The Sword and Laser discussion
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Dragonflight
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DF: First Impressions (spoilers maybe up to the first 100 or so pages)
I like the story so far. Here are a few of my pet peeves. The first weyrleader R' something keeps all sorts of information from Lessa then gets mad when she acts in an ignorant way. I thought that the next leader would be better but it's more of the same. I hate it when characters get mad at female character for how they act when they refuse to fill them in. I was also a little put back by how often Lessa get shaken. She's gonna loose some brain cells.
I like the dragons though and am trying to just skim through the above areas with a little eye rolling.
Feels like YA to me. That's neither good nor bad, just an observation. I agree with Emily that the withholding of information from Lessa is silly (esp as the story moves on in time... it's one thing not to infodump on her right away but after months and years? )I'm going to be interested to see others' reactions to the first sexual encounter which is more than problematic IMO.
Characters are a pet peeve - shallow, stereotyped. Lessa is spunky, impetuous and of course highly skilled. The bad guy is very bad (Fix). The Weyrleader is a gruff, alpha male with impulse control issues. But we KNOW he and Lessa will Discover True Love and Save The World.
Read about 2/3 of it and lemmed mostly out of disinterest. It's fine, but it doesn't strike me as more than above average slightly YA fiction. I think it gets a pass on its rep (the reviews note a lot of readers saying they loved it to death when reading it as a teen but it didn't hold up as well as an adult) and because Dragons.
It's considered sci-fi because the setting is a world colonized by humans, but subsequently "lost" to the rest of humanity. But granted, there's nothing very sci-fi in the first two trilogies. It's not until McCaffrey wrote Dragonsdawn that the sci-fi elements started to really show up.
I agree with the YA statement! I could definitely see a younger me loving this book because dragons.
Agree with both Rick and Emily. I lemmed this book the first time I picked it up because of the typical alpha male/spunky chick drama. May or may not pick it up again for this month. Characters aside, the world-building's pretty good.
My very first reaction to this book was "Hang on, WTF... Did I pick the wrong thing in my Kindle library?" And then "Whaaaa? What the bloody hell's going on here?"The introduction/prologue was completely not what I was expecting. It's set up like a far-future, post-earth sci-fi novel and I had a hard time reconciling that with dragons. Then at the start of the first chapter the narrative style goes all full-on high fantasy and it's reading like any other medieval-era style fantasy. It really threw me and I don't know if that was intentional or not but now I feel all weird about it and I regret reading that intro.
I'm kind of surprised people are calling the characters shallow. They never came across that way to me. It's true we've seen their like in other books, but we've seen them in those books because they were inspired by McCaffrey's characters. (Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels are really just retreads of the Dragonriders trilogy.)I love the dragon names. Mnementh is one of those that's fun to say no matter how you pronounce it. Is it like "mnemonic" (new-monic) or "mahna mahna" (made famous by the Muppets)? I don't care. Either is cool.
The name "F'lar" cracks me up, though. In a Southern or Appalachian accent, "flier" is pronounced "flar." And F'lar is the best flier.
I think the first book is the weakest. The second one does an excellent job of bringing the secondary characters to the fore and rounding out the world. But it's the third one, The White Dragon, that brings everything together, despite being decidedly less epic than the first book. I'm prejudiced, though, since I read The White Dragon when it was published (1978) and was exactly the right age for Jaxom's adventure.
They aren't very long, either. Since they're all in the 300-350 page length, any two are shorter than books The Name of the Wind, and all three combined are shorter than A Storm of Swords.
No, McCaffrey isn't the first to do the Spunky Capable Female Protagonist or the Gruff Alpha Male. See, well, Eowyn in Lord of the Rings and Boromir or Aragorn there too. Or various points in Greek mythology. There's no depth to Lessa. (view spoiler)
Fix is evil. Not very bright for a guy who's conquering Holds either. And the early backstory isn't really setup well... that the Holds don't necessarily believe in Thread anymore and are starting to see the Wyerriders as parasites.
I'm being a bit harsh... but this isn't the classic fantasy its rep leads me to believe. 3, 3.5 stars. Not 4+
Two other problematic issues occurred to me as I was reading some new comments... 1) Pern is static. OK, they were a settled world and let their technology go away (let's accept that would happen which... well...). Over the next millennia there's no development? At all? After all, it's been 400 years since Thread was last seen. Consider that 400 years is just a century or so less than the time between the Renaissance and today in our world. Now, think about all the progress since then. Why is Pern so static?
2) (I'll wrap this in spoiler tags for now...) (view spoiler)
R of D... OK, that makes sense. But then two things... first, we're not really told this in Dragonflight so you wonder and speaking of wondering... (view spoiler)
Dragonflight is a very early McCaffrey book. She gets both more writing chops and a huge amount of backstory as the series develops. Most things are explained eventually; it just takes a while.What the hey... Gonna start a thread (ouch!).
I have read this before & really liked it then, I read most of the series at the time, but I haven't read anything in this world for probably 10 years or so (so since I was at university).This time through I am liking it, though not as much as I did originally, but I am mainly thinking two things:
1. Same as Emily above, why don't these people just explain stuff.
2. Why should the rest of Pern support the Weyrs when they aren't doing anything? Things discussed on about page 150 of 345 of my version (view spoiler) If everybody knows the Weyrs are not actually protecting anyone at the moment, why should they get the best of everything? Without doing any work for it?
Rick wrote: "1) Pern is static. OK, they were a settled world and let their technology go away (let's accept that would happen which... well...). Over the next millennia there's no development? At all? After all, it's been 400 years since Thread was last seen. Consider that 400 years is just a century or so less than the time between the Renaissance and today in our world. Now, think about all the progress since then. Why is Pern so static?"How do I do spoiler tags again? Let's see... ah: (view spoiler)
Trike - interesting parallel. I can see that... Serendi - I probably sound more harsh in my comments above than I really am but the only way I can evaluate books like this is on their own and not with reference to the series. I had the same issue with Assassin's Apprentice a few months ago. People kept saying that the later books were better or explained more but that can't matter to me as a new reader of the first book. I'm not going to read thousands of pages of a series to get the picture. It's the author's job to draw me in and to deal with some of these issues within the scope of this book.
Rick wrote: "R of D... OK, that makes sense. But then two things... first, we're not really told this in Dragonflight so you wonder and speaking of wondering... [spoilers removed]"Adding the spoiler back in to address them: (view spoiler)
Rick wrote: "People kept saying that the later books were better or explained more but that can't matter to me as a new reader of the first book. I'm not going to read thousands of pages of a series to get the picture. It's the author's job to draw me in and to deal with some of these issues within the scope of this book. "Personally I was intrigued by the whole story, which is why I continued. If you don't care for it, that's fine. Life's too short to read books you don't like. I really enjoyed the writing and the world she had created, which is why I stuck with it.
Rick - No problem, I was just starting to get a little frustrated that several people are asking questions or making comments that can't really be answered without serious spoilers. Of course, the last time I started a series thread (over on Vaginal Fantasy for the In Death books) it didn't get used much. Then again, I didn't nurture it or anything....
I just started this evening and so far I am enjoying it. Something tells me Christopher Paolini read this.I like how the dragons-at least so far- don't speak directly. They feel more like animals-with instincts and animal personalities (like enjoying a good scratch and showing pack like behaviors) instead of being super human-y (Saphira).
50% in and enjoying it so far. It feels like fantasy but really has scifi elements as well. The dragons are called dragons based on Earth Legends so not really true fantasy dragons though that may be a question of semantics. I like the tension between Lessa and the Weyr masters. I think the issue of not telling her everything is actually about keeping Lessa on a leash and the men maintaining political control. I think it works for me as an explanation as to why she is kept in the dark.
The lore bomb at the front is just...well, it's crazypants. And I'm 2/3rds of the way through, and I still hate every single name in this book.But it's not bad. I like the sci-fi tilt, particularly once they get to (view spoiler).
But it's definitely not what I was expecting, that's for sure.
Rick: With many series that are not meant to go on forever (trilogies, mostly), the opening book either has a huge front load of world-building, or gets a light sprinkle of backstory. Dragonflight is of the later type. If you don't enjoy wondering and speculating about why things are the way they are in a story, then this isn't going to be the kind of series you'll enjoy.Also, this is definitely of the "space opera" variety of SF*, in that the science takes a back seat to story. What that means to me is that some things aren't going to be scientifically accurate (the authors of such stories are rarely also physicists, biologists, chemists, computer programmers, etc...).
Finally, flaws like "if thread destroys everything, then how could there be any life" can easily be explained: The public cannot be trusted with nuance when human extinction could be the consequence. The ancestor leaders of Pern have obviously decided that fear is the only effective deterrent against people leaving the holds and then being wiped out the next threadfall; thus: "Thread destroys all life if it is allowed to propagate!" A similar real-world argument can be made about a nuclear war: there's plenty of plant and animal life that would survive, but most people believe the planet would be reduced to red-hot radioactive slag with nothing, not even bacteria able to survive anywhere on the planet. From the perspective of the human race, it might as well be that way.
*If this were fantasy, and thread were a magical plague (as in ... of locusts), then we'd be able to shrug it off as "magic". That's why I count this as SciFi.
Robert, Speculating is one thing, but DF has some holes that you could fly a dragon through. Can I make up excuses like "The public can't be trusted with the truth?" Sure, but I shouldn't have to... and we're privy to the upper echelon of Weyr society happenings so if they don't know it's likely no one does. Frankly, I think McCaffrey just messed up on this one.
On the topic of "later books explain this" I approach first books as if no later novels existed because, after all, for readers of this when it was first published they didn't and saying that X is explained later just means that it needed explanation and that hole was fixed in a subsequent book - which is recognition that the hole needed to be fixed.
Scientific plausability doesn't bother me - I'm perfectly willing to suspend disbelief on, say, how the Pern dragons came to be. I'm not one of those who will dive into the biology of it. But if we're told in the book that Thread destroys organic material and that it's been falling every few centuries, the book needs to explain why Pern was not devastated by it. Sure, some things might survive but come on, you're not going to settle on a planet where things are too desolate. Note that the explanation could be simply that organic life on Pern has evolved to rapidly grow back, so instead of trees taking decades to come back, they take years. Then have the settlers arrive, say, late in a cycle and boom. If that was the case, though, it has repercussions in how the world is portrayed... what are the effects of having a world where plant life cycles and grows so rapidly? However, world-building is the job of the author, not me. It's fine to ask the reader to suspend disbelief, but I don't think we should have to build the world or fill in fairly obvious plot holes. As another example, I still don't see how time travel paradoxes are avoided or why that aspect of travel between wasn't a prominent thing in the Weyr histories when it's such an obvious advantage.
All of these are things I could deal with probably... but the characters seem too flat to me, too stereotypical and too bound in disturbing gender roles. Arguably (view spoiler)
Rick wrote: "But if we're told in the book that Thread destroys organic material and that it's been falling every few centuries, the book needs to explain why Pern was not devastated by it. Sure, some things might survive but come on, you're not going to settle on a planet where things are too desolate."I may be misremembering, but I think this book does answer the thread question. (view spoiler)
Rick - I think the plot holes you've referenced are all answered within the four corners of Dragonflight. I can't discuss them without going beyond the first 100 pages and a lot of them are fleeting references that fly right by unless you're looking for them or been sensitized on the re-read by having read some of the later books. But, I think your point raises a more fun discussion about the start of the book than whether Lessa gets shaken too much. (Because, she really does get shaken more than I remembered and I've got nothing to say other than "what's up with that?")
I was taken aback by the amount of shaking, too. I'd forgotten how poorly Lessa is treated throughout the book, but it wasn't until I listened to the podcast today that I really thought about the fact that this was published in the 60's. It doesn't excuse the treatment, but helps me understand where it's coming from a little better. Especially when you consider the power structure of a Weyr in terms of sexual freedom AND dominance. (view spoiler)Rick, I can see why you find Pern static; however, I would suggest that you are assuming all human settlements would "progress" or "develop" in the same way. (view spoiler)
I agree that Dragonflight could have done a bit more to explain the world to new readers, since you shouldn't have to know the rest of the canon in order to understand the world. I personally didn't feel like Dragonflight failed to pull readers in; if anything the unanswered questions made me want to read more to figure them out. :-)
Ryan - I can see what you mean about the Pernese attitude but the settlers are long past and I'm not sure that such an attitude would persist for thousands of years (remember, 400 is just the number of years since Thread was LAST seen), especially in the face of such a threat. On the other hand, as someone pointed out up, er, upthread, we've had long periods of little technical development here so it's not really far fetched.
Lemmed. Luckily I got it from the library. It just wasn't for me. 60 pages in it has been a mess so far, literally nothing interesting has happened. I am going back to finish A Way of Kings.
I'm about 60 pages in. So far I think the world is interesting, however I don't really like F'lar, not sure why exactly. The whole concept of the Wyer being so closed off doesn't quite make sense to me. I keep thinking that there has to be something they could do to win over public support. I'm also somewhat confused as to what Lessa's powers are. But as a character I find her somewhat interesting even if she gets on my nerves somewhat. So far as a whole I have a divided opinion but I'm hoping I change my mind with time.
When I read this series all those years ago (the 80's, I think?), it really spoke to me. I'm finding it fascinating reading through this thread & seeing people apply today's literary standards to a book that was written half a century ago. I'm not judging. I truly find it fascinating. If you can't read it, no worries. I have trouble reading scifi written in the 50's & earlier...honestly any genre from that long ago is difficult. The pace is so much slower than we've become accustomed to in this day & age. (I even "lem" the Frodo & Sam section of the Two Towers nowadays. "And we're walking...." gets so boring! Drives my husband nuts!)
Knowing that this was written by a woman, in the 60's, from Ireland, this book seems revolutionary to me. Yes, Lessa is, frankly, abused through much of the book. The fact that she not only survives it, but comes out of it in a much better place gave me hope as a shy young teenage girl. That she becomes a respected leader made the idea of a woman in charge of something important somehow real to me. Is it cliche? Probably. So is Casablanca. Thing is, it wasn't when it was written.
This book was my gateway to a great deal of scifi & fantasy written by women & about women. Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mercedes Lackey, Robin Hobb, Jennifer Roberson, etc.
Just my $.02. ymmv
Minor point - McCaffrey moved to Ireland in 1970; the first part of this (Weyr Search) was published in Analog magazine in 1967 (per Wikipedia). Ireland exempted resident artists from income taxes, and several SF writers moved there. She had Irish ancestry but didn't live in Ireland when the series first began.I've really gotta start rereading this thing so I know how I react *now*.
Sorry, Mary, but if this exact same book had been written by a male SF author, I think people would be jumping up and down about the rape scene and Lessa's treatment. Let's not pull out the "Oh, it's OK because it was written by a woman" card here. Yes, it was written decades ago... but do people give, say, Heinlein a pass on some of his attitudes even though many of his works were written even earlier? I think the gender role issues are pretty significant here and shouldn't be brushed away as a criticism of the book.
Rick wrote: "Yes, it was written decades ago... but do people give, say, Heinlein a pass on some of his attitudes even though many of his works were written even earlier? I think the gender role issues are pretty significant here and shouldn't be brushed away as a criticism of the book. "Allowing for different eras should be part of reading any book from the past. I know a lot of people don't do that (a recent discussion of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea here on Goodreads underscored that), but it should be a factor. Society changes as attitudes do so I think we have to keep the context of the times in mind when reading something from previous generations.
A strong-minded woman (in this case literally) who has a fierce independent streak was something not exactly celebrated back then. There was a lot of social angst about that stuff at the time. McCaffrey seems to be conflicted about it when writing Dragonflight.
In fact, I do give Heinlein a pass on many of his more outdated attitudes. He was a product of the era in which he lived. Doesn't mean I agree with them.By "rape", I think you mean the scene where the sexual arousal of their bonded dragons drove Lessa & F'lar into copulation as well? The fact that you mention it in every single post you make leads me to believe that the rape is really what gets under your skin. If that's your problem, okay. I'm just not sure why you seem intent on convincing the rest of us that this is a worthless book.
Personally, even when I read this back when I was in junior high & high school, I didn't read it as rape. I read it as a representation of how deeply bonded the two weyrleaders were to their dragons. I'd have to go back & re-read that part, but I also seem to recall that F'lar tried to hold back since he knew Lessa was a virgin. Still, I can see how some might take issue with that scene.
I did not know about her move to Ireland. Thanks for letting me know, Serendi. She lived there when I began reading her work, & I never thought to look further.
Trike, you made my point much more eloquently than I could.
In a sense, Lessa and F'lar were both raped by proxy.Anyway, I take the times in which something was written as a factor, but whether it allows me to feel comfortable reading a work is up for grabs. Some things, it's enough; others, it's still too disturbing. It's NOT a free pass.
Serendi wrote: "In a sense, Lessa and F'lar were both raped by proxy.Anyway, I take the times in which something was written as a factor, but whether it allows me to feel comfortable reading a work is up for gra..."
Sigh. No. Given F'lar's position in Weyr society it's incredibly unlikely that he didn't know what happened when dragons mated. Lessa, however, has no background in Weyr society at all and we can't assume she would have known this.
And the times in which things are written is not a blanket excuse, esp when it comes to things like this.
That's why I said "in a sense." Yes, F'lar knew, but neither he nor Lessa were in control of what happened once their dragons got going. Didn't mean to fan flames here.
I don't fault people on this thread for having overly simplistic views of technological progress, but that doesn't change the fact it is an overly simplistic view. Technology did not improve in medieval Europe in a vacuum. It's not unreasonable that a medieval-level society holed up in isolated holds, who don't normally war with each other, don't have more advanced societies as neighbours (even during Japan's 200 years of isolation from the outside world, they still managed to keep up with many developments), where there's little emphasis on education beyond memorizing songs and poems, and where communication is largely monopolized by a military elite with a vested interest in the status quo, could go centuries without any significant advances. (view spoiler) Mary wrote: "Is it cliche? Probably. So is Casablanca. Thing is, it wasn't when it was written."
That's it exactly: it's hard to criticize this book on using well-worn tropes when it was responsible for inventing most of them. It's like trashing the John Carter/Barsoom books for not being as good as Dune.
Mary wrote: "In fact, I do give Heinlein a pass on many of his more outdated attitudes. He was a product of the era in which he lived. Doesn't mean I agree with them.By "rape", I think you mean the scene wh..."
From your post it's apparent you've not read this recently. I'd suggest you do - the issues of consent and knowledge are important to the issue. F'lar has been raised in Weyr society, Lessa has not so though they're both holding key positions in that society we can't assume that they have anything like equivalent knowledge about it and, in fact, are shown time and again that Lessa feels the gaps in her knowledge while F'lar is a student of Weyr society and history.
I don't, by the way, care if people like or dislike the book. I do care if they seem to want to excuse things like abusive relationships and highly questionable portrayals of gender roles because it was written awhile ago, because they liked something when they were a teen or because dragons. Even if we accept the 'it was the times' reasoning that doesn't mean we have to accept or like the characterizations or events in the book forvermore.
Lemmed. I first read this as a YA. It has not improved on re-read. The contrived plot situations and irrational character behavior are just too jarring.
Rick wrote: "From your post it's apparent you've not read this recently. I'd suggest you do - the issues of consent and knowledge are important to the issue. F'lar has been raised in Weyr society, Lessa has not so though they're both holding key positions in that society we can't assume that they have anything like equivalent knowledge about it and, in fact, are shown time and again that Lessa feels the gaps in her knowledge while F'lar is a student of Weyr society and history."You're quite right that F'lar would be more familiar with Weyr culture, but your premise that Lessa's knowledge of dragon (and their human counterpart) sexual relations would be so lacking as to rise to the level that we can equate that event with sexual assault doesn't add up.
By the time of the events you're describing, Lessa had been in the Weyr for several years, under training the whole time. She would not have experienced it herself, but she would have seen mating flights of green dragons (also female, though sterile) who engage in the same process, and seen what happens with their riders. She'd have been exposed to the history of the dragonriders through the literature. She'd been living dragonrider life for quite a while. I don't think we can assume she was ignorant of what was going to happen--certainly not so ignorant that we can equate it with rape.
Granted, McCaffrey writing from F'lar's perspective does use the vocabulary herself, inviting the analogy, but I think it might be defining sexual assault a little too closely if one is categorizing a psychically heightened sexual urge induced by a telepathic connection to a genetic reptilian symbiont as rape. Rather, I think that's mostly the limit of vocabulary running headlong into the character's insecurities than actually suggesting an abusive encounter.
What Gary said.I didn't re-read it, but I do recall F'lar using the word because he felt terrible about what had happened. He didn't realize Lessa was a virgin -- in fact, he made a lot of assumptions, such as the stuff Gary mentioned. And he felt bad about them.
Just *using* the word "rape" in this instance (especially given when the book was written, decades before politically correctness and super-sensitivity -- anyone recall the furor over the correct use of the word "niggardly" a few years back?) isn't a sign of brutality and deviance. I would argue it's just the opposite because of the context.
Trike wrote: "...anyone recall the furor over the correct use of the word "niggardly" a few years back?"Yeah, I remember that. Ugh. I remember being told another story about a guy using the word "pedagogue" in an office memo, leading to all kinds of brouhaha. Who can save us from the dangers of words that sound like other words?! A cunning linguist, perhaps?
I wonder how much of the insistence on this book being about sexual assault stems from the fact that McCaffrey used the word "rape" in a sentence? In going through a few threads on the book, several people do seem to have taken that text as an admission of guilt.
To be fair: the sex in this series is often aberrant in the sense that it falls outside the norm of human experience. For that matter, it falls outside the range of human experience.... After all, who can really relate to the concept of being psychically tied to a creature in the throes of some monstrous estrus? Given the mores of our culture, it is understandable that people would have a cautious or even confused reaction.
To be less fair: that's science fiction for you. That's part of its purpose. That's why people read it. That's why we're all here. (Or, at least, most of us....) All things considered, McCaffrey isn't really pushing the boundaries much. If people can't read something outside their experience and not equate it with the most heinous of abuses then, frankly, they need to step back a bit, read more carefully, and/or reconsider what they set their eyes on.
Gary wrote: "To be fair: the sex in this series is often aberrant in the sense that it falls outside the norm of human experience. For that matter, it falls outside the range of human experience.... After all, who can really relate to the concept of being psychically tied to a creature in the throes of some monstrous estrus? Given the mores of our culture, it is understandable that people would have a cautious or even confused reaction.To be less fair: that's science fiction for you. That's part of it's purpose. That's why people read it. That's why we're all here. (Or, at least, most of us....) All things considered, McCaffrey isn't really pushing the boundaries much. If people can't read something outside their experience and not equate it with the most heinous of abuses then, frankly, they need to step back a bit, read more carefully, and/or reconsider what they set their eyes on."
Exactly.
If that word in that passage is causing consternation (I have since looked up the offending paragraph on Amazon) then I think some folks have their Sensitivity Meter set far too high.
And under no circumstances whatsoever should they read anything else from the New Wave of SF authors from, oh, about 1963 to 1976. Stay away from Philip Jose Farmer, Samuel Delaney, Harlan Ellison... heck, eschew even Heinlein, Asimov and those guys, who were trying something new. Definitely don't read Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow from the 90s.
Exactly x2.A lot of people get stuck on vocabulary, and to a certain extent that's fine. I mean, most people would and I think should cringe a bit when they read the title The Nigger of the "Narcissus". They shouldn't necessarily react to it as if that were the sum total of the book, but it is relevant.
However, I'd hate to think a writer couldn't use the word "rape" to describe the plundering of the rain forest, or the sensation of having one's home violated by an intrusive government agency, or the result of a mind probe. In this case, it's sad that the use of the word in a sentence that is the 3rd person musings of a man feeling embarrassed and concerned about the emotional state of a woman with whom he has a developing emotional bond should provoke some readers to claim that means the character is sex criminal.
So far I am having a ton of trouble getting into this book. The lore at the beginning threw me off, I wasn't expecting it at all, but I pushed on, hoping it would change, which it did.My main problem stems from the writing style, it just seems a little weird all around. I'd rather not give up on the first book I've started for the club, but it may happen. Does it get better?
Mod
This is the first book since I started reading along last August, I haven't bought. So far I'm really glad. It's short though so I'm going to power through.
I don't like a single human character. The dragons are better though. I guess it's just not for me.
I've pretty much have given up on this. Got a lot going on, working on my project document for my masters, and honestly this book isn't speaking to me. Not sure what else I'll go for, might try some new urban fantasy until the next pick.
Late with this reply but... Gary - it's not my job to make things up as to what Lessa would or would not know. That's the job of the author and good ones will make that apparent to the reader without blatant infodumps. If McCaffrey wanted us to know that Lessa was familiar with the mating habits and the implications for riders, it wouldn't have been hard to show that in off the cuff commentary. She doesn't do that. The entire mating scene doesn't imply any familiarity on Lessa's part with the social-sexual norms of the Weyr. On the one hand, it feels like she SHOULD know things after two years. On the other, her actions and reactions feel like she does not.
That's one of many reasons that the book is no more than average for me and I've seen nothing in all of the threads to make me change my opinion that this book has a high reputation in large part because a lot of people read it young, because it has dragons and in some cases because the commenter has read the series or other McCaffrey books and conflates their feelings for the series with the single book. Those of us first reading this as adults and with no other experience of Pern have, sometimes, different reactions to the book.
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Books mentioned in this topic
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Hmmm, okay, not what I was expecting. This answers my question as to why people keep calling it sci-fi.
Urgh, what's with all the stupid names?! Mnmnermeeeeeh... what???
This seems a little pretentious and...oh no, after all this time wanting to read this book, am I really going to end up hating...
Oh! That's quite clever, hee hee, I like that!
Aw, that's kind of sweet.
OMG they're going to meet; this is awesome!
Oh, oh, oh!
I wonder what will happen next...
And now I am very much liking the story. How about the rest of you?