Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | SCI_FI FANTASY MCC | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
For millions of readers the world over, the name Pern is magical, conjuring up grand vistas of a distant planet whose blue skies are patrolled by brave dragons and their noble riders, a paradise threatened by the periodic fall of deadly Thread. But not all dangers descend from the skies. Now, in their third collaboration, Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd McCaffrey, spin a tale of a mysterious illness that may succeed in doing what centuries of Threadfall could not: kill every last human on Pern. Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa's defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram--a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship. Meanwhile, in nearby Fort Hold, a clutch of fire-lizard eggs is about to hatch, and Lord Bemin's beautiful young daughter, Koriana, is determined to Impress one of the delightful creatures. At the hatching, Kindan Impresses a fire-lizard of his own . . . and wins the heart of Koriana. But Lord Bemin mistrusts harpers and will not hear of a match between his daughter and the low-born Kindan. Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly. Arising suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the contagion decimates hold after hold, paying no heed to distinctions of birth. In this feverish crucible, friendship and love will be tested to the breaking point and beyond. For with Threadfall scant years away, the Dragonriders dare not expose themselves to infection, and it will fall to Kindan and his fellow apprentices to bravely search for a cure and save humanity. The price of failure is unthinkable. But the price of success may be even harder to bear.
Author Notes
Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926. She received a degree in Slavonic languages from Radcliffe College. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952.
Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967. She is a well-known author of over 100 books, mostly science fiction, including the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Crystal Singer series, Acorna's Children series, The Twins of Petaybee series, and Barque Cats series. She won numerous awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novella for the short story Weyr Search in 1968 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Dragonrider in 1969. In 2006, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. She died of a stroke on November 21, 2011 at the age of 85.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
As a terrible plague sweeps Pern, a brave Harper apprentice emerges as a true hero in this satisfying third collaboration between McCaffrey mere and fils (after 2006's Dragon's Fire). The danger this time is not the deadly Thread but a virulent disease, similar to our world's 1918 influenza epidemic or the more recent outbreaks of SARS. Kindan, a young apprentice of the Harpers' Guild who's dedicated to music, education and healing, had hoped to become a dragonrider, but failed to bond with a dragon at the last hatching. Then his education and budding romance with a lord's daughter are disrupted by the epidemic, which poses a particular threat to the dragons and dragonriders who will be needed to fight the approaching Thread. The McCaffreys depict the crisis vividly, with enough detail to make the tragedy all too real and with enough hope to keep fantasy fans happy. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
In the equally captivating sequel to Dragon's Fire (2006), a deadly flu plague sweeps the planet Pern, decimating the populace as thousands die. Young Kinden, now an apprentice at Harper Hall, takes center stage as he is charged with searching the archives for information about former plagues in the hopes of finding a way to halt it. In the process, he realizes that the Dragonriders can not be allowed to help because a lethal Thread fall is not far off, and if the Dragonriders fall prey to the illness, there will be no one to fight the Thread. There has to be another way to attack the pestilence. The authors have obviously done their research on epidemics, and the virulence of the fast-moving illness and its devastation are completely convincing. The McCaffreys are well known for their brilliant characterizations, and they do not disappoint here. Kinden's coming-of-age saga set within the dangers facing Pern is particularly impressive, and, as usual, the interrelationships between humans and dragons are a main attraction. Definitely a welcome addition to the Pern canon.--Estes, Sally Copyright 2007 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-This third collaboration takes readers to Pern during an outbreak of a particularly virulent flu. Kindan, a young harper, uncovers danger in old records; many years before, a similar epidemic caused 20 years' worth of damage, leaving Weyrs and Holds undermanned. With the next Threadfall only 12 years away, the dragonriders cannot risk bringing the disease to the Weyrs. But without the riders' help, will there even be enough holders left to defend in a dozen years? Kindan faces the unenviable task of finding a solution that protects everyone. Dragon Harper is as much a story of his coming-of-age and taking his place in society as an adult as it is a medical adventure. Many references to events and characters from previous volumes limits the audience to those familiar with the series, but Pern has many fans.-Susan Salpini, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Library Journal Review
This sequel to Dragon's Kin and Dragon's Fire is the third collaboration between the -McCaffreys. The story finds young Kindan, an apprentice in the Harper's Guild (craftsmen in musicianship, education, and healing), coming of age and falling in puppy love. Though interested in him, Koriana is a royal-daughter to the Lord holder; as a commoner, Kindan doesn't stand a chance. In any event, the nascent romance is interrupted by an epidemic-level plague in which Kindan and his fellow apprentices frantically search through past records for clues to help with a cure, and in doing so Kindan learns that the dragonriders must not expose themselves to sickness so that they may live to fight the coming Threadfall (deadly, ticker tape-like space spores). While narrator Susan Ericksen uses her soothing voice evenly, the overall effect is as flat as it is lulling. This series has a loyal fan base, but the quality of the past few titles has reached a co)nsistent low; this can only be recommended for large libraries where prior Pern titles returned high circulation figures.-Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
CHAPTER I Put this on," D'vin said to Cristov as they rushed to the Hatching Grounds. The white robe was the traditional garb for candidates, as every child on Pern knew from the Teaching Ballads. Cristov suddenly realized that his heart was racing, his throat dry. In not much longer than it took D'vin's bronze dragon to go between--no more time than it took to cough three times--Cristov went from being a miner recovering from an injury to being a candidate for a Hatching. This can't be happening, he thought. It should have been Pellar. Pellar was the mute Harper who had rescued Cristov when his mine had collapsed, had saved Cristov when Tenim had purposely exploded the old firestone mine, and who had had a fire-lizard before Tenim's hunting bird had killed it--and had nearly killed Pellar, as well. Pellar deserved to be a candidate . . . but Pellar had insisted upon remaining at the newly named Fire Hold to help the young holdless girl, Halla, manage the Shunned of Pern to redeem their honor by mining the firestone of Pern. "Cristov!" The voice, close by his ear, startled him. "You're here! Excellent!" Cristov's eyes widened as he recognized Kindan. Turns back, he and Kindan had been enemies. Back then, Cristov had despised watch-whers, just as he'd been taught by his father. Kindan's father had been a wherhandler, a person bonded to the ugly night-loving creatures who were only distant cousins to the great dragons that protected Pern. Infected by his father's attitudes, Cristov had despised Kindan, and they'd fought many times as youngsters. In the end, however, Cristov had realized that it was Kindan who had been right and his father who had been wrong--and Cristov had found himself, at an early age, making a grown man's choice and doing what was right instead of what was expected. He'd even come to regard the ugly watch-whers with respect bordering on awe. And now he greeted Kindan with a huge grin. Kindan saw the robe clasped in Cristov's hand and his eyebrows rose. He held up his hand and showed Cristov that he, too, had the white robe of a candidate. "Great, we can go together," he said to Cristov, as he pulled his robe over his head and tied it with the white belt. "I thought you wanted to be a harper," Cristov said in surprise. "Harpers can be dragonriders, too," Kindan replied with a big grin. "You'll be certain to Impress, after your watch-wher," Cristov said. "Probably a bronze, too!" Kindan shook his head. "I'll just be happy to Impress," he replied. "I'll leave the bronzes to you." "Cristov, Kindan, hurry!" They both turned and saw Sonia, the healer's daughter, also dressed in white robes. "Oh, I do hope that egg's a queen!" Cristov knew that Sonia had been eyeing the funnily marked egg on the Hatching Grounds for some time. Traditionally, though, the queen dragon would carefully push aside any queen eggs, and Jessala's Garirth hadn't done so. In fact, the egg looked so odd that the Weyr's healer, Sonia's father S'son, had been asked to examine it to be sure it was whole. Garirth was so old that her gold hide was a mere pale yellow, and Jessala, her rider, was so pained with age that she rarely moved from her quarters. It was entirely possible that age had caused this egg to have come out wrong somehow. But S'son had declared it fine. D'vin gestured for them to go forward, saying, "I'll watch from the stands!" Together the three moved to join the other candidates on the Hatching Grounds. There were only twenty-three eggs on the Grounds. Cristov had learned that traditionally a queen would lay as few as thirty and as many as forty or more eggs. That Garirth had lain so few was a further indication of her extreme age. Sonia, who had been examining the other candidates carefully, groaned. "There aren't enough candidates! There are only twenty boys and twenty-two eggs. And there are no other girls, either." A rush of cold air from dragon wings startled them and they turned to see a smattering of boys and girls rush forward, dressed in white robes. "Those are Benden colors," Sonia said, pointing to a dragonrider waving in the distance. "B'ralar must have sent for them." "It's M'tal!" Kindan exclaimed, waving excitedly to the Benden Weyrleader. M'tal waved back and gave him a thumbs-up for good luck. "What if one of the Benden girls Impresses the queen?" Cristov asked. "She'll stay here," Sonia said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she found herself Weyrwoman at the moment of Hatching." She cast a worried look at Garirth, whose head lolled listlessly on the ground beyond them. "I think Garirth and Jessala are only waiting for the hatchlings before they go between forever; they're both so tired with age." Excerpted from Dragon Harper by Anne McCaffrey, Todd J. McCaffrey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
