Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.

I like the adventures of Isabella and her experiences with strange cultures and landscapes, but why are the dragons so downplayed. I can understand they are not as common as Darwin's finches, but you can count the real dragon encounters on one hand and the rest is all adventure through the jungle, politics and culture. Still, the setting and the characters make the story enjoyable, but next time more dragons please

This book will be released at the New Year Meeting in Amsterdam. I hope it will find a reader soon!

I read and enjoyed the natural history of dragons last year, so I was happy to find this at the bookcross meetup last sunday.