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Pern #17
Dragonsblood
“This is Pern, in the hands of a new master-grade harper. . . . May the saga continue!” —David Weber, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow of Saganami A mysterious epidemic is striking dragons, and the next deadly cycle of Threadfall is only days away. Somehow, dragonrider Lorana must find a way to save all the dragons—including her own beloved Arith—before they succumb to the sickness, leaving Pern undefended. No doubt the first colonists, who originally bred the dragons, possessed the advanced technology to find a cure. But over the centuries, that knowledge was lost. Five hundred years in the past, a scientist foresees that a disease may ultimately destroy the dragons, and she is determined to find a way to change the future. Now two brave women, separated by hundreds of years but joined by bonds transcending time, become unknowing allies in a desperate race for nothing less than Pern’s survival. Praise for Dragonsblood“Dragonsblood is a strong, lively story, with vivid, interesting characters and plenty of exciting action. Todd has captured the tone as well as the familiar settings of the Pern books. Pern fans (and newcomers to the Pern universe) have reason to rejoice.”—Elizabeth Moon, Nebula Award-winning author of Marque and Reprisal“For Pern lovers, the good news is that Todd McCaffrey has inherited his mother’s storytelling ability. His dragons and firelizards, his harpers in Harper’ s Hall, carry on the great traditions–and add much to them. Huzzah, Todd! You have learned wisdom indeed.”—Jane Yolen, award-winning author of Briar Rose “Dragonsblood is cause for celebration! A worthy addition to one of the grandest traditions in the literature of the fantastic, this is a lock-the-door, take-the-phone-off-the-hook, send-the-kids-out-to-play, curl-up-and-enjoy adventure!”—David Gerrold, author of Blood and Fire“The torch has been passed and burns more brightly than ever in this latest chapter of the venerable Pern saga, the first of what one hopes will be many solo efforts by the son of series creator Anne McCaffrey. . . . This stand-alone tale fits beautifully into the existing history and style of earlier books while still breaking new ground.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“McCaffrey convincingly spins a dramatic, thoroughly captivating tale, steeped in the lore and well-drawn characterizations of the people and the dragons for which the Pern novels are prized. Fans old and new will be delighted by his continuance of a beloved saga.”—Booklist
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
320 people are currently reading
5286 people want to read
About the author
Todd McCaffrey
111 books532 followersTodd J. McCaffrey (born as Todd Johnson) is an Irish American author of science fiction best known for continuing the Dragonriders of Pern series in collaboration with his mother Anne McCaffrey.
Todd Johnson was born 27 April 1956 in Montclair, New Jersey as the second son and middle child of Horace Wright Johnson (deceased 2009), who worked for DuPont, and Anne McCaffrey (deceased 2011), who had her second short story published that year. He has two siblings: Alec Anthony, born 1952, and Georgeanne ("Gigi", Georgeanne Kennedy), born 1959.
Except for a six-month DuPont transfer to Dusseldorf, Germany, the family lived most of a decade in Wilmington, Delaware, until a 1965 transfer to New York City when they moved to Sea Cliff, Long Island. All three children were then in school and Anne McCaffrey became a full-time author, primarily writing science fiction. About that time, Todd became the first of the children to read science fiction, the Space Cat series by Ruthven Todd. He attended his first science fiction convention in 1968, Lunacon in New York City.
Soon after the move, Todd was directed to lower his voice as an actor in the fourth-grade school play, with his mother in the auditorium. That was the inspiration for Decision at Doona (1969) which she dedicated "To Todd Johnson—of course!" The story is set on "an overcrowded planet where just talking too loud made you a social outcast".
Anne McCaffrey divorced in 1970 and emigrated to Ireland with her two younger children, soon joined by her mother. During Todd's school years the family moved several times in the vicinity of Dublin and struggled to make ends meet, supported largely by child care payments and meager royalties.
Todd finished secondary education in Ireland and returned to the United States in 1974 for a summer job before matriculation at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He studied engineering physics and discovered computers but remained only one year. Back in Dublin he earned a Mechanical Engineering degree at the College of Technology (Bolton Street). Later he earned a Politics degree at Trinity College, Dublin.
Before Trinity College, Todd Johnson served in the United States Army 1978–82, stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and determining to pursue civilian life. After Trinity he returned to the US hoping to work in the aerospace industry but found employment in computer programming beginning 1986.
He earned a pilot's license in 1988 and spent a lot of time flying, including solo trips across North America in 1989 and 1990. Meanwhile he sold his first writings and contributed "Training and Fighting Dragons" to the 1989 Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, using his military and flight experience. Next year he quit his job to write full-time and in 1992 he attended the Clarion Workshop for new science fiction and fantasy writers.
Writing under the name Todd Johnson until 1997/98 he specialized in military science fiction, contributing one story each to several collective works
As a boy, Todd accompanied his mother to her meetings with writers, editors, publishers, and agents; and had attended conventions from age 12.
He was exposed to Pern before its beginning: soon after the move to Long Island when he was nine, his mother asked him what he thought of dragons; she was brainstorming about their "bad press all these years".
The result was a "technologically regressed survival planet" whose people were united against a threat from space, in contrast to America divided by the Vietnam War. "The dragons became the biologically renewable air force."
About thirty years later, Todd McCaffrey recalls,
"the editor at Del Rey asked me to write a "sort of scrapbook" about Mum partly to prevent Mum from writing her autobiography instead of more Pern books. That was Dragonholder [1999].
The editor had also pitched it to me that someone ought to continue Mum's legacy when she was no longer able. At the time I had misgivings and no stor
Todd Johnson was born 27 April 1956 in Montclair, New Jersey as the second son and middle child of Horace Wright Johnson (deceased 2009), who worked for DuPont, and Anne McCaffrey (deceased 2011), who had her second short story published that year. He has two siblings: Alec Anthony, born 1952, and Georgeanne ("Gigi", Georgeanne Kennedy), born 1959.
Except for a six-month DuPont transfer to Dusseldorf, Germany, the family lived most of a decade in Wilmington, Delaware, until a 1965 transfer to New York City when they moved to Sea Cliff, Long Island. All three children were then in school and Anne McCaffrey became a full-time author, primarily writing science fiction. About that time, Todd became the first of the children to read science fiction, the Space Cat series by Ruthven Todd. He attended his first science fiction convention in 1968, Lunacon in New York City.
Soon after the move, Todd was directed to lower his voice as an actor in the fourth-grade school play, with his mother in the auditorium. That was the inspiration for Decision at Doona (1969) which she dedicated "To Todd Johnson—of course!" The story is set on "an overcrowded planet where just talking too loud made you a social outcast".
Anne McCaffrey divorced in 1970 and emigrated to Ireland with her two younger children, soon joined by her mother. During Todd's school years the family moved several times in the vicinity of Dublin and struggled to make ends meet, supported largely by child care payments and meager royalties.
Todd finished secondary education in Ireland and returned to the United States in 1974 for a summer job before matriculation at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He studied engineering physics and discovered computers but remained only one year. Back in Dublin he earned a Mechanical Engineering degree at the College of Technology (Bolton Street). Later he earned a Politics degree at Trinity College, Dublin.
Before Trinity College, Todd Johnson served in the United States Army 1978–82, stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and determining to pursue civilian life. After Trinity he returned to the US hoping to work in the aerospace industry but found employment in computer programming beginning 1986.
He earned a pilot's license in 1988 and spent a lot of time flying, including solo trips across North America in 1989 and 1990. Meanwhile he sold his first writings and contributed "Training and Fighting Dragons" to the 1989 Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, using his military and flight experience. Next year he quit his job to write full-time and in 1992 he attended the Clarion Workshop for new science fiction and fantasy writers.
Writing under the name Todd Johnson until 1997/98 he specialized in military science fiction, contributing one story each to several collective works
As a boy, Todd accompanied his mother to her meetings with writers, editors, publishers, and agents; and had attended conventions from age 12.
He was exposed to Pern before its beginning: soon after the move to Long Island when he was nine, his mother asked him what he thought of dragons; she was brainstorming about their "bad press all these years".
The result was a "technologically regressed survival planet" whose people were united against a threat from space, in contrast to America divided by the Vietnam War. "The dragons became the biologically renewable air force."
About thirty years later, Todd McCaffrey recalls,
"the editor at Del Rey asked me to write a "sort of scrapbook" about Mum partly to prevent Mum from writing her autobiography instead of more Pern books. That was Dragonholder [1999].
The editor had also pitched it to me that someone ought to continue Mum's legacy when she was no longer able. At the time I had misgivings and no stor
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September 24, 2012
I enjoyed this. I like the Pern books. I acknowledge they're not going to be classed as literary masterpieces, but I like the world, I like the people - and the dragons of course - and I like getting the chance to go back and visit on a regular basis.
Todd McCaffrey has done a good job in his mother's world, and it's also good to know that the new things he introduces (mostly more history about the original colonists and their next generation) have most likely been given the go-ahead by Anne McCaffrey.
Dragonsdawn is probably my favourite Pern book so I was delighted to know we were going to have more story in that time frame and it was well done. Series that start out as fantasy (or fantasy-like SF as McCaffrey considers Pern) have lately taken to rapidly discovering - or more often rediscovering - technology, so it was a nice change to see the last remaining few who knew the tech (mostly Wind Blossom) being forced to make the hard decisions about the priorities for saving the technology, machines and knowledge.
I liked the link across time, especially when it became clear there wasn't going to be any actual time travel involved, but lots of guessing about the future and the past. It was nicely done.
Lots of hints were dropped about Wind Blossom, the Eridani and the keeping of secrets, so I hope something more is done with that in the future. I don't mind tantalising hints if I know I'm going to get the payoff at some point. Hints that don't go futher than hints just annoy me. At this point I'm willing to offer the benefit of the doubt.
I thought the characters were engaging, although needing a set of main characters in two different times meant no-one got as much character development as they might have done. All the same, I certainly liked Lorana and the others.
I did think that having the two main bronze riders being called M'hall and M'tall could get a litte confusing, but since both had been created before this book, I guess there wasn't anything to do about it.
I've got a bit rambling now, but basically a most enjoyable read without being too much strain on the brain. A nice visit to a familiar setting.
However, I must say that I find it amazing how quickly these people managed to pick up advanced genetics (and with a three strand helix as well) so quickly and then apply it. It wasn't that easy when I did biochemisty and I did science right through school and university.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012]
Todd McCaffrey has done a good job in his mother's world, and it's also good to know that the new things he introduces (mostly more history about the original colonists and their next generation) have most likely been given the go-ahead by Anne McCaffrey.
Dragonsdawn is probably my favourite Pern book so I was delighted to know we were going to have more story in that time frame and it was well done. Series that start out as fantasy (or fantasy-like SF as McCaffrey considers Pern) have lately taken to rapidly discovering - or more often rediscovering - technology, so it was a nice change to see the last remaining few who knew the tech (mostly Wind Blossom) being forced to make the hard decisions about the priorities for saving the technology, machines and knowledge.
I liked the link across time, especially when it became clear there wasn't going to be any actual time travel involved, but lots of guessing about the future and the past. It was nicely done.
Lots of hints were dropped about Wind Blossom, the Eridani and the keeping of secrets, so I hope something more is done with that in the future. I don't mind tantalising hints if I know I'm going to get the payoff at some point. Hints that don't go futher than hints just annoy me. At this point I'm willing to offer the benefit of the doubt.
I thought the characters were engaging, although needing a set of main characters in two different times meant no-one got as much character development as they might have done. All the same, I certainly liked Lorana and the others.
I did think that having the two main bronze riders being called M'hall and M'tall could get a litte confusing, but since both had been created before this book, I guess there wasn't anything to do about it.
I've got a bit rambling now, but basically a most enjoyable read without being too much strain on the brain. A nice visit to a familiar setting.
However, I must say that I find it amazing how quickly these people managed to pick up advanced genetics (and with a three strand helix as well) so quickly and then apply it. It wasn't that easy when I did biochemisty and I did science right through school and university.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012]
March 22, 2013
I felt like I'd read this story before. I've never read this book before, but I realized half way through that Todd was reusing tropes from some of the other really grand Pern novels to tell this story: a plague (Moreta), timing it as a way to solve the problem of being short staffed (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, etc), learning Oldtimer science to save the world (Dragonsdawn, the White Dragon, etc.), using the loss of a dragon to create instant sympathy for the character (Dragonquest).
While this gave the book a familiar feel, it also felt like... cheating. Anne was able to use, and reuse, elements of stories throughout the Pern-verse to tell compelling and new stories for what seemed like a generation. This story, while I liked it, wasn't ... new. It tries to bridge the gap between Landing and the era in which we meet the dragons in Dragonflight, and I think it doesn't do enough to move beyond landing tech and into how society formed for the rest of the planet after the tech failed.
But just because I think he cheated doesn't mean I didn't like the read. Easy and comfort read again. It's been a hell of a week.
While this gave the book a familiar feel, it also felt like... cheating. Anne was able to use, and reuse, elements of stories throughout the Pern-verse to tell compelling and new stories for what seemed like a generation. This story, while I liked it, wasn't ... new. It tries to bridge the gap between Landing and the era in which we meet the dragons in Dragonflight, and I think it doesn't do enough to move beyond landing tech and into how society formed for the rest of the planet after the tech failed.
But just because I think he cheated doesn't mean I didn't like the read. Easy and comfort read again. It's been a hell of a week.
September 27, 2008
At first I felt that Dragonsblood wasn't nearly as good as any of the other Pern books, including Dragon's Kin, which is the one combined effort of Anne and Todd McCaffrey that I've read so far. I liked a lot of the details and story that Todd chose to tell, but it just didn't flow as smoothly as the other Pern books.
In the beginning of the book, I struggled with keeping the characters straight. Also, the constant jumping between time periods interrupted the flow of the storyline for me. Things really started to pick up about half way through the book, though, and I was absolutely engrossed for the last 150 pages or so. Some great connections to previous books are included. Just one small example - did you ever wonder about the dragon and dragonrider who were found at Benden Weyr entombed in solid rock?
I definitely recommend this for all fans of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series! Overall it isn't quite up to the standards of Anne's books, but very close and definitely worth reading.
In the beginning of the book, I struggled with keeping the characters straight. Also, the constant jumping between time periods interrupted the flow of the storyline for me. Things really started to pick up about half way through the book, though, and I was absolutely engrossed for the last 150 pages or so. Some great connections to previous books are included. Just one small example - did you ever wonder about the dragon and dragonrider who were found at Benden Weyr entombed in solid rock?
I definitely recommend this for all fans of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series! Overall it isn't quite up to the standards of Anne's books, but very close and definitely worth reading.
November 27, 2017
This book was, to be blunt, not good. It is Mr. McCaffrey's worst attempt thus far to rewrite Pernese history. Ted Tubberman was a delusional crackpot, not a secret Eridani spy whose bloodline was necessary to Pern's survival. Wind Blossom was a poor shadow of her mother who lucked into creating the Watch-Whers through arrogance, not a long-term plan to improve thread fighting. Trying to turn these two into the unsung heroes or Pern is just ridiculous. And the whole "Eridani require three bloodlines" thing comes out of nowhere, and then returns to nowhere. The whole book, Wind Blossom is insisting that the three bloodlines are absolutely necessary, only to flip at the end and say that her daughter is now free of her mother's "curse." I could understand someone coming to the books in chronological order, and getting this one before the originals, and liking it as a bit of average sci-fi, but otherwise it just fails. It gives the impression of an author who had several different stories to tell, tried to tell them all at once, and lost control of his own narrative.
Also, could we maybe have ONE generation of Pernese without a plague or disaster that wipes out nearly all of the dragons? Maybe? And pseudo-medieval characters teaching themselves advanced genetic manipulation? In a week? Just by reading a textbook? This isn't like the original cast being taught by A.I.V.A.S. in the earlier works. They had no instructor other than a voice telling them which cabinet to get their books out of. There's only so much disbelief I'm willing to suspend.
Also, could we maybe have ONE generation of Pernese without a plague or disaster that wipes out nearly all of the dragons? Maybe? And pseudo-medieval characters teaching themselves advanced genetic manipulation? In a week? Just by reading a textbook? This isn't like the original cast being taught by A.I.V.A.S. in the earlier works. They had no instructor other than a voice telling them which cabinet to get their books out of. There's only so much disbelief I'm willing to suspend.
April 20, 2022
Nice solid tale of the early days of the dragonriders and the planet Pern. Very nice characters that really invest you in the story. good read. Recommended
December 20, 2023
It's 507 AL, 507 years after landing, and Thread is expected soon. It parallels Dragon's Fire and Dragon's Kin.
My Take
Interesting for its insight into responsible creation but, again, no subtlety, no passion. Simply a recitation of facts with allusions which never enlighten us. There is an interesting implication about Ted Tubberman and we meet his grandson, Tieran.
There are hints made about dementia, but McCaffrey doesn't do anything with it. No depth. Still no passion.
On page 220, McCaffrey has Emorra intuit that the beads on Gren's harness had not yet been made. On practically no evidence, Emorra determines that Gren is here from 400 years in the future. No development, no tension. On page 258, the dragons are so sick and they're dying right and left, yet McCaffrey doesn't build on this. I barely cried. In fact, my mind kept wandering thinking about reading another book, any other book. It was almost like reading a dry history book.
As part of the frantic search to discover what is killing the dragons (I use the word "frantic" to attempt to instill some sense of drama . . . at least in the review), Kindan, Lorana, and friends discover something which will help save Pern.
As an example of not paying attention, McCaffrey has established that Lorana must be back at the Weyr to feed her queen in a hour. By page 273, Lorana and company have been reading through the Records for hours with no hint or suggestion that Lorana is supposed to be back at the Weyr taking care of her beloved dragon. I thought the new wyerlings were so amazingly attached to their dragons?? Their every thought was of them? Even when McCaffrey kills off dragons of riders we have somehow managed to find some empathy for, he doesn't press how horrible this is. It could almost be the day after Christmas and we have to wait til next year to get more prezzies.
This side of the story we learn the details of Kindan and Lorana falling in love.
McCaffrey makes Tullea, one of the queen riders at Benden, such a bitch but he doesn't delve into it. It's all on the surface.
I am so irritated with McCaffrey writing these three stories as separate books. He's stretched out the pages to make the reader feel they're getting a deal but once you read through you realize how you've been cheated.
We do finally learn how it happened that that young dragonrider and his dragon ended up encased in solid rock at Benden Weyr. One of the very, very few dramatic bits of writing that worked. And it so wasn't worth it!
Again, no build up, no drama in the conclusions Emorra, Tieran, M'hall, and Seamus come to in deciding how to build the instant learning room. Such a bore.
The Story
Half the story is of Wind Blossom's last years on Pern, 50 years after landing to 59 AL, struggling to find a cure for the dragons and fire lizards in which we learn the true reason for her attitude toward her students and child while the other half of the story takes place in the weyrs as dragons sicken and die.
The Characters
All the characters from Dragon's Fire and Dragon's Kin appear playing their parts in various degrees with references to their adventures in these two stories.
In the Wind Blossom half . . .
. . . we learn of Sean O'Connell's death, the reasoning behind the creation of the watch-whers, and a hint as to a purpose behind Ted Tubberman's activities. Tieran is his grandson. Wind Blossom and her mother, Kitty Ping, bioengineered the dragons. Emorra is Wind Blossom's daughter.
In the current-day half of the story . . .
. . . Lorana is taken on as a pet project by J'trel and his dragon, Talith, after losing his partner, K'nad. Lorana has lost her father in a beast handling accident, and since they had lost all the rest of her family during the plague 12 years ago, Lorana has no one. But J'trel is taken by her incredible drawing ability and helps her begin her dream of sketching all the animal life of Pern. Along the way, J'trel learns Lorana's secret.
We get a brief glimpse of Cisca, Weyrwoman for Fort, and K'lior deciding to send their wounded and weyrlings back in time to Igen to recover and be ready to meet Thread in three days even though another of the books covers this more thoroughly. I guess this "glimpse" helps tie Dragonsblood in with the other . . . yawn . . . oops, sorry, snort . . .
It's been ten Turns since Kindan met M'tal at Camp Natalon and he's harpering at Benden Weyr. Nuella's brother, Dalor, and Renna, his secret childhood sweetheart, are together now.
The Weyrleaders are K'lior of Fort, C'rion of Ista, M'tal of Benden, D'vin of High Reaches, and D'gan of Telgar after having moved there from Igen when plague and drought made it uninhabitable and their last queen died. Tullea is one of the queen riders at Benden.
The Cover and Title
The Wind Rider heeling through the waves as a blue dragon confronts the ship. Lovely cover with a fleeting connection to the story.
The title is perfect as it is the Dragonsblood that proves critical.
My Take
Interesting for its insight into responsible creation but, again, no subtlety, no passion. Simply a recitation of facts with allusions which never enlighten us. There is an interesting implication about Ted Tubberman and we meet his grandson, Tieran.
There are hints made about dementia, but McCaffrey doesn't do anything with it. No depth. Still no passion.
On page 220, McCaffrey has Emorra intuit that the beads on Gren's harness had not yet been made. On practically no evidence, Emorra determines that Gren is here from 400 years in the future. No development, no tension. On page 258, the dragons are so sick and they're dying right and left, yet McCaffrey doesn't build on this. I barely cried. In fact, my mind kept wandering thinking about reading another book, any other book. It was almost like reading a dry history book.
As part of the frantic search to discover what is killing the dragons (I use the word "frantic" to attempt to instill some sense of drama . . . at least in the review), Kindan, Lorana, and friends discover something which will help save Pern.
As an example of not paying attention, McCaffrey has established that Lorana must be back at the Weyr to feed her queen in a hour. By page 273, Lorana and company have been reading through the Records for hours with no hint or suggestion that Lorana is supposed to be back at the Weyr taking care of her beloved dragon. I thought the new wyerlings were so amazingly attached to their dragons?? Their every thought was of them? Even when McCaffrey kills off dragons of riders we have somehow managed to find some empathy for, he doesn't press how horrible this is. It could almost be the day after Christmas and we have to wait til next year to get more prezzies.
This side of the story we learn the details of Kindan and Lorana falling in love.
McCaffrey makes Tullea, one of the queen riders at Benden, such a bitch but he doesn't delve into it. It's all on the surface.
I am so irritated with McCaffrey writing these three stories as separate books. He's stretched out the pages to make the reader feel they're getting a deal but once you read through you realize how you've been cheated.
We do finally learn how it happened that that young dragonrider and his dragon ended up encased in solid rock at Benden Weyr. One of the very, very few dramatic bits of writing that worked. And it so wasn't worth it!
Again, no build up, no drama in the conclusions Emorra, Tieran, M'hall, and Seamus come to in deciding how to build the instant learning room. Such a bore.
The Story
Half the story is of Wind Blossom's last years on Pern, 50 years after landing to 59 AL, struggling to find a cure for the dragons and fire lizards in which we learn the true reason for her attitude toward her students and child while the other half of the story takes place in the weyrs as dragons sicken and die.
The Characters
All the characters from Dragon's Fire and Dragon's Kin appear playing their parts in various degrees with references to their adventures in these two stories.
In the Wind Blossom half . . .
. . . we learn of Sean O'Connell's death, the reasoning behind the creation of the watch-whers, and a hint as to a purpose behind Ted Tubberman's activities. Tieran is his grandson. Wind Blossom and her mother, Kitty Ping, bioengineered the dragons. Emorra is Wind Blossom's daughter.
In the current-day half of the story . . .
. . . Lorana is taken on as a pet project by J'trel and his dragon, Talith, after losing his partner, K'nad. Lorana has lost her father in a beast handling accident, and since they had lost all the rest of her family during the plague 12 years ago, Lorana has no one. But J'trel is taken by her incredible drawing ability and helps her begin her dream of sketching all the animal life of Pern. Along the way, J'trel learns Lorana's secret.
We get a brief glimpse of Cisca, Weyrwoman for Fort, and K'lior deciding to send their wounded and weyrlings back in time to Igen to recover and be ready to meet Thread in three days even though another of the books covers this more thoroughly. I guess this "glimpse" helps tie Dragonsblood in with the other . . . yawn . . . oops, sorry, snort . . .
It's been ten Turns since Kindan met M'tal at Camp Natalon and he's harpering at Benden Weyr. Nuella's brother, Dalor, and Renna, his secret childhood sweetheart, are together now.
The Weyrleaders are K'lior of Fort, C'rion of Ista, M'tal of Benden, D'vin of High Reaches, and D'gan of Telgar after having moved there from Igen when plague and drought made it uninhabitable and their last queen died. Tullea is one of the queen riders at Benden.
The Cover and Title
The Wind Rider heeling through the waves as a blue dragon confronts the ship. Lovely cover with a fleeting connection to the story.
The title is perfect as it is the Dragonsblood that proves critical.
March 13, 2020
3.5 stars. Although there were plenty of problems with this book, I ended up enjoying it. I'm likely the minority here, but I really enjoyed the deep delves into science. However, the genetic sequencing at the end was a bit too much even for me; while I enjoy and applaud unapologetic science and scientific explanation, it must come in small doses in order to keep the story moving forward. When you have 2-3 straight pages of genetic exposition, it becomes repetitive.
Lorana, our de-facto heroine, didn't have much in the way of character; I wasn't a fan of the decisions she made on behalf of her fire lizards and dragon, but I do understand why she made those decisions. I think the audience would have been much more sympathetic toward her if the text had spent time exploring the reasoning behind her decisions, and the emotional consequences she suffered because of them, but it didn't. As someone who has made Bad Life Choices myself, however, I found myself sympathizing with Lorana's grief (despite the fact that it is not explored nearly as much as it deserves).
There were several storylines that didn't seem to have any payoff (and, in fact, could have been omitted with no impact on the main plot), but I think I'd have understood some of those better if I'd read the other books involving this particular group of characters. Since this was my introduction to this cast, I took it all with a grain of salt.
There were many more problems which I won't cover at this hour, but I stand by my rating, because I really did enjoy the presentation of science in the book. I will also note that while the depiction of women in this series is still problematic, I felt this was...maybe a slight improvement over the early books like Dragonflight? Here, at least, we have characters like Wind Blossom and Emorra who have agency, and who are deeply flawed. I love seeing flawed characters, especially flawed women, because so often women are not *allowed* to be flawed -- not in literature, and not in the real world, either. Perhaps I see a little bit of myself in Wind Blossom, which is why I liked her so much, arrogance, stubbornness, emotional unavailability and all.
I'll leave it at that and revisit this review in the morning to see if I still feel the same way. Upon reflection, 2 AM is probably not the best time for me to have written this.
Lorana, our de-facto heroine, didn't have much in the way of character; I wasn't a fan of the decisions she made on behalf of her fire lizards and dragon, but I do understand why she made those decisions. I think the audience would have been much more sympathetic toward her if the text had spent time exploring the reasoning behind her decisions, and the emotional consequences she suffered because of them, but it didn't. As someone who has made Bad Life Choices myself, however, I found myself sympathizing with Lorana's grief (despite the fact that it is not explored nearly as much as it deserves).
There were several storylines that didn't seem to have any payoff (and, in fact, could have been omitted with no impact on the main plot), but I think I'd have understood some of those better if I'd read the other books involving this particular group of characters. Since this was my introduction to this cast, I took it all with a grain of salt.
There were many more problems which I won't cover at this hour, but I stand by my rating, because I really did enjoy the presentation of science in the book. I will also note that while the depiction of women in this series is still problematic, I felt this was...maybe a slight improvement over the early books like Dragonflight? Here, at least, we have characters like Wind Blossom and Emorra who have agency, and who are deeply flawed. I love seeing flawed characters, especially flawed women, because so often women are not *allowed* to be flawed -- not in literature, and not in the real world, either. Perhaps I see a little bit of myself in Wind Blossom, which is why I liked her so much, arrogance, stubbornness, emotional unavailability and all.
I'll leave it at that and revisit this review in the morning to see if I still feel the same way. Upon reflection, 2 AM is probably not the best time for me to have written this.
July 11, 2022
I'd have enjoyed this book far more if I were an engineer or scientist, and if there were fewer characters (54+) and fewer time changes. I was more than halfway through the book before I took a day to figure who was in which time frame, and what happened to who.
I gave it 4 stars instead of three because after all it is a Pern Book. The author, Anne's son, is a aerospace engineer, so I have to forgive him for the heavy reliance on science. I guess I am more of a fantasy buff than a sci-fi reader.
The dragons are wonderful and the characters too. Just hard to keep track of. For thse of you brave enough, or smart enough, to read this, it covers two time periods on Pern: First Fall, After Landing (AL) 59-58 and Third Pass 508-509 AL. The chapters mostly go back and forth, every other. A plague is involved, some villains, and some mystery. Never did really figure out who or what caused the plague.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes.
I gave it 4 stars instead of three because after all it is a Pern Book. The author, Anne's son, is a aerospace engineer, so I have to forgive him for the heavy reliance on science. I guess I am more of a fantasy buff than a sci-fi reader.
The dragons are wonderful and the characters too. Just hard to keep track of. For thse of you brave enough, or smart enough, to read this, it covers two time periods on Pern: First Fall, After Landing (AL) 59-58 and Third Pass 508-509 AL. The chapters mostly go back and forth, every other. A plague is involved, some villains, and some mystery. Never did really figure out who or what caused the plague.
Good luck, and let me know how it goes.
September 14, 2011
A pretty terrible book. While Pern has always been littered with Mary Sues and Gary Sues for it's main characters (pretty much almost all of them), Lorana takes the cake. If this had been on Fanfiction.net, it would've been voted down just to the absurdity of the plot. Spoilers ahead! --->
I honestly believe that flawed as it was, Anne's books were far superior and if she wasn't wanting to write anymore, she should have stopped there. Todd is a sub-standard author who I think could benefit from several character development workshops to learn how to create a well-rounded character, rather than these completely un-relateable, vapid characters that barely relate to the original canon of the series. I have no desire to read any of the newer books, because I honestly don't hold out much hope for Todd. Which is sad, because DRoP was my first major series, and like many I hope for them to never end. In this case, however, I wish it did.
I honestly believe that flawed as it was, Anne's books were far superior and if she wasn't wanting to write anymore, she should have stopped there. Todd is a sub-standard author who I think could benefit from several character development workshops to learn how to create a well-rounded character, rather than these completely un-relateable, vapid characters that barely relate to the original canon of the series. I have no desire to read any of the newer books, because I honestly don't hold out much hope for Todd. Which is sad, because DRoP was my first major series, and like many I hope for them to never end. In this case, however, I wish it did.
September 12, 2012
I so love and so identify with the Pern world and novels, that reading a new book (to me) in the series is automatically a thrill. I really have nothing to say about Todd vs. Anne McCaffrey; this book felt like a Pern book. I did worry near the end about the plot device used to solve the issue at hand, it's a bit too unrealistic, but since it also involves people roughly 400 years apart trying to solve the same problem, I really liked the overall arc of the story. My other concern was something common in all Pern books, the characters are very real. Some you care for and root for so much, and others you just despise. I admit I missed the clues, a bit, as to why one of the main characters was being such a b!tch, but understand most of my reading time these days is during my breaks at work, so I am both shoving food down my throat with one hand while trying to concentrate and hold a book in the other hand! I will give Mr. McCaffrey some points for explaining this person's behavior in a novel way, nearly at the very end of the novel. I am also enjoying little details in the earlier books being explained by events that occurred centuries earlier; it's "throwing a bone" to life-long fans. As the Pern releases from the 2000s are all new to me, I am enjoying experiencing this "new chapter" in an era of Pern we knew little about.
April 12, 2023
Love Pern, its dragons and dragon riders. It was a nice nostalgic visit to the world. The story made me want to reread the originals again.
February 10, 2008
The son playing in his revered mother's world of dragons. Well, I was somewhat disappointed, I must say. For my taste there was too much focus on the actual science of genetics. I don't think I needed to know all the nitty-gritty of gene-tracking, splicing... and everything else geneticists find so fascinating. I wanted more about the dragons, their riders, the Weyrfolk - everything that makes Pern, well... Pern! The characters were rather flat and I honestly didn't come across one that grabbed me with the need to hear his or her story. This is why I'd fallen away from Anne McCaffrey's own books. Less and less attention being paid to the dragonriders and their special bonds with their dragons or the intricacies of Guild Hall and Hold life. Less attention paid to the characters, period, as a matter of fact. Gone indeed are the days of Lessa, F'lar, F'nor, Robinton, Menolly, Piemur et al; and no one to take their places. Sadly.
August 5, 2010
Todd does not have Anne's magic. This book is obviously written by someone who has read a lot of Pern stories. The publisher was a bit too optimistic when they wrote that Todd brought fresh ideas to the series because he obviously didn't. This book is a hodge-podge collection of bits and pieces from previously published Pern books that Todd put together and it didn't quite gel. Thereby, for the long-time Pern fans, this book is a disappointment.
January 8, 2011
This one was just okay for me. Honestly, it felt more like a microbiology course than my beloved dragon stories. I want to read about dragronriders with a coming of age story. While this one was about Lorana and trying to save her dragon by learning from the past, it was kind of dull. I'm not sure I like having Ms. McCaffrey's son involved in the writing. His style is missing her special spark.
March 24, 2017
The time travel aspect redeemed this from a one star rating. I believe the epidemic tragedy storyline has worn itself out for this series. It might be a different epidemic, a different time period on Pern, and different characters, but really... all that death, desperation, and tragedy wears on me. I'm going to pretend I quit reading at the end of the original story arc (before Todd McCaffrey got involved) and stop hoping that the new installments will be any good.
June 16, 2011
Oh gosh, another plague.... Does he realise that he doesn't have to write about plagues? There is some shit about Wind Blossom and how the Watchwhers were created and Boy Wonder (a.k.a. Kindan) makes is usual appearances.
DO NOT BOTHER!!!!!!!
DO NOT BOTHER!!!!!!!
August 25, 2016
In short, a much better effort upon Todd McCaffrey's part in regards to the Pern series, but not really bringing enough to stand apart.
Certainly a more convoluted story that tries its best to deal with the ins and outs of time-travel, and character development is certainly better than his previous effort in Dragon's Kin. Todd tends to be less descriptive about scenes in general, and focuses more on dialogue, which in itself is not a bad thing, but sometimes it feels like a little more time setting a scene would help in certain situations.
The ending, however, feels rather abrupt; a notable pattern in all of his efforts in regards to his Pern stories. No one book ever feels like it is a story in and of itself, instead urging the reader to keep reading the series in order to find resolution to those elements that are left hanging at the end of each book. Given that the books are not written in chronological order, this makes for an unsatisfying reading experience in my opinion.
Another disappointment is the occasional glaring ret-con of certain details (the AIVAS acronym being different, for instance) that seems to undermine the lore of Anne's previous works.
Still, worth a read, though once again technically inferior to Anne's efforts.
Certainly a more convoluted story that tries its best to deal with the ins and outs of time-travel, and character development is certainly better than his previous effort in Dragon's Kin. Todd tends to be less descriptive about scenes in general, and focuses more on dialogue, which in itself is not a bad thing, but sometimes it feels like a little more time setting a scene would help in certain situations.
The ending, however, feels rather abrupt; a notable pattern in all of his efforts in regards to his Pern stories. No one book ever feels like it is a story in and of itself, instead urging the reader to keep reading the series in order to find resolution to those elements that are left hanging at the end of each book. Given that the books are not written in chronological order, this makes for an unsatisfying reading experience in my opinion.
Another disappointment is the occasional glaring ret-con of certain details (the AIVAS acronym being different, for instance) that seems to undermine the lore of Anne's previous works.
Still, worth a read, though once again technically inferior to Anne's efforts.
February 14, 2009
Okay, the idea was interesting (a dragon plague), and I liked the way they tied the past to the present with the whole time travel thing. Also, pretty heart-wrenching in places. A good story overall.
But honestly, I have some words for Todd at this point. Todd, listen. Your mother built this incredible world and wrote some incredible stories about the people in it. There are rules in this world. You can write new things with new characters, that's okay. But you can't change the rules of reality on a whim like you did in this book. You got time travel wrong. Not just wrong, but BACKWARDS. I'm talking about the effects it has on people, and if I say more we're getting into spoiler county, but you and those who have read this one know what I mean.
Don't change the rules, Todd. It makes people who look on the original works with fond nostalgia very angry. Worse, you seem to have done it in order to heighten the emotional impact of another event in the book. It would have been so much better if you had found another way to work that particular plot point.
When I read this I started to worry about the direction Todd was taking the Pern universe.
But honestly, I have some words for Todd at this point. Todd, listen. Your mother built this incredible world and wrote some incredible stories about the people in it. There are rules in this world. You can write new things with new characters, that's okay. But you can't change the rules of reality on a whim like you did in this book. You got time travel wrong. Not just wrong, but BACKWARDS. I'm talking about the effects it has on people, and if I say more we're getting into spoiler county, but you and those who have read this one know what I mean.
Don't change the rules, Todd. It makes people who look on the original works with fond nostalgia very angry. Worse, you seem to have done it in order to heighten the emotional impact of another event in the book. It would have been so much better if you had found another way to work that particular plot point.
When I read this I started to worry about the direction Todd was taking the Pern universe.
December 18, 2014
I used to love the Pern books (before I developed a sense of literary style), and when I saw this one I thought I'd give them another try.
For a while I was thinking, "This is spooky. He writes exactly like his mother - with all the faults as well." (For example, using incorrect words - someone burns charcoal in a "grazier", and someone else is "dowsed" - instead of "doused" - with water.)
But actually, this isn't up to Anne McCaffrey's standard. Sure, she's no literary giant, and she has inconsistencies in her long series, but this book just becomes more and more confusing as it goes along. There are far too many minor characters to keep track of, the body count just becomes tedious, the science is bogus, the plot is unconvincing and the time travel gets twisted into incomprehensible knots.
I think what I missed most, though, is Anne McCaffrey's characterization. One of the things I liked most about her books was that her female characters were strong but feminine, and her male characters gentle but masculine. (Forgetting Killashandra, who was just a bitch.) Todd McCaffrey doesn't achieve this, or anything close to it.
For a while I was thinking, "This is spooky. He writes exactly like his mother - with all the faults as well." (For example, using incorrect words - someone burns charcoal in a "grazier", and someone else is "dowsed" - instead of "doused" - with water.)
But actually, this isn't up to Anne McCaffrey's standard. Sure, she's no literary giant, and she has inconsistencies in her long series, but this book just becomes more and more confusing as it goes along. There are far too many minor characters to keep track of, the body count just becomes tedious, the science is bogus, the plot is unconvincing and the time travel gets twisted into incomprehensible knots.
I think what I missed most, though, is Anne McCaffrey's characterization. One of the things I liked most about her books was that her female characters were strong but feminine, and her male characters gentle but masculine. (Forgetting Killashandra, who was just a bitch.) Todd McCaffrey doesn't achieve this, or anything close to it.
June 8, 2012
It was wonderful to be back on Pern even if only for a day (because I just couldn't make the book last longer). I'd never have known this installment was written by Todd instead of Anne had the cover not loudly proclaimed it. The story was seamless, fitting like the perfect puzzle piece into the historical landscape of Pern. I loved meeting the descendants of Pern's first settlers, and I appreciated the creative solutions based on creative science to solve the crisis. No magic here! Perhaps the only thing better than discovering this book is discovering that it is part of a trilogy. Dragonheart, here I come.
September 22, 2007
I was really craving fluff and I found this one. I was skeptical, but since Todd has published more than one Pern book, I took a chance.
By page 75 or so, I didn't remember that this wasn't Anne writing. Good story, good evocation of Pern. Doesn't disappoint!
And perfect when you're craving some dragons...
By page 75 or so, I didn't remember that this wasn't Anne writing. Good story, good evocation of Pern. Doesn't disappoint!
And perfect when you're craving some dragons...
November 8, 2022
Of all the Pern books I have read recently (at least those NOT written solely by Anne) this is by far the best. To begin with I just felt a bit tired of reading about yet another plague, even if this one seems effects Dragons rather than humans. but as the riders try to come up with ways to combat it and save Pern, I did get swept up with the story.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two storylines - one where failing technology and the loss of knowledge is causing issues, and the later one where the need for that knowledge is so pressing. It was a neat way to solve the two, with the two linked through Lorana and Wind Blossom, although it made for a bit of a 'pat' ending. I think I enjoyed the more day-to-day stuff.
My only real grip it that this is yet another story that is solved through the Dragon's ability to travel in time - it seems so well known and used all the time in Todd's books, that I'm not sure how he will explain why this skill becomes so unknown by the time we hit 'Dragonflight'. Oh well, a good excuse to read right on and find out.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two storylines - one where failing technology and the loss of knowledge is causing issues, and the later one where the need for that knowledge is so pressing. It was a neat way to solve the two, with the two linked through Lorana and Wind Blossom, although it made for a bit of a 'pat' ending. I think I enjoyed the more day-to-day stuff.
My only real grip it that this is yet another story that is solved through the Dragon's ability to travel in time - it seems so well known and used all the time in Todd's books, that I'm not sure how he will explain why this skill becomes so unknown by the time we hit 'Dragonflight'. Oh well, a good excuse to read right on and find out.
August 19, 2024
A fun fast read without much depth in a universe that I’ve loved since I was a small child. A little too much reliance on time travel, but there are still dragons.
June 11, 2022
As someone who loves books, writing and anything to do with the written word, it is hard for me to write a bad review; particularly for Anne McCaffrey, who was, in part at least, involved with the writing of this book.
I've loved the PERN series for years now. I love how the good and bad guys are clearly delineated, how the good guys always win, and how much thought has gone into worldbuilding. I loved Dragonflight with a passion, and Lessa and F'lar will always have a special place in my heart.
These last couple of books written by Todd though, miss the mark by a mile. Here are a few of my gripes:
1. All the women characters seem disordered. The good ones can't seem to do any self-care: they can't eat unless they faint with hunger, can't sleep unless they're reminded to, and definitely can't take a break. Martyrs, each and every one of them. The ones painted as villains seem to suffer from borderline personality disorder.
2. The. Men. Have. All. The. Power. Yes, I understand there is a certain internalised mysogyny in lovely Anne (most women of that era did), and it shows up in her writing. Even Lessa could be quieted by "one look from F'lar" despite the fact that she was the one who basically made it possible for PERN to survive thread, oh, and she did that *after* rescuing herself and her family holding from a bnonafide villain, and being a boss weyr woman. Dragonsblood though... ugh. The men make all the decisions. They ignore the women around them. They don't shy away from manhandling them when they can't seem to 'control' them: shaking, slapping, gripping hands in anger... Really? Use your words. Be like F'lar.
3. The women have all the solutions, but they're too busy demurring to the men. All, save for Windblossom, but of course, she was an ancient elder... so she was allowed; you see? Everyone else needed to be reassured that they did really have the solutions, that they did really have these magnificent powers/abilities/brains/talent. They wouldn't know it unless the men told them. Ugh.
4. The science is SO badly handled. What I loved about the PERN series is how well the science of it works. Everything clicks into place. With this one though, Todd wanted to show that he'd read a book or two on genetic engineering. Boring, unending explanations about the science, which made Zero sense. Todd would've been better served to remember that even Anne never bothered to explain how 'between' works, other than it only lasts as long as it takes to cough three times.
5. The excruciating amount of description. By now, we know what sweet rolls are. Please, if you must tell us what's in them, layer it in with dialogue or as a part of the scenes. Paragraphs about spiced wherry, the smoothness of the weyr tunnels, the height of the weyr bowl, etc introduce drudgery to the readers' experience, not immersion.
The editor on this one needed to read the book, and needed to enforce the standards Anne set.
I've loved the PERN series for years now. I love how the good and bad guys are clearly delineated, how the good guys always win, and how much thought has gone into worldbuilding. I loved Dragonflight with a passion, and Lessa and F'lar will always have a special place in my heart.
These last couple of books written by Todd though, miss the mark by a mile. Here are a few of my gripes:
1. All the women characters seem disordered. The good ones can't seem to do any self-care: they can't eat unless they faint with hunger, can't sleep unless they're reminded to, and definitely can't take a break. Martyrs, each and every one of them. The ones painted as villains seem to suffer from borderline personality disorder.
2. The. Men. Have. All. The. Power. Yes, I understand there is a certain internalised mysogyny in lovely Anne (most women of that era did), and it shows up in her writing. Even Lessa could be quieted by "one look from F'lar" despite the fact that she was the one who basically made it possible for PERN to survive thread, oh, and she did that *after* rescuing herself and her family holding from a bnonafide villain, and being a boss weyr woman. Dragonsblood though... ugh. The men make all the decisions. They ignore the women around them. They don't shy away from manhandling them when they can't seem to 'control' them: shaking, slapping, gripping hands in anger... Really? Use your words. Be like F'lar.
3. The women have all the solutions, but they're too busy demurring to the men. All, save for Windblossom, but of course, she was an ancient elder... so she was allowed; you see? Everyone else needed to be reassured that they did really have the solutions, that they did really have these magnificent powers/abilities/brains/talent. They wouldn't know it unless the men told them. Ugh.
4. The science is SO badly handled. What I loved about the PERN series is how well the science of it works. Everything clicks into place. With this one though, Todd wanted to show that he'd read a book or two on genetic engineering. Boring, unending explanations about the science, which made Zero sense. Todd would've been better served to remember that even Anne never bothered to explain how 'between' works, other than it only lasts as long as it takes to cough three times.
5. The excruciating amount of description. By now, we know what sweet rolls are. Please, if you must tell us what's in them, layer it in with dialogue or as a part of the scenes. Paragraphs about spiced wherry, the smoothness of the weyr tunnels, the height of the weyr bowl, etc introduce drudgery to the readers' experience, not immersion.
The editor on this one needed to read the book, and needed to enforce the standards Anne set.
July 26, 2015
This book weaves two stories and two time periods together. In 507, Thread is just beginning to fall but the dragons are getting sick. Lorana is the daughter of a herder and one of the population that survived a plague. She is a talented artist, a skilled healer, has impressed two fire lizards, and can speak to all dragons.
Lorana has set herself a goal of traveling around Pern and drawing pictures of all the life forms. To do this she boards a ship but has to escape it because the Captain wants more from her that her skills as a healer. After nearing death in a small boat in a storm, she sends her fire lizards away in hopes that they will survive. She is rescued by dragon riders and taken to Benden Weyr. Her skills let her impress a new queen at the latest hatching. But dragons are dying of some kind of disease. Lorana and Kindan are set to search the records that the Weyrs keep in hope of finding some information about this illness and some cure for it.
The other time period that is woven into this story is the year 57 at the end of the first Threadfall. Wind Blossom is one of the original settlers of Pern and is a noted geneticist. However, she is seeing that the technology is breaking down and the settlers are focusing on growing their population and expanding their territories. It won't take much time for most of the information not needed for immediate survival is lost.
When a sick fire lizard - one of Lorana's - falls from the sky, Wind Blossom knows that the future of these genetically engineered dragons is in jeopardy. She has to come up with a cure and find some way to hide the knowledge so that it will be available in Lorana's time.
This is only the basics of the story. There is a jealous weyrwoman who resents Lorana's ability to talk to dragons and fears losing her power in the weyr. There are dragon riders in both time periods who are more focused on fighting thread now than in thinking ahead for the future. There is a romance.
All in all, this was a great story set in the world of Pern that shows a time that hadn't been explored before.
Lorana has set herself a goal of traveling around Pern and drawing pictures of all the life forms. To do this she boards a ship but has to escape it because the Captain wants more from her that her skills as a healer. After nearing death in a small boat in a storm, she sends her fire lizards away in hopes that they will survive. She is rescued by dragon riders and taken to Benden Weyr. Her skills let her impress a new queen at the latest hatching. But dragons are dying of some kind of disease. Lorana and Kindan are set to search the records that the Weyrs keep in hope of finding some information about this illness and some cure for it.
The other time period that is woven into this story is the year 57 at the end of the first Threadfall. Wind Blossom is one of the original settlers of Pern and is a noted geneticist. However, she is seeing that the technology is breaking down and the settlers are focusing on growing their population and expanding their territories. It won't take much time for most of the information not needed for immediate survival is lost.
When a sick fire lizard - one of Lorana's - falls from the sky, Wind Blossom knows that the future of these genetically engineered dragons is in jeopardy. She has to come up with a cure and find some way to hide the knowledge so that it will be available in Lorana's time.
This is only the basics of the story. There is a jealous weyrwoman who resents Lorana's ability to talk to dragons and fears losing her power in the weyr. There are dragon riders in both time periods who are more focused on fighting thread now than in thinking ahead for the future. There is a romance.
All in all, this was a great story set in the world of Pern that shows a time that hadn't been explored before.
September 10, 2015
This story is really good, even if it's not my favorite.
I love how Todd McCaffrey writes his stories because they fit perfectly in Pern's world. But this one didn't captivated me as much as his others novels. Perhaps because I didn't read it in the right chronological order so I already knew what will be next.
This story has to be read just before "Dragonheart" and certainly before "Dragongirl".
Lorana is the heroine of this novel, introducing us to Fiona - the main character of "Dragonheart" and "Dragongirl" - and allowing us to meet again Kindan - the hero of "Dragon's Kin", "Dragon's Fire" and "Dragon Harper".
Lorana, a young woman, who has the great gif of hearing and even feeling all the dragon of Pern, will have the great joy to Impress a Golden Queen. She will also have the terrible duty to find a cure to save all the dragons of Pern slaughtered by a plague just a little before the Red Star's return and the fall of Threads devastating everything if not burn.
During her quest, she will find help thanks to Kitti Ping's daughter, Wind Blossom, who helped her mother to create the dragons. But how could Lorana be helped by someone who lived and died more than 500 years before?
It was really a brilliant idea to give us more of Wind Blossom ("Dragondawn"), M'tall and Torene's ("First Fall - The Second Weyr")stories. I really liked how they worked through time to the same purpose: save the dragons to allow Pern's population to survive the Threads.
A really enjoyable read, particularly if in the good order that I probably will redo someday.
I love how Todd McCaffrey writes his stories because they fit perfectly in Pern's world. But this one didn't captivated me as much as his others novels. Perhaps because I didn't read it in the right chronological order so I already knew what will be next.
This story has to be read just before "Dragonheart" and certainly before "Dragongirl".
Lorana is the heroine of this novel, introducing us to Fiona - the main character of "Dragonheart" and "Dragongirl" - and allowing us to meet again Kindan - the hero of "Dragon's Kin", "Dragon's Fire" and "Dragon Harper".
Lorana, a young woman, who has the great gif of hearing and even feeling all the dragon of Pern, will have the great joy to Impress a Golden Queen. She will also have the terrible duty to find a cure to save all the dragons of Pern slaughtered by a plague just a little before the Red Star's return and the fall of Threads devastating everything if not burn.
During her quest, she will find help thanks to Kitti Ping's daughter, Wind Blossom, who helped her mother to create the dragons. But how could Lorana be helped by someone who lived and died more than 500 years before?
It was really a brilliant idea to give us more of Wind Blossom ("Dragondawn"), M'tall and Torene's ("First Fall - The Second Weyr")stories. I really liked how they worked through time to the same purpose: save the dragons to allow Pern's population to survive the Threads.
A really enjoyable read, particularly if in the good order that I probably will redo someday.
June 14, 2011
This is the first Pern book to be written solely by someone other than Anne McCaffrey. I'm not going to say it's great, but in all fairness, it's not bad either. Taking over someone else's creation is a lot of responsibility, especially when the original writer is your mum.
Where Todd succeeded in this book was the dragons. They are as comical, stoic, and loving as ever. My biggest gripe is the lack of emotion the characters displayed. Anne gave her characters a lot of time for grieving and affection and it was that I missed most. Since this is story is set earlier in Pern's history, I can assume the bond between dragon and rider strengthens with each generation, but the fact that many of the dragonriders lived on after their dragons died just wasn't consistent with Anne's portrayal. It would have helped too, if there was a list of characters in the back like Anne had with her books of who was from what hold or weyr, riders and their dragons, etc. Minor characters tended to flit back into the story after several chapters which had me flipping back to figure out who they were all over again. There are some other things I found lacking, but really, I did enjoy this book.
Given that Todd McCaffrey has a engineering background rather than a writing one, I think he did well on his first solo book. Does he still have some work to do? Of course and that comes with practice. Personally, I'm just glad we'll get more Pern books.
Where Todd succeeded in this book was the dragons. They are as comical, stoic, and loving as ever. My biggest gripe is the lack of emotion the characters displayed. Anne gave her characters a lot of time for grieving and affection and it was that I missed most. Since this is story is set earlier in Pern's history, I can assume the bond between dragon and rider strengthens with each generation, but the fact that many of the dragonriders lived on after their dragons died just wasn't consistent with Anne's portrayal. It would have helped too, if there was a list of characters in the back like Anne had with her books of who was from what hold or weyr, riders and their dragons, etc. Minor characters tended to flit back into the story after several chapters which had me flipping back to figure out who they were all over again. There are some other things I found lacking, but really, I did enjoy this book.
Given that Todd McCaffrey has a engineering background rather than a writing one, I think he did well on his first solo book. Does he still have some work to do? Of course and that comes with practice. Personally, I'm just glad we'll get more Pern books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2022
While most of the plot seems entirely pointless, what really makes the story hardly bearable are all the logical inconsistencies and scientific misinformation scattered throughout it. I am still trying to recover from the unfathomable absurdity that this work of fiction calls a storyline, depending on cascades of the most unlikely events to get where it wants to go.
If at least the characters were charming. Sadly, despite the death and pain portrayed throughout this end-of-world story, all that untimely demise fails to evoke any emotion - simply because none of the characters had been brought to life to begin with. Their flatness and lack of development make them quite impossible to relate to or empathise with. So much misery. For nothing.
In case you are looking for an all-too-large number of the most forgettable and two-dimensional characters to ever have wandered a foreign planet, this book might be just for you.
If at least the characters were charming. Sadly, despite the death and pain portrayed throughout this end-of-world story, all that untimely demise fails to evoke any emotion - simply because none of the characters had been brought to life to begin with. Their flatness and lack of development make them quite impossible to relate to or empathise with. So much misery. For nothing.
In case you are looking for an all-too-large number of the most forgettable and two-dimensional characters to ever have wandered a foreign planet, this book might be just for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2015
Однозначно, влияние Тодда привнесло новую ноту. Иногда книга кажется затянутой и нудной, иногда летит как дракон, но в целом оставляет интересное впечатление.
Открытая экосистема-это источник постоянной энтропии, и в целом всегда может найтись отрезок времени, в который случится та или иная беда. Беда этого рода-простуда драконов (я читала книгу под кашель сотрудница-=)), с которой справляются периниты и их Предки.
Остаются открытыми вопросы, как они смогла синтезировать сыворотку и как дракон и файры нашли место, чтобы переместиться в прошлое-ведь им необходима четкая картинка, чтобы не вмазаться в стену или гору.
Впрочем, книга интересная и вполне вписывается в серию. Только читать ее надо после рассказов о высадке, иначе будет непонятно, кто такая Цветок Ветра и что такое ужасное сделала Табберман с его личинками и зверями.
Открытая экосистема-это источник постоянной энтропии, и в целом всегда может найтись отрезок времени, в который случится та или иная беда. Беда этого рода-простуда драконов (я читала книгу под кашель сотрудница-=)), с которой справляются периниты и их Предки.
Остаются открытыми вопросы, как они смогла синтезировать сыворотку и как дракон и файры нашли место, чтобы переместиться в прошлое-ведь им необходима четкая картинка, чтобы не вмазаться в стену или гору.
Впрочем, книга интересная и вполне вписывается в серию. Только читать ее надо после рассказов о высадке, иначе будет непонятно, кто такая Цветок Ветра и что такое ужасное сделала Табберман с его личинками и зверями.
March 3, 2010
• As this book is in the actual Dragonrider series it is filled with much more action than the last Pern book I read. It really is a page turner. It also opens up a lot of questions that can only be answered down the road in later books. One thing that will be interesting to me will be what the original books say about the first and the second pass of thread. There is a very strong cannon designed around this series, and it will be interesting to see what shaped the cannon for these earlier books in the timeline. Also, it will be interesting to see when A.M. decided to go back and do these. If some of the books written before Dragonsdawn have references to the events listed in these newer books, it would show some foreknowledge of what A.M. wanted to do.
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