BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

PERN

This piece was designed by Michael Whelan for Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight.

"Books are the carriers of civilization.

Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled,

thought and speculation at a standstill.

They are engines of change, windows on the world,

lighthouses erected in the sea of time."

Barbara W. Tuchman

  

I've decided in order to properly represent the "bookworm" part of my blog, I will post a book recommendation/review/critique every week or every couple weeks (and maybe throw in a couple posts about writing). Keep in mind these are my opinions alone and do not necessarily mean everyone will enjoy the books I decide to recommend. Reading is beautiful precisely for the reason that people's tastes are so varied and diverse and there's something out there for everyone. That being said, keep in mind I will pull largely from Fantasy, Sci-fi, YA, Dystopian, Apocalyptic, and Post-Apocalyptic. There will be a few from other genres, but not many seeing as the genres mentioned before are what I mainly read.

I decided to dedicate the post today on a book series that first introduced me to the genre that would consume my reading life for the next dozen years: The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. My mom was a fan of the books, which is what first propelled me into the world of fantasy (she is classified as a Sci-fi author--but we won't get into the technicalities of genre classifications and overlaps). Anne McCaffrey is a well known and respected author in the fanatsy/sci-fi genres and has written multiple series that take place on the world of Pern. Two of my favorite books of hers include: Dragonsong, and The White Dragon.

For those of you who are not familiar with Pern, I'll give you a quick rundown (hopefully without too many spoilers). Though Anne McCaffrey is detailed in her descriptions of the world of Pern, it's inhabitants, cultural and social makeup of the different populations, the basics boil down to this: Pern is most well known for dragons and dragonriders (as you see in the depiction above). There are five kinds of dragons (color indicates rank/size): Gold (queens), Bronze (largest males who most often mate the queens), Brown (next largest males), Blue (smallest males), and Green (smallest female dragons who are infertile). There are two main continents that the books revolve around. The Southern Continent is renown for its lush jungles and grasslands but also its tectonic and volcanic instability. The Northern Continent, on the other hand, is what you might call infertile or barren, though it is far more tectonically stable. The planet is chronically plagued by what Anne McCaffrey terms "Thread," a thin, silver, stringy organism that falls from the sky and devours anything living including people, dragons, animals, and plant life. Thread is the main reason for the social and political structure of Pern. Dragons were, in a sense, domesticated and used to combat Thread by burning it, thus protecting the various populations that inhabit the planet. 

Dragonsong is the first book in the Harper Hall series and revolves around Menolly, a girl with a dream of becoming a Harper. Thwarted by her father, Menolly runs away and stumbles upon a group of fire lizards, undomesticated ancestors of the dragons. She is able to connect with the fire lizards through music and teaches nine of them to sing. The story progresses from there, but I don't want to spoil it for any who haven't read it. 

The White Dragon is the third book in the Pern series. In this book, Jaxom, the young Lord of Ruatha Hold, accidentally impressed a white dragon (not a normal dragon color) named Ruth. Jaxom grows up with the challenge of being both a Lord Holder and a dragonrider. Together, the pair battle Thread and rebel against Oldtimers who attempt to steal a golden egg. Jaxom comes down with an illness called "Fire-Head." While recuperating he discovers some mysteries of who the people of Pern call the Ancients, or the ancestors of the Pernese.

Anne McCaffrey is a master of world building. She blends fantasy and sci-fi elements seamlessly with stories of action, mystery, and drama. I think my dreams of becoming an author began with reading her books. Her spin on dragons is unique and fresh. Keep in mind this series was begun in 1967, so the writing style will be different from modern fantasy books (especially from the increasing popular YA fantasy genre). But that didn't stop me from enjoying them wholeheartedly. There is a special place in my memories for these books.

Feel free to comment about either your opinion about Anne McCaffrey's books or books that have made an impact on your life.

And just as a little side note, my flight to Korea is booked!!! I leave early Wednesday morning and will arrive in Korea Thursday evening. Isn't it exciting?! Keep an eye out for my first post from Korea (and many, many pictures)!

"It is what you read when you don't have to

that determines what you will be when you can't help it."

Oscar Wilde