Skies of Pern
by: Anne McCaffery
Review by: Tina Morgan
 

Ms. McCaffery hasn't lost her touch. Skies of Pern quickly envelops the reader in a world many fans have grown to love.

While some of her earlier 'Dragonrider' works can stand alone, Skies of Pern needs to be read in order. Most of the characters are carried over from previous novels and while the plot is not a direct continuation, it does build on more recent works like Masterharper of Pern, The Dolphins of Pern, and The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall.

The quality of writing is good. The story is stronger and better written than Masterharper of Pern. As always, her characters are consistent and strong. The flaws I found were minor.

Perhaps the biggest problem I had with the story was the sheer number of characters. I've read and reread all of the 'Dragonrider' stories many times and I've become very attached to some of the characters but I felt some of them should have been left out of this story or their roles minimized.

The relationship between F'lessan and Tai intrigued me and kept me reading when I became frustrated with the pov shifts. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them and if they were going to form a permanent union.

The other problem I saw was the lack of resolution for the characters. The conflicts are almost all resolved but the characters have little idea who was behind some of the problems. This resulted in the ending feeling a bit rushed. It also leaves the door open for the series to continue and I hope Ms. McCaffery won't disappoint me or leave her fans waiting too long for another novel.

For the avid 'Dragonrider' fan, Skies of Pern is a definite * * * *.

Note from Lee: I personally found this book a little repetitive - very similar to several of Ms McCaffrey's previous works in style and storyline, and, as Tina said, no real resolution. Perhaps I'm becoming a touch jaded by the sameness of the world of Pern. I rated this a * * * 1/2