Sky Dragons by Anne & Todd McCaffrey

Overall, Sky Dragons makes a nice change of narrative from following Fiona and Lorana for two books. It was also a lot more fun, as there wasn’t as much doom and gloom hanging over everything. As usual with these last couple (chronologically) books, there is some filling in of the overall Pern narrative through the use of time travel.

Book One: Sky Dragons

I’m actually really enjoying Xhinna, here. She faded fairly quickly into the background during the last two books, especially given her absence from Igen. But here, she seems to be flourishing. I do think it’s a little odd that saving Pern seems to be on her shoulders. I get being the first female Blue rider and apparently needing to prove herself in that regard, but I’m still not sure why saving Pern seemed to end up being Xhinna’s responsibility. Gotta theme those female main characters, apparently.

Okay, so… how’d the cats end up on the islands, exactly? Given where the islands are and that Tuberman’s cats would have been on the Southern Continent… this just doesn’t make sense. This is not explained, but the cats come in handy (no, I will not refer to them as Mrreows) so I guess we’ll just hand-wave that.

I really enjoy Jirana. She’s a lot more plucky and less wispy than a lot of other female-child-seers tend to be.

I was a little put off, late in this part of the book, by how much of the book went by in a play-by-play of the time. Just seemed like a lot of time to spend directly in the action vs how much time needed to elapse for Sky Dragons to match up with the rest of the timeline. Not that there weren’t little time-jumps, but they didn’t seem long enough.

Book Two: The Sky Dragons

Back to business as usual for the Weyrfolk, only, ya know, on an island. Not gonna lie, my eyes were glazing over again when the numbers and logistics came back into the mix. However, hearing about how D’gan dealt with coming back to Telgar was rather amusing.

In Conclusion

Sky Dragons was a nice change of pace, while still sticking to the "gotta save Pern via judicious time travelling" thing that last two-three books (depending on what order you're reading in) have had. I very much liked that this mainly stuck to the one story line, even if I had been a little worried about its length vs the length of the book itself. It was nice not to be overly bored with logistics for once, as well. They were worked in a lot better this time, in my opinion. Definitely a solid Pern entry.

Favorite Lines

"Adults are only grown-up children, after all." - Xhinna

"Girls, as you may have noticed, are dangerous." - R'ney

Dragon's Time by Anne & Todd McCaffrey

I can’t pinpoint what made Dragon’s Time so much better than Dragongirl, but pacing is a big part of this. The pacing was so, so much better. I practically flew through Dragon’s Time.

The time travel is very heavy here, but mostly well done. Lorana’s adventures through time were alright. I think the concept of a Beacon is interesting. Lorana was definitely more relatable here. I particularly liked her first little thing with Tenniz. And “seeing” her be at least somewhat in space was interesting. It was also really obvious to me that F’jian was doing a “Time Traveler’s Wife” kind of thing, which was fairly sweet. Terin’s initial reaction to it was super understandable.

There also wasn’t the dire sort of feeling that Dragongirl had about the state of the Dragons. We didn’t get, or need, up-to-the-moment updates about how many dragons were left. The worry was still there, just not nearly as oppressive this time.

I do like that we get some dragon-switching. It’s an interesting concept, especially in light of the more open attitude Fiona and Telgar Weyr have been promoting.

The last third of the book honestly had me confused. I don’t usually rely on maps, but I wish the islands were included. I guess that’s regarded as a spoiler, which is why the map didn’t appear until after the last chapter. I had a hard time visualizing where the heck Fiona and them were. I would talk more about the goings on there, but I do feel like that’s a lot more of a spoiler.

But anyway, Dragon’s Time was definitely a lot more enjoyable than Dragongirl. That’s the main feeling I’m left with. I’m also relieved, because I do want to enjoy my time reading and rereading Pern.

I've Done It Again!

I'm not re-upping my goal again this year. Just gonna see how many I get through for the rest of the year in a chill manner.

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Slight spoilers included. Nothing too specific.

I am forever conflicted when mental illness is conflated or caused by supernatural elements of a story. I don't really have a problem with the supernatural making whatever the mental illness is worse or better, but being the root cause... that's sticky for me. That said, how this is dealt with in Persistence of Memory at least feels like a good representation of that... mostly. Having never experienced something like DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), I don't feel qualified to discuss that aspect of the story, so I will try to stay away from it, despite it being a rather big part of the story.

I actually quite liked most of the characters here. Erin felt like a mostly blank slate, even though she is arguably the main character. Sassy and Adjila were quite good as the love-interest-types. Shevaun... well... Shevaun mainly comes together in the last third of the book. I mostly the the feel of her as a mothering character with a wild streak. Given how short Persistence of Memory is, I feel like the characterization was mostly well done.

I definitely feel like the plot elements all crashed into place at the end, rather than revealing themselves more slowly. I don't think Single Earth/Marissa's inclusion would have ever been revealed without Alexander just handing over the info... and Pandora... I really, really want some kind of Pandora character study. We're told how she operates, but aren't really shown much of that. She's basically shamed into helping at the end, but otherwise doesn't really contribute much.

I'm overall conflicted about how to feel about the whole thing. I did enjoy the story, right up until the very end, though that wasn't dissatisfying either. Add in the mental health stuff... I do understand that Nyeusigrube is a world in which the supernatural is hidden and can come out in sudden ways. The epilogue definitely didn't help with this feeling. Even Erin's acceptance of the events leading to her "current" life feels kind of rushed. It's fine. It's honestly par for the course of this era of Nyeusigrube. At least I actually cared about the characters this time around.

Dragongirl by Todd McCaffrey

Dragongirl falls squarely into the category of "Books I Really Should Have Just DNF'd." It is truly the most boring Pern book I have ever read. The only reason it didn't end up in the DNF Pile was because I'm waiting for the next batch of Pern books to arrive. I am so very, very over the repetitious, uninteresting style Todd McCaffrey has adopted for telling this story. Seriously, my eyes should not glaze over while reading about how the dragons of Pern are in peril... again. I should not be over that, either... and yet... so over it.

Probably the only thing I liked about Dragongirl was the Polycule of Fiona, Kindan, Lorana, and T'mar. I like that it exists. More Poly representation is good. I'm did not, however, need to know the opinion of almost every Weyrwoman on Pern on the existence of said Polycule, but Fiona just seems to keep bringing it up at every opportunity. I mean, yes, it was incredibly weird how the whole thing came about... bordering on problematic, really... but I don't see why she felt the need to discuss it with every Weyrwoman she encountered.

There were also a couple of severe character assassinations here, in my opinion. Lorana went from "Reluctant Savior of Pern" to "Pregnant and Really Worried About It" to... well... spoiler spoiler spoiler. Kindan was severely one-note here. Reluctant Weyrling Master who keeps not Impressing and is just mad about it. I also found it really, deeply weird that Kindan is/was apparently so hung-up on Fiona's long-dead sister that he mistook Fiona for her and still thinks about her... That was barely a relationship and she's been dead for at least 12 years. I'm sorry, what?

Uh... let's see... There were also two pretty identical scenes of M'tal fighting Thread over Keroon. Apparently the wind being messy the first time did not stick in their heads for the second time. Nuella is barely a blip here, even though she really should have been at least slightly more involved. Apparently we're still not including the Wherhold in big, Pern-wide meetings concerning Thread despite Fiona having been close with Nuella previously and knowing how important Watch-Whers are, actually. And just to bring home how really mundane and in the weeds of running a Weyr Dragongirl got... one of the last discussions of the book was Fiona and T'mar discussing moving to the other side of Telgar's bowl. Seriously. Just a discussion about moving house.

I'm really dedicated to reading the Pern series all the way through, at least once. I want to see what I missed out on the first go-through and how the timeline goes. However, if any more of the books are like this, that's going out the window. Dragongirl was just dull for most of the "run time." Again, I should probably care that the dragons are in peril again, but I was driven into not caring at all by how many times it was brought up hopelessly and in the most boring manner possible here. Oh, and Dragongirl does another thing I hate: it doesn't really end, so much a peter out into an apparent, uninteresting cliff-hanger. So.. yeah.

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle L. Gomez

The Gilda Stories is quite chill for a vampire novel. I really wasn’t expecting anything in particular, but the lack of vampire politics was actually quite refreshing. Most of the vampire books I’ve read have some form of ridiculous political stuff going on. The Gilda Stories is definitely not a book with that kind of bent. The vampirism mostly just serves to give Gilda a long life with which to explore said life.

I’m not really in a good headspace to go deeper into meaning and such. I believe the foreword and afterword do that well enough. I’m not even sure I really even “get” everything The Gilda Stories lays down. I found Gilda herself rather flat, actually. The side characters are more vivid in my head.

I liked The Gilda Stories well enough. Might revisit in the future to see if it hits differently. Hopefully those last few chapters don’t hit like a freight train… if you know, you know.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Illustrated Edition

If you are planning to purchase this book, please do so used in order to curb J.K. Rowling's spending on her transphobia.

Time for another Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reread, but this time with pictures! This review will be primarily focusing on the Illustrated Edition, though I will probably be adding some of my views on the story as well. There will be spoilers, especially in the quotes section.

The cover is alright. Definitely not my favorite of the Illustrated Editions. The Norwegian Ridgeback’s design is interesting. I did notice a slightly amusing detail on the back of Snape smiling as he watches Harry confront the dragon. Though we can’t see the other side of the stands, it does seem like the enclosure in which Harry and the dragon are is waaaay too small and it’s a wonder it hasn’t gone up in flames by this point. The opening pages depict the World Cup camping grounds and really drive home how bright and festive that event is.

I love the illustration of the Riddle House. It’s spot on and I kind of want it blown up for a Halloween decoration of some sort. The entire chapter is quite atmospherically done.
 

The illustrations of the predawn English countryside in “The Portkey” are gorgeous. They remind me very much of some old Beatrix Potter videos I watched as a kid at my grandparents’ house. I do wish they’d switched to white text here, though, as the black blends in a bit too well with the gray-green background. Gotta say, the illustrations of Cedric and Krum (in the next chapter) look quite similar.

Not really sure why Draco warranted a full, two-page spread in the middle of “The Dark Mark,” but there it is. The forest looks properly forest-y. I never pictured Draco to have such a square jaw.

I quite like the Hogwarts Express illustrations. Gorgeous.

Things I did not need an illustration of: Blast-Ended Skrewts

Love, love, love the Beauxbatons carriage/flying horses illustration. Love me some well-rendered horses.
 

The portrait of Rita Skeeter is arresting, to say the least. I suppose it is more book-accurate than not, but uh… it’s unflattering.

The combo of Hungarian Horntail paintings with the actual text was very effective. I wasn’t expecting a second Horntail depiction so soon… or at all… but the second one matched really, really well with the text.

Interesting rendition of merpeople, or at least their faces. Kind of cat-like, really.
 

Wow, that portrait of Winky in “The Madness of Mr Crouch.” It’s… uh… wow probably the darkest portrait, in terms of subject matter. Hats off to whichever artist did that one.

Omg, the illustration depicting Voldemort’s “child-ish” form is hella creepy. As is the illustration of naked Voldemort on the following page. Very evocative.

Of course, there are many more illustrations within the book. All beautifully done. I highly recommend either finding the illustrations online (they’re probably floating around by now) or checking out this edition from your library. However you choose to view these, please figure out the best way to do so without giving JK Rowling anymore money. She definitely doesn’t need it and will only use it to fund anti-trans nonsense.

Favorite Lines

"Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged board, and up the sweeping drive the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale." - Narration

"Talon-clipping by charms... treating scale rot... this is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy..." - Harry Potter

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies... no use here, of course, too much interference -- students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kids' stuff," he added in a growl. - Mad Eye Moody (Barty Crouch Jr.)

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said, Harry," said Dumbledor, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling. - Albus Dumbledore

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." - Sirius Black

In Other News

I finished my Tsunomon project over on OviPets! Tsunomon took 4 months with a 5 month gap while I waited on a Seasonal Mutation. Tsunomon is part of my Village of Beginnings Project Line and based off the Digimon of the same name.

Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey

Dragonheart is honestly the slowest Pern book I've read to date. The absolute minutiae of Weyr life is explored here, along with the challenges of "timing it" through three years at an otherwise abandoned Weyr. By the end, I was reading every other page and missed nothing. Just so... much... superfluous... detail... and the tantalizing stuff isn't even explained!!

So, Dragonheart does start out during the Dragon Plague. However, since everything interesting about the Dragon Plague is happening over at Benden, instead of Fort, there's nothing out of the ordinary going on. Just day-to-day Weyr stuff and Fiona getting accustomed to it. Cut to the "timing it" portion of the story and it's more of the same, only with Fiona as The Weyrwoman rather than the youngest. Fiona's not a bad character, but this storyline just goes on forever. The pacing is horrendous.

Also, the "timing it" is not at all a spoiler if you've read any of the previous Pern books in the chronology. Just the way Fiona and her fellow Weyrlings act... it's really obvious what's causing it. Especially with the length of time it affects them for. I'm honestly over "timing it" basically being the story, especially with it being as uninteresting as it was in this book.

I did enjoy parts of Dragonheart. Bright spots included the Traders and Nuella. I kind of liked getting a bit of alternate cultures being explained. A good chunk of my Pern experience has been in and around Benden Weyr, so finding out that Igen was definitely more Southern in climate and culture was nice. Kind of would have liked to see Igen Weyr at it's prime, though not under D'gan... but that's neither here nor there. Technically, the "culture" bits were centered around the food and switching up sleep schedules, so it wasn't that deep per-say... but yeah. Nuella continues to be a delight. I've enjoyed her character from the get-go.

But anyway, I'm very glad to be done with Dragonheart. It wasn't exactly bad or badly written, just tedious.

Favorite Line

"Every day is a test," Cisca replied soberly. "But we'll never learn new ways of doing things if we insist on telling everyone what they should be doing."