I enjoyed this book by Anne McCaffrey. I read some of the reviews written about it before deciding to read the book. I had read several of her books, and though the few reviews I read were not particularly positive, I felt I would read ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN in any case. But two points mentioned in the reviews stuck out to me, and I watched for them as I read, a positive and negative aspect of reading what other people think, for one cannot help but be influenced even marginally by what others say. The two complaints were that there were too many characters referenced that had been in previous books, which for the reviewer meant there were not enough details provided to give a new reader of this particular group of books an understanding of all the underlying issues and events that had gone on before. The second complaint was that Jaxom and Ruth were followed too much and were not perhaps the best choice of characters to give this much attention, too. This novel was not one that should be read with the expectation that you are going to fall in love with some particular dragon rider and his dragon or some crafter. And the title supports that wider view. It really is a novel about the Pernese and how they deal with a radical change in their society. The main character is the Pernese. To make a people the main character, the author must provide representative individuals to show how the group is dealing with what is happening, which in this case is "technology" versus the alternatives the people had devised, developed and practiced to fill in the gaps for metallurgy, medicine, transportation, etc.The reader sees how some people are unhappy with change while others reach with excited hands for what was once common for the original colonists. There lies the conflict that the book is wrapped around: change. How the people come to adjust to, or intrigue against, what their past had been and what their future now could be is the basis of the plot. The conduit of change is a computer program that has patiently waited for them to find him so that he can resume his programmed goal: the destruction of thread (which is the goal of all Pernese as well). Jaxom and Ruth are given as much attention as they are because they are important to achieving this shared goal whether it is within their abilities or not. What a task McCaffrey had to cast the Pernese as her main character while still introducing us and reintroducing us to a large cast of supporting characters! I thought she did a great job.That said, I must agree that it is hard to connect with a people. We readers like individuals we can feel close to and a planet of people, however underpopulated, is too much to feel that connection to. I read more as an anthropologist rather than as a common person wishing I too could impress a dragon or write a song to takes its place in the historical matrix of the society. So it is not a book that the reader becomes emotionally attached to, but it is a book well worth reading to gain another perspective on Pernese society, past, present and future.
I cannot say enough good things about her previous novels, specifically all the books Anne wrote in the 1968-1978 decade. I had read the 'main' trilogy years ago, and have revisited them a few times since, most recently on audio book. By the main three, I mean 1.) Dragonflight 2.) Dragonquest, and 3.) The White Dragon. Very recently, I listened to the Harper Hall trilogy on audio book, which I had not previously read, which are also excellent, published in that same time frame, 1976-1979.That being said, I realized quickly that her novels from the 1990's are subpar at best. Quite frankly, this book 'All The Weyr's of Pern' (1991) is horrible. It feels like it was written by someone else. The characters jump forward in time in the narrative, with little to no connection to the voice they were written with in her earlier novels. One might even suspect the involvement of other authors, with less acumen than her previous self. Perhaps her son Todd had some hand in the writing, considering their partnered books began officially in 2003. At the very least, her decline in ability is sad, and mars the prior excellence substantially. Just envision a brain addled JK Rowling re writing Harry Potter well after the expiration date.Suddenly, people are married with children, entire episodes are skipped over, glossed over or just never even addressed. If you loved the other books, don't read this, it will just make you sad, and you'll wish you had never touched these stories. Same goes for Renegades of Pern (1989), which is just a retelling of the original stories, from a 'new' perspective. Harsh, yes. Truthful, also yes. She lived another 20+ years after these books were written, so it's hard to pinpoint what went wrong. The best description I can offer, is it feels much like reading Eoin Culfer's Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy novel, written after Douglas Adams had passed away. Same story, same characters, but not the same voice. Oddly, Eoin did a better job telling the tale began by Douglas Adams than Anne McCaffery did telling her own stories.A lesson for us all. Don't procrastinate, do it now, while you can, while it's still worth doing. None of our skills are really getting better with age and the passing of time. In conclusion, for those who cherish their memories of the earlier Dragonriders books, you would do well to steer clear of these later installments which attempt to continue the story. Some stories shouldn't be dragged out like this, and suffer such an ignominious end.
What do You think about All The Weyrs Of Pern (1997)?
What I am about to say may be applied to most of the Anne McCaffrey tales.You immerse yourself and enjoy, most of the various episodes involving Pern and it's culture of Dragon Riders are pure fantasy accepting that, you go into the realms of the science of engrams, neurological bonding with such beasts, the writing styles did alter over time as you would expect, the strengths of the stories waxed and waned.All in all the books captivate the imagination in a world far removed from our modern times .Pern had it's own history and existed in a mediaevil continuum.Then comes "Thread" rather like pneubonic plague but evil falling from the sky.Mimicry is the best part of flattery,elements of Anne McCaffrey's storytelling have appeared in CGI films(movies) such as in Avatar on Pandora's planet(also one of Saturn's moons)Books and their appeal is subjective, but quality is quantifiable,Good stories can be badly written, bad stories well written but made interesting.Anne McCaffrey did good stories.I read about 2 or 3 books a week so having spent time on Goodreads providing some of my opinions on books and stories in general, I trust it has been in a helpful manner.I advocate new authors, but theres always room for good books.It is back to reading I have 4 to complete by next weekend!
—Douglas H Argent
If you're looking to read all the classic "Dragonriders of Pern" stories, then I'd suggest reading up to this point, and no further. Some authors wouldn't be able to do such a complete shift in their writing, from a fantasy-medieval-type setting into a futuristic technological utopia, but McCaffrey manages to pull it off. You have all the characters you've grown familiar with from the previous seven books, and you get to see them adapt to all the changes that are coming into this world.Are there problems? Sure. Things do seem to move a tad quickly, and you would expect that a society with no electronics of any kind would have JUST a bit more trouble handling technologies like space travel and gene-tinkering. Plus, I suspect that the scene with all the dragons of Pern moving a ship through space was written for the express purpose of...having a scene with all the dragons of Pern moving a ship through space. However, it's a FANTASTIC image, and the whole book is good fun.I'm not sure why the quality drops off so fast after "All the Weyrs of Pern", but I'm happy with leaving this a my final image of one of my favorite series.
—Kathryn
I was gratified to finally read in 2007 how my old friends F'lar and Lessa managed to eliminate the threadfall forever in this installment of the Dragonriders of Pern books, which I began reading back in 1967 when "Dragonflight" was first published in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact magazine in three successive issues. "Hooray" for F'lar!- for finally destroying his nemesis, with the help of the recently discovered AIVAS, forgotten in the buried ruins of the colonist's landing site for over 2500 years - along with the crucial assistance of Jaxon and his unique white dragon Ruth.Lord Holder Jaxom and Ruth turn out to be instrumental in carrying out AIVAS' plans, which involve "timing" over a period of centuries using Ruth's innate sense of time & place.Despite opposition from some older riders and hyper-conservative holders and craftmasters, the technology of Pern is revolutionized by AIVAS' innovations, which ultimately allow both the Dragons and their riders to opperate in the vacuum of space and even in the harsh environment of the wandering planet itself. Masterharper Robinton and Jaxom were vocal supporters of AIVAS' plans and the renewed technology which Pern had done withyout for so long.- Spoiler Alert - Spoiler Alert - Spoiler Alert - Spoiler Alert - Spoiler Alert - Spoiler Alert -Even though the triumph over Pern's deadly foes was made bittersweet by the loss of the Masterharper, at least Robinton knew of the Weyrs' success before dying of old age.
—Curtiss
