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Pern #21
Dragongirl
Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen Talenth, has returned from the past, where she and a group of dragons and riders fled so that the wounded could heal from their previous battles with Thread and the younger dragons could safely grow to fighting age. Gone only three days, yet aged more than three years, Fiona is no longer a child but a woman prepared to fight against the Thread that threatens to destroy her world.
Fiona’s life takes a pivotal turn when a shocking tragedy thrusts her into a position of authority. Now she finds herself leading weyrfolk who have a hard time trusting a senior Weyrwoman who is both young and an outsider.
But even greater challenges lie Thread is falling and there are too few dragons to stem the tide. Many have died from the recent plague, and even with the influx of newly mature dragons from the past, the depleted fighting force is no match for the intensifying Threadfall. Fiona knows that something must be done, and what she proposes is daring and next to impossible. But if her plan succeeds, it just might save them all.
With a cast of familiar characters from previous Pern novels—including Lorana, who sacrificed her own queen dragon so that all the dragons of Pern would have a chance to survive, and Kindan, the harper Fiona has loved her whole life—Dragongirl is another triumph for Todd McCaffrey, and a riveting new chapter for the Dragonriders of Pern.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
361 people are currently reading
4025 people want to read
About the author
Todd McCaffrey
118 books537 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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October 3, 2010
I'm going to say something I've never said about a Pern book before: I HATED this book. Disliked with a vengeance. I'm so angry at Todd McCaffrey I could spit on his shoes. I can't believe what he has done to my beloved Pern. I would not recommend this book to anyone, and I wish I could get my money back on the Kindle book.
I don't know why I'm even waffling about giving away "spoilers" on this book. What I liked about the book: I liked some of the main characters younger female friends. Although I did not like what the author did to and with them. The themes of this book seemed like despairingly overwhelming death, and sex. Death, death, death (a recurring theme in Todd's stories). First there was a plague that killed off a huge percentage of the Pernese population. Then an illness among the dragons that forced the banishment of all fire lizards (which represent joyful freedom); and finally, wholesale death of dragons and their riders from thread. He killed hundreds during this book. It got to the point where I didn't want to meet any new characters because they would be dead within pages. And I have never experienced such a sense of unquestioning complacency amongst a population that was being picked off on a daily basis. Oh well. We were meant to die, so off we go to do so. Death can't be avoided, so why even try. And this attitude, in a universe where time travel is routinely used blew me away. Never once did anyone try to go back and warn or save themselves or others. Whether or not it's possible, no one ever tried. Oh well.
Then there was the sex. Now we all know that blue and green riders can be randy and free with partners, but Mr. McCaffrey took things in a whole other direction. Let's add kids to the mix. There was implied sex with girls as young as 12. There was group sex, gay sex, lesbian sex, "wife" swapping, you name it. It seemed like every sexual fantasy the author had was explored through his characters, and frankly I didn't want to go there. (Three women bathing together, anyone?) It got to the point where halfway through the book it seemed like the only scenes we had were either: at breakfast or dinner, heading into battle (to die), or in a group bed. Also, if you got pregnant, you should spend the next 9 months "resting" because you were certainly physically incapable of anything strenuous.
And then there was the poor writing on every level; from poor pacing, plotting, characterizations to wrapping up what little he was going to, in literally the last 2 pages. Bah! This is obviously the middle book of a contracted trilogy, and there was just not enough story to go around. It is a placeholder, in which there is no real change, we are just biding our time for book #3. Too bad, I'm not buying it. Bye-Bye Todd. You've ruined a fantastic universe.
I don't know why I'm even waffling about giving away "spoilers" on this book. What I liked about the book: I liked some of the main characters younger female friends. Although I did not like what the author did to and with them. The themes of this book seemed like despairingly overwhelming death, and sex. Death, death, death (a recurring theme in Todd's stories). First there was a plague that killed off a huge percentage of the Pernese population. Then an illness among the dragons that forced the banishment of all fire lizards (which represent joyful freedom); and finally, wholesale death of dragons and their riders from thread. He killed hundreds during this book. It got to the point where I didn't want to meet any new characters because they would be dead within pages. And I have never experienced such a sense of unquestioning complacency amongst a population that was being picked off on a daily basis. Oh well. We were meant to die, so off we go to do so. Death can't be avoided, so why even try. And this attitude, in a universe where time travel is routinely used blew me away. Never once did anyone try to go back and warn or save themselves or others. Whether or not it's possible, no one ever tried. Oh well.
Then there was the sex. Now we all know that blue and green riders can be randy and free with partners, but Mr. McCaffrey took things in a whole other direction. Let's add kids to the mix. There was implied sex with girls as young as 12. There was group sex, gay sex, lesbian sex, "wife" swapping, you name it. It seemed like every sexual fantasy the author had was explored through his characters, and frankly I didn't want to go there. (Three women bathing together, anyone?) It got to the point where halfway through the book it seemed like the only scenes we had were either: at breakfast or dinner, heading into battle (to die), or in a group bed. Also, if you got pregnant, you should spend the next 9 months "resting" because you were certainly physically incapable of anything strenuous.
And then there was the poor writing on every level; from poor pacing, plotting, characterizations to wrapping up what little he was going to, in literally the last 2 pages. Bah! This is obviously the middle book of a contracted trilogy, and there was just not enough story to go around. It is a placeholder, in which there is no real change, we are just biding our time for book #3. Too bad, I'm not buying it. Bye-Bye Todd. You've ruined a fantastic universe.
October 1, 2013
That book was shit.
The story focuses on Fiona, a Queen rider, who loves Kindan. This is not surprising as anyone reading any of Todd McCaffrey's books will realise that he also loves Kindan. Kindan is a superboy who gets to do everything. In this book he even becomes weyrlingmaster and proxy weyrleader despite not being a dragonrider, which is made even more surprising given that he has been rejected on the hatching grounds three times.
Fiona is supposed to be a great weyrwoman, but really she spends the entire book begging everyone to sleep in her bed. Friends, children, other weyrleaders, other couples she is rather indiscriminent. Her first queen mating flight ends up in a foursome with an ex-queen rider, Kindan and a comatose dragonrider.... Anytime anyone declares their love for her she reminds them that she loves lots of people. She arranges for her lovers to have other lovers and spends the book trying to get everyone pregnant.
Todd McCaffrey seems completely unable to write a convincing love scene. He either has children falling in love or adults fucking everything that moves. His mother, Anne McCaffrey that creator of the Pern series, was brilliant at drawing the reader into the relationships in her book. Why does he write about children and sex so much?
Todd seems to think writing Pern novels is as easy as copying ideas from his mother. She had a plague, well he has two of them. She had dragons travel through time, well he will have his dragons travel through time so much that his readers will be tied up in paradoxes. She had a question song, well he will have two of them. She had mating flights, well he will have foursomes. She had telepathic dragons, well he will have telepathic humans. He simple does not know when to stop.
Todd McCaffrey has a long way to go as a writer and his credibility is lessened as we watch him mutilate the world that his mother created, presumably because he makes a lot more money riding his mother's coattails then he would if he began writing his own stories. He needs to learn subtlety, how to write adult storylines and how to write a strong adult romance, until then he really should stop fucking with Pern.
The story focuses on Fiona, a Queen rider, who loves Kindan. This is not surprising as anyone reading any of Todd McCaffrey's books will realise that he also loves Kindan. Kindan is a superboy who gets to do everything. In this book he even becomes weyrlingmaster and proxy weyrleader despite not being a dragonrider, which is made even more surprising given that he has been rejected on the hatching grounds three times.
Fiona is supposed to be a great weyrwoman, but really she spends the entire book begging everyone to sleep in her bed. Friends, children, other weyrleaders, other couples she is rather indiscriminent. Her first queen mating flight ends up in a foursome with an ex-queen rider, Kindan and a comatose dragonrider.... Anytime anyone declares their love for her she reminds them that she loves lots of people. She arranges for her lovers to have other lovers and spends the book trying to get everyone pregnant.
Todd McCaffrey seems completely unable to write a convincing love scene. He either has children falling in love or adults fucking everything that moves. His mother, Anne McCaffrey that creator of the Pern series, was brilliant at drawing the reader into the relationships in her book. Why does he write about children and sex so much?
Todd seems to think writing Pern novels is as easy as copying ideas from his mother. She had a plague, well he has two of them. She had dragons travel through time, well he will have his dragons travel through time so much that his readers will be tied up in paradoxes. She had a question song, well he will have two of them. She had mating flights, well he will have foursomes. She had telepathic dragons, well he will have telepathic humans. He simple does not know when to stop.
Todd McCaffrey has a long way to go as a writer and his credibility is lessened as we watch him mutilate the world that his mother created, presumably because he makes a lot more money riding his mother's coattails then he would if he began writing his own stories. He needs to learn subtlety, how to write adult storylines and how to write a strong adult romance, until then he really should stop fucking with Pern.
October 15, 2012
Wow, I can't believe how long it took me to complete this book. I kept hoping it would get better, but I found myself unable to pick it up so many days.
I grew up on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, and still count them among my all-time favorite series. Todd McCaffrey's attempts at reviving that thriving world have been mediocre at best, but this latest installment is just downright bad. I found myself reading Dragongirl simply out of a sense of loyalty to the Pern series, but this might be my last Pern book. It was that bad.
I have never written a review like this before, but I was so disappointed by this book that I feel I must warn readers who are considering it. There are so many problems in this book that they far outweigh the few little pleasures that can be wrung out of it.
Todd's latest Pern books seem to only rehash previous story lines, both his own and his mother's. We've seen the whole plague thing before (Moreta), we've had the "not enough dragons to fly thread" story (the very first Pern trilogy), we've seen the "send dragons and riders back in time to heal and get older so they can battle thread" plot before, and we've already dealt with the dragon sickness earlier in this series.
The few new plot lines in this book either had no focus -- wandering and meandering around so much that I just couldn't keep interest -- or were hammered over and over with such lack of subtlety and skill that they became painful. As others have mentioned, anyone who has read Todd's earlier books should expect a heavy dose of death and despair, but Dragongirl took those to a whole new level even for this author. Add to that the casualness of the deviant sexual themes (young girls with older men, partner swapping, threesomes and more) and the book just became too much.
On top of that, the author's writing skills seem to have taken a downturn. Todd has never had his mother's talents, but the writing in this book was simply atrocious. It really didn't even feel like an editor had made any attempt at helping the book.
I hate to say it, but I cannot recommend this book to anyone, even (or especially) long-time Pern fans. I don't think I will be reading any more of Todd's books; rather, I will go back and reread the originals and enjoy the world of Pern in all the glory designed by its talented creator.
I grew up on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, and still count them among my all-time favorite series. Todd McCaffrey's attempts at reviving that thriving world have been mediocre at best, but this latest installment is just downright bad. I found myself reading Dragongirl simply out of a sense of loyalty to the Pern series, but this might be my last Pern book. It was that bad.
I have never written a review like this before, but I was so disappointed by this book that I feel I must warn readers who are considering it. There are so many problems in this book that they far outweigh the few little pleasures that can be wrung out of it.
Todd's latest Pern books seem to only rehash previous story lines, both his own and his mother's. We've seen the whole plague thing before (Moreta), we've had the "not enough dragons to fly thread" story (the very first Pern trilogy), we've seen the "send dragons and riders back in time to heal and get older so they can battle thread" plot before, and we've already dealt with the dragon sickness earlier in this series.
The few new plot lines in this book either had no focus -- wandering and meandering around so much that I just couldn't keep interest -- or were hammered over and over with such lack of subtlety and skill that they became painful. As others have mentioned, anyone who has read Todd's earlier books should expect a heavy dose of death and despair, but Dragongirl took those to a whole new level even for this author. Add to that the casualness of the deviant sexual themes (young girls with older men, partner swapping, threesomes and more) and the book just became too much.
On top of that, the author's writing skills seem to have taken a downturn. Todd has never had his mother's talents, but the writing in this book was simply atrocious. It really didn't even feel like an editor had made any attempt at helping the book.
I hate to say it, but I cannot recommend this book to anyone, even (or especially) long-time Pern fans. I don't think I will be reading any more of Todd's books; rather, I will go back and reread the originals and enjoy the world of Pern in all the glory designed by its talented creator.
August 26, 2010
This book suffers from some serious problems. However, I did (eventually) find myself enjoying what I could of it, primarily because it was still a Pern book. The Pern series has a special place in my heart, as Dragonsong was the very first "adult" book I ever read, in 5th grade. It opened up my entire world, and created an avid reader.
Back to the book...first of all, I realize that dragonriders have their own morals and I'm okay with that. But having to read about the sexual exploits (not entirely dragon induced) of a 16 year old was a little icky. Thankfully, those scenes were glossed over, but still...I really don't need to know how many partners (and how many times) a 16 year old...you know... ew.
I also didn't really need to be beaten over the head with character development. Yes, character development is central to a good book, and Pern is known for its vibrant personalities. However, the character development was stiff and seemed forced. Any good writer (and reader) knows that you don't tell the reader a person is nice. You *show* them the character is nice. But you do that by having the characters interact, and show a few scenes to illustrate your point. You don't need to show how the character is nice to this person, and that person, and that one too, and this one, and that one over there, and this one, and these 3 other people, oh, and those people too. I GET IT. She's nice. A lot of this book is fluff; little plot, too much of between character banter. And too much talk about how people sleep. Sheesh. I don't really need to know how many people are sharing Fiona's bed every single night of the few months the book covers.
And then there's the high body count. Geez, Laurell K Hamilton has nothing on Todd McCaffrey. Not to say that the book is gory, because it's not. It is, however, a little irritating to be introduced to too many characters, only to have half of them die off. Then, I was sitting there going, "Who is this guy again? Did he take over for that guy? No, wait, he's dead, too...he died three pages ago...right, so now who is Weyrleader again???" A character list would have helped at least one part of the problem (knowing who is a bronze rider, who is wingleader, Weyrleader, etc).
There were times where I thought the book was great and interesting (mainly because it was Pern), but there were other times I thought it was downright silly. I hope that Mr. McCaffrey takes some more lessons from his mother in character development, and stops killing off dragons and their riders for the next book.
Back to the book...first of all, I realize that dragonriders have their own morals and I'm okay with that. But having to read about the sexual exploits (not entirely dragon induced) of a 16 year old was a little icky. Thankfully, those scenes were glossed over, but still...I really don't need to know how many partners (and how many times) a 16 year old...you know... ew.
I also didn't really need to be beaten over the head with character development. Yes, character development is central to a good book, and Pern is known for its vibrant personalities. However, the character development was stiff and seemed forced. Any good writer (and reader) knows that you don't tell the reader a person is nice. You *show* them the character is nice. But you do that by having the characters interact, and show a few scenes to illustrate your point. You don't need to show how the character is nice to this person, and that person, and that one too, and this one, and that one over there, and this one, and these 3 other people, oh, and those people too. I GET IT. She's nice. A lot of this book is fluff; little plot, too much of between character banter. And too much talk about how people sleep. Sheesh. I don't really need to know how many people are sharing Fiona's bed every single night of the few months the book covers.
And then there's the high body count. Geez, Laurell K Hamilton has nothing on Todd McCaffrey. Not to say that the book is gory, because it's not. It is, however, a little irritating to be introduced to too many characters, only to have half of them die off. Then, I was sitting there going, "Who is this guy again? Did he take over for that guy? No, wait, he's dead, too...he died three pages ago...right, so now who is Weyrleader again???" A character list would have helped at least one part of the problem (knowing who is a bronze rider, who is wingleader, Weyrleader, etc).
There were times where I thought the book was great and interesting (mainly because it was Pern), but there were other times I thought it was downright silly. I hope that Mr. McCaffrey takes some more lessons from his mother in character development, and stops killing off dragons and their riders for the next book.
May 2, 2022
Another nice read in the Pern series. McCaffrey's son carries on the legend of the dragon riders in a great set of new stories. Recommended
August 3, 2022
Is it that I'm getting tired of Pern, or is it the frequent time travel, or is it the abundance of characters across many books-or is it because this was written by Anne's son, Todd? I realy hate to give a Pern book less than a 5, but this is so dark and overdone that I have no choice.
This is book 3 of the third pass, turn #508 (most of the time). I mean you need a full wall chart to keep track of these people and dragon's and events. I think also the reason I was less than enamored (although I still like the Pern series) was in this book bad things happened to so many for such a long period of time. Not just the bad guys.
I did like how some enemies became friends in Todd's books. But what all happened to them in other books? Only hints. I guess if I owned all the books and was obsessed with Pern I would make the chart, but I read for pleasure, not work.
Here are some of the characters in this book that carry over from others: Kindan, Lorana, Bekka, Terin, Tullea, B'nik, M'tal, F'don, Fiona, Cisca, T'mar, Xhinna, Teniz, etc. And also associated dragons.
This is book 3 of the third pass, turn #508 (most of the time). I mean you need a full wall chart to keep track of these people and dragon's and events. I think also the reason I was less than enamored (although I still like the Pern series) was in this book bad things happened to so many for such a long period of time. Not just the bad guys.
I did like how some enemies became friends in Todd's books. But what all happened to them in other books? Only hints. I guess if I owned all the books and was obsessed with Pern I would make the chart, but I read for pleasure, not work.
Here are some of the characters in this book that carry over from others: Kindan, Lorana, Bekka, Terin, Tullea, B'nik, M'tal, F'don, Fiona, Cisca, T'mar, Xhinna, Teniz, etc. And also associated dragons.
November 20, 2010
Argh. When will it end? Wheeeeeennnn? The torture of audio books on mp3 is that you have no idea how close you are to finishing. I just hope it's over before I decide to drive off a cliff.
I'm accustomed to the fact that all of Todd's books feature disaster on a grand scale. Human plague, dragon plague, mines collapsing, roving bands of homeless shunned children.... In this book, technically all the plagues are over, but it takes disaster to a new, personal level. You never know who's going to drop dead next, and characters are forever saying things like, "Something's going to happen. Something bad!" You don't have to actually write that down any more, Todd-- any reader who's been paying attention to your books already knows that.
Throw in the oddest plural marriage situation I've ever heard of (and I've not only read Carolyn Jessop's book, I watch Sister Wives), and top it off with women who spend 95% of every day in bed simply because they're pregnant, and you can understand why I'm concerned about getting myself out of this book alive.
I'm half-hoping Lorana wakes up at the end and says, "It was all a dream! Man, that Fiona chick was weird."
I'm accustomed to the fact that all of Todd's books feature disaster on a grand scale. Human plague, dragon plague, mines collapsing, roving bands of homeless shunned children.... In this book, technically all the plagues are over, but it takes disaster to a new, personal level. You never know who's going to drop dead next, and characters are forever saying things like, "Something's going to happen. Something bad!" You don't have to actually write that down any more, Todd-- any reader who's been paying attention to your books already knows that.
Throw in the oddest plural marriage situation I've ever heard of (and I've not only read Carolyn Jessop's book, I watch Sister Wives), and top it off with women who spend 95% of every day in bed simply because they're pregnant, and you can understand why I'm concerned about getting myself out of this book alive.
I'm half-hoping Lorana wakes up at the end and says, "It was all a dream! Man, that Fiona chick was weird."
March 11, 2011
As a fanatic Pern lover since the 70s, it was disheartening to read this book. I love anything set on Pern (I'd like to move there!), but this book was so poorly written! Todd's other attempts to play in his mother's sandbox, so to speak, have been mediocre, but this one was just awful. Although there is potential for a good story line--a few unique ideas--it is so poorly written, almost incoherant at times, that all positive is washed away. Poor character development, confusing plot-lines....I just cannot say how disappointing it is to visit Pern and not have fun there!
August 11, 2011
Wow, this is a first for me—a 2-star review! And, for one of my favourite series, no less!
I really, really wanted to love this book since it deals with my beloved Pern and its dragons. But, honestly, it just had too many issues for me to give it more than 2 stars.
First of all, I probably should have read “Dragonheart” before reading this book, and then I would have been more familiar with the characters and storyline. I saw this one in the bookstore and bought it without first checking its chronological order in the Pern series. Oh, well, my bad.
This is the first book I’ve read by Todd McCaffrey that is written solely by him. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s ruined my Pern, but his style of writing as opposed to his mother’s is definitely not as appealing to me. Anne McCaffrey made Pern and its dragons come alive with her vivid characterizations and descriptions of Pernese life. She was instrumental in making Pern one of my all-time favourite fantasy worlds, next to Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Todd McCaffrey’s writing, on the other hand, doesn’t quite inspire the same satisfaction and fascination in me.
The book started off with a confusing plethora of characters that almost made my head spin. Perhaps reading the prequel would have alleviated some of the confusion, but, still, there were an extraordinary number of characters introduced all at once and I was hard pressed to keep them all straight. Secondly, this was a lot darker, bleaker and more depressing than I can recall the first books in the series being, with repetitive emphasis on the hopelessness of the situation on Pern.
The interactions and dialogue between the characters and even the dragons didn’t seem as interesting and entertaining as Anne could make them in her books. Conversations seemed a bit stilted and clunky at times.
I’m not quite sure what to think of Fiona. She was stubborn, cold and bossy a lot of the time, but also seemed to possess an almost obsessive compulsion to share her love with everybody. Unfortunately, there was just too much sharing for my liking. She was constantly hugging and hand-holding, which became rather annoying after awhile. She also seemed to have an overwhelming need for dozens of people, including children, to share her bed all the time, and that just seemed a little strange and creepy to me. Why everyone wanted to flock to her and follow in her wake all the time eluded me somewhat. I know she was supposed to be a weyrwoman and as such should have commanded respect and even liking, but everyone’s adulation of her was puzzling to me, and, at times, she still seemed a little immature for such an exalted position in the Weyr.
And, the four-way relationship between her, Lorana, Kindan and T’mar? Well, let’s just say, I found it a little bizarre and disturbing. The episode with T’mar and Shaneese also had me scratching my head. What the heck was that all about? And, since when did strong, tough, resilient Weyrwomen or queen riders become so fragile and delicate during pregnancy that they required such excessive coddling and bed rest? They certainly weren’t the first women on Pern to ever bear children!
I was also disappointed that the dragons didn’t seem to play as significant a part in the book as they normally did in the others, except to be referred to as dwindling numbers in the fight against Thread. The Impression ceremony during Hatching was always one I looked forward to because it was so exciting and thrilling when the dragonets found their candidate to bond with, but this one felt anticlimactic and flat. I missed the witty, affectionate banter and special bond between dragon and rider. On another note--and maybe it’s just me, although my hubby also commented on it--but the concept of “timing” thoroughly confused me. I couldn’t keep who was where when straight!
Whew, I know this is somewhat of a long-winded review, but, as you can see, I had quite a few issues with this book. Maybe I’m just too old and stubborn and resistant to change, but I don’t really like the direction Todd McCaffrey is taking Pern in. I want my old Pern back! :(
I really, really wanted to love this book since it deals with my beloved Pern and its dragons. But, honestly, it just had too many issues for me to give it more than 2 stars.
First of all, I probably should have read “Dragonheart” before reading this book, and then I would have been more familiar with the characters and storyline. I saw this one in the bookstore and bought it without first checking its chronological order in the Pern series. Oh, well, my bad.
This is the first book I’ve read by Todd McCaffrey that is written solely by him. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s ruined my Pern, but his style of writing as opposed to his mother’s is definitely not as appealing to me. Anne McCaffrey made Pern and its dragons come alive with her vivid characterizations and descriptions of Pernese life. She was instrumental in making Pern one of my all-time favourite fantasy worlds, next to Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Todd McCaffrey’s writing, on the other hand, doesn’t quite inspire the same satisfaction and fascination in me.
The book started off with a confusing plethora of characters that almost made my head spin. Perhaps reading the prequel would have alleviated some of the confusion, but, still, there were an extraordinary number of characters introduced all at once and I was hard pressed to keep them all straight. Secondly, this was a lot darker, bleaker and more depressing than I can recall the first books in the series being, with repetitive emphasis on the hopelessness of the situation on Pern.
The interactions and dialogue between the characters and even the dragons didn’t seem as interesting and entertaining as Anne could make them in her books. Conversations seemed a bit stilted and clunky at times.
I’m not quite sure what to think of Fiona. She was stubborn, cold and bossy a lot of the time, but also seemed to possess an almost obsessive compulsion to share her love with everybody. Unfortunately, there was just too much sharing for my liking. She was constantly hugging and hand-holding, which became rather annoying after awhile. She also seemed to have an overwhelming need for dozens of people, including children, to share her bed all the time, and that just seemed a little strange and creepy to me. Why everyone wanted to flock to her and follow in her wake all the time eluded me somewhat. I know she was supposed to be a weyrwoman and as such should have commanded respect and even liking, but everyone’s adulation of her was puzzling to me, and, at times, she still seemed a little immature for such an exalted position in the Weyr.
And, the four-way relationship between her, Lorana, Kindan and T’mar? Well, let’s just say, I found it a little bizarre and disturbing. The episode with T’mar and Shaneese also had me scratching my head. What the heck was that all about? And, since when did strong, tough, resilient Weyrwomen or queen riders become so fragile and delicate during pregnancy that they required such excessive coddling and bed rest? They certainly weren’t the first women on Pern to ever bear children!
I was also disappointed that the dragons didn’t seem to play as significant a part in the book as they normally did in the others, except to be referred to as dwindling numbers in the fight against Thread. The Impression ceremony during Hatching was always one I looked forward to because it was so exciting and thrilling when the dragonets found their candidate to bond with, but this one felt anticlimactic and flat. I missed the witty, affectionate banter and special bond between dragon and rider. On another note--and maybe it’s just me, although my hubby also commented on it--but the concept of “timing” thoroughly confused me. I couldn’t keep who was where when straight!
Whew, I know this is somewhat of a long-winded review, but, as you can see, I had quite a few issues with this book. Maybe I’m just too old and stubborn and resistant to change, but I don’t really like the direction Todd McCaffrey is taking Pern in. I want my old Pern back! :(
May 12, 2011
Perhaps it's because it's been awhile since the last Pern book came out; perhaps it's the fact that the books aren't following any kind of chronological sequence (I know - - - they never truly have) . . . but I found this one a lot more difficult to follow than any of the others I've read. And, while I'm willing to accept unusual partnerings as the result of dragon passions, I'm afraid this one went a little further than I can stomach, with the lead Werywoman's "Free Love for All" philosophy and each of the leading men having at least two permanent "wives," and everybody sharing anybody and everybody's bed. Call me "old fashioned," but I just can't go there yet.
October 24, 2010
I am so disappointed in this book. There were numerous issues, but I will talk of two. First, quality of writing was sorely lacking. There is this groundbreaking little reference book called a Thesaurus that I believe no one has introduced him to. Sentence variety and character development were problems. And it was a lot of twaddle that irritated me--word usage and the like. His other books were better written.
And second, I was willing to except the whole Fiona, Kindan, Lorana, T'Mar 4-way bond. I was not crazy about it, but I found it intriguing enough to except it and wanted him to explore how the Dragons were apart of the match. However, two things happened that caused the stars to be chipped away at my rating. The moment Fiona, pushed Shaneese into T'Mar's willing arms, the author completely jettisoned anything that I felt was salvagable about this story. I know dragonriders have there own way of doing things, but it just was too, well, creepy for me. If I was not so committed to Pern, I would have quit the book at page 390 when Fiona, "gave herself freely to him," and then the next day: Hey, here, have sex with Shaneese, I know you barely know each other, but hey! she's horny.
Then, the dragons really had no voice in this whole thing. What they thought. Now, I know that they are not a talkative sort of bunch, but if you are so connected to this other being, wouldn't you TALK to him/her? It seemed that T'mar would want more time with his dragon when he was injured. I can count on my two hands how many times the dragons even comment at all on the story.
Oh, and I know I said two, but the third will be quick. He took 482 pages to tell 200 pages of story.
My only hope is that because his mother is coauthoring the next book these stories and characters will have a redemption of sorts. I won't be too excited to buy it though. I'll wait on the library list for it.
And second, I was willing to except the whole Fiona, Kindan, Lorana, T'Mar 4-way bond. I was not crazy about it, but I found it intriguing enough to except it and wanted him to explore how the Dragons were apart of the match. However, two things happened that caused the stars to be chipped away at my rating. The moment Fiona, pushed Shaneese into T'Mar's willing arms, the author completely jettisoned anything that I felt was salvagable about this story. I know dragonriders have there own way of doing things, but it just was too, well, creepy for me. If I was not so committed to Pern, I would have quit the book at page 390 when Fiona, "gave herself freely to him," and then the next day: Hey, here, have sex with Shaneese, I know you barely know each other, but hey! she's horny.
Then, the dragons really had no voice in this whole thing. What they thought. Now, I know that they are not a talkative sort of bunch, but if you are so connected to this other being, wouldn't you TALK to him/her? It seemed that T'mar would want more time with his dragon when he was injured. I can count on my two hands how many times the dragons even comment at all on the story.
Oh, and I know I said two, but the third will be quick. He took 482 pages to tell 200 pages of story.
My only hope is that because his mother is coauthoring the next book these stories and characters will have a redemption of sorts. I won't be too excited to buy it though. I'll wait on the library list for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2010
I hated the title when I first saw it, but within a few pages of starting the book, I *really* hated it.
Why? A couple of reasons:
1- I find it to be a diminuitive - that is, a young woman who Impresses a dragon is not a 'girl'. The main character from the book, Fiona, just spent 3 years (Turns) as the Weyrwoman of a weyr - the leader, as it were. Just rubs me entirely the wrong way.
2- In the first 5 pages, Fiona refers to how she's grown up, and was a weyrwoman (in charge) several times, while the author specifically refers to her as a 'grown woman'. That makes referring to her as a 'girl' very jarring - and contradictory.
Haven't had a chance to write up a coherent review yet, but will at some point. There were a lot of reasons I gave it such a low score though. Basically, it had lots of dialogue, almost no description/imagery or even internal thoughts of the characters - it seemed very shallow.
I also had a hard time following who was talking and where they were from and who their dragon was. (The book definitely needed a Personae Dramatis page.) They did a lot of hopping around from Weyr to Weyr and Hold and Crafthall, and it got really confusing. Making it worse, many characters were introduced and then killed off willy-nilly - sometimes within a page or two.
There were some continuity issues which jumped out at me and made me reread sections when I was like, "didn't they already mention Jeila's pregnancy 30 pages ago? why are they all surprised again?" He also constantly repeated himself - I think it was explained to the same few people no less than 5 times, just why Fiona liked to sleep in a group bed (non-sexual in this case.)
There was also way too much emphasis on just how 'amazing' Fiona is - Anne always made it understated, the reader knew what great people her characters were (Menolly, Lessa, etc.), but she wasn't repetitively SAYING it, like Todd does. Also, he really wore out the adage that great people collect great followers, or something of the sort, again, mentioning some version of it 4 or 5 times.
Then there's the whole sex thing.
I never really minded the little mentions of it in all of Anne's books, but I have to say that 50% of this book centers around the whole free love/swingers thing going on with Fiona et al.
I'm all in favor of 'love as thou wilt', but it squicked me when I realized just how young some of these characters were that were engaging in all of these different relationships - some as young as 12!, and Fiona herself in the book is only 16 ("almost 17" they keep saying, like that makes a tremendous difference...) And again, I've got no issue with gay or lesbian relationships, multiple partners, what-have-you, but the fact that some of the people were children, while others were much older was again, a very squicky thing for me. There was also just too damn much of it in the book. Seemed like almost every time Fiona went to bed there was a little side explanation of who was going to be in bed with her and why.
At the end of the day, Todd spent most all of his time telling the reader everything (often repetitively), rather than showing anything. I think the editor of this book would have done us all a favor if they had cut the page count by at least 100 pages or so - you could find it by just crossing out all the repeated stuff, I'm sure.
The ending is pretty much a cliffhanger, served up in the last 10 pages or so, which is another thing I really don't like. The only redeeming factor for the next book in the series is that it will supposedly be co-written by Anne again, so maybe she can save it from being crap.
Overall, I wouldn't say Todd's work is 'duplicative' of Anne's. I mean, yes, he's playing in her sandbox, but he's chosen a time period she never wrote in, so it's essentially all his, in terms of characters, etc. However, after reading all of his books so far, he is duplicating his same basic plot - huge plague, killing off many characters, imminent doom and destruction for everyone on the planet, needs someone to save the day, yadda yadda yadda. First it's the people have plague and are dying off, now it's the dragons. Can we give these people a break now, please?
OK, /vent over.
This is why I'm waiting a bit to post an actual review. The Pern series by Anne is one of my favorite series of all time, I've read them over and over, so I was so excited to see new ones coming out - but Todd is really not able to write as well as his mother, or at least, not what I want to read. Maybe he should write a Pern screenplay instead - his constant dialogue and destruction/hero/adventure sequencing would work really well in a movie.
Why? A couple of reasons:
1- I find it to be a diminuitive - that is, a young woman who Impresses a dragon is not a 'girl'. The main character from the book, Fiona, just spent 3 years (Turns) as the Weyrwoman of a weyr - the leader, as it were. Just rubs me entirely the wrong way.
2- In the first 5 pages, Fiona refers to how she's grown up, and was a weyrwoman (in charge) several times, while the author specifically refers to her as a 'grown woman'. That makes referring to her as a 'girl' very jarring - and contradictory.
Haven't had a chance to write up a coherent review yet, but will at some point. There were a lot of reasons I gave it such a low score though. Basically, it had lots of dialogue, almost no description/imagery or even internal thoughts of the characters - it seemed very shallow.
I also had a hard time following who was talking and where they were from and who their dragon was. (The book definitely needed a Personae Dramatis page.) They did a lot of hopping around from Weyr to Weyr and Hold and Crafthall, and it got really confusing. Making it worse, many characters were introduced and then killed off willy-nilly - sometimes within a page or two.
There were some continuity issues which jumped out at me and made me reread sections when I was like, "didn't they already mention Jeila's pregnancy 30 pages ago? why are they all surprised again?" He also constantly repeated himself - I think it was explained to the same few people no less than 5 times, just why Fiona liked to sleep in a group bed (non-sexual in this case.)
There was also way too much emphasis on just how 'amazing' Fiona is - Anne always made it understated, the reader knew what great people her characters were (Menolly, Lessa, etc.), but she wasn't repetitively SAYING it, like Todd does. Also, he really wore out the adage that great people collect great followers, or something of the sort, again, mentioning some version of it 4 or 5 times.
Then there's the whole sex thing.
I never really minded the little mentions of it in all of Anne's books, but I have to say that 50% of this book centers around the whole free love/swingers thing going on with Fiona et al.
I'm all in favor of 'love as thou wilt', but it squicked me when I realized just how young some of these characters were that were engaging in all of these different relationships - some as young as 12!, and Fiona herself in the book is only 16 ("almost 17" they keep saying, like that makes a tremendous difference...) And again, I've got no issue with gay or lesbian relationships, multiple partners, what-have-you, but the fact that some of the people were children, while others were much older was again, a very squicky thing for me. There was also just too damn much of it in the book. Seemed like almost every time Fiona went to bed there was a little side explanation of who was going to be in bed with her and why.
At the end of the day, Todd spent most all of his time telling the reader everything (often repetitively), rather than showing anything. I think the editor of this book would have done us all a favor if they had cut the page count by at least 100 pages or so - you could find it by just crossing out all the repeated stuff, I'm sure.
The ending is pretty much a cliffhanger, served up in the last 10 pages or so, which is another thing I really don't like. The only redeeming factor for the next book in the series is that it will supposedly be co-written by Anne again, so maybe she can save it from being crap.
Overall, I wouldn't say Todd's work is 'duplicative' of Anne's. I mean, yes, he's playing in her sandbox, but he's chosen a time period she never wrote in, so it's essentially all his, in terms of characters, etc. However, after reading all of his books so far, he is duplicating his same basic plot - huge plague, killing off many characters, imminent doom and destruction for everyone on the planet, needs someone to save the day, yadda yadda yadda. First it's the people have plague and are dying off, now it's the dragons. Can we give these people a break now, please?
OK, /vent over.
This is why I'm waiting a bit to post an actual review. The Pern series by Anne is one of my favorite series of all time, I've read them over and over, so I was so excited to see new ones coming out - but Todd is really not able to write as well as his mother, or at least, not what I want to read. Maybe he should write a Pern screenplay instead - his constant dialogue and destruction/hero/adventure sequencing would work really well in a movie.
October 16, 2012
The simple, spoiler-free, TL;DR version: I would rather read poorly written slash fanfiction of just about any genre or world than read anything else Todd McCaffrey writes.
I picked up Dragongirl because I have always enjoyed Pern, and vaguely remembered liking Todd's books well enough even if they weren't as good as his mother's. I deeply regret this decision. The writing is abysmal, the editing nonexistent, the plot has run off screaming between, and the author's personal agenda is unpleasant at best and disturbing at worst. Minor points are belabored over and over again, such as that Fiona is "almost seventeen Turns" and needs to sleep with people in her bed. Basic character traits are told to us over and over again, without any supporting actions to demonstrate that the character actually has said traits. Flaws are pointed out ad nauseum to "humanize" the main characters - but they haven't actually shown any strengths that would need that treatment, so it makes them look weak. The joyous moments of Pern are buried under an onslaught of death, destruction, and despair that makes WWII movies look like they're celebrating rainbows and unicorns in a rainbow of skittles. Seriously, the whole novel is DOOOOOOOOOOM doom doom doom DOOOOOOOOOM, and that's not even remotely pleasant to read.
And then there's the sexuality. Fiona, the titular weyrwoman of the book that the author nevertheless calls "girl," is a happy free-love polyamorous type - or at least she's intended to be. The polyamorous types I've known personally have certainly had more brains and more morals and guidelines than dear little Fiona could ever figure out on her own. If the author was trying to broaden the view of sexuality past adding homosexual relationships to heterosexual relationships, he failed miserably. Having one poly relationship involving 3-4 people would have been plenty for this book (especially for Pern, for pity's sake), but having the poly relationships spread across several Weyrs and involve 4-5-6+ people each was just ridiculous. Add in that our main character is "almost seventeen Turns" and this goes right from "possibly broadening relationship types in fantasy novels" and straight to "creepy guy writing out his personal fantasies involving multiple women and underage girls."
Don't waste your money. Don't buy or read this novel. I won't be reading anything else that Todd McCaffrey writes again, and in fact I immediately went out and bought one of his mother's Pern books to wash the awful taste and images out of my mind. Todd needs to leave his mother's legacy alone - this is blasphemy, as far as I'm concerned.
I picked up Dragongirl because I have always enjoyed Pern, and vaguely remembered liking Todd's books well enough even if they weren't as good as his mother's. I deeply regret this decision. The writing is abysmal, the editing nonexistent, the plot has run off screaming between, and the author's personal agenda is unpleasant at best and disturbing at worst. Minor points are belabored over and over again, such as that Fiona is "almost seventeen Turns" and needs to sleep with people in her bed. Basic character traits are told to us over and over again, without any supporting actions to demonstrate that the character actually has said traits. Flaws are pointed out ad nauseum to "humanize" the main characters - but they haven't actually shown any strengths that would need that treatment, so it makes them look weak. The joyous moments of Pern are buried under an onslaught of death, destruction, and despair that makes WWII movies look like they're celebrating rainbows and unicorns in a rainbow of skittles. Seriously, the whole novel is DOOOOOOOOOOM doom doom doom DOOOOOOOOOM, and that's not even remotely pleasant to read.
And then there's the sexuality. Fiona, the titular weyrwoman of the book that the author nevertheless calls "girl," is a happy free-love polyamorous type - or at least she's intended to be. The polyamorous types I've known personally have certainly had more brains and more morals and guidelines than dear little Fiona could ever figure out on her own. If the author was trying to broaden the view of sexuality past adding homosexual relationships to heterosexual relationships, he failed miserably. Having one poly relationship involving 3-4 people would have been plenty for this book (especially for Pern, for pity's sake), but having the poly relationships spread across several Weyrs and involve 4-5-6+ people each was just ridiculous. Add in that our main character is "almost seventeen Turns" and this goes right from "possibly broadening relationship types in fantasy novels" and straight to "creepy guy writing out his personal fantasies involving multiple women and underage girls."
Don't waste your money. Don't buy or read this novel. I won't be reading anything else that Todd McCaffrey writes again, and in fact I immediately went out and bought one of his mother's Pern books to wash the awful taste and images out of my mind. Todd needs to leave his mother's legacy alone - this is blasphemy, as far as I'm concerned.
August 5, 2010
Not his best. It starred out extremely jerky and disjointed. It got better but never fully went away. Also, none of the characters or stories were recapped other than a brief introduction and I couldn't remember who anyone was. It made the odd pacing feel even more abrupt and distracting, with many unfamiliar names being thrown around before I could even figure out what was going on. The first quarter of the book is also really depressing.
Once I began to remember and the story pickup up at bit, I liked many of the characters again. But I don't understand a lot of the story choices here. There are two major plots. One is how to survive this Fall with too few dragons. That was a good choice, continuing a story arc from the previous books in this story cycle. The other is the story of Fiona's growth as a woman and Weyrwoman. I have a lotted problems with that aspect of the book. This girl is not even 17. She was raised by her Lord Holder father until she was 13 or so. And somehow because of her training, common sense and loving heart she's become rhe perfect Weyrwoman, shouldering the responsibilities of rhe Weyr and all of Pern. In addition, she inadvertently becomes involved in several unusual sexual and romantic relationships. And while the different social aspects of life in the Weys versus Holds and Halls is interesting to explore, it was just distracting here. This girl is really young and way too understanding and complacent about these complex emotional issues. As is everyone she meets, who just falls into her wake and becomes nearly as easy-going and open as she is. The whole thing seemed like a really weird choice, especially with the amount that it's belabored. Plus Mr. McCaffery is rotten at writing emotional love between people. Somehow the love that he captures with the dragons escapes his human characters. I accept that they love each other because they state it so emphatically. But with so little dialog and no internal thoughts to go on, I didn't feel much of it.
All in all the book was much too long, too rough style-wise and either too odd or depressing story-wise. I didn't hate it, but I sure didn't love it and I don't see myself reading it again except to try to remember who everyone is when the next book comes out. The big consolation is that the next book will be co-written by Anne again! I expect that book to wrap up the intriguing aspect of the last few books with a faster-paced and more positive story.
Once I began to remember and the story pickup up at bit, I liked many of the characters again. But I don't understand a lot of the story choices here. There are two major plots. One is how to survive this Fall with too few dragons. That was a good choice, continuing a story arc from the previous books in this story cycle. The other is the story of Fiona's growth as a woman and Weyrwoman. I have a lotted problems with that aspect of the book. This girl is not even 17. She was raised by her Lord Holder father until she was 13 or so. And somehow because of her training, common sense and loving heart she's become rhe perfect Weyrwoman, shouldering the responsibilities of rhe Weyr and all of Pern. In addition, she inadvertently becomes involved in several unusual sexual and romantic relationships. And while the different social aspects of life in the Weys versus Holds and Halls is interesting to explore, it was just distracting here. This girl is really young and way too understanding and complacent about these complex emotional issues. As is everyone she meets, who just falls into her wake and becomes nearly as easy-going and open as she is. The whole thing seemed like a really weird choice, especially with the amount that it's belabored. Plus Mr. McCaffery is rotten at writing emotional love between people. Somehow the love that he captures with the dragons escapes his human characters. I accept that they love each other because they state it so emphatically. But with so little dialog and no internal thoughts to go on, I didn't feel much of it.
All in all the book was much too long, too rough style-wise and either too odd or depressing story-wise. I didn't hate it, but I sure didn't love it and I don't see myself reading it again except to try to remember who everyone is when the next book comes out. The big consolation is that the next book will be co-written by Anne again! I expect that book to wrap up the intriguing aspect of the last few books with a faster-paced and more positive story.
November 6, 2013
This is yet another example of men writing books with female leads who have no business doing so. I know that men say that women are obsessed with love stories, and relationships but this is an example of a man focusing on relationship at the expense of story. And the worst part is that the relationship is absolutely ridiculous. I am not going to say that the kinds of relationships focused on here never happened, but they are rare, and more importantly they are out of character for the overall series. Not to mention there is a serious problem in the book, that they are quickly running out of dragons which would make a very good A story, which should be the A story. But instead of having the main characters focus on this like they should, this story become a B story that gets shoved in between different unlikely relationship encounters. The only time the author really deals with this reality is in the last twenty pages and then he just rushes through it. Leaving us to believe that Lorana is going to take an action that seems out of character for her, AND be able to pull off a miracle when ALL of the rest of the characters in the book could not come up with a solution. I am very happy that the next book is being written by both authors. Honestly, the author should have created his own writing reality to base his books in rather than screw up the world his mother had created.
August 31, 2016
I felt less that I was reading a Dragonriders of Pern book, and more My Life In A Hippy Commune.
The writing is repetitive and tedious, and given that the vast majority of it is dialogue reading this book was a chore. Characterization is flimsy, unbelievable, and at times aggravating. Whilst it is worthwhile exploring the social dynamics of a weyr, Todd has focused far too much on this, and not nearly enough on the story... and if he had, the book could have easily been half the length, and twice as interesting.
I also find some of the concepts Todd has introduced rather un-Pern-like, from the perspective of just which people are influenced by dragons, and which aren't. Anne made it clear in her writing that those bound to dragons experienced primarily what their dragons felt directly, and only a little of anything else, even during mating flights; Todd has turned this on its head and made everyone in the weyr susceptible to what happens with the dragons, and it simply doesn't make sense, at least to me.
More bosom-heaver and less good science-fiction, and coupled with worn-out themes, and yet another ending-that-is-not, I struggle to recommend this to anyone who really loves Anne's vision of Pern.
The writing is repetitive and tedious, and given that the vast majority of it is dialogue reading this book was a chore. Characterization is flimsy, unbelievable, and at times aggravating. Whilst it is worthwhile exploring the social dynamics of a weyr, Todd has focused far too much on this, and not nearly enough on the story... and if he had, the book could have easily been half the length, and twice as interesting.
I also find some of the concepts Todd has introduced rather un-Pern-like, from the perspective of just which people are influenced by dragons, and which aren't. Anne made it clear in her writing that those bound to dragons experienced primarily what their dragons felt directly, and only a little of anything else, even during mating flights; Todd has turned this on its head and made everyone in the weyr susceptible to what happens with the dragons, and it simply doesn't make sense, at least to me.
More bosom-heaver and less good science-fiction, and coupled with worn-out themes, and yet another ending-that-is-not, I struggle to recommend this to anyone who really loves Anne's vision of Pern.
January 11, 2014
Oi. Weird, weird, unrealistic and poorly developed relationships in this one. Let's have less of Fiona's "loving" everyone and more focus on the dwindling numbers of dragons struggling to keep protecting Pern. Fiona's actions and approach to her "romantic" liaisons are ridiculous and aren't believable in the Pern universe or really in any universe and there is not much groundwork laid for her strange relationship with Kindan that he doesn't even seem into...and her solution to T'mar's discomfort is to throw another woman in his bed with a 'the more the merrier' sort of attitude? Nope. Not buying it, not enjoying it. Also too many women are pulling "I'll die without him" crap that shouldn't have a place in a culture where such a dangerous battle has to be fought so regularly, life has to go on and there can't be that many people ready to give up.
November 8, 2018
Another book of Pern that I hadn't read prior and it is in the same time frame as the previous ones. I believe there is also more during this time frame. There is a lot going on with the dragons dying off first from a sickness and then from fighting thread. There is so much death and so few dragons that they are unsure they will survive. At the end, Lorana goes between to the future, sacrificing her unborn child to save the people of Pern. For if there are no dragons to fight thread, then they will not survive.
I thought it was a good book with likable characters. The previous book was a little drawn out, but this one picked up and they did well to keep it interesting. I found the relationships different and a little awkward. And it is the same story being drawn out in quite a few books which I find really odd for the Pern books. It wasn't bad though.
I thought it was a good book with likable characters. The previous book was a little drawn out, but this one picked up and they did well to keep it interesting. I found the relationships different and a little awkward. And it is the same story being drawn out in quite a few books which I find really odd for the Pern books. It wasn't bad though.
August 29, 2010
What is here is well wrought, but once again he has written a 'cliff hanger' and I have to wait until next spring for the next installment. I am NOT a cliffhanger person. Anne McCaffrey always had each book be all inclusive. There was more to be told of course, but each book was a unit unto itself such that I wasn't left hanging when it ended. Also, this book has little coverage of Pern outside of Weyr life. One of the strong aspects of Anne's books was that they include main characters outside of the weyrs (e.g. The Masterharper) and covered events at the holds not just the weyrs. Apparently Anne will be collaborating on the next book with Todd, so I am hopeful it will be 'better'.
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September 6, 2010I hated this book! I love the Pern series but I think I'll start rereading the original books by Anne McCaffrey.They are wayyy better. This book really didn't have anything happen in it and just got too bogged down with it's main character and how nice she is. Originally it was interesting to have a series of books written to cover a period of Pern's history that wasn't written about by Anne McCaffrey but the more I read, the less I want to...and this is one of my favorite fictional worlds. Hopefully Anne's collaboration with Todd for the final book will make for a good read again.
September 27, 2011
(Fantasy 2010) I have read the Pern series as long as Anne McCaffrey has been writing them - but this one may well be the last I read. The plot is weak, the story movement disjointed, and the subject matter a waste of time. It is sad that this great series has devolved to sex and chatter, and that the loss of so many dragons and riders is merely a backdrop to Fiona's fear of sleeping alone, and her obsession with having everyone else sleeping together as well. Get some plot pointers from your mother, Todd, or give up the series!
October 22, 2024
This is just fanfiction with a lot of creepy pedophilic and sexist themes, poor adherence to established canon, constant repetition, stilted dialogue, poor character development, and lackluster plot. There are zero redeeming qualities of this book. None. I am a worse person for having read it.
May 27, 2015
I wish I could give this book 20 stars! I think it is my favorite Pern novel ever! I must admit that I borrowed the audio CDs from the library to help with the hardback I own to get through it. It is the first I've read that doesn't have Dick Hill's deep voice but poor acting. Instead, this starred Emily Durante. Okay, I must admit that at first this high voice nearly drove me as crazy as Dick's deep voice. And I missed his echoing sound for his dragon voices. But I soon got used to Ms. Durante's energies and voices and added the Audible version to my wishlist for the future. I am thankful the library had the CDs in the meantime.
This book proposed a different way to look at life and love. I see in the reviews that many found this book disgusting. More's the pity for them. Sorry. If your humans and dragons are dying and you are given a gift of love and it seems others can find that fluidity of love within themselves, there is an answer to procreating in a new way. Old methods of impressing dragons show that the old ways don't work in the world anymore. Much time travel is needed to help keep the planet alive. All these new methods combine to promote a healthier Pern. Stuck in Earth's ways with old mores, Pern would have surely ended with this book.
LOVE is the key of this book. Fiona, gold queen-rider and weyrwoman, has more love than anyone can imagine. She gives it freely and does her best to shine her positive light on everyone. But even greater love has Lorana who has given the ultimate sacrifice, her dragon, to Pern. How could others not see the magic and love of these two womyn?
One warning? Have the Kleenex ready near the end.
Okay, to those following my reviews: I know my goal is to mainly read books written by women that contain strong fem leads. This one more than qualifies as Todd McCaffrey merely channeled his mother's world and populated it with the strongest womyn I have met yet. Thank you, Todd! I can't wait to read more!
This book proposed a different way to look at life and love. I see in the reviews that many found this book disgusting. More's the pity for them. Sorry. If your humans and dragons are dying and you are given a gift of love and it seems others can find that fluidity of love within themselves, there is an answer to procreating in a new way. Old methods of impressing dragons show that the old ways don't work in the world anymore. Much time travel is needed to help keep the planet alive. All these new methods combine to promote a healthier Pern. Stuck in Earth's ways with old mores, Pern would have surely ended with this book.
LOVE is the key of this book. Fiona, gold queen-rider and weyrwoman, has more love than anyone can imagine. She gives it freely and does her best to shine her positive light on everyone. But even greater love has Lorana who has given the ultimate sacrifice, her dragon, to Pern. How could others not see the magic and love of these two womyn?
One warning? Have the Kleenex ready near the end.
Okay, to those following my reviews: I know my goal is to mainly read books written by women that contain strong fem leads. This one more than qualifies as Todd McCaffrey merely channeled his mother's world and populated it with the strongest womyn I have met yet. Thank you, Todd! I can't wait to read more!
September 1, 2017
"My heart is a dragon, soaring in the sky; my heart is a dragon, flaming from on high. My heart is a dragon, filling all with love; my heart is a dragon, protecting from above."
I literally hate Lorana so much it's like a physical thing. I've already read Dragon's Time out of publication order because the plot lines of these books sounds so similar that I can't keep track anymore, so I knew where this was going all along. And that just made me hate her more. The characters in this book are so bizarre and annoying. Lorana flip flops between being so worldly and knowing that you want to smack her or she's a weeping mess. And Fiona spends the books either pining over one of two men, trying to get those men to sleep with other women, or trying to make sure all the women of the Weyr all have babies at the same time. It's the strangest, most bizarre Pern book I think I've ever read.
I literally hate Lorana so much it's like a physical thing. I've already read Dragon's Time out of publication order because the plot lines of these books sounds so similar that I can't keep track anymore, so I knew where this was going all along. And that just made me hate her more. The characters in this book are so bizarre and annoying. Lorana flip flops between being so worldly and knowing that you want to smack her or she's a weeping mess. And Fiona spends the books either pining over one of two men, trying to get those men to sleep with other women, or trying to make sure all the women of the Weyr all have babies at the same time. It's the strangest, most bizarre Pern book I think I've ever read.
April 19, 2022
What a wonderful and enjoyable cast of characters, both humans and dragons alike. An unassuming female MC acts as a glue for these characters, and it was refreshing to see such kindness and patience in a teen character, who is humble in her position of leadership.
February 24, 2022
In some ways it was better than the last two, but in others I wasn't impressed. Still a good story line though.
July 3, 2020
While I wouldn't go so far as to call this my favorite book in the series, it does hold one of my favorite story arcs.
While he didn't use the word, McCaffrey pretty accurately portrays polyamorous relationships. So many authors focus on the sex, and while he did bring it up, it was more often via innuendo like you'd see on a late night broadcast TV show, not even what you'd find on a cable TV network. More importantly though he described the relationships in the terms of love, sharing, and finding happiness in knowing those you care about are happy and taken care of. Other reviewers that said they found the book disgusting must have read a different book than I did.
This book did focus a lot on peril and death, similar to a couple of other books on the series. That's ok though, this series has really grown into a history of Pern. If someone were to write a series of books on the history of Earth, quite a few of them would be doom and gloom as well.
While this one wasn't as exciting as many of the other books, it does contribute to the timeline as much as any other, and broadens the scope of the overall history of the planet.
While he didn't use the word, McCaffrey pretty accurately portrays polyamorous relationships. So many authors focus on the sex, and while he did bring it up, it was more often via innuendo like you'd see on a late night broadcast TV show, not even what you'd find on a cable TV network. More importantly though he described the relationships in the terms of love, sharing, and finding happiness in knowing those you care about are happy and taken care of. Other reviewers that said they found the book disgusting must have read a different book than I did.
This book did focus a lot on peril and death, similar to a couple of other books on the series. That's ok though, this series has really grown into a history of Pern. If someone were to write a series of books on the history of Earth, quite a few of them would be doom and gloom as well.
While this one wasn't as exciting as many of the other books, it does contribute to the timeline as much as any other, and broadens the scope of the overall history of the planet.
January 16, 2013
I can't say how disappointed I am in Todd McCaffrey's 'Dragongirl'. There was nothing treated with delicacy and finesse in the book. It was clunky, unrestrained and didn't flow easily. Todd tried to do too much with this novel. Pick a theme or two, stay with the, throughout the book and develop the characters well. Just didn't happen in this book.
Also very disappointed with the amount of doom and gloom, and the more-than-usual (too many!) characters. The story was hard to follow from the beginning and didn't improve much as the book went along. The ending - pure disappointment and unnecessary. I'd even go so far as to say it was tasteless, and then to end so abruptly. Where is the unravelling after the denouement?
I originally gave this two stars, but amended it to one. Let's hope Todd's other Pern books are much, much better!
Also very disappointed with the amount of doom and gloom, and the more-than-usual (too many!) characters. The story was hard to follow from the beginning and didn't improve much as the book went along. The ending - pure disappointment and unnecessary. I'd even go so far as to say it was tasteless, and then to end so abruptly. Where is the unravelling after the denouement?
I originally gave this two stars, but amended it to one. Let's hope Todd's other Pern books are much, much better!
August 23, 2017
Mr. Todd M. has come into his own with this installment of the ongoing saga of the Dragonriders of Pern. He is still a tad too anxious to get the story on and done, with this long book being easily cut into two or even three separate books. This time I did not meet with the frustration of the last books that he ignored too many sideline tidbits that would have made the story better, even if it did slow down the telling. Still, I had to wonder if he just has to get this line of thought told so he can get on with more interesting things. Regardless, he spins a wonderful, exciting tale with an ending leaving you anxious to start the next book.
We again traverse the fears of Pern with ailing and dying dragons during the beginning of threadfall with Fiona, Kindan (who Fiona loves) and Lorana (who Kindan loves and who is carrying Kindan's baby). Each time I decided I knew what was going to happen, I was, to my delight, wrong. With twists and turns that keep you guessing 'good grief, what next?!', Todd matches the magic of his mother Anne in the world she created. With the last book I had said if this one was as disappointing, I would not go on. I'm hooked again. Ya done yourself proud, Mr. Todd!
We again traverse the fears of Pern with ailing and dying dragons during the beginning of threadfall with Fiona, Kindan (who Fiona loves) and Lorana (who Kindan loves and who is carrying Kindan's baby). Each time I decided I knew what was going to happen, I was, to my delight, wrong. With twists and turns that keep you guessing 'good grief, what next?!', Todd matches the magic of his mother Anne in the world she created. With the last book I had said if this one was as disappointing, I would not go on. I'm hooked again. Ya done yourself proud, Mr. Todd!
December 7, 2022
I think I spent the majority of this book slightly confused and dazed by everything that is going on - maybe I've been Timing it too! There were definitely moments when I was angry and exhausted by what I was reading!
That's not to say that I didn't like it, because I did. The Weyrs are in trouble - the Dragons that survived the Plague aren't enough to fight Thread for another fall, so riders are risking everything to Time back and fight alongside themselves from the past. And that's essentially it. Fiona's story doesn't move on at all - we still get beat over the head by how much she loves people and can't sleep alone and has two mates and likes children and worries about everything and is confident about everything .......... I started to dislike her slightly by the end of the book.
So although I liked it, I didn't love it, and am starting to celebrate how few boo's of Todd's I have to read until I'm finally back to reading the original ones by Anne.
That's not to say that I didn't like it, because I did. The Weyrs are in trouble - the Dragons that survived the Plague aren't enough to fight Thread for another fall, so riders are risking everything to Time back and fight alongside themselves from the past. And that's essentially it. Fiona's story doesn't move on at all - we still get beat over the head by how much she loves people and can't sleep alone and has two mates and likes children and worries about everything and is confident about everything .......... I started to dislike her slightly by the end of the book.
So although I liked it, I didn't love it, and am starting to celebrate how few boo's of Todd's I have to read until I'm finally back to reading the original ones by Anne.
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