Reviews

Dragondrums by Anne McCaffrey

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aradne's review against another edition

2.0

This is the only series by Anne McCaffrey that I've yet read.Some amount of words were spent on pointing out events in other of her books, but which made little sense to me as a newcomer.

The first two of the series were good in plot and characters, if a little under-written. (It's nearly impossible to keep track of 9 fire lizards, and it's the sort of detail that my mind strays to.) This third book is the least of the series, however, as Menolly is only a supporting character, which I failed to realize until the end.

While I do recommend the first two books in this series, I only suggest reading Dragondrums for some amount of closure on Menolly's life in Harper Hall.

defiantfalcon's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

3.0

stephen11's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

saunteringvaguelydownward's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

mdpenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-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

3.0

This would have been better read directly after Dragon Singer and before The White Dragon: it would have benefited from the goodwill from my enjoyment of the former and maybe fleshed out Piemer's rather annoying character in the latter and made him more sympathetic. That said, Piemer wasn't that great of a character, being rather self-serving. He wasn't totally unpleasant, but he wasn't that interesting, either. The story wasn't a bad hero's journey, but it also didn't bring much to the world of Pern beyond resolving some issues with Nabol Hold that I hadn't really cared that much about and that become moot in The White Dragon, anyway. It breaks canon slightly by making queen fire lizard eggs identifiable, which is mildly annoying but not that big of a deal. Really, everything in it is very plot-driven, from Piemer's character to the queen eggs to Robinton's ruthlessness. There was even a gratuitous bit of sex and romance that didn't fit in with the story at all that I suppose was intended to give a little background for the two characters to be an item in The White Dragon. Overall, this was somewhat enjoyable, if mediocre. I'll probably rest with the series here since it isn't really exciting me right now and half the books that I've read have been rather mid, but that doesn't mean that I won't eventually come back to read some of the other books.

erine's review against another edition

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4.0

Now that Menolly has achieved her dearest dream, the series shifts to Piemur and his troubles. A sweet voice in a young man only lasts so long, and Piemur's has finally broken. While this means the loss of a choice part in his next major performance, it also heralds the beginning of new adventures for Piemur -- a reassignment to the drum heights and new responsibilities running messages and acting as a low-level spy in the Masterharper's operation.