A Review: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey is a giant in SciFi/Fantasy. And her novel Dragonflight, published in 1968, is the starting point of one of the most prominent post-LOTR series in the genre. Naturally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give her work a try.
Summary
It has been four hundred years since the Thread last rained down upon the world of Pern. Men have lost their fear of the threat, abandoning the traditions set to protect them from infestation. But F’lar, a Dragonman and wingleader of his Weyr, still believes in the old ways. And all the signs point to the return of the Thread. F’lar meets Lessa, the last remaining descendant of a fallen, noble family, and together they must uncover the mystery of the empty Weyrs before Threadfall.
Review
Like any great high fantasy, worldbuilding is a key element of the story. The title of the novel is in no way a misnomer. Dragons are prominently featured, communicate telepathically, and penetrate many facets of the lives of the main characters. And, in a very Stormlight Archive way, this world is shaped by its environment—particularly the Tread and their origins from the Pern’s star system’s Oort cloud. And while McCaffrey herself insisted that the story is SciFi, there is little about the story that points to this other than the deep history of her world. At best—and this is a compliment—it’s a very successful SciFi-Fantasy crossover.
The characters, however, were not my cup of klah. The narrative spent more time with F’lar than I would have liked. While his character was likely in line with his culture, I found him to be off-putting, especially in his treatment of Lessa. The man “took her shoulders and shook her” so many times that Lessa actually made a joke about it. There is a romance element between the main characters, but I didn’t feel the chemistry. And while Lessa was more palatable to me, her personality didn’t quite feel complete. These characters may have worked better for me when I was younger, but I don’t think they’re the characters I’m searching for right now.
The plot and ending itself were successful. And though it contains an element I don’t generally enjoy (I won’t mention it for fear that I will spoil a big reveal), the author handled it cleverly. Not only does it open up a whole realm of possibilities for the series going forward, but for people who particularly love the element that I don’t, it’ll be the perfect way to experience this trope within a setting that doesn’t often see it.
Is Dragonflight Worth Reading?
At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll be returning to Pern. The worldbuilding of the story is the primary element that still has me curious to give the second entry a try, but I found the characters uninteresting enough that I’m not itching to be back in their heads. For now, the series will be on the back burner.
