Voyage of the Basilisk (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #3)
Marie Brennan
Devoted readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoirs, A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey Ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed—until now. Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella’s in ways both professional and personal. Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella’s life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons
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0Voyage of the Basilisk picks up six years after the events in Eriga that were detailed in [b:The Tropic of Serpents|17910078|The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)|Marie Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372990377l/17910078._SX50_.jpg|25095531] by author/memoirist Isabella Camherst. Isabella is still itching to study more dragons and embarks on a two year trip by ship around the world to add to her draconic knowledge (plus get a little more adventure). Accompanied by her old friend Tom and her young son Jake, she ventures abroad onboard the Basilisk (very reminiscent and I imagine purposefully so, of Darwin's expedition). And per usual, Isabella lands herself in hot water more than once and encounters all sorts of dragons.
Voyage of the Basilisk functions almost like a travelogue, with Isabella documenting the progress of the voyage and what they learn about all sorts of different dragons from the sea serpents in the north to feathered serpents in the south and several types of dragons in a series of islands. The pacing is a little slower for probably two thirds of the book and then incredibly fast by the end (almost too much so, felt a little like whiplash).
This one was so much more my speed than [b:The Tropic of Serpents|17910078|The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)|Marie Brennan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372990377l/17910078._SX50_.jpg|25095531], I loved getting to learn about the different dragons with Isabella, I really liked getting to see her son a little older and more capable of expressing himself as an individual and continued to really like Tom as a platonic companion for Isabella. There is a spot that I didn't love the way a different gender (that seems somewhat based on Polynesian culture) was handled but that and the breakneck speed of the ending are really my only gripes about this one.
Overall, I'm still enjoying the adventures of Isabella and I'm looking forward to what trouble she stirs up next! And obvi, more dragons.
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