This book is also set in Pern, running about the same time as the Dragonrider series. This book focuses on the Harper part of Pern. Instead of sending kids to school everyday to learn to read, do math, etc., they get sent to the Hold Harper who teaches them the teaching songs which teach them about the history of Pern and their duties to the Weyr and their Lord Holder.
Menolly is the youngest daughter of many. Her father is the Lord Holder at Half-Circle Sea Hold and is a very strict man with no sense of humor and very little tolerance for change. Menolly is probably the most talented musician in Pern, but because she's a girl she is considered a disgrace. After getting beaten for playing part of a song that she had written herself and cutting her hand open and handicaping herself, she runs away from the safety of the Hold and lives in the wilderness for a couple of months. While she's out there she Impresses nine fire lizards, which are basically small lizards. Kind of like the difference between a tiger and a house cat. She is eventually found by a dragonrider and sent to the Weyr and finally gets to meet the Masterharper of Pern. He convinces her to go to the Harper Hall and we are left wondering what next? I love these books and I need to go find the second of the series, Dragonsinger.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Dragonriders of Pern
This is set on another planet called Pern. For 50 years every 200 years Thread falls from the sky at regular intervals. Thread burns and destroys everything living that it touches, very not good. To protect themselves from the thread, the original settlers bred Dragons to fly and destroy the threads. These three books take place after a 400 year interval of no Thread. Everyone believes that Thread is gone permanently and because of this dragons and their riders are viewed as parasites on humanity and there are hardly any dragons left. Go figure, thread starts falling again and they aren't prepared, but F'lar and Lessa come up with ways of dealing with the situation.
In the first book, F'lar finds Lessa and eventually they become Weyrwoman and Weyrleader, and it's up to them to convince people that thread is coming and that people need to be prepared for it. After thread starts falling, the two of them realize that they are horribly unprepared for it, so Lessa jumps back in time 400 years to get more dragons to help fight thread. Yay!
In the second book, Thread starts falling randomly instead of regularly and it causes major stress. The oldtimers that came forward in time in the last book aren't adjusting well to the times and manage to get themselves banished to the southern continent.
The third book is focused on the White Dragon who was impressed by Jaxom who is the Lord Holder of Ruatha Hold. His dragon is much smaller than the other dragons, the wrong color, and he can't be a real dragonrider because he has to be a Lord Holder. It's a very difficult situation for the poor boy.
I love these books and I think I'm going to track down the rest of them.
In the first book, F'lar finds Lessa and eventually they become Weyrwoman and Weyrleader, and it's up to them to convince people that thread is coming and that people need to be prepared for it. After thread starts falling, the two of them realize that they are horribly unprepared for it, so Lessa jumps back in time 400 years to get more dragons to help fight thread. Yay!
In the second book, Thread starts falling randomly instead of regularly and it causes major stress. The oldtimers that came forward in time in the last book aren't adjusting well to the times and manage to get themselves banished to the southern continent.
The third book is focused on the White Dragon who was impressed by Jaxom who is the Lord Holder of Ruatha Hold. His dragon is much smaller than the other dragons, the wrong color, and he can't be a real dragonrider because he has to be a Lord Holder. It's a very difficult situation for the poor boy.
I love these books and I think I'm going to track down the rest of them.
Dreams Made Flesh
This is a book of short stories based on the Black Jewels Trilogy. It contains the story of how Lucivar met and married his wife, the beginning of Jaenelle, how Saetan completely obliterated an entire country because of the death of one of his children, and what happened with Daemon and Jaenelle after the third book of the trilogy. I really enjoyed these stories. The one about Jaenelle's beginning was confusing, but other than that they were very well written and enjoyable. I think that Anne Bishop did a good job with these 4 stories
Black Jewels Trilogy
This trilogy is set in a world where darkness reigns, but not in the way you'd think. There are three realms: The realm of light (which is the most corrupt of the three), The Shadow Realm (where the dead and the living can mingle) and Hell (where the demon-dead live). All three are mirrors of each other and you have to go through a special gate to get from one to the other. If you are of the Blood (magic) then your strength is determined by the color of your jewel. The darker your jewel, the more powerful you are. Queens rule, and males serve the queens (protectors, whatnot). In Terrielle (light realm) the ways of the blood have been perverted and powerful women are being destroyed in order for a lighter jeweled priestess to take over the land. Every dreams and wishes that one day Witch would come to save them from this corruption, and one day she does.
The first book is about how she survives her childhood, barely, and the men that love and teach her.
The second book is about her teenage years, dealing with the aftermath of her almost being killed and is basically the gathering of all the major players.
The third book is when things start going down hill and Jaenelle (Witch) has a choice of either letting the realms go to war and all her friends being killed, or sacrificing herself to destroy the corruption.
These aren't a happy, feel good read. They're rather dark and in some places really gruesome. There is a sexual theme to them, but it doesn't dominate the books. I really enjoy these books, they are very intruiging and the characters are very well written.
The first book is about how she survives her childhood, barely, and the men that love and teach her.
The second book is about her teenage years, dealing with the aftermath of her almost being killed and is basically the gathering of all the major players.
The third book is when things start going down hill and Jaenelle (Witch) has a choice of either letting the realms go to war and all her friends being killed, or sacrificing herself to destroy the corruption.
These aren't a happy, feel good read. They're rather dark and in some places really gruesome. There is a sexual theme to them, but it doesn't dominate the books. I really enjoy these books, they are very intruiging and the characters are very well written.
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