Book Discussion: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (Parts III & IV)

We had an absolute blast during the first part of our Group Discussion of Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. I loved everyone's different perspectives as well as our shared views of the questions provided by our host Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings. Most of all I love everyone's enthusiasm! Here is the conclusion to our discussion.

1. The Threads are further explored and become very much the focal point in parts 3 and 4 of Dragonflight. What are your thoughts on the Threads in general and how do you feel these worked as an enemy vs. the traditional enemies you see in SFF novels?

Threads are and are not what I expected. They provide a bit of that science fiction flavor that I missed during the first section of the novel, and as an alien enemy Threads are not what I think of as traditional. I think of them as a silent, non-aggressive or non-threatening enemy that in the end proves to be deadly to the planet's environment and therefore to its people. In a way they remind me of acid rain (remember acid rain?).

I'm still hoping that the why behind the Threads or the reason they fall on Pern from the Red Planet will be explained at some point in this trilogy.

2. The science fictional concept of time travel becomes an important device in the later half of Dragonflight, how do you feel McCaffrey did in working time travel into the plot?

Now, the time travel device really caught my attention in this second half of the story. I love how McCaffrey takes that one moment, a discovery made as a result of a mistake, and develops it into a thread with such grand possibilities! It absolutely works for me. There was fear on my part that McCaffrey would come up with a deus ex machina type of solution to resolve the Threads crisis faced by Pern and Weyrleader F'lar, but I found her solution to be both creative and well woven in with the world-building.

3. Of the new characters introduced in this second half of Dragonflight, who did you like/not like and why?

My favorite character(s) from the second half of Dragonflight are Masterharper Robinton and Mastersmith Farandel. They both contribute much as secondary characters to this section of the story. Robinton won me over with that speech to the Holders during the Counsel meeting and Farandel's single minded focus on finding an answer to the demise of the fallen Threads was both amusing and admirable. F'nor, however, continues to be an overall favorite character for me. His loyalty and willingness to do whatever is necessary for the Weyr and F'lar further won my admiration, as did his warmth and connection with Lessa.

4. We talked about it in the first discussion and there is no way we can get away from it in Part 2: What are your feelings on the progression of the relationship between F'lar and Lessa throughout this second half of the book?

I can't help but admit that even through much of this second half of the story I still had issues with F'lar's character. I think that has a lot to do with the "mating" scene featured in the first half of the book which, although quickly glossed over by McCaffrey, has a strong 'no-consent' bitter flavor. Having said that, there is measurable growth for F'lar and Lessa as characters as well as in their personal relationship.

Lessa learns how to use her strength of character and power to become an intrinsic part of the Wyer and a contributing partner to F'lar as they each separately and together figure out how to fight the threats expected by Pern, and F'lar learns how to accept and appreciate Lessa as a smart, viable partner. They both come to love each other as mates and lovers exhibiting passion and tenderness. This surprised me a bit after the beginning of the relationship, but in the end it worked.

5. And finally, what is your overall assessment of Dragonflight? How does it measure up against other classic science fiction you've read? Would you recommend it to modern readers, why or why not?

Dragonflight has a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde feel to it. The first part is quite spare in characterization and world-building, with a lack of flow and cohesiveness alleviated as the story moves along, and gender issues that push buttons and then some, while the second half of the story is all action adventure, bright and shiny with action. The world-building is expanded and the characters grow enough, with those worrisome gender issues shrinking until there is hope and an expectation of more from the author in the second book. As I mentioned in my first post, I do believe the fact that the first part of Dragonflight was first edited as a novella and later incorporated with other novellas to create this book has a lot to do with this inconsistency.

As a classic science fiction yarn with gender issues specific to the times Dragonflight was written, it is always tough to judge how modern readers will interpret a book like this one. It all depends on the reader. I personally find the book light on the science with more of its strength geared toward fantasy. Regardless of its weaknesses and/or strengths, I do believe that the old world atmosphere of Pern with its dragons, dragonriders, and craftsmen is one that appeals to me today, and I believe will continue to appeal to modern readers in the future.

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Book Discussion: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (Parts 1 & II) 

Thank you Carl for hosting this fun discussion. I've had a wonderful time reading the book and participating in the discussion.
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The 2013 Science Fiction Experience and The Vintage Science Fiction Month

Book Discussion: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (Parts I & II)

Hi everyone! This month I have joined the SFF 2013 Group Read of Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, the first installment of the Pern series. This is the first part of the book discussion being hosted by Carl V. of Stainless Steel Droppings. To begin our discussion of Parts I & II, below you will see the questions provided by Carl V.  If you have not read the book, please note that there are spoilers within my answers.


1. I have hosted SFF-related group reads for books by Asimov, Herbert, Sanderson and Gaiman. This is our first group read by a female author. What are your thoughts on McCaffrey's handling of the male and female characters in Dragonflight? Feel free to compare and contrast male and female characters and/or discuss various male and female characters in relations to others in the book of the same sex.

Parts I and II of Dragonflight were first published as a novella under the title "Weyr Search" in 1967 when the whole "sexual revolution" was happening, so I am more than a bit disappointed when it comes to how women are characterized in this first part of the story. I expected that contemporary times (late 1960's) would be better reflected or incorporated into this science fiction piece. However, to be fair, I suspect that for the times it was a step in the right direction.

Let's begin with a bit of information about the story and general idea of how men treat women and how women are characterized in the first half of this story. Think of Holds as being patterned after the old Scottish Keeps and the Weyr and dragonmen as being their protectors. In this case from silver Threads coming off the Red Planet that orbits close to Pern every 200 Turns or years. Dragonmen collect tithes from the Holders in the form of goods and food, but the Holds also provide the women who will hopefully become Weyrwomen. Holders are portrayed as treating their women like property to be used, impregnated and disposed of at will. The dragonmen are not necessarily better in how they conduct themselves while searching for females to take back to the Weyr, although in some cases they make a show of outward politeness.

The women for their part act like sniveling fools with the exception of two female characters. One of those characters is Lord Fax's long suffering wife Lady Gemma. There is a quiet, traditional strength in Gemma, but in the end McCaffrey portrays her as a sacrificial lamb, which was not very encouraging. Then there is McCaffrey's main female character, Lessa. Lessa is proactive in seeking revenge against the man who stole her birthright and single minded when it comes to getting it back. Lessa is powerful, cunning and daring, but she is also impulsive, manipulative, stubborn and immature which leads to serious lack of judgment. However, the most important aspect of this female character is that she fights back.

Not surprising, the men are portrayed as either authoritarian and/or paternalistic in nature. This includes both the men in the Holds and the dragonmen of the Weyr. In both worlds, the males take care of important matters and women serve them as servants, for pleasure, to give them children, or to advance their position of power, and to their way of thinking women are to be kept in the dark and away from really important matters or dangerous situations.

This authoritarian or paternalistic attitude, although found across the board, fluctuates between characters. For example: the Weyrleader R'gul is extremely condescending and paternalistic with Lessa while tutoring her in the ways of the Weyr. And while F'lar seems to be tolerant of Lessa, he is also authoritarian, and both R'gul and F'lar keep Lessa in the dark about important matters. The exception is F'nor. He is the one male character portrayed as neither paternalistic nor authoritarian, but as all-around brotherly.

2. F'Lar and Lessa are an interesting pair of protagonists. What do you like and/or dislike about their interactions thus far? What things stand out for you as particularly engaging about each character (if anything)?

After Lessa and F'lar meet, it is quickly evident that there is an attraction of sorts between them. It is an antagonistic, if not hostile, and reluctant attraction with a competitive edge on Lessa's part. Their interactions are frustrating, partly because McCraffrey maintains F'lar wrapped up in the 'Dragonmen of the Wyr' mysticism. That combined with a lack of real warmth and/or emotion to F'lar's personality makes it tough to connect with his character for most of this section. Lessa's single minded pursuit of revenge is admirable and her power astonishing, yet once she makes the decision to become Weyrwoman, Lessa misuses her power and her arrogance becomes almost like that of a spoiled child who can't see past wants or needs of the moment.

What stands out most for me about F'lar is his absolute belief and faith, plus his qualities as a powerful and cunning leader of the Weyr. What stands out most for me about Lessa includes some of the same qualities that frustrate me about her. She's willing to go the extra mile to get what she wants, fights back for what she believes should be done, digs until she finds the answers to her questions, and is not afraid to use her powers to achieve all of the above. Lessa is no doormat.

3. How do you feel about Pern to this point in the story? For those new to Pern, you may want to discuss your speculations/thoughts on the Red Star and on the between here. What are your thoughts on McCaffrey's world-building?

Frankly? I'm not impressed with how this science fiction series begins. The first section of the first part of story is front-loaded with world-building information that makes little to no sense to the reader. It does not flow in a cohesive manner and becomes clunky and confusing. It does become better after a few chapters. However, as far as the world-building is concerned, I don't believe that the beginning of the series might be indicative of the rest. At least I hope not because I've heard some great things about the trilogy.

My other thought is that I kept feeling as if I were reading a fantasy instead of science fiction. Was I the only one? Perhaps that has a lot to do with the fact that men and dragon lore are the central focus, and the Red Planet and Threads seem far away and more of a "boogey man" than a reality at this point.

We are at the mid-point in the story, so we are still in the dark about many aspects of the story. What are Threads? Is it a life form or a parasitic, life sucking vine that keeps the Red Planet going? Besides giving the Weyr and Dragonkind a reason for existing, is there another way Pern benefits from the Red Planet and the Threads? Why hasn't the Red Planet come close to Pern for 400 Turns, instead of the usual 200 Turns? Isn't that an anomaly in how planets orbit each other? How will that work into McCaffrey's world-building?

4. For those new to Dragonflight, was there anything that particularly surprised you with the narrative choices, etc. thus far? For those who have already read Dragonflight, how do you feel about your return to Pern? What stands out in your revisit?

I was surprised at how bare bones McCaffrey's narrative turned out to be in Dragonflight. It is possible that has something to do with the fact that these first two parts of the story were initially edited as a novella. Her depth of characterization is limited throughout the story so far, as is her world-building. The story is action driven with the main characters' inner dialog giving the reader limited insight into what might lie ahead. It is intriguing that once past that first chapter which was front loaded with some incomprehensible world-building information that was slowly cleared up in subsequent chapters, I became engrossed by the story and didn't want to stop after reading Part II.

5. Discuss anything else that you feel passionate to discuss that wasn't included in your responses to the above questions.

The dragons! The dragons made this story fun and enjoyable for me. They provide the sense of humor and light moments that the readers don't get from F'lar and/or Lessa. Also, there is a sense that these beautiful creatures are wiser than shown in this first part of the story since they seem to be born with knowledge. I'm hoping that McCaffrey will explore the dragons and give us some real insight into them, if not in the second part of this book, maybe later on in book 2 or 3 of the Pern trilogy.

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Read as part of The 2013 Science Fiction Experience and The Vintage Science Fiction Month