Dragonquest

I decided to head back to Pern because I wanted something to read on my trip to Fantasy Con in Salt Lake and dragons just seemed appropriate. Reading Anne McCaffrey always makes me revert to being 12 and picking out books from the Science Fiction and Fantasy catalog with my dad. You could call the style a little dated, but I prefer to think of it as a piece out of time.

The Dragonriders of Pern has a lot to do with tradition, change, and consequences. The primary focus of this book is dealing with the consequences of bringing people forward in time, and I think that's a pretty obvious setting for 1971. Everything in Pern is out of alignment and no one can figure out why. Oldtimers cling to tradition in the face of very obvious paradigm shifts. It's a book about coping and ingenuity and dragons. Lots of dragons.

Admittedly, there are some awkward moments (F'nor and Brekke's scene for example) that just don't read right with modern eyes. The book is also much more about F'lar and Lessa becomes a more subservient character. However, I still think she holds her own and the equality of both Weyrleaders is stressed throughout the story even if Lessa isn't the star of the piece. I remember The White Dragon being a personal favorite of my chibi self, so I'm looking forward to this little waltz down memory lane.

I still think I could handle a fire lizard... get on it, science.

Has a great summary of things to-date as the opening chapter so it can stand on its own.

I'm very familiar with the Pern universe so not sure how this would be at portraying the world building on its own. And this is written by Anne McCaffrey alone so the writing is excellent.

Oh my god. So I thought the other books were full of weird rape and slut-shaming, but this one is the worst one yet. WTF, McCaffrey.

It takes some special talent to write a sex scene between two people who are in love and want to have sex, and somehow make it actually rape.

This entire scene between F'nor and Brekke, what the actual fuck. [CW: definitely pretty much rape.]

She tried to break away from him, but even with one arm the brown rider was stronger. Trapped, she began to cling to him with the strength of utter despair.
...
“You won't lose Wirenth. It's different when dragons mate, love. You're the dragon, too, caught up in emotions that have only one resolution.” He held her tightly as she seemed to shrink with revulsion from him as well as the imminent event. He thought of the riders here at Southern, of T'bor, and he experienced a disgust of another sort. Those men, conditioned to respond to Kylara's exotic tastes, would brutalize this inexperienced child.
...
Still holding her, he carried her out of the weyrhold, smothering her protest against his chest as she realized his intention.
...
He wanted to be gentle but, unaccountably, Brekke fought him. She pleaded with him, crying out wildly that they'd rouse the sleeping Wirenth. He wasn't gentle but he was thorough, and, in the end, Brekke astounded him with a surrender as passionate as if her dragon had been involved.
...
She permitted him to caress her but there was a shadow lingering in her eyes and a reluctance in her body. “I want to, oh how I want to, F'nor, but I'm so scared. I'm scared to my bones.” He kissed her deeply, ruthlessly employing subtleties to arouse her. “Please, Brekke?” “It can't be wrong to be happy, can it, F'nor?” she whispered, a shiver rippling along her body. He kissed her again, using every trick learned from a hundred casual encounters to wed her to him, body, soul and mind, aware of Canth's enthusiastic endorsement.

“Indeed we will. We'll bring them up to date if ...” “Lessa,” and F'lar gave her a little shake, his pessimism dispersed by the vehemence of her response and the transparency of her rapid calculations on how to bring about such changes.

“To keep other men from you?” F'nor demanded, giving her a little shake. “Why? Whom are you keeping yourself for?”

F'nor told her in a pleasant drawl though it cost him much to keep his temper. It was too bad you couldn't beat a Weyrwoman with impunity. Her dragon wouldn't permit it but a sound thrashing was what Kylara badly needed.

First he'd better get over the urge to beat Kylara, and give T'bor the chance to reprimand her privately.