The Masterharper of Pern: Summary and book reviews of The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, plus links to an excerpt from The Masterharper of Pern and a biography of Anne McCaffrey.
The Masterharper of Pern
by Anne McCaffrey
Hardcover: Jan 1998,
430 pages.
Paperback: Jan 1999,
422 pages.
Pern: a beautiful world colonized by humans, terrorized by the
deadly spores called Thread, and defended by magnificent flying dragons. Anne McCaffrey's
bestselling tales of this planet have yielded a multitude of unforgettable characters. And
now, after years of urging by devoted readers, one of the most popular denizens of Pern
takes center stage in a novel that chronicles his extraordinary life.
Along with the dragonriders, perhaps none are so revered on Pern as the harpers, whose
songs record history, warn of the coming of Thread, and prepare Pern's people for the
future. And no one is more influential than the Masterharper of Pern. The son of renowned
composer Petiron and gifted singer Merelan, Robinton is a prodigy from birth and enjoys a
special rapport with the telepathic dragons. But it is a time when Thread has not been a
threat for centuries, the harpers have fallen into disfavor, and one despotic man is
plotting to take over Pern. In this climate of unrest, Robinton will come into his own . .
. driven by his belief in music, in the dragons, and in the salvation of his beloved Pern.
VOYA - Amanda Lenhart
Those who have not read her other work will enjoy this one more if it is not their entry point into the series. Ideally, it should be read after the Dragonsong trilogy, though any of McCaffrey's early Pern books like Dragonflight (Ballantine, 1968) or Dragonquest (Ballantine, 1971) will work as well. Most of all, this book is fun. It is an enveloping work that transports the reader to another place without numbing the mind with formulaic, hacked-out prose.
Kirkus Reviews
Covers well-trodden ground in more detail than hitherto; presumably, most dragonfans will find it satisfying enough.
School Library Journal
This is McCaffrey at her best, combining excellent writing with vivid settings and detailed, fully fleshed-out characters. The book would be best read after Dragonflight (1986) and Dragonquest (1979, both Ballantine), but can stand alone.
Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders?
This is one of 2 readalike suggestions for The Masterharper of Pern. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
Can an wiser, older narrator view the past with more wisdom than he might have possessed forty years earlier in the summer he was thirteen? Ordinary...
read more
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
Full Story
Kirkus Reviews
