(NSW Premiers Literary Awards Judges)
With Battlesaurus, Brian Falkner has done the seemingly impossible: he has made the premise of battle-trained dinosaurs fighting in the Napoleonic Wars thoroughly believable.
It is 1815 and Willem — who is not really Willem — at 15 has been in hiding his whole life. His father was a master magician in Napoléon's court but, when he ran foul of Napoléon's plan to battle train the creatures that roamed the forest, he was killed in retribution.
His wife and child escaped into hiding, but now dinosaurs are ravaging the English and only Willem, the boy who is a ‘greater conjurer than the father', stands between Napoléon and his prize
Battlesaurus is a cracking read. From the slow reveal of the terror in the forest, to the secrets of Willem's past, through to the espionage and ultimate betrayal, the pacing and plotting is excellent, yet never at the expense of the character development.
Falkner brings a sensitive and compassionate hand to his extensive cast.
Each character is flawed in their own way, courageous at times, witty at others.
It is a combination that makes for a compelling and powerful read.
(Kinderlit Canada)
In my real life, away from Kinderlit, I would probably never pick up a book like Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo; I'm not one for alternate histories, and the dinosaurs-at-The Battle of Waterloo premise comes off, to me, as profoundly gimmicky.
(Profoundly gimmicky, incidentally, is why I generally avoid alternate histories.)
Essentially, this is the story of that fabled battle, but in another dimension, where dinosaurs roamed the Earth alongside man.
Europe is full of smaller grade dinosaurs, such as raptors, which make the forests treacherous; North America is unsettled, over-run as it is by dino-giants, like T-Rex.
Napoleon, whose French army is battling against the coalition forces, headed by the British and the Prussians, is struggling.
Struggling, that is, until he unleashes his greatest weapons: Giant dinos, imported from the Americas and weaponized.
Of course, there's one person (why is there never more than one?) who can stop him: A teen conjurer with a penchant for soothing dinosaurs.
Can Napoleon stop him before he can stop Napoleon?
Seasoned author Brian Falkner (he of the Recon Team Angel series) handles all of the tricky bits with aplomb, and his ability to build tension is really quite marvelous; it builds to such a degree, in fact, that it feels at certain points that it might rip the book apart.
The set-up might be a bit of a tough sell for reluctant readers, or those intimidated by history with which they aren't familiar, and the dialogue could feel a bit stilted to those same readers, as Falkner endeavours (and succeeds) to capture an early 19th century pattern of speech.
Additionally, despite the ferocious looking “saur” being ridden by a French soldier on the front cover of the book, this is not a mile-a-minute actionfest.
(It becomes one, eventually, but the build up is quite long.)
The adventurous, seasoned young reader will be well-rewarded, and I would be unsurprised to discover that Battlesaurus, Rampage at Waterloo has become a favourite for many.
Not a book built to draw for reluctant readers, no, but a well-constructed, imaginative slice of world alternative history, and proof that Brian Falkner, like a French soldier astride a majestic T-Rex, is a force with which to be reckoned.
(School Library Journal)
Falkner gives Napoleon a toothy secret weapon in this decidedly alternate history.
Part historical fiction, part dinosaur fantasy mash-up, this book will appeal to history buffs and dinosaur fanatics alike.
The battle scenes between Napoleon's army and the British are depicted in incredible detail, making readers feel as if they are right in the midst of the fight . . .
The first of a promising duology that readers will find thrilling and positively addicting.
(Booklist)
This alternative history asks, what if Napoleon won the battle at Waterloo . . .
The novel quickly ramps up to suspense, immersing the reader in the swiftly moving plot.
Characters are very well drawn, capturing the reader's sympathy.
With an ending wide open for a sequel, complete with a plot-thickening cliff-hanger, one can only hope that Falkner is a swift writer
(Kirkus Reviews)
Falkner gives Napoleon a toothy secret weapon in this decidedly alternate history.
It seems that Europe's surviving saurs are, with but rare exceptions, small and harmless. Not so the ravening monsters still extant in the mysterious Amerigo Islands across the sea—a circumstance that Bonaparte exploits upon his return from exile with a corps of dino-mounted cavalry that makes all the difference at Waterloo. Rather than exploit the melodramatic possibilities of this premise, though, the author chooses to bury them in a slowly developing adventure centering on Willem, a Flemish lad with a yen to be a stage magician like his vanished father and a knack for hypnotizing the local reptiles that also, it turns out, works on Napoleon's beasts. The whole battle itself is confined to two localized scenes. Falkner cranks up the pace in the late going while adding such juicy bits as a hunt for a ring through piles of severed limbs and a climactic chase through Antwerp's rousingly feculent sewers. Unfortunately, readers will first have to wade through eye-glazing accounts of Willem's earlier years, changing relationships with neighbors and friends, and the patterns of Walloon village life with only occasional glimpses of a larger picture. The episode ends with Willem escaping to England beneath the triumphant Napoleon's very nose in hopes that his secret can turn the tide.
A long slog to the good parts. Naomi Novik's Temeraire series for adults offers a similar premise (with dragons rather than dinos) and quicker rewards. (Historical fantasy. 12-14)
(NSW Premiers Literary Awards Judges) ▼
With Battlesaurus, Brian Falkner has done the seemingly impossible: he has made the premise of battle-trained dinosaurs fighting in the Napoleonic Wars thoroughly believable.
It is 1815 and Willem — who is not really Willem — at 15 has been in hiding his whole life. His father was a master magician in Napoléon's court but, when he ran foul of Napoléon's plan to battle train the creatures that roamed the forest, he was killed in retribution.
His wife and child escaped into hiding, but now dinosaurs are ravaging the English and only Willem, the boy who is a ‘greater conjurer than the father', stands between Napoléon and his prize
Battlesaurus is a cracking read. From the slow reveal of the terror in the forest, to the secrets of Willem's past, through to the espionage and ultimate betrayal, the pacing and plotting is excellent, yet never at the expense of the character development.
Falkner brings a sensitive and compassionate hand to his extensive cast.
Each character is flawed in their own way, courageous at times, witty at others.
It is a combination that makes for a compelling and powerful read.
(Kinderlit Canada) ▼
In my real life, away from Kinderlit, I would probably never pick up a book like Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo; I'm not one for alternate histories, and the dinosaurs-at-The Battle of Waterloo premise comes off, to me, as profoundly gimmicky.
(Profoundly gimmicky, incidentally, is why I generally avoid alternate histories.)
Essentially, this is the story of that fabled battle, but in another dimension, where dinosaurs roamed the Earth alongside man.
Europe is full of smaller grade dinosaurs, such as raptors, which make the forests treacherous; North America is unsettled, over-run as it is by dino-giants, like T-Rex.
Napoleon, whose French army is battling against the coalition forces, headed by the British and the Prussians, is struggling.
Struggling, that is, until he unleashes his greatest weapons: Giant dinos, imported from the Americas and weaponized.
Of course, there's one person (why is there never more than one?) who can stop him: A teen conjurer with a penchant for soothing dinosaurs.
Can Napoleon stop him before he can stop Napoleon?
Seasoned author Brian Falkner (he of the Recon Team Angel series) handles all of the tricky bits with aplomb, and his ability to build tension is really quite marvelous; it builds to such a degree, in fact, that it feels at certain points that it might rip the book apart.
The set-up might be a bit of a tough sell for reluctant readers, or those intimidated by history with which they aren't familiar, and the dialogue could feel a bit stilted to those same readers, as Falkner endeavours (and succeeds) to capture an early 19th century pattern of speech.
Additionally, despite the ferocious looking “saur” being ridden by a French soldier on the front cover of the book, this is not a mile-a-minute actionfest.
(It becomes one, eventually, but the build up is quite long.)
The adventurous, seasoned young reader will be well-rewarded, and I would be unsurprised to discover that Battlesaurus, Rampage at Waterloo has become a favourite for many.
Not a book built to draw for reluctant readers, no, but a well-constructed, imaginative slice of world alternative history, and proof that Brian Falkner, like a French soldier astride a majestic T-Rex, is a force with which to be reckoned.
(School Library Journal) ▼
Falkner gives Napoleon a toothy secret weapon in this decidedly alternate history.
Part historical fiction, part dinosaur fantasy mash-up, this book will appeal to history buffs and dinosaur fanatics alike.
The battle scenes between Napoleon's army and the British are depicted in incredible detail, making readers feel as if they are right in the midst of the fight . . .
The first of a promising duology that readers will find thrilling and positively addicting.
(Booklist) ▼
This alternative history asks, what if Napoleon won the battle at Waterloo . . .
The novel quickly ramps up to suspense, immersing the reader in the swiftly moving plot.
Characters are very well drawn, capturing the reader's sympathy.
With an ending wide open for a sequel, complete with a plot-thickening cliff-hanger, one can only hope that Falkner is a swift writer
(Kirkus Reviews) ▼
Falkner gives Napoleon a toothy secret weapon in this decidedly alternate history.
It seems that Europe's surviving saurs are, with but rare exceptions, small and harmless. Not so the ravening monsters still extant in the mysterious Amerigo Islands across the sea—a circumstance that Bonaparte exploits upon his return from exile with a corps of dino-mounted cavalry that makes all the difference at Waterloo. Rather than exploit the melodramatic possibilities of this premise, though, the author chooses to bury them in a slowly developing adventure centering on Willem, a Flemish lad with a yen to be a stage magician like his vanished father and a knack for hypnotizing the local reptiles that also, it turns out, works on Napoleon's beasts. The whole battle itself is confined to two localized scenes. Falkner cranks up the pace in the late going while adding such juicy bits as a hunt for a ring through piles of severed limbs and a climactic chase through Antwerp's rousingly feculent sewers. Unfortunately, readers will first have to wade through eye-glazing accounts of Willem's earlier years, changing relationships with neighbors and friends, and the patterns of Walloon village life with only occasional glimpses of a larger picture. The episode ends with Willem escaping to England beneath the triumphant Napoleon's very nose in hopes that his secret can turn the tide.
A long slog to the good parts. Naomi Novik's Temeraire series for adults offers a similar premise (with dragons rather than dinos) and quicker rewards. (Historical fantasy. 12-14)
