Dragon's Code by Gigi McCaffrey

Dragon's Code (Pern: The Dragonriders of Pern)

by Gigi McCaffrey

"A new hero emerges in a divided world as one of sci-fi's most beloved series--Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern--relaunches with this original adventure from Anne's daughter, Gigi McCaffrey. In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Dragonriders of Pern series, Gigi does her mother proud, adding to the family tradition of spinning unputdownable tales that recount the adventures of the brave inhabitants of a distant planet who battle the pitiless adversary known as Thread. The last time Thread attacked Pern, the world was unprepared for the fight--until the Oldtimers appeared. These courageous dragonriders arrived from the past, traveling four hundred years to help their descendants survive. But the collision of past and present took its toll. While most of the displaced rescuers adapted to their new reality, others could not abide the jarring change and found themselves in soul-crushing exile, where unhappiness and resentment seethed. Piemur, a journeyman harper, also feels displaced, cast adrift by the loss of his spectacular boyhood voice and uncertain of his future. But when the Masterharper of Pern sees promise in the young man and sends him undercover among the exiled Oldtimers, Piemur senses the looming catastrophe that threatens the balance of power between the Weyrs and Holds of Pern. When the unthinkable happens, Piemur must rise to the challenge to avert disaster and restore honor to the dragons and dragonriders of Pern. Because now, in a world already beset by Thread, another, more insidious danger looms: For the first time in living memory, dragons may be on the verge of fighting dragons"--

"One of the world's most beloved series in sci-fi histoy--Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern--relaunches with an all-new adventure. The world of Pern has for centuries depended on its dragons and their riders to protect it from total annihilation. But when greed and resentment begin to simmer among the working people, and disagreements between dragonriders have already culminated in the exile of an entire clan, the growing tensions threaten to result in the most unthinkable act of all: dragon fighting dragon!"--

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Dragon’s Code through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First and foremost – I can’t believe how quickly time flies! Did you know that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary for the Dragonriders of Pern series? Okay, I can’t really comment on how quickly that time actually flew, not being alive for half of it…but still. It feels like just yesterday I was picking up my first book by Anne McCaffrey and losing myself in her words. So it seems right, in a way, that they’re using this momentous occasion to try something new in the world.
I know I’m not the only fan out there that has greatly missed getting new books from the Dragonriders of Pern series. However, I long ago came to terms with the idea that I would never be seeing any news works from it – after all, Anne McCaffrey had sadly passed away, and the previous attempts made to keep the mantle going weren’t impressive (for me, at least).
So imagine my surprise when I learned that Gigi McCaffrey was writing her own original story set in the Dragonriders of Pern world. At first I’ll admit I was a little hesitant, but after looking at the book for a couple of days I decided to just go for it and give it a try. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?
I was shocked. I honestly think that if you had handed this book to me when I was younger and very much into Anne McCaffrey, I never would have been able to tell the difference. Gigi did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the world and the writing style that her mother used.
Now, looking at this book compared the others, as an adult and a book reviewer, I can clearly tell some differences, but honestly? I’m okay with that. Gigi McCaffrey is a writer in her own right, and I think I’d be disappointed if she didn’t try to do things her way.




I’ve always loved the Dragonriders of Pern series. I loved the explanation for how dragons came about, why they were important to the people, and the world that was built around it all. It was enchanting and enthralling.
Reading Gigi McCaffrey’s take on her mother’s world was interesting. I love that she chose to keep so many of the core elements – I don’t think I could have considered it the same world without those pieces. I can clearly see her mother’s influence, but I can also see what parts of the world Gigi McCaffrey enjoyed writing the most.
It was so great to be reading this series again, but I’ll be brutally honest with you. I know I wouldn’t have just accepted anything from this series. I remember when I was on my Anne McCaffrey reading kick – the last three I read just didn’t read that well, and really put me off of her writing for a while. It wasn’t until later that I learned that it had been her son writing those books under her name. But it explained everything about why I hadn’t liked those books.
I hope that helps you believe me when I say that Gigi McCaffrey did a great job capturing the important parts of this series. This really did feel like diving back into the series, as opposed to diving into a series that is sort-of-like-the-original-but-not-really.
I really enjoyed the main character, Piemur. He had an interesting character arc, one part coming of age and one part learning to appreciate the situations that other people can find themselves in.
Words cannot express how happy I was to see Menolly and all the others again too. I sincerely hadn’t expected cameos, let alone major parts, from characters I had previously read about. That was a nice touch.
Obviously it was so wonderful to see the dragons and fire lizards again too. While I have always loved the dragons, there will always be a special place in my heart for those cute little fire lizards. The girl in me still wishes I could have one.
I can’t believe how excited I am about this series, all over again. It’s almost – but not quite – like finding the series again for the first time. I do hope that Gigi McCaffrey continues to write for the series. I’m not sure if she’s written anything else, but after this I clearly need to take some time to look into her works some more.


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  • Started reading
  • 2 October, 2018: Finished reading
  • 2 October, 2018: Reviewed