The Masterharper of Pern (Pern, #14)

by Anne McCaffrey

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “At last, Robinton has his own book . . . McCaffrey adds another absorbing chapter to dragon lore. . . . Readers will revel in this compelling character study of a fascinating personality.”—Romantic Times

In a time when the deadly scourge Thread has not fallen on Pern for centuries—and many dare to hope that Thread will never fall again—a boy is born to Harper Hall. A musical prodigy who has the ability to speak with the dragons, he is called Robinton, and he is destined to be one of the most famous and beloved leaders Pern has ever known.

It is a perilous time for the harpers who sing of Thread—they are being turned away from holds, derided, attacked, even beaten. In this climate of unrest, Robinton will come into his own. But despite the tragedies that beset his own life, he continues to believe in music and in the dragons, and he is determined to save his beloved Pern from itself—so that the dragonriders can be ready to fly against the dreaded Thread when at last it returns . . .

“The story takes wing . . . when McCaffrey’s beloved dragons roar and their riders soar upon the beasts’ mighty backs. . . . Fans of Pern will likely be enthralled.”—Publishers Weekly

• ISBN10: 0345388232
• ISBN13: 9780345388230
• Publish Date: 12 January 1998 (first published 2 January 1998)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 431
• Language: English

Reviews

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I've always loved Robinton, so getting a look into his life before he was the MasterHarper was fun! Petiron was an awful father, I can see better why he and Robinton don't get on well. But his mother was such a sweet woman. She easily made my favorite character list.

I also loved seeing the characters we know as old or middle-aged, as children and young adults. We get to meet Lord Groghe before he became a Lord. C'gan as a young dragonrider, Lessa as a toddler, Jerint, Shonagar, Silvina, Manora, Sebell, and a host of others I've already forgotten.

I really loved F'lon, F'lar and F'nor's father. Seeing him grow up with Robinton, and getting to know his dragon Simanith. It made it all the worse knowing what was in store for them. We also get to see how Fax started out, and just how blind the Lord Holders were until it was too late.

There were a few issues in the book. One being that Robinton is supposed to be a connoisseur of wines. Especially Benden wines. So much so, that in other books, people would give him a glass of wine with no hint of year or brand or anything, and he could tell you not only where it came from, but what year the vintage was. This book didn't do a good job of showing how he got to be such an expert. He complained to himself about inferior wines he was forced to drink (pretty much any wine that wasn't Benden), but never once did the book mention him being able to differentiate wines past that. Nor did it explain how he got to be so good at it later in life.

I liked that he spoke to dragons as a child, and some of them spoke back to him. It made sense, as a child, since dragons can and will speak to anyone they wish to. But not everyone can hear them. It also made sense that the only dragon who spoke to him as an adult, was F'lon's Simanith. And then only because F'lon asked Simanith to speak to Robinton as a way to help Robinton with his sadness about not being able to stand at a Hatching. Even then, he didn't speak to him often, and only when F'lon was in Robinton's company.

Despite continuity errors, I did enjoy this book. My only issue now is that I want to go back and re-read all the F'lar and Lessa books!

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[angelarenea9]

I absolutely loved reading about Master Robinton's life. I really liked seeing the whole evolution of this generation of Pern through his eyes. I also really enjoyed the explanation of how Flax came to power, which has always confused me a bit. Portions were frustrating, but only because I think, they were supposed to be from a plot's perspective. An excellent addition to the Pern series.