Customer Reviews
Not the same 
2008-12-26
THe story was good, however; I just couldn't get a good insight into the the charaters as well as in the previous books. Something seemed lacking.
Still worth the purchase if, like me, you're not ready to leave the world of Pern.
Really sad 
2008-12-17
It's really sad when the children of a renowned writer try to imitate their talented parent. Todd's style of writing is not anywhere near the easy reading prose of his mother, it seems stilted to the point of being stultifying. I would not recommend this to any true Anne McCaffrey fan, or anyone else as it is a truly disappointing read.
I couldn't even finish 2008-12-14
Todd has everything handed to him with this series. A world with an exciting history, vivid characters and a huge fan base. Unfortunately, he fails to deliver again. It's as if he can't be bothered with the character/story-line development that makes a book come to life. He asks the reader to make too many leaps of faith creating a choppy, unpleasant story. Then there are the elements that are dragged in to fill in a weak plot: forbidden love, jealous apprentices, the duel. An open flame...in a records room...seriously? That's when I flung down the book in disgust. It's time to return to the originals because I won't be buying any more of these.
Not his mother......... 2008-07-12
While this wasn't a bad book, it wasn't of the quality I've learned to expect from Anne. None of the characters were written with enough depth to make the reader care about them, or even "believe" in them. Having met some of them in the 2 books written with his mother helped. Again, not a bad book, just not a great one, either.
Not excellent, but good and worth reading 
2008-06-11
I think a couple of these reviews are a bit harsh. Sure, Todd has to find his way around and always will be measured against his mother's legacy - and that's a tough one!
So far I've liked all the "mother/son" collaboration results. This one is not so much about dragons, but honestly - I don't think a Pern-novel has to be about dragons. I've always enjoyed the intricate display of a much simpler, trust based society. I have to strongly agree with one of the other reviews: Please consider continuing the storyline of F'lar and Lessa. What happens when the pass ends? Where and how do they settle? What happens to the "star-guild"? What's up with the telekinetic abilities of the dragons - aside from moving trundlebugs and felines?
I think Todd has a vast playground with all the open ends his mother left him as starters. I sincerely hope he'll pick up on all the open ends. I've just reread all Pern novels in the last few weeks and there are many storylines that were never continued. For example nobody knows what became of Readis and his "Dolphin Hall". I wouldn't mind another Dolphin story. There are also plenty of characters/institutions that never spun off. For example there is no major story about the farming/animal-hall.
I'm not tired of plaques - our real planet has and will face big ones repeatedly. For me that's a given. But what about something a bit less "picked up" if we have to continue the "plaque" theme? Say, a plaque that destroys crops, or pollutes water? Ok, maybe too realistic for some :-)
Point is, I will continue to buy every Pern novel written. Until now I've never been disappointed. Most were great and a few not my fav's, but still worth reading.
Try to compare any of the Pern Books to other fantasy novels. The only other author I ever found who could keep up with the Pern stories is the Shannara series written by Terry Brooks. Ok, there's one other, the Envor books from Wolfgang Holbein - but I doubt they have been translated to english and I tend to read the books in the language they've been written in - trust me, the german or french translations of Pern really suck.
Overall: buy it, read it and don't compare it to the top novels Anne wrote in her prime. You'll find it's worth reading.
Dragon Harper 2008-06-09
For millions of readers the world over, the name Pern is magical, conjuring up grand vistas of a distant planet whose blue skies are patrolled by brave dragons and their noble riders, a paradise threatened by the periodic fall of deadly Thread. But not all dangers descend from the skies. Now, in their third collaboration, Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd McCaffrey, spin a tale of a mysterious illness that may succeed in doing what centuries of Threadfall could not: kill every last human on Pern.
Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa’s defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram–a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship.
Meanwhile, in nearby Fort Hold, a clutch of fire-lizard eggs is about to hatch, and Lord Bemin’s beautiful young daughter, Koriana, is determined to Impress one of the delightful creatures. At the hatching, Kindan Impresses a fire-lizard of his own . . . and wins the heart of Koriana. But Lord Bemin mistrusts harpers and will not hear of a match between his daughter and the low-born Kindan.
Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly. Arising suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the contagion decimates hold after hold, paying no heed to distinctions of birth. In this feverish crucible, friendship and love will be tested to the breaking point and beyond. For with Threadfall scant years away, the Dragonriders dare not expose themselves to infection, and it will fall to Kindan and his fellow apprentices to bravely search for a cure and save humanity.
The price of failure is unthinkable. But the price of success may be even harder to bear.
From the Hardcover edition.
Somewhat weak but readable 2008-06-03
As mentioned by others, the plague plotline was done in a vastly superior way in Moreta. I'm not sure if this book was supposed to be about the plague or if that was just a thin background for a boy-meets-girl teen love story. I would not have minded an influenza repeat if the crisis was dealt with in an ingenious way (wasn't that part of the lure and charm of Anne McCaffrey's Pernese?), but there wasn't much. Perhaps it was because the characters were not sympathy inducing. I did not develop a connection with any of them which is just as well since they get killed off left and right. In general, the characters are disposable two-dimensional caricatures--the outcasts, the headstrong girl, the bully hiding his inadequacies, the heavy handed father who makes a turnaround. I didn't care too much about any of them and the plot was not on-the-edge-of-your-seat either.
The writing is somewhat clumsy, nowhere near as skillful as in the original Pern series. The brief verses that open each chapter are an indicator of the slight awkwardness of the writing. Richness of language, plot, and character development present in the original Anne McCaffrey books are missing and I wonder if the indended audience was not adults, but adolescents. The main characters are teens and pretty much everything revolves around them. The tone, problems, and themes are reminiscent of adolescent angst novels.
Still, if you need a light Pern fix, this may do. If you remember that it is NOT written by Anne McCaffrey and change your expectations it makes it easier.
Dragon Harper 2008-05-25
It was fun and refreshing to visit the World of Pern with Todd McCaffrey. I felt he did a good job with the story, and held true to his mother's ideas of this world.
Easy to read, a few quibbles with the story 2008-05-22
First, I will preface this to say I have not read the previous Dragon's Fire or Dragon's Kin, so my perspective is probably different - it's been a dozen or more years since I read a Pern novel.
That being said, it didn't really cause that much confusion in this one. The first twenty pages were a little difficult, as this appears to pick up right after the previous novel. But after that, the book settled into current events, with only minor references to events past and those only in context so a new reader could at least understand the point.
This is really two stories. The first half primarily deals with Kindan and his youthful friends as they mature in Harper Hall. That is handled well, although the budding romance turns into full blown love rather easily, when perhaps 'puppy love' would have been more realistic. The events leading up to the duel and the relationships between the young men afterwards is very well done.
The second half deals with the plague. This is certainly darker than previous Pern novels I have read. I was surprised at the death toll, and in particular who succumbed. Kindan's perseverance throughout was well portrayed, as was the courage of those around him. Still, the victory seemed hollow. No true reason for the plague was revealed, nor any actual preventative or cure - merely a way to lessen the toll and live for another day. The use of the dragons wasn't exactly rocket science.
This was an enjoyable read for me, but the end was less than satisfying. I would certainly read another Pern book, but this hasn't given me reason to read every one that comes out.
So, I spent a bunch of hours on Pern 2008-05-05
First off...there are no dragons in this book, so if you are wanting dragon riders and dragons...not gonna happen. Maybe next time. I hope. So much is missing in this book. You have to kinda read between the lines, because the characters and such just aren't fleshed out by the author. Should have used more words and made the story fuller. And from what "I" have read of the Pernese people, they are a lot more resourseful than THIS bunch. This generation is a little slow on the uptake if you ask me. Problem solvers they are not. Give humans a bit more credit, will you? And STOP with the plagues already!!!
