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jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Yes old school sci-fi so there are some dated themes but the story, the astronomy, the ritualism, and the dragons are amazing. Also, this book (published in 1968) tackles gender roles, faith, respecting and expanding upon tradition, and the "girl" (she's a grown woman) saves the day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexism, and Sexual assault
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I have no way to rate this book. It is deeply nostalgic for me - a series I read initially in middle school and inspired my childhood love for sci-fi and fantasy - and also very much of its time. McCaffrey is the mother of modern-day fantasy romance dragon lore and should get credit for it! It was fascinating to reread and see where she is pushing the boundaries for female characters - and where even these moments still fall short for a modern reader. New readers should check content warnings before going in, and expect vintage 60s sci-fi dragons with a touch of bodice-ripper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
Sexual encounters between the main characters are largely described as "dragon-roused" and nonconsensual. The male main character explicitly describes their sex as rape at one point in the narrative, suggesting she was not "warming up" to him. It is important to note that all sex scenes are implied and entirely closed door so there is NO graphic sexual assault on page (I wouldn't even call this fade-to-black, there is no explicit sex or intimacy beyond kissing on page). The alpha male and tempestuous/feisty female locked together by convenience who must grow to like each other is the foundation for the bodice rippers that would come in following decades and will feel familiar to readers of old-school romance. And a note on fatphobia: consistent with other books of this time period, fat characters are consistently described as either villainous or lazy/slovenly/etc. And there is a LOT of emphasis on the female main character being thin/small.onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For everyone who read Fourth Wing and thought that the part where dragons mating leading to their human partners mating was interesting—let me introduce you to the OG.
I read this a long, long time ago, and I remembered parts of it being problematic, but I was curious to see how I'd feel about it now. And you know what, the problematic parts were still problematic. But the story and the world are just as interesting as they were when I read them the first time.
Instead of the conflict in this story being people at war with each other, the people are at war with their environment. That doesn't mean that there's no politics or in-fighting, because all of that exists, but it lends a different dynamic to it when one of the parties is in charge of protecting the entire planet. At the beginning of the book, the dragonriders have lost credibility in Pern, because the threat that they exist to fight hasn't been seen for 400 years. This leads to the different towns abandoning the agreements that have always been in place to support the Weyrs. Lessa is thrown into this chaos when F'lar decides she would make a good Weyrwoman. Through her, we slowly begin to piece together how the world functions, and to unravel all the mysteries we've been introduced to.
The strength of this book is really in the story it's telling, and not so much the characters or relationships. Yes, the bond between dragons and humans is cool, and it does get explored quite a bit, but I spent far more time being intrigued by the world and the Threads than the humans. There also isn't a romance to root for, even though one does develop between Lessa and F'lar eventually. Their relationship starts off extremely contentious, however, and it makes it hard to root for them as a couple, or for F'lar as a love interest specifically. There are multiple instances where he talks down to Lessa, shakes her, slaps sense into her, berates her, not to mention the implication of nonconsensual sex (fully off-page, but it is mentioned). And maybe it's a product of the time it was written in, but that doesn't make it more fun to read. Lessa is far from a doormat, though, and she gives as good as she gets at least 50% of the time. It also helps that she's the undisputed hero of this book, and her grit and determination makes it easy to root for her.
I read this a long, long time ago, and I remembered parts of it being problematic, but I was curious to see how I'd feel about it now. And you know what, the problematic parts were still problematic. But the story and the world are just as interesting as they were when I read them the first time.
Instead of the conflict in this story being people at war with each other, the people are at war with their environment. That doesn't mean that there's no politics or in-fighting, because all of that exists, but it lends a different dynamic to it when one of the parties is in charge of protecting the entire planet. At the beginning of the book, the dragonriders have lost credibility in Pern, because the threat that they exist to fight hasn't been seen for 400 years. This leads to the different towns abandoning the agreements that have always been in place to support the Weyrs. Lessa is thrown into this chaos when F'lar decides she would make a good Weyrwoman. Through her, we slowly begin to piece together how the world functions, and to unravel all the mysteries we've been introduced to.
The strength of this book is really in the story it's telling, and not so much the characters or relationships. Yes, the bond between dragons and humans is cool, and it does get explored quite a bit, but I spent far more time being intrigued by the world and the Threads than the humans. There also isn't a romance to root for, even though one does develop between Lessa and F'lar eventually. Their relationship starts off extremely contentious, however, and it makes it hard to root for them as a couple, or for F'lar as a love interest specifically. There are multiple instances where he talks down to Lessa, shakes her, slaps sense into her, berates her, not to mention the implication of nonconsensual sex (fully off-page, but it is mentioned). And maybe it's a product of the time it was written in, but that doesn't make it more fun to read. Lessa is far from a doormat, though, and she gives as good as she gets at least 50% of the time. It also helps that she's the undisputed hero of this book, and her grit and determination makes it easy to root for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Fatphobia and Rape
afantasysky's review against another edition
adventurous
3.0
First book of 2024! Dragonflight was the January pick for a book club I go to and I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise.
It was a super interesting discussion with it being a childhood favourite for some and completely new to others. We had a range of loved to hated but everyone agreed that the gender politics, relationship dynamic and fatphobia in particular were big problems. For those that loved it, it was the first example of SFF with a strong female hero with agency that they had ever read and that made it a really special series for them.
Once I got into the story, I actually had a lot of fun. The prose at the beginning is a bit hard to get into with lots of over the top word choices but later on it's better. I was very much enjoying being in the the dragons and dragon riders. I flew through the second half. Unfortunately I couldn't ignore the problematic elements and I constantly found it jarring every time the love interest did something like violently shake the heroine because she did something he didn't agree with. There was just so much of it, that while half of me was having fun the other half was going "excuse me, what?!" the whole time.
Saying that I did consider continuing the series, until I found out exactly how long it was. I think I'll leave this one here and just appreciate that reading let me take part in a really interesting discussion.
It was a super interesting discussion with it being a childhood favourite for some and completely new to others. We had a range of loved to hated but everyone agreed that the gender politics, relationship dynamic and fatphobia in particular were big problems. For those that loved it, it was the first example of SFF with a strong female hero with agency that they had ever read and that made it a really special series for them.
Once I got into the story, I actually had a lot of fun. The prose at the beginning is a bit hard to get into with lots of over the top word choices but later on it's better. I was very much enjoying being in the the dragons and dragon riders. I flew through the second half. Unfortunately I couldn't ignore the problematic elements and I constantly found it jarring every time the love interest did something like violently shake the heroine because she did something he didn't agree with. There was just so much of it, that while half of me was having fun the other half was going "excuse me, what?!" the whole time.
Saying that I did consider continuing the series, until I found out exactly how long it was. I think I'll leave this one here and just appreciate that reading let me take part in a really interesting discussion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse
polarbbp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
trillingconclusion's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
astropova's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual assault
spacebornfew's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Misogyny
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Domestic abuse
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