Dragonriders of Pern

Dragonriders of Pern

by Anne McCaffery

Dragonflight

Lessa was nothing but a kitchen drudge until she was chosen by a queen dragon. Now she’s Weyrwoman of the only remaining Weyr of Pern. Only no one on Pern believes the threat of Thread really exists any longer. It’s up to her and F’lar to defend the planet before it’s too late.

I read this book for the Geek Girl’s Book Club February selection. I had read it many years ago and I remembered enjoying it. I did enjoy it this time around except for the fact that the romance was shallow and rather misogynistic. In fact the whole culture and tone of the book seemed to be so.

Leesa was relegated to stoking the home fires while the men fought the good fight. She did rebel against it, but even when she did eventually come out from under the kitchen-role it was with permission from her heavy-handed mate. This rankled.

She also came out more petulant and childish then strong-willed and independent. More often then not she seemed to have temper tantrums rather then strong displays of backbone. I tried to remember how long ago McCaffery wrote the book but I just couldn’t get past that.

All in all I still enjoyed the dragons, They were truly magical. I also enjoyed the general pace of the book as McCaffery really is a good storyteller. Not to mention, Pern really is a complete world unto itself.

3 of 5 stars

Dragonquest

Seven turns after Lessa brings forward five Weyrs of Dragonriders there is strife among the Oldtimers and the Modern Dragonriders of Pern. The Oldtimers, who jumped 400 Turns forward from their time, are set in traditional ways and refuse to budge from their ways despite the changes that have occurred since their time. It’s up to F’lar and Lessa to mend the rift between the Dragonriders, Crafthalls, and the Holds. Meanwhile, Kylara, the Weyrwoman of the Southern Weyr, is up to no good with her schemes to rule a bigger and better Weyr.

This book was, in some ways, better then Dragonflight. There was less misogyny, although it was still there. I tried to remember the time the book was written which was quite awhile ago. McCaffery lived in a different era. The sexism was easier to swallow in this book then in the previous book.

Leesa was also a stronger character. It might have been because she had matured in age. She was less whiny and she had more spine.

The book was also even more imaginative then the previous book. The sights and sounds of the book became alive within the pages. Fire lizards were introduced and I wished I could have been there to see one.

Although I did find a lot of the plot engaging, I felt like it meandered from here to there. It often caused me to wish it would just get on with it. Perhaps there was just too much going on for it to be an effective story. Either way, it took away from the enjoyment of the book on the whole. This colors my judgment of the story more then anything else.

3 of 5 stars

The White Dragon

Jaxom is a young aristocrat of Pern who has Impressed the only white dragon in all the world, Ruth. This coming of age book is about their adventures.

This is also my favorite Dragonriders of Pern book. Ruth is my favorite dragon for he is without a doubt the one with the most charm and without guile. Jaxom is not without charm either. He is honest and forthright.  The character building in this novel is really well done.

The sexism that can be found in the previous two books is practically non-existent in this book. It’s still there now that I think back, but by the time I got to this book I must have been inured.

Unfortunately the same meandering plot style can be found in this book as in the previous book. This took away from some of the charm of the book. Eventually you found yourself at your destination, but it took awhile to get there. The circuitous route was a small price to pay to read about the loving relationship between the unique and wonderful Ruth and his dragonrider Jaxom.

4 of 5 stars

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