“This will sound peculiar, I know. But this love I have for dragons, my compulsion to understand them… I have thought of it before as if there were a dragon within me. A part of my spirit. I do not believe it is true in any mystical sense, of course; I am as human as you are. But in the metaphorical sense, yes. ‘Dragon-spirited’ is as good a term for me as any.”

Isabella Camherst (Lady Trent) goes on her most ambitious expedition, she’s to travel the world to study a variety of dragon species from sea-serpents to feathered dragons and even to determine if Komodo dragons are actual dragons. This is an expedition that has been well documented and over the years much embellishments have been added, but here in her own memoir Isabella wishes to reveal the truth, put to bed rumours and give a more personal account of her successes and academic failures. The two years she spent aboard The Basilisk sees Isabella facing storms, being shipwrecked and exploring Draconean ruins but she also finds herself bonding with her son Jake who for the first time has accompanied her, and she also meets an archaeologist with a scholarly passion to match her own.

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan is the third instalment in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series and it’s such a joyously escapist read. An adventure with Lady Trent is never smooth sailing but it is always guaranteed to be an exciting experience.

Any book which hosts an array of dragons and a scholarly female character on a quest to research them was always going to be a hit for me and so it will surprise no one how deeply I have fallen in love with this series. Throughout Voyage of the Basilisk we meet so many varying dragons, each with distinct traits, varying defence abilities and behaviours. As spectacular as these sights were there was also, as in previous books, a much heavier discussion on the difference between hunting dragons for sport and/or for their bones and hunting them for scientific purposes. I really appreciated seeing further distinctions of both because, although I still had my dislike of Lady Trent partaking in the killing of dragons, I did come to understand better that she is only dissecting them for scientific knowledge which could potentially lead to humans coexisting with them more safely and even helping each species thrive. I also understood the necessity of the time period given that the book is set when tranquilisers were not readily available and being able to safely get close to a dragon for study was impossible. A point which is brought home many times in this book through Isabella’s attempts. With the introduction of a new character, Suhail, the Draconean archaeologist, Isabella’s scholarly knowledge is broadened in other ways as she is given the opportunity to visit ancient ruins which may have suggested that at one time dragons were tamed by civilisation, and the two debating this was a very fascinating moment. I really hope to see this concept explored in further books. Brennan heightens the presence of dragons throughout the natural world incredibly in this book and I loved every bit of knowledge we gained. 

“It is a wonderful feeling to have one’s brain stretched and tested, to know both that one has knowledge, and that one is gaining more.”

However, Brennan also explores the consequences of these expeditions, particular from the previous ones, and of the discoveries Isabella makes. A prominent concern of Isabella’s has always been that should her discovery of preserving dragon bones become widely known it would lead to mass extinction of dragons for they would never stop being hunted. When the Basilisk reaches Yelang Isabella’s fears may have been warranted as much political tension is seen. These kinds of experiences I feel cause Isabella’s character to grow stronger and mature as she learns precaution when approaching and dealing with the locals in the various countries they visit. On the island of Keong she learns that it is better to respect their culture and customs, tread carefully, than to cause offence as she has done through ignorance in the past. This leads to her performing a ceremonial act that although she is reluctant does out of necessity and respect, which then in turn leads to some thoughtful discourse on gender identity. Until society would accept females in fields outside of their expected gender roles, perhaps Isabella and such would always be deemed as men or something mystical and alien to them. 

In past instalments of The Memoirs of Lady Trent our Isabella has often touched upon her struggles with motherhood and the conflict she has with wanting to pursue her own ambitions, so I was surprised but also pleased to see in this book that Isabella decides to take her son on the voyage with her. We finally get to see the two of them bond in such a special way. Jacob, affectionately called Jake, discovers a love for seafaring and anything aquatic, and Isabella seeing the same passion within her albeit for dragons, finally felt a connection with him. Isabella encourages and enjoys seeing her son taking on the tasks of running a ship and also exploring the waters below, and this was so endearing it made my heart melt. A particular scene I will never forget is when they both go diving with Dragon turtles, the shared joy in the scene put a smile on my face. This memoir also touches on matters of the heart with Isabella expressing her longing for companionship and although there is no whirlwind romance here, I did very much enjoy seeing her get closer to Suhail. There was a spectacular scene when they went dragon riding together that I adored. Isabella has often come across as cold or aloof but in this instalment we see a much softer and emotional side.

The Memoirs of Lady Trent has become my comfort series. I turn to these books when I’m in need of escaping into another world and Isabella has become my trusted friend who will lead me on dragon filled adventures that always delight.  

“I lost all awareness of time and distance; I had no idea how long it had been since I dove into the sea, nor where we had gone in the interim. There was only the sun and the water, the serpent beneath my knees and the wind in my face, islands appearing at unpredictable bearings and then vanishing when we turned, and Suhail at my side. He laughed like a madman any moment we were not submerged, and if I did not do likewise, it is only because I was too breathless for laughter. I was riding a dragon. In that moment, I felt invincible.”

Review copy gifted by Kabriya at Titan Books—thank you for the copy!

Voyage of the Basilisk is available now, you can order your copy HERE