Dragonsdawn (Paperback)

Dragonsdawn has long been on my 'to read again' list and finally, as I settled comfortably and began to read it, I remembered why. The sheer scale of McCaffrey's creation really becomes apparent in this volume - in Dragonflight and the books telling of the later history of Pern, most of the action is concerned with the dragons and their riders. Not so in this. In fact, they only completely steal the limelight in the final half of the book! Fans of the dragons shouldn't be too disappointed though - having read a few of the others before this I was pleased to see where some of the place names originated from, and fascinated by the rich detail and scientific crediblity of Pern. And the build up to the dragons is very satisfying - makes it all worth the wait! :-)

In this book you get a much broader view of the beginnings of human life on Pern, how the culture was established, where certain elements found in other books originate from (examples including klah and agenothree) and - well, the detail and imagination just grabbed my attention!

The characters that emerge in the book - some prominent from the beginning, others coming into play later on - are well crafted and evoked a huge range of feelings in me, from sympathy and amusement to abject dislike. Also, although the recommended reading order places Dragonsdawn far along the list, I don't think a prior knowledge of the skills and purposes of the dragons and their riders, indeed even Pern, is essential. It paves the way for further reading, and stands alone as a classic in the series.

McCaffrey is a skilled and inspiring writer and this book is a pleasure to read, one that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the Dragon Series with the desire to broaden the view a bit and look at how human life on Pern began.

I could not put the book down, I read it in the metro, while eating, even at work, and when I finished it tears were in my eyes, and let me tell you I don't often cry reading books! I woke up at night having dreamt of Pern, and I lay awake thinking of what I had read, what I would do in the place of the various heroes and how I would love to have a dragon all of my own! The story held me breathless, as I watched the settlers, a truly multicultural & multiethnic group, try to establish their utopia, only to see it destroyed by the mysterious Thread, and then gather all their courage and establish it again, more magical and richer than they even dreamed, thanks to Kiti Ping and her dragons! Amazing book, so full of hope and faith to the strength of the human spirit!

The only reason why I do not give the book five stars is the very bad editor. Many mistakes, inexcusably too many, most characteristic and annoying of which was the continuous reference to Sallah Telgar as he, or as Mr. I hope if there is a new edition, this will be corrected. Also, I missed a map of the southern continent, with the main landmarks and the original settlements presented in detail.

All in all, a very satisfying book! If you love getting lost in beautiful worlds so like and yet so unlike ours, read it! Thank you, Ms McCaffrey, for creating for us such a magical place where we can escape from the fatigue and the horrors of our world.