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Read Dragonsblood (2015)

Dragonsblood (2015)

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Rating
3.98 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0593053613 (ISBN13: 9780593053614)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam

Dragonsblood (2015) - Plot & Excerpts

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. The torch has been passed and burns more brightly than ever in this latest chapter of the venerable Pern saga, the first of what one hopes will be many solo efforts by the son of series creator Anne McCaffrey (_Dragons of Pern_). The narrative shifts smoothly between Wind Blossom, one of the original colonists of Pern, who's struggling to create a legacy for future generations before she dies, and Lorana, a young dragonrider born 450 years later with unusual talents for healing and telepathy. A genuinely spellbinding set of time travel puzzles and paradoxes is set against the moving backdrop of two populations struggling to survive: the children of the colonists, learning to live in a new world as they lose the technology of the old one, and the dragons of Lorana's time, who are dying of a mysterious plague just when they're needed to protect Pern. The strength of the two women and the mysterious connection between them is gradually revealed through a number of surprising and sometimes heartbreaking parallel occurrences. This stand-alone tale fits beautifully into the existing history and style of earlier books while still breaking new ground. Despite being geared toward the existing fan base, it will be quite accessible to new readers. In her introduction, the elder McCaffrey writes, "son, you done did good and me proud!" Even the most nepotism-wary will concur and eagerly look forward to the next installment. FYI:_McCaffrey co-wrote the previous Pern novel, Dragon's Kin (2003), with his mother._ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From After coauthoring Dragon's Kin [BKL S 15 03] with his mother, Anne, McCaffrey smoothly accepts the torch from her to further chronicle the world of the Dragonriders of Pern, her most famous creation. The story alternates between two times--the immediate present, more than 500 turns since the first landing on Pern, and 400 turns earlier, when geneticist Wind Blossom, whose mother had created the dragons, was still alive. The situation in the later period is dire: thread is falling, and the dragons are sickening and dying. Only Wind Blossom can save the dragons, and that seems impossible. Time is the literal cure, however, and making the impossible possible is the bond that Lorana, a marvelous young woman of the present, makes with Wind Blossom by reaching back in time to come up with the cure. McCaffrey convincingly spins a dramatic, thoroughly captivating tale, steeped in the lore and well-drawn characterizations of the people and the dragons for which the Pern novels are prized. Fans old and new will be delighted by his continuance of a beloved saga. Sally EstesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

2011 Grade B-.Series book P03This is a good book but not great. It was easy to put down for long periods and to read in short segments before sleeping. It is well written and the story is basically interesting but its biggest problem is structure. I'll describe those in case they bother you also.The first structure problem is flashbacks.Chapter 1 follows the events around a likable character named Lorana and is quite enjoyable.Chapter 2 flashes back 450 years to follow events around a mildly unpleasant character named Wind Blossom. The content is acceptable but not enjoyable.Chapter 3 returns to Lorana but ends in a low level cliff hanger.Chapter 4 is another flashback and it is totally unpleasant. My advice is to skip it.Because of the cliff hanger, the unpleasant chapter, and the fact that I don't like flashbacks, I stopped reading them and just read the main storyline. That works just fine on its own. After I was done, I read the flashback story. It not only works fine also but is better than the main story.However, the two stories are connected and I recommend reading them together anyway, maybe skipping chapter 4 since the content is unnecessary (I will!).The second structure problem is length verses content. The primary content, or the MacGuffin, is about plague and death. That's not how the book starts but it gets there pretty fast and it is unpleasant. Because the book is long the repetition of the tragedy becomes tedious. Many modern books are too long. I suspect they have to be to justify modern prices just like early SciFi had to be short in order to sell at all.The third structure problem is the story telegraphs what is going to happen long before it takes place. There are no surprises. This was true even reading only the main storyline. It will be even more true when read in the proper order.

What do You think about Dragonsblood (2015)?

When a fatal illness begins affecting dragons just before the latest cycle of Thread begins to fall, the young dragonrider Lorana must try to find a way to stop the disease before it decimates their ranks. When her efforts fail to bring about the necessary healing, she and her friends turn to the lyrics of an ancient song that may point to an answer five hundred years in their past, in the early years after the arrival of mankind on Pern. In those long-ago days, Wind Blossom, daughter of the woman who bred the fire-lizards ino dragons, struggles to live up to her mother’s shadow while the technology so central to their lives fails around them. These two women, separated by hundred of years, must find a way of communicating across the gulf separating them, in a race to save the entire dragon race… In the first Pern book written exclusively by Anne McCaffrey’s son Todd, we are treated to an adventure across the ages that takes place partly in the era of the Third Fall first introduced in the McCaffreys first jointly written novel, Dragon’s Kin, and partly back in the earliest days of the Pern timeline, fifty years after the arrival of mankind on the planet. Todd McCaffrey does a great job of juggling these twin timelines, telling contained stories in both that interweave and combine in clever ways as the storylines progress. It was really nice to return back to the early days of Pern, seeing some of the characters introduced in Dragonsdawn again, and continuing the fall of the old world of technology and its influence on how society develops in its absence. At the same time, McCaffrey creates an intriguing cast of new characters (some of whom return from Dragon’s Kin in secondary roles) and a tense situation – as Fall approaches, the dragons have begun to die off. Dealing with a disease forces the new characters to struggle to find a way to heal them, using what little skills they have. The only hope seems to be a message from the past, one that is revealed slowly through the course of the book and which has a very clever resolution at the end. Todd McCaffrey does a nice job of playing with the time travelling elements and rules introduced in the earlier books, the consequences of which are central to a lot of the characters (one extremely unpleasant character in particular has a redemption thanks to these effects). The characters are classic McCaffrey – if you’re looking for complex grimdark characterisation, this is probably not the series for you. But as part of a long-running, much loved series, Dragonsblood is a fine addition and an exciting novel in its own right. I would definitely say that the Pern series is in good hands with McCaffrey’s second son at the helm. I gave Dragonsblood 4 stars.
—Bookboy

Okay, so I decided to try for Pern again. I loved this series growing up and wondered if it would still be magical coming back to it as an adult. And I still wonder, because although this book was interesting... the magic simply wasn't there. Is this because a different writer was telling the story, or because the story itself was confusing and a little convoluted? It's possible that it's a little bit of both.First I'm going to talk about what other readers might have noticed, which is the utter Mary Sue-ishness about our main character, Lorena. She has healing knowledge, is an excellent artist, and makes some connections with other parts in the story that aren't shocking in the least. Also, she had an antagonist with Tuella. This Weyrwoman played the typical part of the bitch character, who was especially hard on the Mary Sue for no real reason. When it was explained why she was behaving that way, it still felt like she was targeting Lorena a little too aggressively.I want to believe that this is not just all nostalgia glasses making the original Pern books better by comparison. So some day soon I will read back through those older books just to see. In the meantime, this was an enjoyable book but just didn't capture me in the same way I remember Anne's stories doing.
—Kacey

I can't tell you how many times I've read this series. Just read this title again, and it still doesn't disappoint. Telepathic dragons, strong female characters, great relationships, and the Harpers' guild and music as a strong guiding force. What could be better? In hindsight, I still enjoy reading the series in order written (versus actual chronological order of events). I especially like how McCaffrey shifts her point of view in different books, retelling the same events from someone else's perspective. This is also the first book written solo by Todd McCaffrey, Anne's son. I find that he is much more interested in the science/flight details, and can gloss over the characters emotions/driving forces within the book. But we'll see how he does moving forward.On to the next Pern title!
—Vicki Jaeger

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