I was really delighted to be starting in on another Anne McCaffery book after too long away. As a child, I sort of looked down my nose at McCaffery's escapist simplicity, but as an adult, I find I love it (at least, as a change of pace), and I no longer believe that grittiness necessarily equates to realism. I also no longer believe that I could write such a happy world if I tried.Because Pern is a happy world. A kind of STAR TREK:TOS with dragons. The good people are noble and true and hardworking. The bad are few and far between and immediately recognizable by their shittiness and all-around douchebaggery.So I didn't mind that we spent three solid chapters at the beginning doing nothing more than dressing for a party, going to a party, and dancing the night away (also drinking and flirting.) But my interest flagged when-- the book stopped being about Moreta.I should note here that the "Moreta" character is heavily referenced in other works as there heroiest heroine in the history of ever. And her book-- really isn't about her. It really ought to be entitled MASTER HEALER WHOEVER and the CURE FOR THE NOT-AIDS. Which he found by re-reading his exam notes from Pern-college. So, yeah.We spend A LOT of time nursing Master Healer Whoever. And when Moreta gets sick... we find out about it after the fact, as she's recovering. Ditto with Alessan, our love interest.And there's another problem with this book. What I was expecting (based on references in other works, mainly "Nerilka's Story"):A story of a forbidden affair. Moreta, Mary Sue dragonlady/hero/time traveler/healer/noble and pure soul is trapped in an abusive relationship with her domineering Weyerpartner. (RE-EALLY Not sure how that would work out within the mythos of Pern, since it seems that the Weyer community at large would never stand for anything bad to happen to a precious dragon-queen rider. And also, dragons love their riders and can eat offensive people. But that's what seemed to be implied in other stories.)Anyway, abusive relationship-- circumvented by the magical healing power of a clandestine tryst with the much-sought-after Lord Alessan. Who is a no-no because, I guess, he's not a dragonrider himself. They sneak moments together even as a terrible plague sweeps Pern. She nurses him. He nurses her. He confronts evil bad abusive Weyerleader! She will leave the Weyer and bring her ginormous gold dragon to live-- with him! Their bond is so strong that even his not-dragonridery self is able to hear the thoughts of her gold dragon! Together they save The WORLD! What I got:(view spoiler)[Moreta has a finicky, petulant bronze rider who (I think, with all the name-dropping it's hard to be sure) is in a relationship with someone else. He and Moreta are kinda on the outs, but they were really never on the ins, and whatever they had was a dragon-induced one-time thing. Free dragon love, yo. And she'll be replacing him next chance she gets.She goes to a party and flirts. Then everyone goes home and a plague wipes out pretty much everyone until Master Healer Whoever reads his notes and saves the day. A super long time was spent in preparation for Threadfall, preparation for quarantine, etc. Then, there might be another plague. For some reason, Alessan and Moreta get together despite the fact that the party where they flirted for the one and onlyeth time is now synonymous with DEATH.The ending was fairly terrible for two reasons. First, she suddenly remembers, upon seeing him, that she has a son. Whom she has not worried about or thought of in the slightest for the entire plague-riddled book. Why did he even need to be in this book? He did nothing, aside from demonstrate some of the practical workings of free dragon love, which he is somehow fine with-- unlike every adopted/fostered child I have ever met.Speaking of characters who do nothing, that brings me to the other problem with this book's ending. Other reviewers have complained about it, but it bears re-mentioning. The entire second half of the book is HEAVILY overburdened with name-dropping bloat. Lots and lots and lots of names of people who show up once, do nothing, and leave. So much so that the entire point of the book, the tragic ending, is entirely obscured under these barrels of new-monkeys. Instead of describing the grueling feat that cost the heroine her life, we hear about lists and lists of people who don't matter to the plot in the slightest. The tragic ending was left as a tiny island of stuff-happening in a sea of names as long as a Levitical genealogy. The overall effect was that her sacrifice sounded an awful lot more like a silly rookie mistake, instead of a world-saving.Not one major character did any of the thinking necessary for the saving of the world. Master Healer Whoever found, developed and made the cure, made the plan to save the world and helped to implement it. All Moreta did was implement his plan. All Alessan did was look good. (hide spoiler)]
My love of fantasy genre began after reading works by authors of my parents and grandparents age, including Anne McCaffrey whose masterful creation ignited a spark that has burned brightly ever since. Since devouring works by authors such as Terry Goodkind and Raymond E Feist alongside the more current writers, I have always tended to look back at those works which really captured the essence of this genre and forming it so that it made it what it is today. Anne’s creation surrounding the world of Pern is one that is truly unique, being an utterly inspired concept that is full of creativity and imagination that blew me away as a child as much as it still does today. This novel within an entire series surrounding the Dragon’s and magic of this captivating world shows you the foundations of this genre, with all elements of a fantastic story. Authentic and believable you are lost within the character’s setting that is full of mystery and delight. Dragons and their riders are the ones who keep the planet safe which is now under threat as the great battle of Thread intensifies, which is so electric and thrilling you feel a part of it. Moreta being the heroine of the story is a character whom I was able to relate to, being someone who ultimately becomes the greatest legend of dragonlore until the end of time; hence highly unforgettable. Atmospheric you feel as if you are in the shoes of the characters and are able to visualize with perfect clarity those surroundings that are being described, whether that be on the battlefield, in the company of a sorcerer and bearer of powerful magic or flying through the air on an impressive Dragon. I can see similarities between this work and the works of Christopher Paolini and Stephen Deas who show these magnificent and remarkable creatures in totally different ways but with as much realism and depth of accuracy. Comparable to Tolkien and those older books within the fantasy genre that were written in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, you will see here a jewel that is so precious it must be cherished and never forgotten. I am most grateful to Anne McCaffrey for introducing me into the most spectacular world that sparked my creativity and awoke my imagination, making me understand and come to love the fantasy worlds. I not only developed a passion for reading, loving literature but you are also made to understand how this genre contains no limits; having no restrictions on pushing boundaries of ingenuity and vision. This is a visionary and inspired masterful book within a collection of works by an outstanding author, whom I highly recommend to all who have not encountered her as yet.
Do You like book Moreta: Dragonlady Of Pern (1997)?
This is an amazing book about the Planet Pern's history. In the Harper hall trilogy, and the Dragonridesd of Pern books, they mention Moreta, and the balad about her heroic journey. This book is her story. As an avid Pern fan I love learning about it's "past". Though it is a great book, there are times when it can get a tad bit slow but overall it is exciting. Anne McCaffrey is a very discriptive writter, which is great for me because I love to envision the scene as it plays out. Even with all the detail, however it can still move at a good clip. This is a good type of book for faster readers, I think, because it is so deatailed and it is easier to get the excitement from fast parts if you can read it a bit faster to get through the details. There are a few inconsistencies from the stories to the actual book, for example, Moreta came from Keroon in the book but in the stories she is of Ruathan blood. Another point is that in the book Moreta could not talk to all dragons, just a few of the queens, which could be a side affect from riding Holth when Orlith could not leave the hatching ground. Even with all of it's faults I absolutly love this book and would recomend it to most people who have already started reading Anne McCaffrey books.
—Annie
#7 overall publication order of the "Pern" fantasy series, this seems to be a stand-alone story of the weyr-woman Moreta, whose dragon Orlith is the queen of Fort Weyr. The events in this book happen about 900 years before the earlier books in the series, and take place when they are just discovering that dragons cannot only go "between" and thus traverse hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye, but that they can also go other places in TIME. A plague is upon the land, started by a strange cat-like creature and spread to horses and other four-legged beasts. Many all across Pern have died, but some have recovered, and the principle of vaccination is put to good use to keep many people (and animals!) alive. Moreta works together with Alessan, new leader of Ruatha Hold--they meet at a Gather there, and shortly after when the sickness starts, they work together to secure ingredients needed to treat the illness by using dragon riders to travel other places and times. A romance develops between them, but the story has a rather sad and bittersweet ending, but this is something you sort of knew was coming if you're familiar with the series, as there is a ballad in some of the other earlier books (that Menolly sings if I remember right) about Moreta's Ride--and now it all makes sense. Very well done, enjoyable to listen to--another different reader than previous books, but very well-suited to the prose and the tone of the book.
—Spuddie
When I was a kid, I remember learning in English class about the parts of a narrative: Rising Action, Climax, and Denouement. The teacher illustrated this by drawing an equilateral triangle on the board, with the rising action on the left side and the falling action on the right, and the climax as the peak of the triangle. Did we all get taught this concept the same way?It didn't take me long to learn that this was absurdly wrong. The climax occurs very close to the end of the narrative, not in the middle. Well, apparently McCaffrey was taught the same way as I was, and apparently she took it to heart when it came to Moreta. The climax--such as it is--occurs midway through the book. The entire second half is a mopping up action, with little bogus crises thrown in to keep the plot lurching along. Once the plague is pretty much under control, the story is over, and the rest is just so much anticlimax. (And I'm sorry, but a novel centered around a disease, where the climactic moment is someone finding a cure in a book, is not much of a story under the best of circumstances.)(The following paragraph contains tiny, deliberately obscure spoilers, and details that will seem nonsensical if you haven't read the book.) While the Aftermath is powerfully written, the Great Ride alluded to in other Pern novels hardly seems necessary--if they can Time things, why not wait until tomorrow or the day after to do things? Why not take her time? [*rimshot*] And, for that matter, why keep the plan secret from the Weyrleaders? Well, because it necessitates Heroic Action on the part of the Dragonladies, of course, but it doesn't really make sense within the framework of Pern. If this is what the Masterhealer demands, then this is simply what must be done. Secrecy and going around behind the backs of the Weyrleaders seems unnecessary and contrived.Another aspect of MacCaffrey's writing that took me out of the plot was the incessant name-dropping in the first and final chapters. The first chapter names twenty-one different characters--oh yeah, I counted. In addition, eleven localities are mentioned by name, and four dragons. But this is nothing compared to the final chapter, in which SIXTY-TWO different characters are named, along with ten locales and TWENTY-FIVE different dragons. Most of these names, by the way, do not appear anywhere in the novel besides these two chapters.Here is an example from the last chapter, from page 302 of my edition:"'It's not something anyone admits to but T'grel must have to use it to cope with M'tani. Don't bother with L'bol at Igen. He's useless. Go directly to Dalova, Allaneth's rider. She lost a lot of bloodkin at Igen Sea Hold. She'd know who among her riders time it. And Igen has all those little cotholds stashed in the desert and on the riverbanks. Surely you've got a few good friends left at Ista. You were there ten Turns. Have you heard that F'gal's bad with kidney chill?'" Now it could be argued that the point here is to emphasize the scope--all the different people that Moreta must work with, and so forth. But this comes back to another bit of bad teaching. Every beginning writer has heard "Show, don't tell." Well this is not always true. When showing involved levels of detail that will break the narrative for the reader, good authors simply summarize the action. They tell us what happened instead of showing it to us. Readers fill in the gaps of time, and assume that the details we are not given are all in their proper place. Don't believe me? When was the last time you read about a character using the toilet? Do no characters use the toilet because all literary characters are constipated and dehydrated? Or do we merely assume that goes on without needing to be shown all the gory details?I'm sorry, but this is not merely bad writing, it's laughably bad writing.
—Icarus
