Nerlikas Story

by Anne McCaffrey

Paperback

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good story, novella. It follows Nerilka, one of the older fort hold daughters. She has always dreamed of visiting Ruatha hold. Lord Alessan's deceased wife had written her many times about life there. But when Ruatha has its first gather of the year, she is not allowed to go.
This is a follow-up to Moreta, as told from Nerilkas point of view. Hating that she's left behind, aggrieved that when her father jumps quarantine to return during the beginning of the plague, and then sneaks his girl, their children and her family to fort hold, but her mother and sisters are left to die. She decides she is not going to sit around, taking orders from a girl younger than herself.
Much of the story you will know if you've already read Moreta, but it's a good story by itself, just not as great as most of Anne McCaffreys books are.