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Dragon's Fire (Pern (Publication Order) #19)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 4,490 ratings · 109 reviews

Bringing fresh wonders and dangers to light in the skies of Pern, Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd, who demonstrated his writing talents in the bestselling novels Dragon’s Kin and Dragonsblood, return with their second collaboration: a thrilling adventure of discovery and fate.

Pellar is an orphan taken in by Masterharper Zist. Though born mute, Pellar is a gifted tracker,...more Bringing fresh wonders and dangers to light in the skies of Pern, Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd, who demonstrated his writing talents in the bestselling novels Dragon’s Kin and Dragonsblood, return with their second collaboration: a thrilling adventure of discovery and fate.

Pellar is an orphan taken in by Masterharper Zist. Though born mute, Pellar is a gifted tracker, and when Zist sets off to take over as harper for Natalon’s coal-mining camp, Pellar–along with his fire-lizard, Chitter–joins him on a secret mission of his own: to find out if reported thefts of coal are the work of the Shunned, criminals condemned to a life of wandering and hardship.

Halla is one of the children of the Shunned. Though innocent of their parents’ crimes, these children have inherited their cruel punishment. Lack of food, shelter, and clothes is their lot; hope is unknown to them. And what future would they hope for? Without a hold to call their own, there will be no protection for them when the lethal Thread inevitably falls again. Life is even tougher for Halla. Her family gone, she must fend for herself. Yet despite the brutality of her surroundings, Halla is kind and gentle, devoted to those more helpless than she.

As depraved as Halla is good, Tenim is in league with Tarik, a crooked miner from Camp Natalon, who helps him steal coal in exchange for a cut of the profit. But Tenim soon realizes there is a lot more to be made from firestone, the volatile mineral that enables the dragons of Pern to burn Thread out of the sky. Tenim doesn’t care what he has to do, or whom he has to kill, in order to corner the market.

Cristov is Tarik’s son. Dishonored by his father’s greed and treachery, the boy must make amends somehow, even if it means risking his life by mining the volatile firestone, which detonates on contact with the slightest drop of moisture.

When the last remaining firestone mine explodes in flames, a desperate race begins to find a new deposit of the deadly but essential mineral, for without it there can be no defense against Thread. But Tenim has a murderous plan to turn tragedy to his own advantage, and only Pellar, Halla, and Cristov can stop him–and ensure that there will be a future for all on the world of the Dragonriders.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published July 11th 2006 by Del Rey (first published July 1st 2006)

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Apr 22, 2013 Jo Rhett rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can I give this book 0 stars? It rambles from place to place like something undead. Characters move and interact, but there's no point in the interaction because nobody grows. There is sex but no desire, there are personalities but they don't come into play. After 3 hours of listening I found myself banging my head against the window praying something would happen that I could care about.

Note that I loved Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders books. But this book was written by Todd, and he's not Anne b...more

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Feb 14, 2009 Foomy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Todd is really grasping to find problems for Pern to deal with that don't involve some form of lord holder misbehavior. This time it's firestone that explodes when it touches any amount of water (sweat included, yet the moisture in dragons' mouths doesn't make it erupt somehow). So they have to solve this problem somehow. That seems like a stretch to me, but I'm not prepared to reject this book on that reason alone.

The worse problem in my opinion is that none of the characters in this book seem...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From Publishers Weekly

...more

From Publishers Weekly

The McCaffreys' second fire-breathing collaboration (after 2003's Dragon's Kin) again proves why these fabled dragons still cast a spell. Pellar, a mute Apprentice Harper; Halla, a homeless girl; and Cristov, a miner's son, learn invaluable life lessons as the planet Pern prepares for the return of the deadly Red Star and its annihilating "Thread," which can only be destroyed by firestone-fueled dragonfire. But mining firestone is dangerous work, often carried out by children of disenfranchised criminals called the Shunned. Accompanied by his new fire-lizard Chitter, Pellar joins Masterharper Zist in a search for Moran, a missing Journeyman Harper who's involved with the Shunned. Pellar finds his fate intertwined with Halla, but his tangle with Tenim, a ruthless thief, almost keeps them apart. Their friend Cristov learns about the Shunned firsthand after a terrible mine explosion. Fortunately, events lead to dragon-riding wish fulfillment and a remarkable discovery. While it allegorizes the risks of mining fossil fuels and the horrors of slave labor, this coming-of-age fantasy offers suitable dragon play for all ages. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–The McCaffreys return to Pern. The story is set in the same time period as Dragon's Kin (Del Rey, 2003), the second Interval after landing, but has a different focus. The colonists are preparing for the next 50-year pass of the Red Star and the start of Thread, a mindless killer that falls from the skies destroying all organic material in its path. To combat this threat, the dragons must chew firestone to burn Thread from the sky. However, the mining of the firestone is difficult–any drop of moisture makes it explode, and it has killed countless dragons and miners. The other problem is what to do with the Shunned. They are holders who have committed crimes that have banished them from the holds but with Thread coming, they will die if they are holdless. The story is brought to life by a mute harper's apprentice, Pellar, and a miner's son, Cristov, who take it upon themselves to save the Shunned and the dragonriders alike. This novel reintroduces readers to well-known characters such as Kindan and Master Zist and introduces new characters and concepts of the world of Pern. A companion volume, it also stands on its own._–June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Jul 25, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

It's 483.7 AL, 483 491.7 AL, 491 years and 7 months after landing, and Thread isn't expected for 16 more years. It parallels Dragonsblood and Dragon's Kin.

* I'm amending the date mentioned in the book. According to Dragonsblood, Thread is expected soon and it's 507 AL. In Dragon's Fire, McCaffrey states that Thread is expected in 16 years so subtracting 16 from 507 yields 491 and not 483. I figured I'd keep the .7. So shoot me, besides the action in this book parallels Dragon's Kin and using al...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Virginia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finally slogged all the way through this book. Though I hate to give any Pern book a 2-star rating, I can't find it in myself to rate DRAGON'S FIRE any higher. To be honest, one of the problems I had with this version was the annoying vocal habits of the narrator -- his attempt to give each character a unique voice grated on my nerves to the point of distraction. Beyond that, the writing was not even close to the quality of the earlier Pern books that so captivated my imagination. This book is...more

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Jan 08, 2009 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, it's not really fair to judge Todd McCaffrey against his mama. Just because Anne McCaffrey is his mama doesn't mean he will write like her. And he doesn't, which is fine, really. If he tried and failed, it would be really disappointing. So that's why I think it's probably a good thing that he is writing about a different time in Pern history than Anne does, and his focus tends to be on the whers and the "civilians" rather than the dragonriders and the ruling class.

So with that reminder to...more Well, it's not really fair to judge Todd McCaffrey against his mama. Just because Anne McCaffrey is his mama doesn't mean he will write like her. And he doesn't, which is fine, really. If he tried and failed, it would be really disappointing. So that's why I think it's probably a good thing that he is writing about a different time in Pern history than Anne does, and his focus tends to be on the whers and the "civilians" rather than the dragonriders and the ruling class.

So with that reminder to myself, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was pretty complex plot-wise overall. I liked the story of the Shunned and how they might be dealt with once Thread started to fall again. I also liked the little spin that maybe not *everyone* on Pern would jump at the chance to Impress a dragon. I thought it was really cool, actually, the way Cristov put his duty as he perceived it before his own desires. Of course, he got the bronze in the end, but it was almost an afterthought. We weren't even there for the Hatching. That's all right, though. I don't think anyone can write an Impression scene a fraction as well as Anne, so I'm a little relieved Todd didn't try.

I liked the plot of the firestone as well, which is good since it is the theme of the book overall. I was so confused when they were discussing how dangerous firestone was and how it explodes on contact with water. I didn't remember any of that from Anne's Pern books. Just that it was somewhat tummy-upsetting for the dragons. But I thought it was a rather unique and clever twist to make it a different kind. There was the added tension of knowing that the dangerous firestone seemed to be running out, and without it, the dragons can't flame Thread. So when the not!dangerous firestone was found, it was a relief, partly since no more dragons would get blown up from wet firestones and since the nicer firestone was implied to be much more plentiful.

One thing I noticed that I did NOT like was that the editing on this one was fairly shoddy. There was a Gather scene near the middle that was nearly verbatim of the Gather scene in the beginning. So much so that it gave me some major cognitive dissonance for a moment and I went back to the first Gather scene to review it. For a minute, I thought I got a defective copy that had been bound with a partial story, then the beginning bound again or something.

I also didn't care much for some of the slang he used. It seemed too out of place. I know that these Pernese are much older, closer to the actual colonists, than the original Pern of Anne's creation with F'lar and Lessa. But it still was sort of jarring when, some slang or expression was used that would sound proper in a teen today, not a Lord holder on Pern.

Overall, I give this one 3 stars because I liked it very well, but nnot loved it, and I doubt that a Todd McCaffrey book will ever earn 5 stars like Anne's. I remain hopeful, though, that I will prove myself wrong. I'd give it 3.5, if that was an option. 3 is a little too low but 4's too many. (less)

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Jul 08, 2009 Jeanne rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Blech.

Either I'm getting too old for these or this book wasn't up to par. Too much exposition. I had difficulty differentiating characters (miners and bad guys). I didn't really care for any of them. It'd been so long since I read the previous book that it took me a while to figure out they were dealing with the same set of circumstances. I realize they wanted to make the one Weyr's second gathering flight the same as last time, but it's just plain laziness to cut and paste the description from...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, animals, sciencefiction

With a thread pass on the way, miners are working to stockpile an adequate supply of firestone, the rock that dragons eat in order to breathe fire. However, Tarik, a miner, and Tenim, a ruthless murderer, join forces to corner the market on firestone.

Three children might be the only people on Pern who can find a safe way to mine the much-needed firestone and to thwart Tenim's plot. Halla's parents were shunned long ago, so she travels with a group of children poorly cared for by Harper Moran; Pe...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

A well written book in the series, this book does a good job in filling out some of the details and background of the events that happen prior to, during, and after Dragon's Kin. The first half of the book directly overlaps with Dragon's kin, while the second half picks up where it left off and refers to the lives and plights of The Shunned. Those who've been exiled from teh holds for certain crimes and the dangers of the occupation of mining firestone. The dragonriders and miners must discover...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Todd has pacing issues and a problem with far TOO many plotlines, but overall the book was enjoyable. The switching of POV between the far too many characters slowed the progression of the plot down horribly and made me grind my teeth in frustration more than once. At one point, one character is injured and drops out of the story for over a hundred pages before serendipitously showing up at the right place at the right time.

The character of Pellar borders on being a bit too perfect really, it's...more

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Mar 02, 2010 Tamcamry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

• This was an interesting book because it showed another side of the events that happened in Dragon’s Kin. It also introduced some interesting characters, and told the story behind Fire Hold. Like with some of the other T.M. books, he seems to go overboard with the deferential treatment that the dragon riders get. It’s not as bad in this book as it is in some of the other books. I do like the themes that T.M. goes into, like redemption and tolerance. I also like that some of the protagonists are...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pellar born mute but is an excellent tracker taught by an ex-dragonrider Mikhail along with healing arts at Harper Hall. Pellar is adopted by Masterharper Zist and his wife Cayla. Masterharper Murenney wants to find a solution to the Shunned problem before the Fall of Thread. Master Zist's apprentice Morann was sent out to make contact with the Shunned and has not been heard from since is believed to be dead. A new problem arises in the form of missing coal from Crom Hold at Camp Natalon. Master...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Cass rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2009, books-i-own, sci-fi, 2011

Todd McCaffrey did okay with his first novel Dragon's Kin, but this offering is the beginning of a disappointing journey.

Dragon's Fire has some good qualities thought I suspect not ones that the author intended. I actually enjoyed reading about Master Zist. The character protrayal was at such odds with other characters previously associated with Harperhall (which are usually either the epitome of wisdom and purity or grumpy old professors). Master Zist is the first character in all of the Pern...more Todd McCaffrey did okay with his first novel Dragon's Kin, but this offering is the beginning of a disappointing journey.

Dragon's Fire has some good qualities thought I suspect not ones that the author intended. I actually enjoyed reading about Master Zist. The character protrayal was at such odds with other characters previously associated with Harperhall (which are usually either the epitome of wisdom and purity or grumpy old professors). Master Zist is the first character in all of the Pern novels to have serious flaws, however I must reiterate that I don't actually believe the author had this in mind.

Master Zist is a bitter and slightly insane man set on solving the problem of the Shunned (exiled people with big blue 'S' tattooed onto there foreheads). He first sends an apprentice, Moran, (presumably barely more than a child) to go find them. Moran becomes what he set out to find. A thief happy to sway and be swayed by a sexual mother and daughter all while trying to care for a band of children. His reasoning for not taking the children to the nearest hold or Harper only serves to show how truly lost the young man was.

Zist then attempts to find the Shunned himself. The sad result of this is his wife and baby die while trying to cure a fever amongst the Shunned. Zist is left with only his mute foster son who he finally agrees to apprentice. Zist is shipped of to a remote mining hold (Camp Natalon from Dragon's Kin) and thus begins an attempt to add Pellar as a main character in a previously written story. This is achieved by having the twelve year old boy camp by himself in the forest and being rarely allowed to visit Zist (and in doing so have a good meal and a comfy bed). Zist displays no paternal care, hunting Pellar out the hut in the middle of the night, flaunting his new apprentice and talking about gatherings in which Pellar cannot attend.

I find his character to have many layers and his lack of care for his apprentices, his stupidity in sending boys out alone was a refreshing change from such perfect and wise Harperhall residents as Menolly, Sebell and Robington.

This is the first book in which it becomes obvious that the author has a thing for prepubescent and barely adult main characters. It worked in his first novel Dragons Kin but in this book it becomes difficult to relate to an eight year old girl galavanting around the forest chasing trails and surviving on her own, let alone being encouraged to do such by her new Lord Holder (*spoiler* At one stage the girl seeks refuge in a hold, she is willing accepted but quickly sent back out by the Lord Holder to find the Shunned).

Later when a romance and bonding occurs between two children, barely adults, it becomes difficult to swallow. Likewise when three children discover and establish three firestone mines I am left wondering where are all the adults in this book? Towards the end of the book the author stages a conversation between the three main characters, all of which must be under fifteen, in which they explain to each other, presumably to satisfy the reader, why they are so mature and ready to form lifelong partnerships. It is difficult to swallow.

2.5 stars(less)

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Aug 16, 2008 Tara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: loathed, sci-fi-fantasy, anne-mccaffrey, couldn-t-finish

Ok, so I know it's frowned upon to write a review on a book that you didn't actually read the whole way through, but I honestly did try.

I'm a big Anne McCaffrey fan, the Pern series being my favourite of hers. But unfortunately, writing doesn't seem to be a skill that was passed from Mother to Son, because Todd McCaffrey is not all that great.

The characters were dull and uninteresting, their motivations were often confusing or just plain stupid, the story rambled and by the time I'd reached abou...more

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May 31, 2011 Ericmgb1974 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Very uneven quality throughout. The story is riddled with inconsistencies, both internally and within the canon of the earlier works. The ending was so poor it felt like it had been written in a high school creative writing class at the last minute before the story was due. Skip this one unless you just have to read all the Pern works. I'm giving it 2 stars only because there appear to be 2 good short stories buried somewhere in all that wasted space.

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Nov 10, 2008 Roberta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Not a bad novel. I like the character of Pellar perhaps because I can identify with a person who cannot talk much (he can't talk at all).

In this novel, the Shunned (those who are outcast for being slacker, thieves, or murderers along with their families) play a major role along with the mute son of Masterharper Zist who is trying to figure out about a coal shortage.

I think Tenim has to be one of the evilest characters I've seen in McCaffrey's fiction. He's flat out an opportunistic sociopath. I...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Keith Phillips rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read through Dragon's Blood, and found that first half of the book meandered around and lost my interest, but around the halfway point it picked up and redeemed itself. I was impressed and decided to read the next book in the series. Dragon's Fire started out the same way, but unfortunately it never kicked in at the halfway point, and I just couldn't like it. Maybe others will feel differently, but it wasn't for me.

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Oct 19, 2012 AndrewP rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, science-fiction

It's been many, many years since I read the original Pern books and I'm not sure if this one is much worse than those, or if my view of those back then was somewhat distorted by young impressionable mind.
Anyhow, this is more a political struggle between the Harpers, Holders, Miners and a group of criminals called 'The Shunned'. The main protagonists have similar and confusing names and I found it difficult to keep straight who was who. Dragondriders do play a part in the story, but somehow it do...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think this is a good book for Pern book lovers like me. I do NOT however think it is up to the McCaffrey of old, It feels like it could have taken another rewrite. The characters didn't quite come to life, somehow.
The story's entertaining, and the pace is at times, fast. To kill off a major character, then re-awaken him later in the story reminds me of the film end-of-season cliffhangers.

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Dec 16, 2012 Snap rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, science-fiction

I started reading about Pern and the wonderful dragons of Pern over 30 years ago. I'm giving Dragon's Fire 3 stars, but if half stars were in order, I probably would have given it 2 1/2 stars. The timeline was a little wonky (technical term), but I liked learning about firestone. Looking forward to my next visit to Pern. At my older age, I'd still love to impress a dragon! :D :D

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Sep 11, 2011 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of Anne McCaffrey and her son. They work well as a team. I had read all of her Dragons of Pern series when I was young so this was a revisit to the world of Dragons and thread falling. I have encouraged each of my grandchilren to read this book and the world she has created.

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Feb 15, 2009 Kristi rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was good. Not Anne McCaffrey in her prime good, but still good. I think that Todd is not the author that his mother is, and that shows in the books that they have co-written. The premise had a few holes in it and the characters weren't quite as well developed as in earlier Pern books, but it was still very nice to be re-immersed in the "world" that I have enjoyed so much.

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Jan 26, 2010 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

I cannot tell what Anne wrote and what Todd wrote. All I know is that it is another Pern novel and fits well into that series. Keep on writing Todd! We have an heir apparent. (Not that I'm trying to get rid of Anne, or anything. She is one of the classiest people that I have ever met.)

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Apr 19, 2013 Susan Tietjen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was a little frustrated with some of the mediocre parts that slowed the story down, and I'm not in favor of capitalizing on the immorality that may be a part of the world, but isn't necessarily what all of us would like to be FORCED to face if we "lived" in that world.

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Jan 30, 2009 Gregory rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second in the series, it's pretty good, but I just hated that Tenim the bad guy seems to just keep getting away and all the good guys just keep suffering for it. Guys like him make the death penalty truly worth it... to bad there's not one on Pern.

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Jul 15, 2011 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

I approached the book with two authors with a little trepidation, I needn't have worried, the story was brilliant and I failed to notice two different styles. This was one of those books I couldn't put down. Loved the image of the dragons chewing the firestones.

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Aug 18, 2010 Marita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

It has been so long since I read McCaffrey that it was so much fun to "visit Pern" again. The character development was not quite what it used to be, I think Todd is more into adventure than inner feelings that motivate people, but all in all I liked it a lot.

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Nov 10, 2009 Cecelia rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Pern Lovers

Shelves: fantasy

It's a nice trip through Pern, but not really good on charactor development or logical plot development. However, I read the Pern books because they are what I call bubble gum for the mind - so I'm not really upset or bothered too much by some serious logical flaws.

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May 06, 2011 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Audio Book. The story takes place completely during an interval and is about finding fire stone. Firestone is eaten by the dragons so they can make flame. During the book they discover a less volatile form of the fire stone after several of their mines

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May 06, 2011 Jake rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Anne McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 1:30 p.m., in the hour of the Sheep, year of the Fire Tiger, sun sign Aries with Taurus rising and Leo mid-heaven (which seems to suggest an early interest in the stars).

Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent. She had two...more

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Quotes from Dragon's Fire

“Fire-lizard dance on wing
To the raucous song I sing.
Fire-lizrad wheel and turn,
Show me how the dragons learn.” — 6 people liked it

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