How many Pern books have you read?

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Tiffany

I like all the Pern books, even the ones about holders & other people who live there.
I think you would like The Master Harper if you haven't already read it. It's the story of Robinton.

I agree, I have loved all of them that I have read. I have a few in my TBR pile, I think the ones her son is involved with and I will get around to them I am sure. I thought the The Master Harper was excellent.

[Parson]

Originally Posted by kythe

Parson said: The first 3 and that was 1 too many.

Why do you say this? (If you're still around, I realize this post is over a year old).

First, this Parson is nothing if not dependable. Second, not only is the post a year old, it's been at least 10 years since I read the books. At my age memory gets a little fuzzy (okay, sometimes more than a little). I read Pern books because I love a lot of what Anne McCaffrey writes. I love a lot of SF, but I read very little Fantasy. I felt the series was degenerating (no offense meant) into Fantasy. I realize Anne insists on calling it SF, but if walks like duck and quacks like a duck you're going to have a hard time telling me it's not a duck.

However, my years (it has been years though hardly seems like it) here have broadened my horizons a bit; or perhaps I'm mellowing in my old age. Anyway, I just finished reading Goblin Moon by our own Teresa Edgerton, which I rather liked. I would read a follow up to it.

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by Timba

I agree, I have loved all of them that I have read. I have a few in my TBR pile, I think the ones her son is involved with and I will get around to them I am sure. I thought the The Master Harper was excellent.

Todd isn't bad. Of course he is a slightly different writer, (being male for a start), than the late great Anne, but he is similar. He has the right idea.

[Triceratops]

I read The White Dragon, if that is considered one of them and I was completely blown away by how damn good it was. Dragons portrayed like never or ever before!

Chris

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by Triceratops

I read The White Dragon, if that is considered one of them and I was completely blown away by how damn good it was. Dragons portrayed like never or ever before!

Chris

Yes, that is most deffinately a Pern novel & one of the best. If I remember correctly Anne won an award for that book.

[hopewrites]

Originally Posted by Parson

First, this Parson is nothing if not dependable. Second, not only is the post a year old, it's been at least 10 years since I read the books. At my age memory gets a little fuzzy (okay, sometimes more than a little). I read Pern books because I love a lot of what Anne McCaffrey writes. I love a lot of SF, but I read very little Fantasy. I felt the series was degenerating (no offense meant) into Fantasy. I realize Anne insists on calling it SF, but if walks like duck and quacks like a duck you're going to have a hard time telling me it's not a duck.

However, my years (it has been years though hardly seems like it) here have broadened my horizons a bit; or perhaps I'm mellowing in my old age. Anyway, I just finished reading Goblin Moon by our own Teresa Edgerton, which I rather liked. I would read a follow up to it.

I would agree with you, in so far as you say they are fantasy not sci-fi. I, however, read almost exclusively fantasy, never having really picked up a taste for sci-fi. I think the pro-logs are the only sci-fi- bits she has in there.
speaking of her prologs...
did anyone else notice that they are not copy past of each other, but only by a word or two each time???

[Timba]

Originally Posted by hopewrites

I would agree with you, in so far as you say they are fantasy not sci-fi. I, however, read almost exclusively fantasy, never having really picked up a taste for sci-fi. I think the pro-logs are the only sci-fi- bits she has in there.
speaking of her prologs...
did anyone else notice that they are not copy past of each other, but only by a word or two each time???

I have to disagree, they seem a blend of scifi and fantasy to me. As the story develops we find out about how the people of Pern came to be there, how they developed the dragons (certainly gene manipulation on this scale would be scifi and not fantasy and traveling by spaceship to another planet also). Eventually we uncover and meet the highly advanced computer (possibly AI although I cannot say for sure as it has been awhile since I read these books).

I would agree that the basic storyline is more fantasy although certainly there is no magic involved but I guess dragons (even man made dragons) and essentially an agrarian/feudal type society setting are right square in the fantasy genre but it still seems to be to be an interesting blending.

[Timba]

Originally Posted by Tiffany

Todd isn't bad. Of course he is a slightly different writer, (being male for a start), than the late great Anne, but he is similar. He has the right idea.

Good to know, I suspect my concerns about him are why I have pushed them to the bottom of the pile over time. Perhaps it is time for a full reread and then a dive into the few I have not yet read.

[Tiffany]

Originally Posted by Timba

I have to disagree, they seem a blend of scifi and fantasy to me. As the story develops we find out about how the people of Pern came to be there, how they developed the dragons (certainly gene manipulation on this scale would be scifi and not fantasy and traveling by spaceship to another planet also). Eventually we uncover and meet the highly advanced computer (possibly AI although I cannot say for sure as it has been awhile since I read these books).

I would agree that the basic storyline is more fantasy although certainly there is no magic involved but I guess dragons (even man made dragons) and essentially an agrarian/feudal type society setting are right square in the fantasy genre but it still seems to be to be an interesting blending.

I would say fantasy for the most part, as the books, to start with anyway, are set on one planet, until the people of Pern discover the buried ships in the Southern continent & by uncovering those discover the computer, AIVAS & it's abilities & their history, then the books start to become Sci-Fi. A mix of both I'd say.
Anne did write Sci-Fi too. The Ship Who Sang etc.

[Memnoch]

I have never read one! Yet in my youth was always drawn to them, YET seemed to buy/read something else, I wouldn't know where to start nowadays and wonder how I would find them??

How would you sum up the writing style/quality? Age aimed at? As my tastes have sadly matured. I say sadly because my youthful wonder at fantasy as a whole, has been replaced with a more cynical critique as I read new material now . . . sigh.

[Grimward]

Couldn't make it thru the first one. Not my thing, I guess.

[Parson]

Originally Posted by Tiffany

I would say fantasy for the most part, as the books, to start with anyway, are set on one planet, until the people of Pern discover the buried ships in the Southern continent & by uncovering those discover the computer, AIVAS & it's abilities & their history, then the books start to become Sci-Fi. A mix of both I'd say.
Anne did write Sci-Fi too. The Ship Who Sang etc.

I loved the Crystal Singer series. But I did not know that Pern eventually had computers? space ships?!! Another pat answer of the Parson's goes by the boards. I stopped reading with "The White Dragon."

[hopewrites]

I left off with the (spoiler death of AVIS and Robertion) All my favorite characters seemed to be going separate ways and settling into "mundane" lives, which got me thinking it was time to head home to earth and do the same. or something like.
PS @ Parson- you left off one book before Avis showed up (He's the AI mentioned above [though I've probably spelled his name wrong] that helps the Pernies discover their past, and a way to achieve their dearest hopes for the future.)

[pyan]

Originally Posted by hopewrites

one book before Avis showed up (He's the AI mentioned above [though I've probably spelled his name wrong]

You're close - it's AIVAS: Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System.

Did you know that Pern itself is an acronym, too? It was taken from the title of the first survey of the planet, coded P.E.R.N. - Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible.

The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

Sadly, only one Pern book, the singular one I bought second hand years ago-The White Dragon. (I never was able to find any of its predecessors, since I tend not to shop new due to monetary concerns.) But I had come across some others just a couple years back and looked through them and didn't really find them all that interesting, really. I guess it's because of characters I wasn't used to, and also the fact that if The White Dragon had had any real impact on the world, that it was guiding in a shift towards technological science fiction rather than non-technological fantasy; of course, anyone is welcome to tell me otherwise on that issue.


(Yes, I do like my readings to be a little on the primitive side, for the most part. Not to say there aren't great ones that aren't, though.)