una_10bananas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
draeprice's review against another edition
3.0
This trilogy is confusing and wanders all over. It's hard to keep track of the main character. But it sorted itself out a bit at the end.
clockworkbee's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Todd definitely doesn’t have his Mom’s talent. The characters were barely described and never fleshed out. I found it hard to care if any of them died. Kindan is a Mary Sue, but with zero talent. No idea why everyone fawns over him. The plot sounded interesting but it couldn’t fulfill that promise of potential.
xeni's review against another edition
Forget this book and anything written by Todd McCaffrey. And I think I'm done with Pern for a while, since it seems I read anything decent in that world.
ph_vulgar's review against another edition
2.0
Much like its characters, which have to deal with a plague, this book too suffers from something debilitating and deadly.
Unfinished-ness.
From the very beginning the book is striking in its emptiness. There is nothing here for a long time reader to grind their teeth on. Every aspect of the writing is either minimal, bare bones, or has been covered better in prior books.
The first chapter is liable to confuse readers as it focuses, in a limited third person perspective, on one boy and provides no hint that another, Kindan, is the books true protagonist. This makes the transition between chapters 1 and 2 jarring and confusing.
Adding to the confusion is a veritable letter soup of names. These characters are thrown at us in the first two chapters with little description or preamble.
In fact, if there is one thing the book does most horribly wrong it is description. Mainly, the fact that there is none. Reading this book I could tell you that the Harper Hall has some Apprentice dormitories, and Fort Hold a Great Hall. What these locations (or any locations in the book) look like I couldn't tell you. The book NEVER describes. It mentions things but never elaborates, never pontificates, leaving all events to occur in a vague white space of slightly differing locales.
The one thing the book does tell us are the characters, but that's not a good thing. We are TOLD that a certain character likes to draw, for example, but never once in the story do they do so nor do other characters comment on their work. I subscribe to the adage: "Show, don't tell." And the book is as far away from following it that one can possibly be without cutting out dialogue entirely.
Speaking of the dialogue, it's unique. By which I mean that if I took out all the 'he saids' and 'she saids,' and just placed names in front of every line of text there would be little change in the text. THAT is how little description and prose can be found in this book.
The lack of any text describing setting, emotion, actions, etc. leads to the creation of a whirlwind of activity where characters move from place to place because someone somewhere said so. There is no depth here, no introspection for either the reader or the characters. No growth, no development. The few characters that do exhibit some of those two are forced and rushed through those changes since there is no descriptive text of them changing. This makes their shift in standing and behavior jarring.
All of these things together make me feel like this is NOT a book. This is, perhaps, a second draft. A manuscript that COULD be a good book if the author(s) had spent even another year actually WRITING some prose into it.
2 Stars. Barely. Because its bad, but not just yet horrible enough for 1.
Unfinished-ness.
From the very beginning the book is striking in its emptiness. There is nothing here for a long time reader to grind their teeth on. Every aspect of the writing is either minimal, bare bones, or has been covered better in prior books.
The first chapter is liable to confuse readers as it focuses, in a limited third person perspective, on one boy and provides no hint that another, Kindan, is the books true protagonist. This makes the transition between chapters 1 and 2 jarring and confusing.
Adding to the confusion is a veritable letter soup of names. These characters are thrown at us in the first two chapters with little description or preamble.
In fact, if there is one thing the book does most horribly wrong it is description. Mainly, the fact that there is none. Reading this book I could tell you that the Harper Hall has some Apprentice dormitories, and Fort Hold a Great Hall. What these locations (or any locations in the book) look like I couldn't tell you. The book NEVER describes. It mentions things but never elaborates, never pontificates, leaving all events to occur in a vague white space of slightly differing locales.
The one thing the book does tell us are the characters, but that's not a good thing. We are TOLD that a certain character likes to draw, for example, but never once in the story do they do so nor do other characters comment on their work. I subscribe to the adage: "Show, don't tell." And the book is as far away from following it that one can possibly be without cutting out dialogue entirely.
Speaking of the dialogue, it's unique. By which I mean that if I took out all the 'he saids' and 'she saids,' and just placed names in front of every line of text there would be little change in the text. THAT is how little description and prose can be found in this book.
The lack of any text describing setting, emotion, actions, etc. leads to the creation of a whirlwind of activity where characters move from place to place because someone somewhere said so. There is no depth here, no introspection for either the reader or the characters. No growth, no development. The few characters that do exhibit some of those two are forced and rushed through those changes since there is no descriptive text of them changing. This makes their shift in standing and behavior jarring.
All of these things together make me feel like this is NOT a book. This is, perhaps, a second draft. A manuscript that COULD be a good book if the author(s) had spent even another year actually WRITING some prose into it.
2 Stars. Barely. Because its bad, but not just yet horrible enough for 1.
tigermuffin's review against another edition
2.0
It has been a long time since I've read an Anne McCaffrey book. I really liked them but this one, meh. Maybe it's the book, maybe I've had too much time between.
thebookcoyote's review against another edition
2.0
This book did not impress me. What was the point? I didn't care about the characters at all, and some of it felt overly detailed - it was a chore to read at times. And what the heck was with the end?
roklobster's review against another edition
3.0
More comfort reading. It lacked the emotional depth of Moreta, but was still an interesting read. It explored more of how the Halls and Holds worked. But for a pandemic, one that felled 20-30% of the population, perhaps more people we knew and were emotionally invested in should have died. Not that I advocate for main character death, but this was supposed to be happening to Kinden and while he helped at Fort Hold for the duration of the sickness, it really LACKED in the emotional trauma a pandemic would inspire. Especially since one of the persons to die is supposed to be having a huge emotional impact on Kindan.
But like I said, comfort reading. Pern is my comfort food, literary style.
But like I said, comfort reading. Pern is my comfort food, literary style.