Moreta's Ride: Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern / Nerilka's Story

Pern (Chronological Order) #12-13

by Anne McCaffrey

Moreta, the business-like Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr, is unusually happy this fine spring day. Her queen dragon, Oolith, will clutch soon; the Gather at Ruatha Hold is extremely merry; and she's enjoying the attentions of Alessan, Ruth's charming new Lord Holder. Even though she and her dragon riders must soon risk their lives fighting the recurrent menace from space called Thread, all seems well on Pern. Then, during a race, a runner beast collapses with a mysterious ailment and dies. Soon other animals are dying, and the awful epidemic spreads, striking holders, craftsmen and, worst of all, dragon riders. With Threadfall looming closer, Pern is in mortal danger, for, if dragon riders do not rise to char the parasite, it will devour all organic life it encounters. Loretta and the other Pernese leaders must find a way to stop the plague -- or it could spell destruction as surely as the worst Threadfall...

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dragons, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

445 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

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

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moreta's Ride: Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern / Nerilka's Story (Pern: Dragonriders of Pern, #4-5)
McCaffrey, Anne
Moreta: The heroic story of moreta who inspired song by her self sacrifice because of plage. finding love in inopportune times, and the sacrifices of duty. the people of pern find out that they are not only going to be taxed by the imminate attach of thread but by a rampid illness that decimates the population right before the dawning of a new thread era.

[Dan Voyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - Definitely one of the best in the series!

[Marcia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pern was around back in my teenage years and here I am reading it for the first time in my sixties. I read Nerilka's Story first, strange to say, and decided to read Moreta, to fill in the gaps in Nerilka's Story. Liked both books though they both were quite sad. Alessan and Moreta are star-crossed lovers both bound by duty and hindered by a pandemic and ends in tragedy. After going through the pandemic during the early 2020s this hit home. I could also identify with Nerilka as I was also tall and big and not beautiful, but in my opinion she is many times the person her father and most of her siblings were. Instead of sitting around home feeling sorry for herself she defies her father and does something about the world that was being turned upside down. Her father disowns her but this works for her advantage. I am glad that Alessan learns to value her for her own sake in the end.

[Patricia Randolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the first three books in the Pern set of books. I enjoyed reading Moreta's story. She is mentioned in all three of the original books and it was a joy to read more about her and her great sacrifice for her world.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books, great writer, great story. A classic fantasy series. If you like dragons, fantasy and sci-fi you should read these books about the planet Pern, its human inhabitants, dragons and dolphins.

[Terri Olinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love to read Anne's books! I have lost count of how many times I have read this book but it is always great to read again.

[Darla R McCollim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic Pern story. A must read. Will bring a tear to the eye with every read. We get to know the parents and grandparents of our heroes and villains of the Dragons of Pern and Harper Hall Trilogy.

[Tanya Jarvis]

Moreta's Ride. Very topical - Anne McCaffrey writing about a global pandemic in 1972

[Lobo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Míg Moreta történetében és általában az eddigi sárkányfészkekben játszódó kötetekben nagyon elnagyoltank éreztem az érzelmi oldalt, s nem feltétlenül a szerelemre gondolok. Inkább csak arra, hogy mintha ezen a bolygón élők túlságosan is racionálisak lennének és még a családi kötelékeket se a szeretet, hanem valami hagyomány miatt tartanák fenn és a tragédiákból hamar felépülnek, szóval az érzelmek eléggé felesleges időtőltésnek tűnik ezen a világon, főleg ha sárkánylovas az ember, s inkább csak a csodás lényhez, akit megigézett fűzik meghitt szálak, de kevés 2 lábú társához. Ám Nerilka nézőpontjának bevonásábal kicsit mélyebb, emberibb és hozzám közelebb álló oldal is felvillan.

Kettős címkét adok a könyvnek, mert nálam ugyan a fantasy kategóriába esik, az írónő azonban határozottan azt állítja, hogy inkább sci-fi, elvégre tudományos-fantasztikus részei inkább a dominánsak az általa teremtett világnak. Vannak sárkányok, de ugyanakkor a történet járvány körül is forog, ami ellen nagyon is modern egyébként a védekezés és a megoldás, ráadásul bizonyos vonatkozásokban igenis aktuális a könyv. S ugyan egy sorozat része, de itt most végre a kötet végén van egy jó részletes magyarázat a különböző kifejezésekről.

http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...

[Lexi]

Moreta's Ride was quite a disappointment. We're being told a tragic tale that had been referenced in earlier books; we know what will happen (tragedy), but even when it does, the crises which caused it is poorly defined and not much of a crises. Had the story been started earlier, we could have built up the sense of urgency that eventually brings about the end of the story. As it is, it seems that McCaffrey knew there was a story to tell, but couldn't figure out how to get to the foregone conclusion.

Haven't gotten to Nerilika's Story yet.

[Virginia Ann Korleski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this edition, for it has two in one, that I can see somewhat, for font size is quite large. For this two do overlap each other and tell of a early time in the history of Pern, the Six Pass/Inerval also from the another point of view, Nerilka might have been a minor player in Moreta Dragonlady of Pern, but she plays a large part in helping to do what her father won't do, and she understand that time has changed everyone.

[Tristan]

Read prior to 2010

[Celina and Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to beat the first book, but still enjoyable.

[Ronald Vetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving it