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Pern #22
Dragon's Time
For the first time in more than three years, bestselling authors Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey, mother and son, have teamed up again to do what they do best: add a fresh chapter to the most beloved science fiction series of all time, the Dragonriders of Pern.
Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the effects of the disease were so devastating that there are no longer enough dragons available to fight the fall of deadly Thread. And as the situation grows more dire, a pregnant Lorana decides that she must take drastic steps in the quest for help.
Meanwhile, back at Telgar Weyr, Weyrwoman Fiona, herself pregnant, and the harper Kindan must somehow keep morale from fading altogether in the face of the steadily mounting losses of dragons and their riders. But time weighs heavily against them — until Lorana finds a way to use time itself in their favor.
It’s a plan fraught with risk, however. For attempting time travel means tampering with the natural laws of the universe, which could drastically alter history — and destiny — forever. Or so it has always been thought. But Lorana discovers that if the laws of time can’t be broken without consequences, it may still be possible to bend them. To ensure the future of Pern, she’s willing to take the fateful chance — even if it demands another, even greater, sacrifice.
Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the effects of the disease were so devastating that there are no longer enough dragons available to fight the fall of deadly Thread. And as the situation grows more dire, a pregnant Lorana decides that she must take drastic steps in the quest for help.
Meanwhile, back at Telgar Weyr, Weyrwoman Fiona, herself pregnant, and the harper Kindan must somehow keep morale from fading altogether in the face of the steadily mounting losses of dragons and their riders. But time weighs heavily against them — until Lorana finds a way to use time itself in their favor.
It’s a plan fraught with risk, however. For attempting time travel means tampering with the natural laws of the universe, which could drastically alter history — and destiny — forever. Or so it has always been thought. But Lorana discovers that if the laws of time can’t be broken without consequences, it may still be possible to bend them. To ensure the future of Pern, she’s willing to take the fateful chance — even if it demands another, even greater, sacrifice.
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First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Anne McCaffrey
478 books7,760 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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March 17, 2020
This review is going to sound dramatic. Fair warning.
I said I was going to finish this. I really was going to. Then I hit a thing I couldn't get past.
Was it, as you might assume, one of the mentions of 14 year old Terin being considered a woman while in a relationship with an adult man, with 'many younger than her' settled already? To my shame, no. I read Sarah J Maas novels and critique them, okay? I'm no stranger to gross relationships.
Was it the clumsy dialogue? The piss-poor prose? The use of 'very silent'? (one is or is not silent. There is no 'very' here). Maybe the constant obsession with babies and clear lack of research on pregnancy and human women in general? Alas, no.
It was almost the constant interchangeably ridden dragons. That almost got me. Lorana hijacked not only someone else's dragon, but the SENIOR QUEEN DRAGON OF A WEYR for an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LONG TERM MULTI-TIME-TRAVELLING TELEPORTATION JOURNEY. That almost got me. People treating Tullea as if she was being unreasonable that someone was riding her dragon around willy-nilly on a dangerous journey? Nearly got me. The sudden Cryptic Mystical Prophecy and Storied Destiny? Nearly got me.
But no, friends. I stayed, because I said I would finish. I said I would. I nearly did. The line that broke me?
"You could have my queen, if you want."
No. I am literally, physically sick to my stomach. No. I grew up with Pern. I read every Dragonriders novel I could get my hands on. I have the Atlas of Pern. I have the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I have the People of Pern. I have the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVELS OF PERN. The Dragonriders of Pern 2001 PC game? I had to carefully save before walking into the hatching ground so I could redo it until the randomized thing picked the Weyrwoman I wanted to Impress. I still have the lists of dragonriders I made up in highschool because I made an entire cast of characters for it, including drawing out a hypothetical Telgar Weyr layout.
I'm not even angry. I feel sick, that's how disappointed I am in Todd McCaffrey's Pern novels. I was nearly in tears earlier. I might finally understand how a lot of Harry Potter fans feel about The Cursed Child, though I'm having a hard time believing in the moment that they feel this strongly about it (I mean, intellectually I believe it. Emotionally I'm still in disbelief).
Pleasant reminder that despite my ongoing one sided feud with the books of a certain author, this remains the worst book I have ever read in my life and I am currently 44% of the way through Handbook for Mortals. I have read all three 50 Shades books. I’ve read an unreasonable number of Terry Goodkind books.
This one is worse.
I said I was going to finish this. I really was going to. Then I hit a thing I couldn't get past.
Was it, as you might assume, one of the mentions of 14 year old Terin being considered a woman while in a relationship with an adult man, with 'many younger than her' settled already? To my shame, no. I read Sarah J Maas novels and critique them, okay? I'm no stranger to gross relationships.
Was it the clumsy dialogue? The piss-poor prose? The use of 'very silent'? (one is or is not silent. There is no 'very' here). Maybe the constant obsession with babies and clear lack of research on pregnancy and human women in general? Alas, no.
It was almost the constant interchangeably ridden dragons. That almost got me. Lorana hijacked not only someone else's dragon, but the SENIOR QUEEN DRAGON OF A WEYR for an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LONG TERM MULTI-TIME-TRAVELLING TELEPORTATION JOURNEY. That almost got me. People treating Tullea as if she was being unreasonable that someone was riding her dragon around willy-nilly on a dangerous journey? Nearly got me. The sudden Cryptic Mystical Prophecy and Storied Destiny? Nearly got me.
But no, friends. I stayed, because I said I would finish. I said I would. I nearly did. The line that broke me?
"You could have my queen, if you want."
No. I am literally, physically sick to my stomach. No. I grew up with Pern. I read every Dragonriders novel I could get my hands on. I have the Atlas of Pern. I have the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern. I have the People of Pern. I have the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVELS OF PERN. The Dragonriders of Pern 2001 PC game? I had to carefully save before walking into the hatching ground so I could redo it until the randomized thing picked the Weyrwoman I wanted to Impress. I still have the lists of dragonriders I made up in highschool because I made an entire cast of characters for it, including drawing out a hypothetical Telgar Weyr layout.
I'm not even angry. I feel sick, that's how disappointed I am in Todd McCaffrey's Pern novels. I was nearly in tears earlier. I might finally understand how a lot of Harry Potter fans feel about The Cursed Child, though I'm having a hard time believing in the moment that they feel this strongly about it (I mean, intellectually I believe it. Emotionally I'm still in disbelief).
Pleasant reminder that despite my ongoing one sided feud with the books of a certain author, this remains the worst book I have ever read in my life and I am currently 44% of the way through Handbook for Mortals. I have read all three 50 Shades books. I’ve read an unreasonable number of Terry Goodkind books.
This one is worse.
August 15, 2011
Bitterly disappointed.
That's me right after finishing this book.
I was so hoping for some Anne-permutation of greatness, some flashback to the great writing of the Anne-only Pern books, because she co-wrote this one with her son Todd, right?
No. In the forwards and afterwords, it is very clear - Todd wrote the book, she gave some advice or inspiration perhaps, and he copy-edited the book as well, so all mistakes are his, he tells us.
First the good:
I really love the new 'time' of Pern he's working in (where they still remember their origins and technology), and I like the characters a lot. Having repeated plagues as a plot device is getting a bit tiresome, (and reminds me of Moreta), but overall I'm liking where he's going with the storyline of Pern.
Then the bad:
But the way he writes is just horrible! Jumping from one character to the next, all dialogue, lots of names of characters thrown in, awkward phrasing (why on earth when one woman replies to another (both hetero) does he need to throw in the adjective 'well-stacked'?), several points where one character, with raised eyebrow or pointed 'look', communicates some kind of joke to another - literally "she smiled at the joke" - and I had no idea what the joke was.
Then there was the continuity issues/repetition - when one character is told about a boy new to the weyr, she asks who is father is, and is surprised ("brows raised in surprise") and asks if he has the Sight and is told he doesn't, and learns about his sister - then, 30 pages later she meets the boy herself, and with "brows raised in surprise" asks him if he has the Sight and is told that he doesn't, his sister will, asks the same questions, etc. Really irritating, that kind of plot repetition should have been caught in someone's edit! My edition also had several spelling issues ('peeled' instead of 'pealed', etc.), which I can live with, but are still irritating.
But here's the ugly:
I am really, really, really sick and tired of reading all about how Fiona is such a wonderful person, big heart, etc. ad nauseaum. Really - it's like there is a cult around her and the author feels the need for everyone to verbally reinforce just how wonderful Fiona is, whether she is or is not present at the time. (The author is just tell, tell, telling us all the time - just SHOW us, and then leave it alone, willya!) And while I have no problems with her 'free love' style, I find it irritating that it always has to be so front and center, as if it is the main focus of the story. One of the things I always liked about Pern was that while the original books occasionally referenced things like relationships between riders, or mating flights, they were done subtly and very fade-to-black, they were not front and center of the story. I feel like the sexual choices and relationships of all the characters is being rubbed in our faces, constantly. Really, Todd, I DO NOT CARE, and FYI, you are probably driving away a whole cadre of readership. I would let my kids read all the Pern books at age 11 - except for any of the Todd books, those pretty much need to be 17+, I think.
In addition, this book specifically seems to have had no female/maternal input into the whole pregnancy aspect of it (which is a big component, since 7 different women get pregnant during the course of the book.) Yes, major stress can be a cause of miscarriage, but while Fiona is constantly reminded of this (ostensibly so she stresses less, I guess?), and flying between can be a cause as well, apparently it is only a danger if the plot requires it because flying between is ok for the pregnant women on occasion. Very contrived! Also, since when is 'being irritable' in the first couple of weeks a sign of twins? IRL, that is just being pregnant overall. This is another of those times when a writer just goes on and on about the changes in a woman's body and temperament way more than reasonable, and way too early. Everyone is all informed that is having twins and in complete agreement because of her mood changes, because having twins must do that to a person, right? Ridiculous!
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but a Pern devotee who is desperate for a fix, where anything is better than nothing.
I'm glad that I decided some time ago to stop buying the Todd books, because they are just not worth the shelf space in my home. It's unfortunate, actually, because the Pern books by Anne are one of the very few series where I would immediately buy the hardcover as soon as it hit the shelves. Now, it's library reading all the way, baby!
Although if the After the Fall book about Lessa and F'lar comes out as Anne mentions she's writing it, I am all over that!
That's me right after finishing this book.
I was so hoping for some Anne-permutation of greatness, some flashback to the great writing of the Anne-only Pern books, because she co-wrote this one with her son Todd, right?
No. In the forwards and afterwords, it is very clear - Todd wrote the book, she gave some advice or inspiration perhaps, and he copy-edited the book as well, so all mistakes are his, he tells us.
First the good:
I really love the new 'time' of Pern he's working in (where they still remember their origins and technology), and I like the characters a lot. Having repeated plagues as a plot device is getting a bit tiresome, (and reminds me of Moreta), but overall I'm liking where he's going with the storyline of Pern.
Then the bad:
But the way he writes is just horrible! Jumping from one character to the next, all dialogue, lots of names of characters thrown in, awkward phrasing (why on earth when one woman replies to another (both hetero) does he need to throw in the adjective 'well-stacked'?), several points where one character, with raised eyebrow or pointed 'look', communicates some kind of joke to another - literally "she smiled at the joke" - and I had no idea what the joke was.
Then there was the continuity issues/repetition - when one character is told about a boy new to the weyr, she asks who is father is, and is surprised ("brows raised in surprise") and asks if he has the Sight and is told he doesn't, and learns about his sister - then, 30 pages later she meets the boy herself, and with "brows raised in surprise" asks him if he has the Sight and is told that he doesn't, his sister will, asks the same questions, etc. Really irritating, that kind of plot repetition should have been caught in someone's edit! My edition also had several spelling issues ('peeled' instead of 'pealed', etc.), which I can live with, but are still irritating.
But here's the ugly:
I am really, really, really sick and tired of reading all about how Fiona is such a wonderful person, big heart, etc. ad nauseaum. Really - it's like there is a cult around her and the author feels the need for everyone to verbally reinforce just how wonderful Fiona is, whether she is or is not present at the time. (The author is just tell, tell, telling us all the time - just SHOW us, and then leave it alone, willya!) And while I have no problems with her 'free love' style, I find it irritating that it always has to be so front and center, as if it is the main focus of the story. One of the things I always liked about Pern was that while the original books occasionally referenced things like relationships between riders, or mating flights, they were done subtly and very fade-to-black, they were not front and center of the story. I feel like the sexual choices and relationships of all the characters is being rubbed in our faces, constantly. Really, Todd, I DO NOT CARE, and FYI, you are probably driving away a whole cadre of readership. I would let my kids read all the Pern books at age 11 - except for any of the Todd books, those pretty much need to be 17+, I think.
In addition, this book specifically seems to have had no female/maternal input into the whole pregnancy aspect of it (which is a big component, since 7 different women get pregnant during the course of the book.) Yes, major stress can be a cause of miscarriage, but while Fiona is constantly reminded of this (ostensibly so she stresses less, I guess?), and flying between can be a cause as well, apparently it is only a danger if the plot requires it because flying between is ok for the pregnant women on occasion. Very contrived! Also, since when is 'being irritable' in the first couple of weeks a sign of twins? IRL, that is just being pregnant overall. This is another of those times when a writer just goes on and on about the changes in a woman's body and temperament way more than reasonable, and way too early. Everyone is all informed that is having twins and in complete agreement because of her mood changes, because having twins must do that to a person, right? Ridiculous!
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but a Pern devotee who is desperate for a fix, where anything is better than nothing.
I'm glad that I decided some time ago to stop buying the Todd books, because they are just not worth the shelf space in my home. It's unfortunate, actually, because the Pern books by Anne are one of the very few series where I would immediately buy the hardcover as soon as it hit the shelves. Now, it's library reading all the way, baby!
Although if the After the Fall book about Lessa and F'lar comes out as Anne mentions she's writing it, I am all over that!
September 17, 2011
The Chronology of the Series
It's 508 AL (after landing) and takes place after Dragonsblood in the Dragonriders of Pern fantasy series.
The Story
Why bother? Just read the previous books and you'll have a good idea what's happening.
We have to go through another take of Lorana meeting Tenniz before she buries him.
My Take
This isn't even a real story! Instead, McCaffrey has created a mish-mash of flitting back-and-forth from time to time. Do not even try to make sense of what is going on as McCaffrey simply rehashes events from previous books in this particular timeline. It's like he picked up individual happenings, tossed them in the air and that's how they were arranged in the book. No, no, wait. I know what happened. McCaffrey found a box of discarded ideas from the previous books and he figured, "hey, why waste all these words. I'll throw them together and give it a title!"
One of the whines the characters have is about "how tired everyone is". Well, in previous books they realized it was because those people were timing it. I'm getting tired of the whining. They figured it out before. Could we please move on!?? Then there's Shaneese and Fiona. Oh yeah, and Lorana. They all seem to be sharing T'mar and Kindan, I think. And if Fiona is sleeping with T'mar and Kindan why is it always Kindan who's in her bed? It's almost the end of the story before T'mar ever shows up there. It's like McCaffrey wants to be a bit salacious but hasn't quite got the guts. What was the purpose of Jeila's pregnancy and loss? Filler? Why is anyone bothering to go to the Dawn Sisters? And "Mrreows"?? Please. I do not remember this word being used for the tigers in previous stories. And what's the point of the very end with F'jian and Temir?
Then there's the whole bit with making the "Eastern Weyr" self-sufficient with silver production, mining, fishing, etc. Without working with any of the Smithcrafthalls. Has Todd read any of his mother's books? Maybe I need to re-read them…?
McCaffrey's got people sharing dragons and timing it like nobody's business. It's so contrary to what his mother, Anne, has established previously.
There is nothing to tie them together making this a new story. The best that happens is in the last few pages when suddenly everything "becomes clear" as to Telgar Weyr being lost between, Fiona's crying out to "Can't lose the babies", and where F'jian kept disappearing to. What a load of crap!
My take on Todd McCaffrey as an author is that his writing style is somewhere between "See Dick. See Dick run" and a sixth grade reader. There is no depth to his characters. No emotional involvement that makes a reader care what happens to them. No connection from event to event. I still don't understand why Javissa had to come to the Weyr. What was the deal with Fiona and Jirana going off to play pottery??
From now on, if I see Todd's name on a book, I'm boycotting it. I'm incredibly unimpressed with his mother at this point as well. In the "Letters to Readers", Anne McCaffrey talks as though she and Todd are collaborating. I think the only collaboration is she puts her name on anything he writes to ensure that the book sells.
The Cover
The cover is of a mountainous area with a golden dragon flying towards us. The title is, I guess, appropriate as McCaffrey has the dragons flying back and forth through time.
It's 508 AL (after landing) and takes place after Dragonsblood in the Dragonriders of Pern fantasy series.
The Story
Why bother? Just read the previous books and you'll have a good idea what's happening.
We have to go through another take of Lorana meeting Tenniz before she buries him.
My Take
This isn't even a real story! Instead, McCaffrey has created a mish-mash of flitting back-and-forth from time to time. Do not even try to make sense of what is going on as McCaffrey simply rehashes events from previous books in this particular timeline. It's like he picked up individual happenings, tossed them in the air and that's how they were arranged in the book. No, no, wait. I know what happened. McCaffrey found a box of discarded ideas from the previous books and he figured, "hey, why waste all these words. I'll throw them together and give it a title!"
One of the whines the characters have is about "how tired everyone is". Well, in previous books they realized it was because those people were timing it. I'm getting tired of the whining. They figured it out before. Could we please move on!?? Then there's Shaneese and Fiona. Oh yeah, and Lorana. They all seem to be sharing T'mar and Kindan, I think. And if Fiona is sleeping with T'mar and Kindan why is it always Kindan who's in her bed? It's almost the end of the story before T'mar ever shows up there. It's like McCaffrey wants to be a bit salacious but hasn't quite got the guts. What was the purpose of Jeila's pregnancy and loss? Filler? Why is anyone bothering to go to the Dawn Sisters? And "Mrreows"?? Please. I do not remember this word being used for the tigers in previous stories. And what's the point of the very end with F'jian and Temir?
Then there's the whole bit with making the "Eastern Weyr" self-sufficient with silver production, mining, fishing, etc. Without working with any of the Smithcrafthalls. Has Todd read any of his mother's books? Maybe I need to re-read them…?
McCaffrey's got people sharing dragons and timing it like nobody's business. It's so contrary to what his mother, Anne, has established previously.
There is nothing to tie them together making this a new story. The best that happens is in the last few pages when suddenly everything "becomes clear" as to Telgar Weyr being lost between, Fiona's crying out to "Can't lose the babies", and where F'jian kept disappearing to. What a load of crap!
My take on Todd McCaffrey as an author is that his writing style is somewhere between "See Dick. See Dick run" and a sixth grade reader. There is no depth to his characters. No emotional involvement that makes a reader care what happens to them. No connection from event to event. I still don't understand why Javissa had to come to the Weyr. What was the deal with Fiona and Jirana going off to play pottery??
From now on, if I see Todd's name on a book, I'm boycotting it. I'm incredibly unimpressed with his mother at this point as well. In the "Letters to Readers", Anne McCaffrey talks as though she and Todd are collaborating. I think the only collaboration is she puts her name on anything he writes to ensure that the book sells.
The Cover
The cover is of a mountainous area with a golden dragon flying towards us. The title is, I guess, appropriate as McCaffrey has the dragons flying back and forth through time.
August 18, 2011
I was not going to read this sequel to the horrible "Dragongirl." I barely made it with sanity intact with that one, so I wasn't willing to risk this one. However, with Anne McCaffrey's name back in the author spot, I had to give it a go.
I was sorely, sorely disappointed. I feel like I have been swindled. Anne's influence was non-existent, except perhaps in the very last chapter. Then, in the afterward, it was made clear that it was mainly Todd's fault, so I will squarely place the blame on his shoulders for this atrocious waste of paper.
I've written better Pern fan-fiction than this when I was twelve. I know Ms. McCaffrey's viewpoint on fan-fiction, so I have never posted my stories anywhere other than my own computer. I wish she would extend that disdain of fan-fiction to her own son's. The book reads astonishingly like the horrific Pern fan-fiction out there, and would only be more complete if somehow F'lar traveled back in time to have yaoi relationships with T'mar or F'jian. Or both. Cue the giggling fan-girls.
Where to begin? The characters are stilted, there is NO PLOT, the time travel gets boring and hard to follow, no one learns anything, pregnant women are shown to be completely incapable of anything other than resting much less such strenuous things like thinking, dragons are swapped between riders like handkerchiefs, and there are only two conversational themes throughout the entire book (pregnancy and feeling tired). Oh, and apparently humans can survive short periods in space by holding their breath. Sure. All of the "action" happens in the very last chapter. The entire book (other than the last chapter) can be summed up by these words: "Fiona was very tired. All of the weyrlings were very tired. They talked about it a lot. Some people got pregnant, and then had their babies." THAT IS ALL THAT HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK, except for that last chapter.
I think Anne may have only gotten her hands on that last chapter, and helped Todd wrap up in a few pages an entire book's worth of plot.
And let's not even touch on what I complained about from the last book: fourteen year olds having sex. Yuck. We'll stop there on that subject, thanks.
The only part of this book worth reading is the introduction, where Anne McCaffrey reveals that she is working on her own Pern book, the continuation of F'lar and Lessa's stories. She needs to write this book, as an apology and a brain-scrubbing for this one.
I will NOT be reading the next one, no matter if Anne McCaffrey's name is on it. It's not worth the pain of the horrible dialogue and the boring non-plot.
I'm even shocked that others have given it higher ratings. I've seen comments about how boring it was, but was still given three stars. Come on people, if a book sucks, the authors need to know it.
I was sorely, sorely disappointed. I feel like I have been swindled. Anne's influence was non-existent, except perhaps in the very last chapter. Then, in the afterward, it was made clear that it was mainly Todd's fault, so I will squarely place the blame on his shoulders for this atrocious waste of paper.
I've written better Pern fan-fiction than this when I was twelve. I know Ms. McCaffrey's viewpoint on fan-fiction, so I have never posted my stories anywhere other than my own computer. I wish she would extend that disdain of fan-fiction to her own son's. The book reads astonishingly like the horrific Pern fan-fiction out there, and would only be more complete if somehow F'lar traveled back in time to have yaoi relationships with T'mar or F'jian. Or both. Cue the giggling fan-girls.
Where to begin? The characters are stilted, there is NO PLOT, the time travel gets boring and hard to follow, no one learns anything, pregnant women are shown to be completely incapable of anything other than resting much less such strenuous things like thinking, dragons are swapped between riders like handkerchiefs, and there are only two conversational themes throughout the entire book (pregnancy and feeling tired). Oh, and apparently humans can survive short periods in space by holding their breath. Sure. All of the "action" happens in the very last chapter. The entire book (other than the last chapter) can be summed up by these words: "Fiona was very tired. All of the weyrlings were very tired. They talked about it a lot. Some people got pregnant, and then had their babies." THAT IS ALL THAT HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK, except for that last chapter.
I think Anne may have only gotten her hands on that last chapter, and helped Todd wrap up in a few pages an entire book's worth of plot.
And let's not even touch on what I complained about from the last book: fourteen year olds having sex. Yuck. We'll stop there on that subject, thanks.
The only part of this book worth reading is the introduction, where Anne McCaffrey reveals that she is working on her own Pern book, the continuation of F'lar and Lessa's stories. She needs to write this book, as an apology and a brain-scrubbing for this one.
I will NOT be reading the next one, no matter if Anne McCaffrey's name is on it. It's not worth the pain of the horrible dialogue and the boring non-plot.
I'm even shocked that others have given it higher ratings. I've seen comments about how boring it was, but was still given three stars. Come on people, if a book sucks, the authors need to know it.
November 8, 2018
I'm so torn on how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the characters and I enjoyed most of the story. This continues the same fall from the previous books and the same characters. There is an awful lot of going between times to save Pern and the dragon population during a thread fall. They have perished from sickness and thread and they will not have enough dragons to get through this fall.
The premise of the story is great. I still feel like it is way too drawn out. So many books over the same characters and the same story through different characters. And dragons and dragonriders caught in between and then rescued from there. I don't know; it just seems drawn out and convoluted.
So, in the end, its not a bad story and for those that love Pern it is not bad, but its a bit much by how many books are focused on this one time.
The premise of the story is great. I still feel like it is way too drawn out. So many books over the same characters and the same story through different characters. And dragons and dragonriders caught in between and then rescued from there. I don't know; it just seems drawn out and convoluted.
So, in the end, its not a bad story and for those that love Pern it is not bad, but its a bit much by how many books are focused on this one time.
May 16, 2022
Nice story of the early years of Pern. Fast paced and good plot. Recommended
August 11, 2011
I adore Pern, and have loved Anne McCaffrey's dragons for over thirty years, but I could have asked my teen to write a Pern book and gotten a more mature storyline than Dragon's Time. Todd woos Pern fans with timed journeys like a creep with rohypnol preys on girls out for a great time at their favorite party spot. Then when he has them reeling and confused with the massive overdose of plot device, he beats them over the head with foreshadowing until they're all but comatose. He finishes taking advantage with clumsy but brutal use of deus ex machina, leaving the true fan feeling abused, angry and robbed.
Leaving the mean metaphor aside, this was just disappointing all over. The man doesn't even seem to like his own characters...he is oddly judgmental of their sexual mores (You WROTE them, Todd, stop explaining how uniquely naughty their stale 70's free love seems to you!) and is so titillated by what he's written that he persists in having every other character make note of their love lives, even the children. Ick.
Securing the future is a major theme of all the early Pern novels, but in this one it is married with an uncomfortably ignorant view of pregnancy. One character is told multiple times that she must be having twins because she's complaining of discomfort in her first trimester. By the healer. Really?! Every pregnant character is warned that stress causes miscarriage, as do minor falls and going between (but only when it's convenient to the plot!). And paternity of the twins is not only unusual, but obsessed upon. See paragraph two of this review.
Todd did give an interesting interpretation of how dragons and their riders survive between, and an exciting hatching scene. But where he should dwell and show the scenes in detail, he glosses over and moves to the next instance of timing it. Where the characters have an opportunity to gain wisdom and experience through trial and struggle, they just time it and fix their problems magically without learning or growing.
I'm reserving his next book at the library and saving my hard-earned money for a book I'll read and re-read for years...instead of one I'll regret buying, like I do this one.
Leaving the mean metaphor aside, this was just disappointing all over. The man doesn't even seem to like his own characters...he is oddly judgmental of their sexual mores (You WROTE them, Todd, stop explaining how uniquely naughty their stale 70's free love seems to you!) and is so titillated by what he's written that he persists in having every other character make note of their love lives, even the children. Ick.
Securing the future is a major theme of all the early Pern novels, but in this one it is married with an uncomfortably ignorant view of pregnancy. One character is told multiple times that she must be having twins because she's complaining of discomfort in her first trimester. By the healer. Really?! Every pregnant character is warned that stress causes miscarriage, as do minor falls and going between (but only when it's convenient to the plot!). And paternity of the twins is not only unusual, but obsessed upon. See paragraph two of this review.
Todd did give an interesting interpretation of how dragons and their riders survive between, and an exciting hatching scene. But where he should dwell and show the scenes in detail, he glosses over and moves to the next instance of timing it. Where the characters have an opportunity to gain wisdom and experience through trial and struggle, they just time it and fix their problems magically without learning or growing.
I'm reserving his next book at the library and saving my hard-earned money for a book I'll read and re-read for years...instead of one I'll regret buying, like I do this one.
August 7, 2011
Maybe I'm just cranky this week, but this book annoyed me! I would have relished a good Pern tale. But I was confused half the time and bored some of the time. I felt the flow was very uneven. The book seemed to require too much knowledge of another book, one I wasn't even sure I had read. The incessant 'timing' that the plot required just added to the confusion. Best parts, though, were the use/appearance of the Dawn Sisters, and the part about trying to set up and run a new 'civilization' in a new time/place on Pern in order to increase the number of dragons. The story just wasn't what it could have been, I felt.
December 12, 2022
Three stars only because it is Pern.
I find it almost impossible to follow Todd's characters (pernites?) and time jumping. Yes, it adds to the suspense, and maybe it all comes together in the end, but it is altogether too much work to keep it all straight and follow the story line.
Todd admits to some mistakes in the epilogue; good for him. Maybe fix them too.
That said, the characters are well flushed out and somewhat lovable. In spite of himself.
I find it almost impossible to follow Todd's characters (pernites?) and time jumping. Yes, it adds to the suspense, and maybe it all comes together in the end, but it is altogether too much work to keep it all straight and follow the story line.
Todd admits to some mistakes in the epilogue; good for him. Maybe fix them too.
That said, the characters are well flushed out and somewhat lovable. In spite of himself.
May 31, 2012
I wanted to like this book. I mean, I *REALLY* wanted to like this book.
I cannot say how many times I have read the two original series of Dragon books - up to and including The White Dragon. I own all the Pern books - at least all the ones that are generally available - and have read them all. With the exception of the one about the stupid nasty criminals, I have enjoyed all of them, to a greater or lesser degree.
But Dragon's Time? What a disaster! It was just all over the place.
Here is the premise: Dragons can "Time It", jumping Between time. That's kind of it.
Of course, Anne McCaffrey wrote about that in Dragonflight, didn't she. So this novel can't just have someone Timing It once, oh no. Instead, it has one crazy person jumping all over the planet and all over time, ON SOMEONE ELSE'S DRAGON (who doesn't seem to CARE that she is not with her own rider). And dragonriders being in the same Time three times but I lost track and I think some of them were probably in the same place about SEVENTY FIVE TIMES because each chapter was in a different space-time continuum.
Oh and speaking of the space-time continuum. How come they can jump all over the place and the one guy can jump forward in time to make babies after he is dead and to meet his grandchildren and all that stuff and they can leave notes for themselves all over the timescale, but they can't leave one little note saying "don't lay the eggs in the sand, they will be sucked out by snakes".
Ahem.
Can you tell this novel annoyed me?
Also Fiona, who started off as quite an interesting character, became a big pregnant vessel here. A Special Vessel, because she has twins. Who end up riding her dragon without her. Oh except that she likes to sleep with lots of people. That is her main defining characteristic.
And apparently people who are lost Between can actually be rescued from there. Oops. Shame they didn't write THAT down in their Records. Gosh, X is missing? Mary-S--oops, Lorana must have RESCUED THEM IN THE NICK OF TIME! By flying Between Times. Again.
As a story, it was just dull. What plot there was (and it was kind of hard to follow, given the jumps and twists) seemed to repeat things that had been done before without adding a lot of newness. Oh, except that they can sleep on ships. On land.
They even had someone jump to the Dawn Sisters and think about going to the Red Star. Yawn. The low point of the original books and they had to repeat it. Meh.
I'm not done with this series - I have such strong memories of the early books - but I'm frustrated at the mess that was made of this one. I don't know whether it's because there was some collaboration between Anne and Todd McCaffrey - or even which one of them is responsible for the mess.
I won't say don't read this book, because if you are a Pern reader then you are a Pern reader. But expect nothing, and you might not be disappointed.
I cannot say how many times I have read the two original series of Dragon books - up to and including The White Dragon. I own all the Pern books - at least all the ones that are generally available - and have read them all. With the exception of the one about the stupid nasty criminals, I have enjoyed all of them, to a greater or lesser degree.
But Dragon's Time? What a disaster! It was just all over the place.
Here is the premise: Dragons can "Time It", jumping Between time. That's kind of it.
Of course, Anne McCaffrey wrote about that in Dragonflight, didn't she. So this novel can't just have someone Timing It once, oh no. Instead, it has one crazy person jumping all over the planet and all over time, ON SOMEONE ELSE'S DRAGON (who doesn't seem to CARE that she is not with her own rider). And dragonriders being in the same Time three times but I lost track and I think some of them were probably in the same place about SEVENTY FIVE TIMES because each chapter was in a different space-time continuum.
Oh and speaking of the space-time continuum. How come they can jump all over the place and the one guy can jump forward in time to make babies after he is dead and to meet his grandchildren and all that stuff and they can leave notes for themselves all over the timescale, but they can't leave one little note saying "don't lay the eggs in the sand, they will be sucked out by snakes".
Ahem.
Can you tell this novel annoyed me?
Also Fiona, who started off as quite an interesting character, became a big pregnant vessel here. A Special Vessel, because she has twins. Who end up riding her dragon without her. Oh except that she likes to sleep with lots of people. That is her main defining characteristic.
And apparently people who are lost Between can actually be rescued from there. Oops. Shame they didn't write THAT down in their Records. Gosh, X is missing? Mary-S--oops, Lorana must have RESCUED THEM IN THE NICK OF TIME! By flying Between Times. Again.
As a story, it was just dull. What plot there was (and it was kind of hard to follow, given the jumps and twists) seemed to repeat things that had been done before without adding a lot of newness. Oh, except that they can sleep on ships. On land.
They even had someone jump to the Dawn Sisters and think about going to the Red Star. Yawn. The low point of the original books and they had to repeat it. Meh.
I'm not done with this series - I have such strong memories of the early books - but I'm frustrated at the mess that was made of this one. I don't know whether it's because there was some collaboration between Anne and Todd McCaffrey - or even which one of them is responsible for the mess.
I won't say don't read this book, because if you are a Pern reader then you are a Pern reader. But expect nothing, and you might not be disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2011
Okay, I have to say that slogging through this mediocre installment was made 100% worth it by reading the foreword, in which Anne McCaffrey (at last!) shares that SHE, not Todd, has a new Pern book, "After the Fall is Over", in the works, featuring F'lar and Lessa. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
However, she threatens us that Todd might be helping her: "...maybe I'll finally let him play with my characters!". I REALLY, REALLY hope that doesn't happen. I keep reading these Todd McCaffrey Pern books because I'm so desperate for any new Pern stories, but I decided two books ago that they're no substitute for the real thing.
This one had some real issues, although I could tell that Anne had a hand in straightening out a little bit of the dialogue that was so bad in the last books. The plot was really hard to follow - every single event was (spoiler) connected to "timing it". Waaaaaaaay too much timing; there was really no other plot other than constant timing of one character or another. Fiona had all the same MarySue issues as before: even her temper tantrums are chalked up to her pregnancy hormones making her crazy. And isn't she what, now, 17? 18? Uh huh.
Some anachronisms popped up too: I caught mention of "dogs" in the latter third of the book. And what was the deal with the "twins"? Are you kidding me? If each twin supposedly has a different father, then they aren't twins. And statistically, that is so unlikely as to be practically impossible. Right? Or am I crazy?
Oy. I want to say I won't read another one of these, but that's what I said last time. Hurry up, Anne, and publish your book, so I can quit Todd once and for all.
However, she threatens us that Todd might be helping her: "...maybe I'll finally let him play with my characters!". I REALLY, REALLY hope that doesn't happen. I keep reading these Todd McCaffrey Pern books because I'm so desperate for any new Pern stories, but I decided two books ago that they're no substitute for the real thing.
This one had some real issues, although I could tell that Anne had a hand in straightening out a little bit of the dialogue that was so bad in the last books. The plot was really hard to follow - every single event was (spoiler) connected to "timing it". Waaaaaaaay too much timing; there was really no other plot other than constant timing of one character or another. Fiona had all the same MarySue issues as before: even her temper tantrums are chalked up to her pregnancy hormones making her crazy. And isn't she what, now, 17? 18? Uh huh.
Some anachronisms popped up too: I caught mention of "dogs" in the latter third of the book. And what was the deal with the "twins"? Are you kidding me? If each twin supposedly has a different father, then they aren't twins. And statistically, that is so unlikely as to be practically impossible. Right? Or am I crazy?
Oy. I want to say I won't read another one of these, but that's what I said last time. Hurry up, Anne, and publish your book, so I can quit Todd once and for all.
November 18, 2015
I stayed confused reading this book (all the time travel and interactions), but also kept reading it. I enjoyed it but should have probably re-read the previous book to brush up on events. I also found myself being confused by several things. 1st the opening scene was never explained and it just left me confused. 2nd what is up with everyone having relations with everyone else and having two husbands and two wives in a relationship together? I like Pern for its storytelling and basically for the dragons. This was a disappointment in a way for me.
Read
February 7, 2024Audiobook. Dnf.
I think I'm done with the Todd McCaffrey additions to the series.
I think I'm done with the Todd McCaffrey additions to the series.
April 10, 2017
I started this book knowing it was about time travel but was so confused I gave up, more than I expected it to be so soon. This is clearly part of a series and is not a stand alone book.
I've heard some murmurings about Todd McCaffrey's books not being as good as his mother's. I had hopes I might like it but I only found the talk about time travel and it's implications confusing. I think Anne had books involving time travel but I don't recall having problems with them being confusing. It would probably help to start with an earlier book in the Todd/Anne series but I have a feeling it would still be confusing. I will not finish this book and and have no interest in reading another book in the Todd McCaffrey or Todd and Anne McCaffrey series. I think I'll cross off the Todd/Anne books off my list. Maybe I'll just go back and start at the beginning of the Anne McCaffrey books. Dragonsdawn, The White Dragon, and Masterharper of Pern are all good ones I think.
edited 4/10/17 6:52pm after input about the books
I've heard some murmurings about Todd McCaffrey's books not being as good as his mother's. I had hopes I might like it but I only found the talk about time travel and it's implications confusing. I think Anne had books involving time travel but I don't recall having problems with them being confusing. It would probably help to start with an earlier book in the Todd/Anne series but I have a feeling it would still be confusing. I will not finish this book and and have no interest in reading another book in the Todd McCaffrey or Todd and Anne McCaffrey series. I think I'll cross off the Todd/Anne books off my list. Maybe I'll just go back and start at the beginning of the Anne McCaffrey books. Dragonsdawn, The White Dragon, and Masterharper of Pern are all good ones I think.
edited 4/10/17 6:52pm after input about the books
February 28, 2022
Not a fave, too much going on that was kind of surreal.
July 3, 2011
Best one in a while, certainly the best one that Todd has written. I'm still not entirely on board with his focus on little kids in positions of responsibility or Fiona's big heart going a bit far in the free love territory (she brings every stray into her family in some way, whether as a lover or a sister). But the heart of the story was there, great characters fighting to survive and triumph against such harsh odds with love, creativity and humor.
One thing that I think Todd has done very well is capture the sense of this time being part way between the planet being settled and when we first encountered Pern in the books with Lessa and F'lar, significantly closer to settling. The way that language has changed, their medicine, memory of the past and technology, all reflects that a large chunk of time has passed (approximately 500 years) but that it's no where near the amount of time in the other books (2500 years). It's a nice thing that sets this series apart from the books set in the future time.
I also think it's pretty amazing that after thirty years of reading these books, there's still something so simple and powerful to it that I get choked up during a hatching scene. Can't help it!
Anne (in the Letter To Readers) and Todd (in Acknowledgements) said that the next book will be a sequel called Dragonrider. Anne also teased that she's been working on After the Fall Is Over, she wouldn't say it unless she meant it, right? She says it's about the future of F'lar and Lessa...
One thing that I think Todd has done very well is capture the sense of this time being part way between the planet being settled and when we first encountered Pern in the books with Lessa and F'lar, significantly closer to settling. The way that language has changed, their medicine, memory of the past and technology, all reflects that a large chunk of time has passed (approximately 500 years) but that it's no where near the amount of time in the other books (2500 years). It's a nice thing that sets this series apart from the books set in the future time.
I also think it's pretty amazing that after thirty years of reading these books, there's still something so simple and powerful to it that I get choked up during a hatching scene. Can't help it!
Anne (in the Letter To Readers) and Todd (in Acknowledgements) said that the next book will be a sequel called Dragonrider. Anne also teased that she's been working on After the Fall Is Over, she wouldn't say it unless she meant it, right? She says it's about the future of F'lar and Lessa...
July 25, 2011
I yearn for Pern! Oh, for a warm cup of klah, a fresh roll…and an escape from the realities of everyday life! After a three-year wait, Dragon’s Time arrived and I am sated…for the moment.
It was lovely to fall back under the spell of this deliciously complex world of weyrs, holds, craft halls, and telepathic dragons! I discovered Anne McCaffrey in 1993, and I quickly became an avid fan. Although these books are classified as science fiction, the dragons, dragonriders, and medieval-like society offer great appeal to fantasy-lovers as well.
Anne Mc Caffrey, who recently turned 85, has authored or co-authored close to 100 books. The Dragonriders of Pern is surely McCaffrey’s best-known series and my personal all-time favorite, (although I have read many books from her other series). There are 22 novels in the DR of P series, some written solely by Anne, some with co-authors including her son, Todd, and a few by Todd with "mom's approval".
They may be read in order of publication or in chronological order. There is a lot of bouncing back and forth in time, so if you are new to the series, a little background research might help lessen initial confusion.
Dragon’s Time begins with a wonderful letter from Anne McCaffrey and a nice section “For Readers New to Pern”.
A movie is forthcoming, as the screenplay is currently being written. This will certainly bring aboard a whole new legion of Dragonrider fans.
It was lovely to fall back under the spell of this deliciously complex world of weyrs, holds, craft halls, and telepathic dragons! I discovered Anne McCaffrey in 1993, and I quickly became an avid fan. Although these books are classified as science fiction, the dragons, dragonriders, and medieval-like society offer great appeal to fantasy-lovers as well.
Anne Mc Caffrey, who recently turned 85, has authored or co-authored close to 100 books. The Dragonriders of Pern is surely McCaffrey’s best-known series and my personal all-time favorite, (although I have read many books from her other series). There are 22 novels in the DR of P series, some written solely by Anne, some with co-authors including her son, Todd, and a few by Todd with "mom's approval".
They may be read in order of publication or in chronological order. There is a lot of bouncing back and forth in time, so if you are new to the series, a little background research might help lessen initial confusion.
Dragon’s Time begins with a wonderful letter from Anne McCaffrey and a nice section “For Readers New to Pern”.
A movie is forthcoming, as the screenplay is currently being written. This will certainly bring aboard a whole new legion of Dragonrider fans.
August 22, 2013
I've been reading the Dragon books by Anne McCaffrey for years and years. This, by far, was not my favorite, but I always enjoy my visits with the amazing dragons of Pern. A cure for the plague killing the dragons was found, but not before their numbers were decimated. Thread is coming and there aren't enough dragons to fight the next fall. Lots of time travel.
June 10, 2022
Actual star score 3.75.
This book picks up several years after the 21st book in the Pern series.
Fiona is now the weyrwoman at Telgar Weyr. Kindan is the weyr harper also at Telgar. The plague ended up going through the weyrs, killing many dragons and their riders.
Lorana another queen rider, a few months pregnant came up with a possible way of finding out a cure for the dragons by traveling through time to get it. When she arrives, having killed both the twins she was carrying and her dragon. She was given the cure and a dragon to return on by the weyrwoman who she can't see clearly but names her killer.
That's basically the beginning of the book. Most of it after curing the dragons has Lorana, Fiona and Kindan traveling back and forth between different times with many other people and dragon riders, trying to repopulate the weyrs with dragons so that the thread that's started falling in the third pass doesn't kill off the population of pern do to lack of dragons to keep the skies of pern thread free.
This book picks up several years after the 21st book in the Pern series.
Fiona is now the weyrwoman at Telgar Weyr. Kindan is the weyr harper also at Telgar. The plague ended up going through the weyrs, killing many dragons and their riders.
Lorana another queen rider, a few months pregnant came up with a possible way of finding out a cure for the dragons by traveling through time to get it. When she arrives, having killed both the twins she was carrying and her dragon. She was given the cure and a dragon to return on by the weyrwoman who she can't see clearly but names her killer.
That's basically the beginning of the book. Most of it after curing the dragons has Lorana, Fiona and Kindan traveling back and forth between different times with many other people and dragon riders, trying to repopulate the weyrs with dragons so that the thread that's started falling in the third pass doesn't kill off the population of pern do to lack of dragons to keep the skies of pern thread free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2017
Time to admit it, Todd McCaffrey just isn't that good of a writer. Not saying I could do better, but he's just not the talent that his mother is (and she has a few week spots of her own). Case in point, there's an old saying, "Show, don't tell." An author should use his words to describe a scene, not just SAY that a thing happened. But there are several times when Todd narrates conversations rather than just letting his characters do their own talking. It gives one the feeling of those old horror movies where the sound track was lost, and the director just used narration rather than replacing the lost dialogue. (looking at YOU "Creeping Terror!")
And the artificial tension! Good lord, how I hate it.
Terin: F'jian, where are you going on your TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON?
F'jian: I'm TRAVELLING through TIME, but I can't tell you when.
Terin: You must be cheating on me, I hate you forever!
(F'jian dies riding his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON)
Terin: I was with F'jian, he loves me!
Literally Everyone: He could not have been here! He died riding his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON! That was in the past, and this is the present! There is no way he could have TRAVELED through TIME, and you are crazy with grief!
(F'jian appears on his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON)
Literally Everyone: Holy Shit-Biscuits, how is this even possible?!
Also, the Senior Queen of a Weyr can inhibit any of her Dragons. If T'mar and Fiona really thought F'jian was up to shenanigans and shirking his duty as a Rider, why not just have Talenth keep Ladirth grounded?
And leave us not forget, the basic premise of The Todd Books is a subplot from Dragonflight that was a proven failure. Yet it's Fiona's go-to solution for pretty much every emergency. Not enough dragons? We'll go back in time and raise them there! Dragons dying off? We'll go back in time and raise them there! Dragons injured? We'll go back in time and raise them there! There have to be at least six copies of her running around at some point in the time-stream.
And also, the bond between a Dragon and their Rider. In the original books, it's likened to a splicing of souls. Two lives joined together so fully that Riders frequently cannot handle the loss of their Dragon, opting instead for suicide. Just being in the same location as another Dragon, or even another RIDER, is enough to cause heartbreaking grief. And a Dragon who loses their Rider invariably kills themself by going Between. In The Todd Books, it's closer to owning a really rad sports car. "You wrecked yours? Here's the keys to my Minith, just bring her back with a full tank!" And when Fiona is lost Between, TALENTH STAYS BEHIND WITH LORANA. I had to start wondering if Todd had even read his mother's books at this point.
I AM curious to know about why Fiona warned herself about staying away from the Western Island and feeding firestone to the green Dragons, but I have little hope of either being answered satisfactorily. Todd has a habit of setting up storylines, and then letting them peter out.
Lorana: I must get help by flying so far into the future that the cold of Between freezes the fetus right out of me! I have no other choice except to have LITERALLY ANY OTHER DRAGONRIDER make the trip instead.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Lorana arrives in the future)
Lorana: I gave up my baby to get help from you!
Old Lady Tullea: No.
(Lorana goes home)
Okay, it was really more like
Lorana: I must get help by flying so far into the future that the cold of Between freezes the fetus right out of me! I have no other choice except to have LITERALLY ANY OTHER DRAGONRIDER make the trip instead.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Lorana arrives in the future)
Lorana: I gave up my baby to get help from you!
Old Lady Tullea: I hate you forever! We won't help you!
Literally Everyone Else: We're hiding, tee-hee-hee!
(Lorana returns home without help, Everyone Else comes out of hiding)
Old Lady Tullea: Why did I have to be so mean to her?
Wise Old Lady Fiona: Because of REASONS.
But that's not exactly an improvement. I think Todd has some really good ideas of where he WANTS to go with a storyline, but then he loses track of it along the way.
And another thing about the Greens chewing stone, has Todd forgotten that the original Queens DID chew firstone, and they weren't sterilized? They just threw up some sludge. Kitti Ping engineered the Queens to be unable to chew firestone. Which kind of implies that she engineered the Greens to be sterile. Stone having nothing to do with it, but over the years with no Queens chewing firestone, and Greens being sterile, that assumption simply arose? Not necessarily true, but that's how I read it. I'm (maybe) willing to let this one slide though.
Lastly, (and this is a problem Todd shares with his mum) the numbers just don't work. Seventy Dragons just isn't enough for one Weyr. But, during the first Pass, there were a sum total of EIGHTEEN fighting Dragons (including Queens) at the beginning who protected the entirety of Pern. Yes, they had help from the flying sleds, but the whole reason the Dragons exist is because the sleds weren't efficient at Thread fighting. Say that a sled is half as good as a Dragon. Even with a hundred sleds, that would still be equivalent to less than seventy Dragons. So maybe they only flew over the area surrounding Fort Hold where people had gathered for protection. We're told (repeatedly) that a single Thread burrow can overwhelm an entire valley overnight. So given unchecked Threadfalls everywhere except Fort, shouldn't Pern be a barren wasteland outside of that small area. (for that matter, how did Pern survive with nothing but Fire Lizards for defense for so long)
And his abysmal errors in Between...I can't even deal with this. I'm going to read the next book in the series, because it's the last one before I get back to The Good Stuff. But I don't expect to enjoy it. (which means I could always be pleasantly surprised!)
And the artificial tension! Good lord, how I hate it.
Terin: F'jian, where are you going on your TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON?
F'jian: I'm TRAVELLING through TIME, but I can't tell you when.
Terin: You must be cheating on me, I hate you forever!
(F'jian dies riding his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON)
Terin: I was with F'jian, he loves me!
Literally Everyone: He could not have been here! He died riding his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON! That was in the past, and this is the present! There is no way he could have TRAVELED through TIME, and you are crazy with grief!
(F'jian appears on his TIME-TRAVELING DRAGON)
Literally Everyone: Holy Shit-Biscuits, how is this even possible?!
Also, the Senior Queen of a Weyr can inhibit any of her Dragons. If T'mar and Fiona really thought F'jian was up to shenanigans and shirking his duty as a Rider, why not just have Talenth keep Ladirth grounded?
And leave us not forget, the basic premise of The Todd Books is a subplot from Dragonflight that was a proven failure. Yet it's Fiona's go-to solution for pretty much every emergency. Not enough dragons? We'll go back in time and raise them there! Dragons dying off? We'll go back in time and raise them there! Dragons injured? We'll go back in time and raise them there! There have to be at least six copies of her running around at some point in the time-stream.
And also, the bond between a Dragon and their Rider. In the original books, it's likened to a splicing of souls. Two lives joined together so fully that Riders frequently cannot handle the loss of their Dragon, opting instead for suicide. Just being in the same location as another Dragon, or even another RIDER, is enough to cause heartbreaking grief. And a Dragon who loses their Rider invariably kills themself by going Between. In The Todd Books, it's closer to owning a really rad sports car. "You wrecked yours? Here's the keys to my Minith, just bring her back with a full tank!" And when Fiona is lost Between, TALENTH STAYS BEHIND WITH LORANA. I had to start wondering if Todd had even read his mother's books at this point.
I AM curious to know about why Fiona warned herself about staying away from the Western Island and feeding firestone to the green Dragons, but I have little hope of either being answered satisfactorily. Todd has a habit of setting up storylines, and then letting them peter out.
Lorana: I must get help by flying so far into the future that the cold of Between freezes the fetus right out of me! I have no other choice except to have LITERALLY ANY OTHER DRAGONRIDER make the trip instead.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Lorana arrives in the future)
Lorana: I gave up my baby to get help from you!
Old Lady Tullea: No.
(Lorana goes home)
Okay, it was really more like
Lorana: I must get help by flying so far into the future that the cold of Between freezes the fetus right out of me! I have no other choice except to have LITERALLY ANY OTHER DRAGONRIDER make the trip instead.
TO BE CONTINUED
(Lorana arrives in the future)
Lorana: I gave up my baby to get help from you!
Old Lady Tullea: I hate you forever! We won't help you!
Literally Everyone Else: We're hiding, tee-hee-hee!
(Lorana returns home without help, Everyone Else comes out of hiding)
Old Lady Tullea: Why did I have to be so mean to her?
Wise Old Lady Fiona: Because of REASONS.
But that's not exactly an improvement. I think Todd has some really good ideas of where he WANTS to go with a storyline, but then he loses track of it along the way.
And another thing about the Greens chewing stone, has Todd forgotten that the original Queens DID chew firstone, and they weren't sterilized? They just threw up some sludge. Kitti Ping engineered the Queens to be unable to chew firestone. Which kind of implies that she engineered the Greens to be sterile. Stone having nothing to do with it, but over the years with no Queens chewing firestone, and Greens being sterile, that assumption simply arose? Not necessarily true, but that's how I read it. I'm (maybe) willing to let this one slide though.
Lastly, (and this is a problem Todd shares with his mum) the numbers just don't work. Seventy Dragons just isn't enough for one Weyr. But, during the first Pass, there were a sum total of EIGHTEEN fighting Dragons (including Queens) at the beginning who protected the entirety of Pern. Yes, they had help from the flying sleds, but the whole reason the Dragons exist is because the sleds weren't efficient at Thread fighting. Say that a sled is half as good as a Dragon. Even with a hundred sleds, that would still be equivalent to less than seventy Dragons. So maybe they only flew over the area surrounding Fort Hold where people had gathered for protection. We're told (repeatedly) that a single Thread burrow can overwhelm an entire valley overnight. So given unchecked Threadfalls everywhere except Fort, shouldn't Pern be a barren wasteland outside of that small area. (for that matter, how did Pern survive with nothing but Fire Lizards for defense for so long)
And his abysmal errors in Between...I can't even deal with this. I'm going to read the next book in the series, because it's the last one before I get back to The Good Stuff. But I don't expect to enjoy it. (which means I could always be pleasantly surprised!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2018
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I think the underlying story was good, but the author (authors? I really can't picture this as being Anne's work) got so caught up in time travel & trying to keep secrets from the reader that it makes the whole thing just feel awkward. It doesn't help that the rules of time travel seem very strict - some of the time. When it's convenient to the plot, the characters are able to 'cheat' the rules, which might be okay except that the times when you can cheat are completely inconsistent. Also, I don't love Todd's new standard of stretching the same story over half a dozen books or more. While Anne's old Pern books were more self-contained, Todd seems to feel that he needs at least two big mysteries left at the end of each book - maybe because they're not good enough to bring you back otherwise? Overall I'm disappointed in the new books of the series, which is sad given how much I love the originals.
November 30, 2023
Devastated by a plague that killed their dragons, the weyrs of Pern none the less are fighting thread. It is a losing battle. Desperation drives all the characters to extreme risk & sacrifice. Todd McCaffrey with help from his mother continues the stories of humans in adversity & the love that drives them.
April 14, 2017
Reread
May 28, 2023
This is not a stand alone book. I had a hard time following the dialogue and plot.
February 19, 2012
Having read a few negative reviews before reading this book I approached it with very low expectations, and think that I was therefore not as disappointed/annoyed by this book as I might otherwise have been
The first thing to note is that it is nowhere near the level of Anne McCaffrey's work. I think that this is partly because Todd spends very little time on the dragons themselves, an integral part of Pern! Except for the occasional Thread battle (not as prominent in this book as in many of the others) the dragons could essentially be large pets used for transportation, there is none of the intimate connection between dragon and rider that is so apparent in his mother's books. They seem very happy, especially Fiona, for other people to borrow the dragon, and never seem worried about checking their visualisation of the destination. Lorana is constantly popping in and out of places yet from what I can remember nevery really had any training. He seems to miss out on the depth of the connection between rider and dragon, I think this is best illustrated with many characters pushing for Lorana to reimpress. When (in the future of Pern) Brekke is to be given the chance to reimpress those closest to her are the most against it, and no character before has shown any inclination to reimpress, the strength of their connection to their dragon being too strong. Lorana however doesn't raise any strong objections to this plan.
I also have an issue with Lorana's jump forward in time. It has already been discussed in much detail and repetitiveness that the reason Fiona et al are feeling all muzzy headed is that they must be timing it, logically that means they must be in two places at once in the present, not the future or else they would not feel the effects until they reached the time in the future in which they were in multiple places at once (I hope that makes sense to those reading it!). And if they are timing it in the present they should be able to resupply the weyrs without getting help from future dragons. Anne also spent some time pointing out (in the White Dragon I believe) that jumping into the future had many risks other than the long time between. Therefore there is no reason for Lorana to jump forward in time rather than initially looking for a new area in the present time except as a plot device to cause her to lose her baby. I may be miss reading this but I got the impression from the conversation between Fiona and Tullea in the future that neither Fiona or Lorana will survive to the end of the pass.
I did find the last scene with F'jian quite emotional, this may have been partly due to the fact I was feeling a little under the weather when reading it but it did cause a bit of welling up.
I am getting quite fed up with timing it as the solution to everything, I think it should be used with caution not only by dragons but by authors as well! Unfortunately I feel we have yet more timing to come in the next book to explain the mysterious notes to/from Fiona.
Other than those small quibbles I found the book reasonably enjoyable if not that enthralling/ If you don't go into this book with high expectations it provides a reasonably pleasant afternoon's reading, not too taxing and gives you a Pern fix.
One last point, to those who have said it is impossible for Fiona to have twins with seperate fathers, I would like to point out that it is completely possible, in fact given the relationship between them all it is not only possible but also plausible.
The first thing to note is that it is nowhere near the level of Anne McCaffrey's work. I think that this is partly because Todd spends very little time on the dragons themselves, an integral part of Pern! Except for the occasional Thread battle (not as prominent in this book as in many of the others) the dragons could essentially be large pets used for transportation, there is none of the intimate connection between dragon and rider that is so apparent in his mother's books. They seem very happy, especially Fiona, for other people to borrow the dragon, and never seem worried about checking their visualisation of the destination. Lorana is constantly popping in and out of places yet from what I can remember nevery really had any training. He seems to miss out on the depth of the connection between rider and dragon, I think this is best illustrated with many characters pushing for Lorana to reimpress. When (in the future of Pern) Brekke is to be given the chance to reimpress those closest to her are the most against it, and no character before has shown any inclination to reimpress, the strength of their connection to their dragon being too strong. Lorana however doesn't raise any strong objections to this plan.
I also have an issue with Lorana's jump forward in time. It has already been discussed in much detail and repetitiveness that the reason Fiona et al are feeling all muzzy headed is that they must be timing it, logically that means they must be in two places at once in the present, not the future or else they would not feel the effects until they reached the time in the future in which they were in multiple places at once (I hope that makes sense to those reading it!). And if they are timing it in the present they should be able to resupply the weyrs without getting help from future dragons. Anne also spent some time pointing out (in the White Dragon I believe) that jumping into the future had many risks other than the long time between. Therefore there is no reason for Lorana to jump forward in time rather than initially looking for a new area in the present time except as a plot device to cause her to lose her baby. I may be miss reading this but I got the impression from the conversation between Fiona and Tullea in the future that neither Fiona or Lorana will survive to the end of the pass.
I did find the last scene with F'jian quite emotional, this may have been partly due to the fact I was feeling a little under the weather when reading it but it did cause a bit of welling up.
I am getting quite fed up with timing it as the solution to everything, I think it should be used with caution not only by dragons but by authors as well! Unfortunately I feel we have yet more timing to come in the next book to explain the mysterious notes to/from Fiona.
Other than those small quibbles I found the book reasonably enjoyable if not that enthralling/ If you don't go into this book with high expectations it provides a reasonably pleasant afternoon's reading, not too taxing and gives you a Pern fix.
One last point, to those who have said it is impossible for Fiona to have twins with seperate fathers, I would like to point out that it is completely possible, in fact given the relationship between them all it is not only possible but also plausible.
December 2, 2014
Overall I love the dragons of Pern. This book however seemed more like fan fic than a true crafted piece.
I'm reading this sequence in the wrong order, as I come across them, but found some aspects of this instalment irritating. When else on Pern have people used the terms validation and affirmation? We also get the word meltdown introduced, but with an explanation, like a melting pot on the fire. The word despondent is used in place of depressed, which would seem too much like our parlance. So why not find some way to rephrase the validation and affirmation?
There are too many main characters which we are expected to follow - like a soap opera. Despite having read Dragon's Kin, Dragon's Blood and Dragon's Fire, I would have liked some good physical description of these people at the start and a way to tell them apart, because aside from anyone who rattles off trader aphorisms they all sound the same. Todd must have kept a plot outline while writing to keep track of all the cast and their movements in place and time, their many pregnancies and adoptions. Well, we don't have the outline and we can lose interest.
Despite being told that there is a shortage of dragonriders, for most of the book we meet many of these people, from midway we meet dragons and a couple of healers and harpers, and no Holders, drudges, runners or other classes. There aren't even any fire lizards so it's quite samey. I kept seeing the name Terin occur every now and then, and took this to be a man. Turned out it wasn't, but as this was not a major character I kept forgetting and every time Terin turned up again I visualised a man again until I was told she picked something up.
Todd could have kept to the point and put together a great story of transporting the young dragonets back in time to grow strong while their riders trained. But he blended it with an obvious attempt to copy The Time Traveller's Wife. Every person who has a dragon is buzzing around through time, meeting themselves coming and going, meeting a peculiar trader who announces that he's going to die, with one man rather creepily following his partner around even after he is dead to make sure that she can't take another partner. Wonderful love story, or is it. I'm not surprised time travel was banned in other eras.
Not to mention that if someone has gone fifty years into the future, why would she go home as soon as she is told, without looking around first? In fifty years, Pern might have developed paddle steamers, watch-wher powered mills, pottery kilns and the Arkwright weaving loom. Since it doesn't matter how long she spends there, it's only human nature to look around the future.
Tell me again, how do the Threads not multiply on remote islands which have never been patrolled by dragons? If I remember correctly, the Southern Continent had grubs which had adapted to eat fungal Thread. No explanation is given in this case, and grubs could not have crossed the ocean. I'd already read Sky Dragons so I knew about the gold and green eggs. Yes, good for the greens. There are certainly good concepts and dilemmas in this book. Maybe when I've read the earlier one it'll all become clear to me and I'll care a bit more about these cloned characters. I'm in no hurry though, which seems a shame.
I'm reading this sequence in the wrong order, as I come across them, but found some aspects of this instalment irritating. When else on Pern have people used the terms validation and affirmation? We also get the word meltdown introduced, but with an explanation, like a melting pot on the fire. The word despondent is used in place of depressed, which would seem too much like our parlance. So why not find some way to rephrase the validation and affirmation?
There are too many main characters which we are expected to follow - like a soap opera. Despite having read Dragon's Kin, Dragon's Blood and Dragon's Fire, I would have liked some good physical description of these people at the start and a way to tell them apart, because aside from anyone who rattles off trader aphorisms they all sound the same. Todd must have kept a plot outline while writing to keep track of all the cast and their movements in place and time, their many pregnancies and adoptions. Well, we don't have the outline and we can lose interest.
Despite being told that there is a shortage of dragonriders, for most of the book we meet many of these people, from midway we meet dragons and a couple of healers and harpers, and no Holders, drudges, runners or other classes. There aren't even any fire lizards so it's quite samey. I kept seeing the name Terin occur every now and then, and took this to be a man. Turned out it wasn't, but as this was not a major character I kept forgetting and every time Terin turned up again I visualised a man again until I was told she picked something up.
Todd could have kept to the point and put together a great story of transporting the young dragonets back in time to grow strong while their riders trained. But he blended it with an obvious attempt to copy The Time Traveller's Wife. Every person who has a dragon is buzzing around through time, meeting themselves coming and going, meeting a peculiar trader who announces that he's going to die, with one man rather creepily following his partner around even after he is dead to make sure that she can't take another partner. Wonderful love story, or is it. I'm not surprised time travel was banned in other eras.
Not to mention that if someone has gone fifty years into the future, why would she go home as soon as she is told, without looking around first? In fifty years, Pern might have developed paddle steamers, watch-wher powered mills, pottery kilns and the Arkwright weaving loom. Since it doesn't matter how long she spends there, it's only human nature to look around the future.
Tell me again, how do the Threads not multiply on remote islands which have never been patrolled by dragons? If I remember correctly, the Southern Continent had grubs which had adapted to eat fungal Thread. No explanation is given in this case, and grubs could not have crossed the ocean. I'd already read Sky Dragons so I knew about the gold and green eggs. Yes, good for the greens. There are certainly good concepts and dilemmas in this book. Maybe when I've read the earlier one it'll all become clear to me and I'll care a bit more about these cloned characters. I'm in no hurry though, which seems a shame.
April 29, 2015
It's official: Anne McCaffrey should have retired the Pern series, rather than handing it off to her profoundly untalented son Todd. And we get yet another demonstration of why in "Dragon's Time," another painfully slow, tension-free story that is more soap-opera than sci-fantasy. And this time around, Todd is obsessing about something new: PREGNANCY.
Specifically, Fiona is pregnant, and everyone cares about this because she's so wonderful. Lorana WAS pregnant, but traveling through time causes her to miscarry. However, she does manage to keep hopping through time, supposedly to find help in obliterating the thread in the present... although most of it just seems to be sightseeing.
Meanwhile, everybody is delighted by the fact that Fiona is pregnant, even when another woman miscarries. Fiona "adopts" more random people into her little family, Lorana pops in and out of the plot, and dragon eggs are attacked by tunnel snakes. Think that McCaffrey has run out of plot ideas?
There's supposed to be a lot going on in "Dragon's Time," but you wouldn't know it by actually READING the book. I mean, main characters DIE, two women miscarry their babies, and Pern is about to be obliterated by the Thread... and all anyone seems to care about is that Fiona is knocked up.
In fact, Todd McCaffrey seems weirdly obsessed with pregnancy in this book, since a good chunk of the story is devoted to what happens to the female characters' pregnancies. Occasionally he throws in some brain-meltingly confusing time travel stuff, or some truly horrifying romantic dialogue ("Shut up harper, and get into bed. I want your apology in silence").
And once again, McCaffrey seems to think that readers will adore Fiona as much as he does. Well, I don't. She comes across as a twee, syrupy Mary Sue who exudes love and peace -- one nauseating scene has all the other characters discussing how wonderful she is, and how they would even DIE for her. This sentiment is REVOLTING when it comes from a woman whose unborn child had just died.
As a result, the other characters are pretty much shortchanged. They seem to exist mainly as a cult to the pregnant mother goddess Fiona, and any hints of tension or dislike are quickly swamped under a sticky sea of oppressively warm'n'fuzzy feelings. Lorana is vaguely interesting, but too much of a silent martyr to be engaging.
It also doesn't seem like this book was proofread by an editor. There are frequent mistakes in punctuation, run-on sentences, and the phrase "She point to the worst spot."
"Dragon's Time" might as well have been called "Drags-on Time," because not much actually happens -- but hey, Fiona is pregnant, and that's all that apparently matters. This cash cow needs to be taken to the slaughterhouse.
Specifically, Fiona is pregnant, and everyone cares about this because she's so wonderful. Lorana WAS pregnant, but traveling through time causes her to miscarry. However, she does manage to keep hopping through time, supposedly to find help in obliterating the thread in the present... although most of it just seems to be sightseeing.
Meanwhile, everybody is delighted by the fact that Fiona is pregnant, even when another woman miscarries. Fiona "adopts" more random people into her little family, Lorana pops in and out of the plot, and dragon eggs are attacked by tunnel snakes. Think that McCaffrey has run out of plot ideas?
There's supposed to be a lot going on in "Dragon's Time," but you wouldn't know it by actually READING the book. I mean, main characters DIE, two women miscarry their babies, and Pern is about to be obliterated by the Thread... and all anyone seems to care about is that Fiona is knocked up.
In fact, Todd McCaffrey seems weirdly obsessed with pregnancy in this book, since a good chunk of the story is devoted to what happens to the female characters' pregnancies. Occasionally he throws in some brain-meltingly confusing time travel stuff, or some truly horrifying romantic dialogue ("Shut up harper, and get into bed. I want your apology in silence").
And once again, McCaffrey seems to think that readers will adore Fiona as much as he does. Well, I don't. She comes across as a twee, syrupy Mary Sue who exudes love and peace -- one nauseating scene has all the other characters discussing how wonderful she is, and how they would even DIE for her. This sentiment is REVOLTING when it comes from a woman whose unborn child had just died.
As a result, the other characters are pretty much shortchanged. They seem to exist mainly as a cult to the pregnant mother goddess Fiona, and any hints of tension or dislike are quickly swamped under a sticky sea of oppressively warm'n'fuzzy feelings. Lorana is vaguely interesting, but too much of a silent martyr to be engaging.
It also doesn't seem like this book was proofread by an editor. There are frequent mistakes in punctuation, run-on sentences, and the phrase "She point to the worst spot."
"Dragon's Time" might as well have been called "Drags-on Time," because not much actually happens -- but hey, Fiona is pregnant, and that's all that apparently matters. This cash cow needs to be taken to the slaughterhouse.
February 25, 2016
These thoughts are a little scattered as they were written at different times and on my phone...so please bear with me.
I was horribly disappointed in this book...I felt Todd, the original author Anne's son, didn't follow the 'rules' of the series, for lack of a better word. There are customs and hard truths about this world that he seemed to simply ignore. That and this was by far one of the most confusing books I have ever read. Time travel can make things messy and hard to understand with all the jumping around, but it can and has been written better than this.
* Foods like beef and butter do not belong in the world of Pern. wherries or other Pernese livestock should have been used
* Too many characters to keep track of, very hard to remember all of different relationships, some characters were mentioned once and never again adding absolutely nothing to the story line
* Non dragon riders talked with and heard a dragon
* Lots of slip ups regarding Pern vs Earth technology/food/words.
* The wonderful dragon rider bond that Anne created is completely destroyed. It's supposed to be a rare occurrence that a person mounts another's dragon alone, yet 1 person rides two different persons dragons, and through time! Taking a dragon through time breaks the mental ties to the person in the other time. In Anne's writing, if a dragon and rider can't communicate they are a mess! Most often riders who lose those dragons die by suicide, rather than to be without their dragon. Anne has had people ride another's dragon in some of her books, but it has always been in dire situations. And there is personal torment in knowing the bond is sacred between rider and dragon and that it shouldn't be done. Something about how casual Todd wrote it rubbed me the wrong way.
* The worst sin against the series however, is that they pulled the heroine and a full weyrs worth of dragons and riders out from 'between'. If you get lost 'between', you die, end of story. There is no finding someone in 'between'. If a dragons rider dies the companion dragon always goes 'between' to die in an act of grief.
I was horribly disappointed in this book...I felt Todd, the original author Anne's son, didn't follow the 'rules' of the series, for lack of a better word. There are customs and hard truths about this world that he seemed to simply ignore. That and this was by far one of the most confusing books I have ever read. Time travel can make things messy and hard to understand with all the jumping around, but it can and has been written better than this.
* Foods like beef and butter do not belong in the world of Pern. wherries or other Pernese livestock should have been used
* Too many characters to keep track of, very hard to remember all of different relationships, some characters were mentioned once and never again adding absolutely nothing to the story line
* Non dragon riders talked with and heard a dragon
* Lots of slip ups regarding Pern vs Earth technology/food/words.
* The wonderful dragon rider bond that Anne created is completely destroyed. It's supposed to be a rare occurrence that a person mounts another's dragon alone, yet 1 person rides two different persons dragons, and through time! Taking a dragon through time breaks the mental ties to the person in the other time. In Anne's writing, if a dragon and rider can't communicate they are a mess! Most often riders who lose those dragons die by suicide, rather than to be without their dragon. Anne has had people ride another's dragon in some of her books, but it has always been in dire situations. And there is personal torment in knowing the bond is sacred between rider and dragon and that it shouldn't be done. Something about how casual Todd wrote it rubbed me the wrong way.
* The worst sin against the series however, is that they pulled the heroine and a full weyrs worth of dragons and riders out from 'between'. If you get lost 'between', you die, end of story. There is no finding someone in 'between'. If a dragons rider dies the companion dragon always goes 'between' to die in an act of grief.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2015
Well, this was a slower continuation of the last book I read, Dragongirl. Which wasn't about a girl but rather a grown lady. Neither story let us in on the time Fiona was a girl. And this story takes place both after and before Dragongirl. Confused yet? Yeah. Get used to it. That is the problem in books of time travel. That is the problem of worlds that don't have the same rules as our own.
Luckily, I was able to borrow the audio-CD version of the book to complement my hardback version. And I highly recommend others read the series this way. Emily Durante's narration is superb! I love her acting. Since this book centers more on Larana who is older than Fiona and Emily's voice sounds more aged and settled than Fiona's often high-pitched excitable voice. And she is able to portray the male voices with differing styles. She is amazing! I have the Audible version on my wishlist now.
I do have to admit that this one was harder to follow for me and I often had to back up and re-read/re-listen to certain parts of the story to make sure I knew when and where the story was taking place.
But the love continues. The great love Fiona and Larana share with each other and planetwide, is what moves the story. Forgiveness plays a big part. There is much a person can learn from these last two stories about love and communication. Many who have reviewed these two books have been negative about the polyamorous viewpoints brought up here. But to me, this depth of love is needed for the problems that Pern is presented. The newly found abilities of moving back and forth in time solve and create other problems but without love it would have all fallen apart. Pern isn't another Earth, it needs its own rules and answers. I think the McCaffrey's came up with some great ideas... maybe we should institute many of these back here before our own world is caput.
Luckily, I was able to borrow the audio-CD version of the book to complement my hardback version. And I highly recommend others read the series this way. Emily Durante's narration is superb! I love her acting. Since this book centers more on Larana who is older than Fiona and Emily's voice sounds more aged and settled than Fiona's often high-pitched excitable voice. And she is able to portray the male voices with differing styles. She is amazing! I have the Audible version on my wishlist now.
I do have to admit that this one was harder to follow for me and I often had to back up and re-read/re-listen to certain parts of the story to make sure I knew when and where the story was taking place.
But the love continues. The great love Fiona and Larana share with each other and planetwide, is what moves the story. Forgiveness plays a big part. There is much a person can learn from these last two stories about love and communication. Many who have reviewed these two books have been negative about the polyamorous viewpoints brought up here. But to me, this depth of love is needed for the problems that Pern is presented. The newly found abilities of moving back and forth in time solve and create other problems but without love it would have all fallen apart. Pern isn't another Earth, it needs its own rules and answers. I think the McCaffrey's came up with some great ideas... maybe we should institute many of these back here before our own world is caput.
July 17, 2011
So this book went on sale and since all the big box bookstores around me has closed, I finally broke down and bought a Kindle just to read this book.
To my utter surprise, I find the Kindle useful! Carrying one Kindle instead of carrying hard cover books around and eating my food while reading my current novel.
Not as fancy or 'colorful' as an ipad but I've already left this behind in my work vehicle once, I find it less stressful then when others leave behind their ipads in the company vehicles.
And honestly, I bought the 'ad supported' version. You can save $25 off the price and since everyone knows AT&T is garbage, I was going for the wi-fi only verson of it because I didn't think the 3G was going to work where I live anyway and in the Sunday Circular did not mention the discount on the 3G+wi-fi version. Salesman convinced me otherwise.
Guess what? For the most part 3G DOES NOT WORK where I live! :p (wow AT&T, I've used your service back in the 90's (pacbell/Cingular) and thought it was garbage THEN and you STILL can't get your service to work!)
But when it does work, I can buy books cheaper then hard covers and I find some of the ads are useful (Got a $1.00 book offer that I took!)
Ads do NOT block your reading and like I said, I already took them up on a couple of their offers.
3G comes and goes but mostly I shut it off unless I am at the coffee shop. Have about 50 books in it (mostly the free stuff I've been meaning to read over the years.) and bought a nice cover that has a built in kick-stand! Useful...
Oh wait... This is supposed to be about Dragon's Time?
Yeah, well I find writing about my Kindle more helpful then writing about that waste of e-ink called Dragon's Time.
If my copy of Dragon's Time was a hardcover book, I've already would of sent it to the second hand book store.
To my utter surprise, I find the Kindle useful! Carrying one Kindle instead of carrying hard cover books around and eating my food while reading my current novel.
Not as fancy or 'colorful' as an ipad but I've already left this behind in my work vehicle once, I find it less stressful then when others leave behind their ipads in the company vehicles.
And honestly, I bought the 'ad supported' version. You can save $25 off the price and since everyone knows AT&T is garbage, I was going for the wi-fi only verson of it because I didn't think the 3G was going to work where I live anyway and in the Sunday Circular did not mention the discount on the 3G+wi-fi version. Salesman convinced me otherwise.
Guess what? For the most part 3G DOES NOT WORK where I live! :p (wow AT&T, I've used your service back in the 90's (pacbell/Cingular) and thought it was garbage THEN and you STILL can't get your service to work!)
But when it does work, I can buy books cheaper then hard covers and I find some of the ads are useful (Got a $1.00 book offer that I took!)
Ads do NOT block your reading and like I said, I already took them up on a couple of their offers.
3G comes and goes but mostly I shut it off unless I am at the coffee shop. Have about 50 books in it (mostly the free stuff I've been meaning to read over the years.) and bought a nice cover that has a built in kick-stand! Useful...
Oh wait... This is supposed to be about Dragon's Time?
Yeah, well I find writing about my Kindle more helpful then writing about that waste of e-ink called Dragon's Time.
If my copy of Dragon's Time was a hardcover book, I've already would of sent it to the second hand book store.
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