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Dragonflight cover Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Published by Del Ray

Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel

For most of her brief life, Lessa has been living for revenge against the man who slaughtered her family. Then a group of dragonriders arrive at Ruatha and everything changes.

Dragonriders, men who enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the winged, firebreathing native race of Pern, have long been the world's defense against the periodic incursions of Thread. However, it has been many generations since the destructive organism last fell upon Pern, and many doubt that it will return. Now they mock the dragonriders as a useless anachronism, parasites instead of protectors.

Even some of the dragonriders themselves have begun to doubt their own mission. Only F'lar, rider of bronze Mnementh, still believes that the Thread will make its scheduled appearance in a few short years. This makes his mission all the more important.

The golden queen dragon, mother of all dragons in the Weyr, lays dead and the only hope for the continuation of dragonkind is the golden queen egg that lies hardening upon the sands. However, the hatchling who will soon emerge from it must be paired with a suitable woman, a woman of strength and courage.

F'lar sees in Lessa just that sort of woman, if only he can convince her to give up her ruined home of Ruatha and come to the Weyr. Already time is short, and there are not nearly enough dragons to protect all of Pern from the ravages of Thread. Lessa holds the key to saving her people, if only she can find the way to use it.

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This review posted May 20, 1999

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