β Scribed by Anne McCaffrey; Todd McCaffrey
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Starred Review. The torch has been passed and burns more brightly than ever in this latest chapter of the venerable Pern saga, the first of what one hopes will be many solo efforts by the son of series creator Anne McCaffrey (Dragons of Pern). The narrative shifts smoothly between Wind Blossom, one of the original colonists of Pern, who's struggling to create a legacy for future generations before she dies, and Lorana, a young dragonrider born 450 years later with unusual talents for healing and telepathy. A genuinely spellbinding set of time travel puzzles and paradoxes is set against the moving backdrop of two populations struggling to survive: the children of the colonists, learning to live in a new world as they lose the technology of the old one, and the dragons of Lorana's time, who are dying of a mysterious plague just when they're needed to protect Pern. The strength of the two women and the mysterious connection between them is gradually revealed through a number of surprising and sometimes heartbreaking parallel occurrences. This stand-alone tale fits beautifully into the existing history and style of earlier books while still breaking new ground. Despite being geared toward the existing fan base, it will be quite accessible to new readers. In her introduction, the elder McCaffrey writes, "son, you done did good and me proud!" Even the most nepotism-wary will concur and eagerly look forward to the next installment. FYI:McCaffrey co-wrote the previous Pern novel, Dragon's Kin (2003), with his mother.
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After coauthoring Dragon's Kin [BKL S 15 03] with his mother, Anne, McCaffrey smoothly accepts the torch from her to further chronicle the world of the Dragonriders of Pern, her most famous creation. The story alternates between two times--the immediate present, more than 500 turns since the first landing on Pern, and 400 turns earlier, when geneticist Wind Blossom, whose mother had created the dragons, was still alive. The situation in the later period is dire: thread is falling, and the dragons are sickening and dying. Only Wind Blossom can save the dragons, and that seems impossible. Time is the literal cure, however, and making the impossible possible is the bond that Lorana, a marvelous young woman of the present, makes with Wind Blossom by reaching back in time to come up with the cure. McCaffrey convincingly spins a dramatic, thoroughly captivating tale, steeped in the lore and well-drawn characterizations of the people and the dragons for which the Pern novels are prized. Fans old and new will be delighted by his continuance of a beloved saga. Sally Estes
Copyright Β© American Library Association. All rights reserved
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
In Dragon's Kin, bestselling author Anne McCaffrey did the unthinkable: for the first time ever, she invited another writer to join her in the skies of her most famous fictional creation. That writer was her son, Todd McCaffrey. Together, they penned a triumphant new chapter in the annals of the ext
**βThis is Pern, in the hands of a new master-grade harper. . . . May the saga continue!β βDavid Weber,_New York Times_ bestselling author of *The Shadow of Saganami*** A mysterious epidemic is striking dragons, and the next deadly cycle of Threadfall is only days away. Somehow, dragonrider Lorana
In Dragon's Kin, bestselling author Anne McCaffrey did the unthinkable: for the first time ever, she invited another writer to join her in the skies of her most famous fictional creation. That writer was her son, Todd McCaffrey. Together, they penned a triumphant new chapter in the annals of the ext