This book is the culmination of that process as well as being very messy in its construction. I think she implies this herself in the acknowledgements when she says "I owe a particular debt to Georgeanne Kennedy who urged me to keep to the 'real' storyline when I had a tendency to go off on tangents ....". Basically, I think Georgeanne didn't do such a good job!

I also found the interactions between the characters to be very dull. I don't know why this was because in the past this was one of the strengths of Anne McCaffrey's writing.

Finally, (even though this is SF!), I found the 'answer' to the future dragonrider profession, once thread disappears, to be highly problematic. After all, how many times is Pern going to be hit by meteor strikes?


Not as good as earlier Pern books   September 8, 2003
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I really enjoy most of Anne McCaffrey's dragonrider books and it's a shame because I found this one quite disappointing. The premise of the bronze and the green rider and the meteor threat is potentially very good, but the way the plot seems to come together messed it up for me. There isn't a real beginning/ middle/ end and the characters and the relationships between them aren't exploited to their best advantage. Overall I found the characters very two-dimensional and unengaging compared to earlier books such as Dragonsong, and the introduction of a new ability, telekinesis, to the dragons this late in the series has a sour taste. Some of the individual scenes of the book are quite attention-holding, but overall they don't fit together too well into a broader whole.


Dragon's beware   May 8, 2002
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is yet another success for Anne, the book develops the characters wonderfully. You can't always have the 'main' heros constantly beating off whatever disaster/situation and I think with such a diverse world to deal with she has brought a new twist to the world of Pern. I look forward to her next offering with anticipation.


Another beatific bit of fantasy.   October 28, 2001
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

The Pern series always manage to transport me away from the humdrum of life into its beautiful and magical world. I savour these books. I keep them on the shelf waiting to be read so that I can properly enjoy the anticipation. I try to wait for a particularly dull or hard section of daily struggle to arrive before giving myself this wonderful treat.
I started reading about this world some twenty years ago with Menolly the girl who could hear fire lizards and have never been disappointed. This follows on the glorious story.
Like all the other Pern books this submerges the reader into that survival-tec world of Pern within a few pages. Its like taking a refreshing holiday whilst tickling your puzzle cells to guess which 21st century (or beyond) piece of technology or know-how is going to be discovered again by the Pernese.
The tension point in this book is the question of what exactly the dragon riders are going to do as a livelihood once thread has vanished forever. This is nicely drawn out until about two thirds of the way through and only really confirmed within the last few pages.
There is the usual plotting by the baddies and the inappropriate or reluctant love story.


Absolutely fantastic!   September 13, 2001
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Anne McCaffrey has out done herself this time. The characters are real and endearing. Their problems and their struggles are well written. It is good to see the dragon riders evolve into their future selves.