The Skies of Pern

Anne McCaffery is one of my FAVORITE Authors!!! If only Pern could be turned into a Movie like The Hobbit, God That would be OUTSTANDING, but for now the Mind is where we escape to and Her Books make it very EASY!!

Paraphrasing the dragon, Golanth, whose rider F'lessan is this volume's prime focus, 'Born of author Anne McCaffrey, hatched in the Dragonrider series, Skies of Pern is worthy of that great pairing.' McCaffrey's first books dealt with the Benden Weyrleaders, Flar and Lessa and their contemporaries and involved a reawakening and marshalling of the resources of Pern and its people to combat a new threat from their ancient enemy - thread. Succeeding books focused on the next generation and the plan to eradicate the menace once and for all, a plan that saw its successful culmination in _All the Werys of Pern_. Although many of the older characters did then and still do play a major part in the saga, it is this younger generation of Dragonriders along with non-riders from hold and craft who now take center stage. Maturing into adult responsibilities including marriage and children, they spread out to repopulate the other continents on the planet and bring about the society the colonists envisioned before that first threadfall interrupted their plans. Yet the very eradication of the ancient menace left a huge question behind. What will Dragons and their riders do once thread disappears from the Skies of Pern? This installment to my immense delight begins to answer that question. Now in his mid-thirties, the carefree, amiable wingleader who dallied with queen and green riders while ducking the responsibilities of Weyr leadership has matured into the thoughtful, forward-looking caretaker of ruined Honshu. His interest in green rider Tai gives the book a wonderful romance while detailing the current state of technology and telling about the emergence of a surprising new talent for the dragons. When an attack by a group of felines nearly kills Golanth and destroys F'lessan's future as a thread fighter, he accepts that fate and embarks on the development of a suitable new future for himself and his dragon - a future that ensures a permanent place in Pern society for dragons and riders. I hope that Ann McCaffrey will continue the saga, so that, as F'lessan says at the end of this volume, "there will always be dragons in the Skies of Pern."

Not everyone liked this book, apparently, but I did. I thought that Ms. McCaffrey's (and, to an extent, F'lessan and Tai's) solution to the "What will dragons do now?" problem was original and it made wonderful sense. I thought that it ranked high up there, along with the rest of the Pern series. If you're a Pern fan and you've been waiting to see what will/would happen after "All the Weyrs of Pern", then read this.I had one disappointment. The whole gang of familiar characters returned (with the exception of Robinton, of course, but it's obvious he's missed), even Jayge at one point, but what happened to Piemur and Jancis? I was dying to know what happened to the two of them, where they settled down, that sort of thing (or maybe they mentioned it somewhere and I forgot). Oh well, F'lessan is one of my favorites, and Tai's a great character with an interesting situation, and the book is well worth the twenty bucks for the hardcover version. Read it.

What a wonderful surprise - I was not expecting another book in the Pern series and was delighted to read this one. I disagree that the introduction of technology into the Pern culture makes the books worse; instead this trend is one of the main "problems" that the wonderful continuing cast of characters must deal with. Reading how they cope (or don't cope) with all the innovations makes for alot of interest. Add a natural disaster and a new love interest and this book is a winner. Yes, there are a few problems with chronology but they don't get in the way of the enjoyment of the book. I do agree that if one is not familiar with all the various personalities, the many threads (pun not intended) of the plot could be confusing. For followers of the series, however, the involvement of so many old friends is a delight. I very much enjoyed the development of F'Lessan as a character and the introduction of a new heroine with Tai. I can see lots of possibilites for them After. Although the future work for the dragonriders (as implied) may not be as exciting as fighting Thread (as one reviewer mentioned) I will enjoy reading how the Pernese learn to live and conquer new challanges After. Keep writing, Anne.

As a long-time major fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels, I gleefully pounce on them the moment they appear in hardback. In fact, they're the ONLY novels I'll routinely shell out so much money for. In the case of "The Skies of Pern", I managed to get my hands on the UK version...Was it worth it? Definitely! I'd've downed it in one marathon sitting were it not for having to go to work and earn a living. And I reread it the following week. All 450 pages of it!Once again Ms. McCaffrey visits our old friends in the Ninth Pass, picking up where "The Dolphins of Pern" leaves off. We get to see how they deal with the perils of anti-technology fanatics ("Abominators"), the uncertainties of the role dragons will play in a Thread-free world and Lord Toric's endless greed and conniving. A major new threat faces Pern from above, and the dragons have to come up with a novel and surprising way of dealing with it. A way hinted at in earlier books, particularly "All the Weyrs of Pern".Along the way, Ms. McCaffrey does her usual excellent job of developing characters both old and new. Be prepared for a real tear-jerker toward the end.So, if you're a Pern fan, this one is a must! While you're waiting for this one to arrive, you might want to dust off your copy of "All the Weyrs" and "Dolphins" just to refresh your memory and whet your appetite.My only hope is that the next installment comes soon.