Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern - Volume 1)

I'm so frustrated with noninformative and somewhat shallow reviews I've read here, that I've decided to write one of my own. (Yes, like F'lar, I am completely arrogant). No really, I think there is so much more to this book than has come to most folks' attention.. -- if you're just going to say "good story but kinda boring so i'm not sure that I liked it and i think its a stupid story", it seems like a waste of space, but that's just me. I read Dragonflight first when I was eleven. I didn't get most of the subtleties, but I enjoyed the story, and was spurred to continue on with McCaffrey's Pern series -- mind you, not exactly an appropriate choice for a barely-preteen, but neverthess... When I was, say, fourteen or so I found a copy in the bookstore, and remembering my once-favorite series, dug into it voraciously, this time paying more attention to the finer points of the Lessa/F'lar relationship, noticing things for the first time that I hadn't picked up on as a less mature human being. I was so excited and felt so grown up. :) Now I'm in my late teens, and in this latest read my perceptions are shifted even again. I'm totally fascinated by the power of the personalities of our two main characters -- their intelligence, their comprehension, their ability to manipulate events successfully without the other charries knowing it (outside from the canonical psychic abilities already bestowed upon the dragonriders). However, the point of that monologue was to impress upon you, dear reader, that Dragonflight is an intelligent and multifaceted book which, aside from being an exciting read, has a enough substance that it can be enjoyed from many differerent angles, as can many of our favorite classics. Which raises the question -- is Dragonflight a classic? Believe it or not, it did come out in 1968, the same year as the infamous TV series Star Trek's second season. By most accounts, TOS is classic. But when we compare with Anne McCaffrey's wonderful novel, one thing comes to light -- DF doesn't "feel" old. Ok, so then I didn't grow up in the sixties, but that said I watch far too much Turner Classic Movies to not be able to accurately place a decade to a work. For all I knew DF came out sometime in the 90's. This I feel, is due to the difference of gender roles between the two. While in TOS, the big three are all men, and out of all those extras, only one woman is ever in any working position on the bridge, in DF I never had the sense that Lessa had been exposed to even the smallest taste of that expected model... I feel, in fact, that there is a backlash to such, as typified in countless postfeminist novels aimed for thirteen year old girls. Girls can ride dragons too! Actually, according to the back flap of my copy, Anne McCaffrey made it her business to overturn the ridiculous characterizations of women in SF. If so, bravo for her; she's done an excellent job. I feel like a lot of people see this book in light of the rest of the

This book begins Anne McCaffrey's wonderful long-running series, "The Dragonriders of Pern." Although sold as a book for young adults and looking on the surface like a fantasy novel, "Dragonflight" is actually neither. Certainly, teenagers will (and do) love this book, but McCaffrey's work is mature and complicated enough for older readers of science fiction and fantasy to enjoy it on the same level as they would any work from an author of "mature" novels. And although the word "dragon" conjures up images of heroic fantasy, "Dragonflight" is actually science fiction: it only wears the outer clothing of fantasy. New readers will find this a surprise, as they learn that Pern isn't a "neverland" fantasy world, but an Earth-colonized planet; that the dragons are the native alien species who consume special minerals to chemically create their fire-breath; and that the evil menace that threatens the planet -- the "threads" -- are not supernatural monsters, but spores migrating from another planet that passes near Pern. Perhaps most surprising for a new reader is the focus on time-travel and time paradoxes; some of the most exciting parts of the book deal with the complexities, dangers, and potentials of time-travel.The story takes place as Pern nears another invasion from the threads, but the planet is unprepared. Many people no longer believe in the threads (it has been hundreds of "turns" since the last attack), and there are fewer dragon dens (called "weyrs") than there once were to produce the creatures who can destroy the threads. Dragonrider T'Lar searches for a Weyrwoman to help him replenish the dragons before it is too late and unit the dragonriders to face the invasion. This only scratches the surface of a tale full of suprises and unexpted turns. McCaffrey builds an intriguing world and wonderful characters, and each section of the book bursts with new revelations and plot turns. "Dragonflight" is not at all what you expect it to be...and that's an extremely high recommendation in these time when most science fiction and fantasy advertised for younger readers is bland and predictable. This book also sets up the excellent second novel, "Dragonquest," which you will definitely want to read after this terrific book. Recommend for all fantasy and science fiction fans who have yet to take a wild trip on the back of Pernse bronze dragon.

Dragonflight (1968) is the first novel in the Dragonriders of Pern trilogy. The settlers on Pern discovered the hard way that their planet is periodically swept by giant virus-like organisms that fall from the sky and eat away living things like an acid. Since these threads are susceptible to fire, the settlers have developed an organic weapon to defend against the infestations: fire-breathing dragons. However, these threads have not appeared for several centuries and mankind is beginning to lose the hard-earned knowledge and customs that form the core of their defense, to the point of letting the dragons and riders of the weyrs dwindle to a fraction of the necessary muster. Now only Benden Weyr is occupied. In this novel, Lessa had been the lawful heir of Ruatha Hold, but Lord Fax has conquered this hold and four others and now Lessa is posing as a kitchen drudge. Flightleader F'lar of Benden Weyr has come to the High Reaches searching for candidates to impress a Queen in the next hatching. After visiting Lord Fax's Hold, Crom, and the various guild halls, the dragonriders travel to the other five held by the High Reaches, finally coming to Ruatha. Fax's Lady, Gemma, is about ready to birth another child and, when he becomes disgusted with the vile experience provided to him by the hold and with a little nudging by Lessa, Fax renounces his claim to Ruatha in the favor of Gemma's child, if it is male and lives. Lady Gemma dies in childbirth, but the boy child lives. Moreover, Fax attacks Lessa and F'lar comes to her rescue, killing Fax in a fair duel. Lessa then abdicates her claim to Ruatha and flies with F'Lar to Benden Weyr for the hatching. Eventually thread begins to fall and the Lord Holders learn first-hand why they must pay duty to the dragonriders. Suddenly, old teaching songs and other records are in great demand and the Master Harper, Robinton, finds his craft's services are urgently needed. This novel is soft science fiction, bordering on fantasy, but "Weyr Search" was first debuted in Analog. The rationale that allows dragons to fly and breath fire is rather slim, but psionic talents have been admitted to the canon on a speculative basis. Aside from these two issues, the Pern series is a fairly standard story of space pioneers who lose most of their technology due to a disaster. The details are mostly borrowed from the middle ages, but with certain modern concepts retained by the Harpers, who are teachers and philosophers in addition to their function as entertainers. This novel is considered a modern classic in the SF community. "Weyr Search" created an unusual amount of interest among the rather prosaic Analog readership and the sequels have continued to gain popularity. I was among those who read the original Analog stories and have continued to enjoy the author's works. While the plots are rather simple, the character development is first class. Although very prolific, the author is an exemplary craftspers

For me, the thing that makes a book a classic is whether or not it comes to mind occasionally in the year after I have read it. If I don't then find myself comparing it to recently read plotlines or movies from the same genre, it would not be worth a five star rating. In this case, I have (drumroll please) over 10 years' worth of ponderings and influence to demonstrate that Dragonflight -- and the entire trilogy -- is an unparalleled classic. Thumbnail sketch of the plot: a futuristic world barely settled by mankind, which was then cut off from all contact and aid from the motherworld (Earth). Genetic engineering of native life forms to create "Dragons" which form psychic links to individual humans (dragonriders)for life, to aid in fighting a recurring biological threat. Centuries pass between attacks, causing subsequent generations to forget the dragons' purpose, take the dragonriders for granted and weaken their defenses gradually. Now there are signs that the attacks will begin again soon, and the people are caught unprepared. The stage is set for Lessa, a young insignificant, to rise to the top of the dragonrider heirarchy along with F'lar, a seasoned rider, as his mate. I was tempted to dock a star from the rating based on some formulaic elements: the young, fiery, independant-spirited heroine challenging the restrictive views of her medieval society, the super-Alpha male hero who tries to dominate her but comes to appreciate her in the end...if you've read one, you will recognize the Lessa and F'lar characters, as well as some others as such Romance novel archetypes. Despite this, McCaffrey draws them well and uses her characters perfectly to play up the tension and confusion that Pern is going though. HOWEVER. Even if you could hate everything else about this book (not that that's really plausible), you would still have to hand it to McCaffrey for her magnificent, mysterious, humanchild-esque dragons. It could have had something to do with my youth at the time, but those dragons made and impression on me that lasts to this day and is still the standard in my mind for the believability of any alien character in a novel. Anne McCaffrey wrote the Harper Hall trilogy and the first Dragonrider trilogy in the earlier days of her writing career. Some have opined that her latter writings show improvement; I disagree with extreme prejudice. Or rather, it is not her writing style (mediocre) that elevates the best McCaffrey books, but that infuriatingly elusive freshness that somehow trickled away after that first decade of mainstream success. The unjaded, imaginative approach to her (un)mythological dragons challenged the reader to discard the "monster" bias and even fall in love a little. No small feat, that. Thank you, Anne, for the wonder and delight of Pern and its dragons.