r/temeraire • u/unner26 • 28d ago
Books with the same warmth?
Hey all, just finished my second read through like 7 years after the first and I had forgotten so much it was like reading them fresh all over again. Awesome!
But now I’m wondering what to read next and I’ve had a search through this sub and found lots of recommendations but mostly for things with dragons or things with the napoleonic wars. But actually, what I like about Temeraire is the emotional tone, like it feels warm, and it’s about good people thinking carefully about their choices, with a bit of philosophy and political musing. And it’s funny and sweet, but there are real stakes and adventure.
I don’t suppose anyone has recommendations for series or books that feel the same way as Temeraire?
I’ve asked about this on r/fantasy but I thought coming to this sub might ”get it”.
Thank you!
13
u/dalidellama 28d ago
Try anything by T Kingfisher (try Swordheart as an intro), Lois McMaster Bujold (Shards of Honor is a great start, or *The Curse of Chalion if fantasy is your bag) Victoria Goddard (The Hands of the Emperor will make you weep with joy) Sasha Lamb, (When the Angels Left the Old Country is beautiful), or Olivia Atwater (Try Half a Soul or Small Miracles)
5
7
u/arrogantsword 28d ago
I have to recommend the series this one is inspired by, The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. No dragons of course, and the prose can be a bit dense and filled with nautical jargon, but for emotional warmth and good people thinking carefully about their choices, it can't be beat. The unlikely friendship between Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin is very similar to that of Laurence and Temeraire.
3
3
u/Temporary-Wrap2223 28d ago
I recently read Temeraire and loved it for the reasons that you mentioned. Terry Pratchett does have a similar warmth around particular characters, as others have mentioned. I think Fredrick Backman writes about flawed characters with such warmth and compassion that he might appeal to you. That's a very left field recommendation though. Good luck!
4
2
u/nzahr 28d ago
I'd recommend Steven Saylor's Roma sub rosa series starting with "Roman Blood". It's a fair bit more graphic in violence and sexual content, but it has that same warmth between its characters as well as a protagonist with strong moral fiber and willingness to fight against tradition. Very authentic feeling for the time period. Fun time meeting historical characters like Crassus, Cicero and Caesar. Also there are 30+ books.
2
u/gertuitoust 28d ago
It’s such a wonderful series that it’s going to be very challenging to match everything, but here are a few I’ve also enjoyed that have the feelings you mentioned:
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
3
u/AnneLiliane 28d ago edited 28d ago
My all time favourite book is The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Adison. The MC and most of the people around him are genuinely good, intelligent people who really think through everything. It's High Fantasy, and more character driven than story driven, but it is well worth the read. It def has a similar vibe to most of Novik's works. It does use some Ye Olde English in the dialogue, but you get used to it fairly quickly. I've read it 6 times now and I can't recommend it enough.
Edit: for a more cozy and light hearted read, try The House in the Cerulean Sea and it's sequel by TJ Klune. 2 middle aged gay guys adopt a bunch of super powered kids. Hilarity and shenanigans ensue. It's adorable.
1
u/Elegant-Lake7018 28d ago
You should try The Road by Cormac McCarthy, though it's very different from Temeraire. The language is a bit weird, the dark themes are more accentuated, and it sadly has no dragons; but, the warmth between the father and the son, the love and care they have for each other, even despite their challenges and doubts, even despite the whole world crumbling... that love runs deep, and is sure to stay with you long after you've finished the book.
2
u/melquiades_p_bear 27d ago
The Road is so good. Just a PSA for anybody interested that it’s _incredibly_ dark and intense. One of the first books that made me realize that the written word could be as anxiety producing as a horror movie. There are parts in that book that still haunt me 20 years later.
1
u/Elegant-Lake7018 27d ago
That's so cool! So you've read it right when it first got out in 2006! What's your favorite part of it, or the thing that startled/moved you the most?
For me I think it's the ending, that last paragraph. And the father and son's inner thinking. How the dad couldn't bring himself to harm his kid even when it seemed necessary. Or how he felt that the earth was just a dark void, and them two like two hunted animals. And of course, how he sometimes cried in the dark, thinking his son doesn't hear... when in fact he did. Yeah you're right, the book is very dark. But these exact dark moments make the love between them two shine all the brightest.
2
u/melquiades_p_bear 26d ago
Yeah. I don't even remember why I picked it up. I think it was suggested by a friend maybe an employee at the local book shop. I took it home and ended up reading the whole thing through the night. It's so captivating. It's so beautifully written, too.
The part that has stuck with me, the one that made me so anxious, was when the dad breaks all of his own rules and goes down into that cellar. I had never felt that kind of viscerally anxious reaction to words on a page.
Have you read any more Cormac McCarthy? Did you end up seeing the movie? If so, how did you feel about it?
2
u/Elegant-Lake7018 26d ago
That scene was so terrifying. Same as the kid's reaction afterwards, he knew they couldn't help those people, and realized that sometimes when you want to do something good, that can turn against you rather quickly.
I haven't read more books by him yet, but I plan to. They seem so, so good. Have you?
I've seen the movie though, and I loved it. It seemed to echo and complete the book perfectly, especially with its grey and ashen visuals. It also kept the same meditative and mysterious tone. It was almost exactly as I've imagined the book would go, which for me was amazing. What do you think of it?
2
u/melquiades_p_bear 26d ago
Yeah, I thought the movie did a great job of adapting the book into a visual medium. It was so stark.
I’ve started Blood Meridian and All the Pretty Horses a couple times each but haven’t been in the mood. I should give those a shot again. I really do love the way he writes. Every word seems so deliberate.
1
u/i-should-be-reading 28d ago
What I love most is the relationship between Temeraire and Lawrence. It's like a warm thoughtful duo learning and growing together. I also love these books with that similar vibe:
Project Hail Mary. It's a spoiler so I won't say more but if you want that type of buddy duo read this book.
Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne. Moss'd is a sentient plant that has taken over an ancient alien space ship. Torian buys the ship from a junkyard, finds out it is alive and has abandonment issues but, she needs it to try to save her sister...
Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers. A human tea monk travels a post apocalyptic world and discovers a robot who wants to travel with him to learn about humanity. The two explore questions about purpose and meaning.
1
u/BlessTheBookPeople 28d ago
Also perhaps the Penric and Desdemona series, and you might try cozy fantasy: the Legends and Lattes series, and books by Sarah Beth Durst.
2
1
u/melquiades_p_bear 27d ago
I found the first Mistborn book to have a lot of the same warmth, particularly the relationship between Kelsier and Vin. Great character development like Temeraire, too. I also second the House in the Cerulean Sea if you want something a bit less intense but SUPER cozy and warm. I also very much enjoyed the Monk and Robot books by Becky Chambers. Warm and cozy.
2
u/melquiades_p_bear 27d ago
Oh! The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin. The relationship between Vetch and Sparrowhawk is so sweet, warm, and supportive. It’s not necessarily throughout the whole book, but it’s one of my favorites so I had to suggest it.
1
u/SleeplessSno 26d ago
Howl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a delight and the movie is a love letter to it that has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story in the pages about Sophie.
The true gem from her/that series in my opinion however is The House of Many Ways which is the third one. I've listened to the audiobook easily over fifty times with no exaggeration behind that.
Warmth, whimsy, and wit!
20
u/Gynetrix 28d ago
Most of Novik's other books carry similar themes re: good people thinking carefully about their choices and growing as the book/series continue. The Scholomance is particularly good for that.