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405th out of 2,950 books
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12,445 voters
The Masterharper of Pern (Pern (Publication Order) #15)
MasterSinger Merelan and Harper Petiron were a brilliant and devoted couple. Merelan was the most outstanding soprano ever heard on Pern, and was often the only one who could master Petiron's technically accomplished compositions. When, after a long and difficult birth, Robinton was born to them, it should have been the culmination of a unique partnership.
But Petiron, almo...more
But Petiron, almo...more
462 pages
Published
1999
by Corgi
(first published January 1998)
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The Masterharper of Pern by science fiction queen Anne McCaffrey is one of her best works. She tells the life story of the great Masterharper Robinton, from his troubled childhood to his musical genius. He is a favourite character in the Pern series.
Would it be wrong of me to hijack my own review and compare the way Anne writes about Robinton with the way her son writes about his own favourite character Kindan. Anne has passed the storywriting baton to her son Todd McCaffrey who has (imo) mutila...more
Would it be wrong of me to hijack my own review and compare the way Anne writes about Robinton with the way her son writes about his own favourite character Kindan. Anne has passed the storywriting baton to her son Todd McCaffrey who has (imo) mutila...more
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I've realized that Ms McCaffrey's books offend me in exactly the same way the Sex and the City movies offend me: that the main characters and their dysfunctional relationships are supposed to be somehow sympathetic, if not outright aspirational. In this book, Robinton himself is less obnoxious than her usual main character (even if I thought the one scene where he compared holding his mom to holding his wife really Freudian and gross,) but Merelan is excessively odious: trying to hide his talent...more
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From Kirkus Reviews
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McCaffrey's latest rummage through the archives of planet Pern (Dragonseye, 1997, etc.) has unearthed Robinton, the Masterharper of Pern, and the circumstances surrounding the advent of weyrleader F'lar and Lessa, the first woman Dragonrider. It's a time when no Thread has fallen for centuries (it's due in 50 years or so), and five of the six weyrs stand inexplicably empty of Dragons and Riders. Young Rob, rejected by his father, is a musical prodigy and has the ability to s
This is the story of Robinton from his birth until the day that Jaxom, Lord Holder of Ruatha is born. I loved this book and I hated this book. I loved this book because Robinton is one of my favorite characters in all of Pern. I hated this book because I realized that Robinton is a father and he's not a very good one. He is a better father than his was, but that is not saying much.
Robinton's father, Petiron, is an abysmal father and not even that great of a person. He is an incredibly talented c...more
Robinton's father, Petiron, is an abysmal father and not even that great of a person. He is an incredibly talented c...more
Originally published on my blog here in April 1998.
This is the biography of the character Robinton, who appears in many of the Pern novels and appears to be one of McCafferey's favourite characters. It takes the story of his life up to the events of the first half of Dragonflight, the earliest written Pern novel. Even though she's now spent some time writing novels in the pre-history of the original Pern series, I've felt that its still best to read McCafferey's novel's in publication order.
I al...more
This is the biography of the character Robinton, who appears in many of the Pern novels and appears to be one of McCafferey's favourite characters. It takes the story of his life up to the events of the first half of Dragonflight, the earliest written Pern novel. Even though she's now spent some time writing novels in the pre-history of the original Pern series, I've felt that its still best to read McCafferey's novel's in publication order.
I al...more
I've read much of McCaffrey's Pern series and enjoyed it, but The MasterHarper of Pern is one of the least engaging stories I've read of hers to date. The accounting of Robinton's life up to the first events of Dragonflight proves only that Robinton did absolutely nothing notable before Lessa's story and begs the question of why the book was written at all if there was nothing interesting to tell.
In some ways I understand that this was inevitable. If Robinton had done anything truly notable bef...more
In some ways I understand that this was inevitable. If Robinton had done anything truly notable bef...more
Anne McCaffrey loved this character and it shows here. Robinton is a bright, musical child born in to a family of Harpers who is destined for greatness from the beginning.
As with any good story, Robinton has his share of tragedy, from the estrangement of his father, the death of his young wife and best friend, he feels pain like any other person. He takes his pain and makes music of it.
McCaffrey does her usual solid job of tying various threads from other stories in to the tale. Most notably at...more
As with any good story, Robinton has his share of tragedy, from the estrangement of his father, the death of his young wife and best friend, he feels pain like any other person. He takes his pain and makes music of it.
McCaffrey does her usual solid job of tying various threads from other stories in to the tale. Most notably at...more
Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels are either epic or domestic. The original trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon) are epics. The Harperhall novels are domestic. This one is a mix of the two. It starts out domestic with the retelling of Robinton's life and becomes epic when Ms McCaffrey starts rewriting what we know about Pern's history to ensure that Robinton plays a larger part in it to become even more awesome than he already is. Which really - in my not terribly humble opinion -...more
I was introduced to Anne McCaffrey's world of Pern through the Harper Hall Trilogy, and as such this book evokes a feeling of nostalgia. It is very interesting to note parallelisms between Robinton's academic life and that of his future protege, Menolly (the protagonist of Dragonsong and Dragonsinger). To read about the younger lives of various figures in the Harper Hall is also an added bonus to those who first encountered them in the Harper Hall Trilogy.
However, I'll have to say that this book...more
However, I'll have to say that this book...more
I really really liked this book. It followed Robinton from his birth (or actually before it) up through finding Lessa at Ruatha hold. It was so great to see how all the character's came together, and how the characters you'd seen as adults in the other Pern books were when they were children. I thought it was really neat to watch some of the main characters from the other books grow up and develop into the characters we knew and loved. It was a really neat book written from a really neat perspec...more
This story starts off with a background of the boy who would be THE Masterharper of Pern. It takes us through his troubled, misunderstood childhood, then brings us to the 'present' and allows us to see his faults and his genius, in equal measure. I liked the view of Petiron, who I disliked but now feel I understand better, and also liked the introduction later of some more familiar characters from the ongoing saga.
The story starts slow, making it something not recommended for a new reader of Pe...more
The story starts slow, making it something not recommended for a new reader of Pe...more
I normally like the Pern books, but this one fell sort of flat for me. The core drama revolves around the harpers and a particularly greedy man named Fax, who starts gobbling up Holds. There's very little to do with the dragonriders, although they do appear occasionally, and much time is spent on the main character's poor relationship with his father. Love interests also die surprisingly quickly, making it hard to care about them as characters or feel any involvement in the relationships.
It's a...more
It's a...more
I am enjoying myself on Pern. This particular title is pretty self-explanatory...MasterHarper Robinton is a character who recurs through most of the Pern books during the time frame of Lessa, the heroine of the original book in the series, Dragonflight, which occurs some 2400-2500 years after colonists from Earth land on Pern.
By giving Robinton's backstory, McCaffrey is able to flesh out a lot of the buildup to the introduction of Lessa and the circumstances behind her situation when the series...more
By giving Robinton's backstory, McCaffrey is able to flesh out a lot of the buildup to the introduction of Lessa and the circumstances behind her situation when the series...more
I like the Harpers of Pern and their role in keeping tradition alive and their role as educators. It's hard to swallow Petiron as a character and the way everyone puts up with his annoying traits, but is too afraid to tell him how obnoxious he is. How is he ever supposed to learn if he stays a cosseted prima donna? I thought that was how a character like Halanna learned to become a better person, by being exposed to her own faults? Weird. Finally, the second half of the book was torture. Suddenl...more
Anne McCaffrey has this amazing ability to create characters that put you in the time and place they exist. As someone who loves music, I enjoyed reading a fantasy where music is the backbone of this series.
The Pern series is a wonderfully constructed group of books with characters that are strong core characters in one book and interesting peripheral characters in the next book. Again, I honestly am not a fan of fantasy but McCaffrey writes strong amazing characters that you just want to keep r...more
The Pern series is a wonderfully constructed group of books with characters that are strong core characters in one book and interesting peripheral characters in the next book. Again, I honestly am not a fan of fantasy but McCaffrey writes strong amazing characters that you just want to keep r...more
I've read all the Pern books and think they're basically okay, though they do tend to have a YA feel about them. Her characters are all interesting but don't have any depth to them. What she's good at is world-building. The only books in this series that I've ever re-read are the two featuring Menolly, whose story is more interesting than most. Robinton is, of course, a beloved character by that time, so it was interesting to read of his early life, but if you've read the other books, you alread...more
Anne McCaffrey's, 'The Masterharper of Pern' is a masterpiece. Whether or not you have read any of her Dragon Riders series you will enjoy this tale of Masterharper Robinton's early years and first loves. On the young planet of Pern the most effective educating and communicating is done by harpers. The harpers are knowledgeable in arts, music, communicating with drum messages and of course romance and intrigue. I'm sure you will be entranced and will look for more of Ms. McCaffreys Dragon rider...more
Yaaaay, got to read more about Master Robinton!
I loved this like all the other Pern books I've read so far, but one thing I've noticed is that Anne tends to recycle her character types. Like Petiron is a lot like Domick in the future books, even MasterHarper Gennell seemed similar to Robinton during the Harper Hall series - oh and Tuck/Piemur, anyone?
Aside from all that, it was a great read. I wish I could read more about Lessa, but I probably will since she's obviously an important figure in th...more
I loved this like all the other Pern books I've read so far, but one thing I've noticed is that Anne tends to recycle her character types. Like Petiron is a lot like Domick in the future books, even MasterHarper Gennell seemed similar to Robinton during the Harper Hall series - oh and Tuck/Piemur, anyone?
Aside from all that, it was a great read. I wish I could read more about Lessa, but I probably will since she's obviously an important figure in th...more
For those that knows the MasterHarper from Mellony's point of view, you can see what a great man this is. So strong, so sad, in both family and love. He know loneliness, but he never lets it defeat him, choosing instead to give others happiness as much as he's able. This character was so strong, and real. Just seeing him from the other books, one would never guess how much pain he holds inside, but he can shoulder the burden, and keep smiling. A great man. The character itself made it a worthy r...more
• While I liked much of this book there were a few things that made it a little difficult for me. First, I know that the character Robinton is a major character in the original Dragonrider trilogy. I respect that he must have had an interesting life, and I see why A.M. went back and wrote a book about it. My problem is that his life was unrealistically tragic. Look, all of the tragedies that happened in his life are real and possible things that can happen in someone’s life, it’s just unreal tha...more
Jul 09, 2008
Kat
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
college-years,
read-more-than-once
I have been reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern books for many years. I discovered them when I was twelve, and over the course of that summer I devoured all that had been written. I adored them. I adore Masterharper Robinton. I have a print of the portrait of Robinton that Robin Wood did for her People of Pern book. I always thought a book about Robinton would be great, and I wanted to like The Masterharper of Pern when it came out. I expected a lot from The Masterharper of Pern, and I was greatly dis...more
McCaffrey's beloved Dragonrider's of Pern series has been blessed with yet another novel. For as many of these novels that she has written, one might suspect that there would be at least one dud among them, yet every time I get my hands on one, I am pleasantly surprised - and find I don't really want to put it down.
Chronologically, this novel perfectly segues into Dragonflight, one of the primary Dragonrider novels. The last chapter introduces us to Lessa and the events at the beginning of that...more
Chronologically, this novel perfectly segues into Dragonflight, one of the primary Dragonrider novels. The last chapter introduces us to Lessa and the events at the beginning of that...more
It's hard to know the best order to read the books of Pern as many of the stories overlap. However, I have put them in a somewhat chronological order that gives the reader a logical sequence to follow. I recommend starting with this one.
For those of you who are new to Pern, it is an earth-like planet inhabited by human beings who live in a medieval-styled society. There is no magic on Pern, but there are fire-breathing, telepathic dragons who bond at their hatching with the human who will become...more
For those of you who are new to Pern, it is an earth-like planet inhabited by human beings who live in a medieval-styled society. There is no magic on Pern, but there are fire-breathing, telepathic dragons who bond at their hatching with the human who will become...more
Mar 18, 2013
Jessica
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone that loves Masterharper Robinton or the books of Pern in general
Have you ever wondered the history behind Masterharper Robinton and why he acted the way he did? I love how this book actually looks into it. It brings up some really interesting things I had never known about and might also help you understand even more characters from the Harper Hall trilogy. I don't really want to spoil anything because I think everyone who really likes the Pern books should read this. It goes from his birth to rather close to the time that Lessa becomes Weyrwoman of Benden.
McCaffrey offers a prelude to her original Dragonrider novels by revisiting a main character of those stories, Masterharper Robinton. However this might be more interesting if he was more of a protagonist and less of an observer to events happening about Pern. This sort of treatment cumulates at the end of the book when Robinton finds himself present to one of the most important scenes of the entire series, a Forest Gump like insertion into the storyline. An ok story, but could have been so much...more
The story of Master Robinton from his being born til the events of the first Dragonrider trilogy. An extremely talented boy is ignored by his perfectionist father even while being better than him. Amazing that Robinton turned out as well as he did. A very enjoyable tale, even though McCaffrey shows her true colors in regards to her views on marriage and sexuality.
Not sure what is up with this specific edition on Goodreads. It is NOT abridged. [nor specially priced :D]
Not sure what is up with this specific edition on Goodreads. It is NOT abridged. [nor specially priced :D]
I liked Robinton better before I read this one. I don't know, perhaps I'm just jaded by all the attempts to tie everything together between all the books, the interwoven storylines end up feeling a bit forced, and a lot of the stuff that was written last but takes place earlier in the chronology of Pern feels more like a "let me explain..." and less like a "this is awesome story stuff that subtly leads to what happens in all the later chronology..."
A direct prequel to the original Dragonriders of Pern series - basically this ends at the end of the first novella (Weyr Search) in Dragonflight. It basically takes one of the most obviously popular characters and takes him from birth on up. And ties all the other characters neatly. It is a bit longer than it should be and perhaps a bit too tidy - and yet it still had a few moments of surprise and was well done.
I have to admit I enjoyed the beginning of the book, covering Robinton's birth, childhood, and young manhood. And it was intriguing to meet the characters first introduced in DragonFlight. However, the closer it came to that Turn, the more stressed I became. Yes, I knew what the results would be, but there you have it. That's me. :-P
I did think it would take us well into this Threadfall. It didn't, and I was sorry about that.
I did think it would take us well into this Threadfall. It didn't, and I was sorry about that.
"It Was Amazing" (5 stars) doesn't even begin to express how much I loved this book. To see Robinton alive one last time, to know why he was so kind to Silvina and Camo, to understand the dynamic between himself and his father, to know why he was not married...and much more was a great blessing and treasure. It was a fitting epitaph for fans who cried their eyes out at this much loved character's passing.
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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
More about Anne McCaffrey...
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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