat: no sooner did I begin pondering one aspect of the puzzle than some equally interesting angle distracted me.
p. 1171) It was hard enough when I must explain myself in my native tongue; in Draconean, I could barely string together an entire sentence that was not about yaks.
VOCABULARY
I used to keep track of new words I learned in each book (even if I could figure it out with context)...at least until I started reading on the subway and pulling out a pencil meant I might elbow someone. It didn't occur to me until near the end of book three that it's much easier to mark words on a tablet.
I'm out of room in this review, so if you really want to see my vocab list, head on over to my blog.
September 12, 2025
عن البطلة👩🏻🔬:
قصة خيالية على هيئة مذكرات تدور حول البطالة إيزابيلا التي أحبت التنانين منذ صغر سنها، وأصبحت مهوسة بدراستها، وتبدأ رحلة دراسة هذه الكائنات منذ شبابها، ولكن ليس كدارسة أو عالمة بل كزوجة أحد الأشخاص المشاركين في بعثة علمية، وهكذا تستمر عبر السلسلة المكونة من ستة أجزاء في التطور والتعلم ومحاولة إثبات مكانتها العلمية لمنتدى الفلاسفة، الذي رفض أعضائه فكرة إنتساب امرأة له.
القضايا المطروحة✨:
لا يمكن لأي قارئ لهذه السلسلة إغفال القضايا التي ناقشتها الكاتبة ماري برنان، وأهم هذه القضايا هي المرأة، ما هي قدراتها، حدودها، ونظرة المجتمع لها كعالمة ميدانية، وناقشت مسألة الثقافات العالمية المختلفة، حيث خلقت مجتمعات خيالية مقتبسة من الواقع، وتركت مهمة تحديد هذه الشعوب للقارئ.
ومن الامور التي طرحتها بسلاسة منذ بداية ولكن قالتها صراحتًا في الجزء الخامس هو مدى وحشية البشر، وأن وحشيتهم لا تقل عن وحشية أي كائن آخر.
أبرز الرحلات🌍:
تأخذك السلسلة في رحلة حول العالم الذي تعيش فيه إيزابيلا، ففي الجزء الاول تصعد إلى مرتفعات ڤيسترانا لتلتقي بالتنين الصخري، وفي الجزء الثاني تزور مستنقعات موليين لتتعرف على تنين المستنقعات، أما الجزء الثالث فكانت تخوض رحلة استكشافية على متن السفينة الملكية الباسيليسك وتلتقي بصديقها سهيل الذي سيلعب دور مهم في القادم من الأجزاء.
وفي الجزء الرابع تذهب إيزابيلا إلى صحراء آخيا لدراسة تنانين الصحراء النارية ومحاولة استكمال جهود من سبقوها في مهمة ترويض هذه التنانين، وفي الجزء الخامس تذهب إلى أعلى قمم العالم في مرتياهايما وهناك تلتقي بأنصاف البشر أو التنانين البشرية إن صح تسميتها، وهم الدراكونيين.
أما الجزء الأخير فيمكن فصله عن السلسلة جزئيًا، ففي غالب هذا الجزء تدور الأحداث حول أودري، وهي حفيدة إيزابيلا، ورحلتها مع فك رموز ما يتجاوز ال٢٠٠ لوح دراكوني قديم.
تقييمي الشخصي⭐️:
تمزج المذكرات بين الكائنات الاسطورية الخيالية وبين المنهجية العلمية الحقيقية، بحيث يتم دراسة الخيال بالمنهجية العلمية، وهذه بحد ذاتها اصبحت نقطة قوة بالنسبة للقصة، فهذه السلسلة جاذبة لمحبين الخيال وأيضًا محبين العلوم التجريبية.
يحسب للكاتبة مدى إطلاعها على بعض العلوم التي ساعدتها في كتابة هذه السلسلة الرائعة، وأهمها بالطبع علم الأحياء والتاريخ والآثار وعلم اللغات (فقه اللغة).
السلسلة مناسبة للجميع، ففيها العلوم والمغامرات والترحال والدراما والكوميديا البسيطة، وحتى السياسة، بل أن السياسة لعبت دورًا هامًا في أحداث القصة، وكانت محرك أساسي للأحداث، وقد تكون مناسبة جدًا لمن يشتغلون بالمجال العلمي الأكاديمي، ويريدون الهروب من الواقع لبعض الوقت دون الإنسلاخ التام منه.
واجهت مشكلة بسيطة في النسخة التي أملكها (نسخة شركة يتخيلون)، وكانت متعلقة بالترجمة، فكل جزء ترجمه مترجم مختلف، مما شكل إختلاف طفيف في الأسماء ولكن لم يكن إختلاف مخل.
ملاحظة: السلسلة تتجاوز ال٢٢٠٠ صفحة، وأنصح بها لمن يملك الوقت ويحب الخيال العلمي المتعلق بالكائنات الخيالية، ولمن لا يملك الوقت حاليًا ضعها في قائمتك المستقبلية، لأنها رائعة من روائع الادب الخيالي.
التقييم النهائي:٤ من ٥ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
قصة خيالية على هيئة مذكرات تدور حول البطالة إيزابيلا التي أحبت التنانين منذ صغر سنها، وأصبحت مهوسة بدراستها، وتبدأ رحلة دراسة هذه الكائنات منذ شبابها، ولكن ليس كدارسة أو عالمة بل كزوجة أحد الأشخاص المشاركين في بعثة علمية، وهكذا تستمر عبر السلسلة المكونة من ستة أجزاء في التطور والتعلم ومحاولة إثبات مكانتها العلمية لمنتدى الفلاسفة، الذي رفض أعضائه فكرة إنتساب امرأة له.
القضايا المطروحة✨:
لا يمكن لأي قارئ لهذه السلسلة إغفال القضايا التي ناقشتها الكاتبة ماري برنان، وأهم هذه القضايا هي المرأة، ما هي قدراتها، حدودها، ونظرة المجتمع لها كعالمة ميدانية، وناقشت مسألة الثقافات العالمية المختلفة، حيث خلقت مجتمعات خيالية مقتبسة من الواقع، وتركت مهمة تحديد هذه الشعوب للقارئ.
ومن الامور التي طرحتها بسلاسة منذ بداية ولكن قالتها صراحتًا في الجزء الخامس هو مدى وحشية البشر، وأن وحشيتهم لا تقل عن وحشية أي كائن آخر.
أبرز الرحلات🌍:
تأخذك السلسلة في رحلة حول العالم الذي تعيش فيه إيزابيلا، ففي الجزء الاول تصعد إلى مرتفعات ڤيسترانا لتلتقي بالتنين الصخري، وفي الجزء الثاني تزور مستنقعات موليين لتتعرف على تنين المستنقعات، أما الجزء الثالث فكانت تخوض رحلة استكشافية على متن السفينة الملكية الباسيليسك وتلتقي بصديقها سهيل الذي سيلعب دور مهم في القادم من الأجزاء.
وفي الجزء الرابع تذهب إيزابيلا إلى صحراء آخيا لدراسة تنانين الصحراء النارية ومحاولة استكمال جهود من سبقوها في مهمة ترويض هذه التنانين، وفي الجزء الخامس تذهب إلى أعلى قمم العالم في مرتياهايما وهناك تلتقي بأنصاف البشر أو التنانين البشرية إن صح تسميتها، وهم الدراكونيين.
أما الجزء الأخير فيمكن فصله عن السلسلة جزئيًا، ففي غالب هذا الجزء تدور الأحداث حول أودري، وهي حفيدة إيزابيلا، ورحلتها مع فك رموز ما يتجاوز ال٢٠٠ لوح دراكوني قديم.
تقييمي الشخصي⭐️:
تمزج المذكرات بين الكائنات الاسطورية الخيالية وبين المنهجية العلمية الحقيقية، بحيث يتم دراسة الخيال بالمنهجية العلمية، وهذه بحد ذاتها اصبحت نقطة قوة بالنسبة للقصة، فهذه السلسلة جاذبة لمحبين الخيال وأيضًا محبين العلوم التجريبية.
يحسب للكاتبة مدى إطلاعها على بعض العلوم التي ساعدتها في كتابة هذه السلسلة الرائعة، وأهمها بالطبع علم الأحياء والتاريخ والآثار وعلم اللغات (فقه اللغة).
السلسلة مناسبة للجميع، ففيها العلوم والمغامرات والترحال والدراما والكوميديا البسيطة، وحتى السياسة، بل أن السياسة لعبت دورًا هامًا في أحداث القصة، وكانت محرك أساسي للأحداث، وقد تكون مناسبة جدًا لمن يشتغلون بالمجال العلمي الأكاديمي، ويريدون الهروب من الواقع لبعض الوقت دون الإنسلاخ التام منه.
واجهت مشكلة بسيطة في النسخة التي أملكها (نسخة شركة يتخيلون)، وكانت متعلقة بالترجمة، فكل جزء ترجمه مترجم مختلف، مما شكل إختلاف طفيف في الأسماء ولكن لم يكن إختلاف مخل.
ملاحظة: السلسلة تتجاوز ال٢٢٠٠ صفحة، وأنصح بها لمن يملك الوقت ويحب الخيال العلمي المتعلق بالكائنات الخيالية، ولمن لا يملك الوقت حاليًا ضعها في قائمتك المستقبلية، لأنها رائعة من روائع الادب الخيالي.
التقييم النهائي:٤ من ٥ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2020
Phenomenal series. It's a story about a scientist who overcomes social and political barriers to pursue her life passion. She fights against the sexism of her time to pursue a scientific career. There's adventure, beautiful drawings, love, bravery, unusual friendships forged, and an amazing world to explore! The author is an anthropologist and really brings every culture Isabella meets to life. The world building is what I loved the most.
Scientific discoveries are sprinkled throughout the series, stringing you along an incredible scientific mystery with a grand reveal in the final book. It's so worthwhile to finish this series, it's my favorite! 5 stars!!
Oh, there's also dragons which is a plus. Dragon sightings are rare, and scenes that actually feature dragons are sparse in the first three books. But they are there, and it's such an enchanting world to explore!!
Scientific discoveries are sprinkled throughout the series, stringing you along an incredible scientific mystery with a grand reveal in the final book. It's so worthwhile to finish this series, it's my favorite! 5 stars!!
Oh, there's also dragons which is a plus. Dragon sightings are rare, and scenes that actually feature dragons are sparse in the first three books. But they are there, and it's such an enchanting world to explore!!
May 28, 2024
I read the entire series individually over the span of a few years. During that time, I was also attending college for a degree in zoology. The series is a fascinating blend of theoretical biology to explain dragons in a realistic, Victorian world. Science rules these stories, and the writing feels like it could have come from the great scientists and explorers of the real world from that time. I can picture the likes of Alfred Russel Wallace writing much the same had he discovered dragons and been a woman of the age.
February 7, 2021
It's a Victorian adventurer series where everyone's Jewish and there's dragons. What's not to love?
Although I'm happy viewing the first four as a complete series... while I know Marie Brennon planned the twist from the beginning, the fifth book kind of feels like it's a genre jump. I still enjoy the fifth book, but it's definitely my lease favorite.
Although I'm happy viewing the first four as a complete series... while I know Marie Brennon planned the twist from the beginning, the fifth book kind of feels like it's a genre jump. I still enjoy the fifth book, but it's definitely my lease favorite.
December 19, 2017
The feel good book series of the year. I loved this series and am sad it’s over. Dragons, adventure, and higher learning, what more could you want? The first, third, and fifth were better than the second and fourth books, but overall it’s a five star series.
May 8, 2020
One of my all time favourite series. I absolutely adore both the setting and the plot, along with the unique narrative style.
I absolutely recommend this series!
I absolutely recommend this series!
August 12, 2025
Thank you to Reddit's r/fantasy 2025 Book Bingo for introducing me to this series. I read Books 1-5 to fulfill the "Last in a Series" prompt: "Read the final entry in a series." It also fulfilled Hard Mode: "The series is 4 or more books long."
Overall, I enjoyed this tale of a driven scientist refusing to be defined by her gender. Isabella, Lady Trent is described as "ink-nosed" & I identified with her right off the bat. I thought the author made a smart choice to have her main character marry, because she would've been unbelievable in her context if she hadn't. It was painful & relatable watching her struggle to find outlets for her intellectual curiosity within the strictures of her class & gender.
The plots of the five books were somewhat uneven. I found the first book a little slow but things picked up as the series went along. I don't know HOW I was surprised by Lady Trent's discoveries in Book 5, but I was (they were clearly telegraphed earlier, I just wasn't paying attention?).
I am kind of a sucker for alt-history settings in a re-creation of 19th Century England. I'd like to combine several of them into one fantasy world. We will cram Napoleonic dragons like Naomi Novik's Temeraire a few decades ahead into a Victorian setting. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke) will also be included as the Two Greatest Magicians of the Age. Crow, the Angel of London, & his friend Doctor Doyle (Katherine Addison) can pursue murderers through the streets of London. What a magical, mystical world that would be!
Overall, I enjoyed this tale of a driven scientist refusing to be defined by her gender. Isabella, Lady Trent is described as "ink-nosed" & I identified with her right off the bat. I thought the author made a smart choice to have her main character marry, because she would've been unbelievable in her context if she hadn't. It was painful & relatable watching her struggle to find outlets for her intellectual curiosity within the strictures of her class & gender.
The plots of the five books were somewhat uneven. I found the first book a little slow but things picked up as the series went along. I don't know HOW I was surprised by Lady Trent's discoveries in Book 5, but I was (they were clearly telegraphed earlier, I just wasn't paying attention?).
I am kind of a sucker for alt-history settings in a re-creation of 19th Century England. I'd like to combine several of them into one fantasy world. We will cram Napoleonic dragons like Naomi Novik's Temeraire a few decades ahead into a Victorian setting. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke) will also be included as the Two Greatest Magicians of the Age. Crow, the Angel of London, & his friend Doctor Doyle (Katherine Addison) can pursue murderers through the streets of London. What a magical, mystical world that would be!
September 13, 2019
If I had to choose one series to read for the rest of my life, this would be it.
And I'm a very picky person.
Why? Because it has everything I would wish for:
•An interesting lead, that makes sense in her decisions and follows her beliefs without being ignorant.
•An interesting story, which combines science with fantasy, with mystery, adventures and just the right amount of romance.
•A world full of wonders and one which I would love to explore.
•Fantastic creatures, in all the meanings of the world.
•Believable characters.
•First read is phenomenal, but it only gets better after that.
Also, I tried hard to, but couldn't find any plotholes.
In my opinion, this is the series that any dragon-lover or person admiring the points in my list should read, at least once.
And I'm a very picky person.
Why? Because it has everything I would wish for:
•An interesting lead, that makes sense in her decisions and follows her beliefs without being ignorant.
•An interesting story, which combines science with fantasy, with mystery, adventures and just the right amount of romance.
•A world full of wonders and one which I would love to explore.
•Fantastic creatures, in all the meanings of the world.
•Believable characters.
•First read is phenomenal, but it only gets better after that.
Also, I tried hard to, but couldn't find any plotholes.
In my opinion, this is the series that any dragon-lover or person admiring the points in my list should read, at least once.
Read
April 1, 2023okay so obviously I love dragons but I need a way more pronounced critique of colonialism and white supremacy to really get behind this intrepid Victorian adventurer scientist fancy lady.
June 27, 2025
Overall quite good. Very consistent writing style. Very enjoyable narrator.
Read
October 29, 2017WHAT GOOD BOOKS HAVE YOU READ LATELY?
I'M ON THE LAST BOOK OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS SERIES BY MARIE BRENNAN. I REALLY LIKE IT.
I'M ON THE LAST BOOK OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS SERIES BY MARIE BRENNAN. I REALLY LIKE IT.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews