Sabledrake Magazine - Off the Shelf

Greetings all! Well, I only had time to make one review for this issue, but I promise it is a big one!

Some things are a dream come true…and this is close as I can come to one of them, chiefly that being able to something that relates to one of the best fantasy and science fiction writers of the last century, Anne McCaffrey. While I’d love to meet Anne in person (I have spoken to her online at her Kitchen Table chatsite), I feel that in reviewing her latest novel in her Dragonriders of Pern series will do just as well. For the time being.

For those that are unfamiliar with Anne’s body of work with the worlds of Pern, the backstory can be best encapsulated as thus: Man travels to Pern to colonize it, with the intent of establishing a totally agrarian society. A space-born organism that voraciously consumes all things organic threatens to wipe the colony out. Using what technology and ingenuity they have, the colonists genetically alter a native creature on Pern to produce a natural defense against this organism. Over the following years, the colony grows and thrives, thanks to their “dragons” and the brave men and women that ride them. Over the years though, memory and facts about the colony’s origins are lost to time, and by the time the series starts (in Dragonflight) Pern’s last active ‘Weyr’ – home for dragons and their riders – is threatened with becoming obsolete, just when a new attack by the organism, called ‘Thread’, is about to start.

Several years after “Dragonflight”; during which time, the Dragonriders have managed to save Pern and its people from Threadfall again and again. They also managed to recover the colony’s Artifical Intelligence Voice Address System (sic AVIAS); an intelligent computer that has the means and the knowledge for Pern to be rid of Thread forever. The dragons and people of Pern attempt and complete the awesome task, which leads into the timeframe set to by “Skies”.

Here, three tales are woven together by Anne in an interesting mix: one, Pern suffers a major disaster when a asteroid enters Pern’s atmosphere and crashes into its Eastern Sea. This heightens their concern over other ‘falling objects’ other than Thread, and once more it is up to the Dragonriders to come up with a solution; one of detection and one of what to do when another space-object is about to collide with the planet!

Second, in spite of all the benefits of AIVAS’s knowledge brought to Pern – most of it lost technology that the original colonists had – a plotting group of people called ‘Abominators’ want to return Pern to the period before the computer was discovered. Feeling such things born of the AIVAS are ‘abominations’, they set about a campaign to spread disinformation to the populace, while at the same time using terror tactics and protests to make the leaders of Pern turn back the wheels of progress.

Lastly, woven through this is a story about the son of the leaders of the Dragonrider’s principal weyr, Flessan. Born of F’lar and Lessa (two of Anne’s signature characters), he is a wingleader that has taken up holding a lone ‘Weyrhold’ called Honshu. He takes a hand in helping to solve the first thread’s problems, while at the same time finding himself involved in a budding relationship with a green-rider named Tai. Tai, a new character to the world of Pern, may have the keys that Flessan and the rest of Pern’s dragonriders need to assure their future and that of the planets.

Overall, Anne has continued to bring new and exciting things out of her Pern Universe. Fans had been waiting eagerly for “Skies”, and this book does not disappoint. The three plots are woven together very well, and doesn’t leave the reader thinking that something was mishandled or missed in the mix. Many of the older characters are shown in the pages of this story: F’lar, Lessa, Lord Holders Jaxom and Groge, and the Harpers Menolly and Sebell. Some other new characters are brought in to support the ‘old guard’, chief among them being Tai – who turns out to be the perfect partner for Flessan. One other character worthy of mention is an old Lady Seaholder, whom I have a sneaking suspicion that closely resembles the author herself (if only in spirit, naturally).

A few flaws can only be found in a few typos that made it by the publisher, but overall this is an excellent continuation of the Pern story and its universe. Not once was I left scratching my head or thinking something wasn’t working here.

In short, this is a great book and any true fan of Anne’s work shouldn’t miss to add this to their collection or library. Being that Anne has been with us since before the middle of the 20^th Century, it’s a treat to still have her with us at the start of the 21^st Century, amazing us with her talent and style. Here’s to as many more opportunities, Anne! Keep up the good work!

Title: Skies of Pern, The
Review: (out of 5 stars) 5.00
Author: McCaffrey, Anne
Cover Art: Edwards, Les
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballentine
Cost: USA - $23.00 CAN - $38.00
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0345434684

Off the Shelf

Book Reviews by Stephen Sobotka Jr.

The Skies of Pern