You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I like the character of Robinton, but this was a rather sad book. I keep wishing that something good would happen to the poor man. I understand that she wanted to emphasize how good a person he became even though he'd gone through all this hardship. It makes the book hard to read when everything is all downer. I like books to make me happy, but that's just me.
Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels are either epic or domestic. The original trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon) are epics. The Harperhall novels are domestic. This one is a mix of the two. It starts out domestic with the retelling of Robinton's life and becomes epic when Ms McCaffrey starts rewriting what we know about Pern's history to ensure that Robinton plays a larger part in it to become even more awesome than he already is. Which really - in my not terribly humble opinion - only serves to make the series a little cosier and smaller in my eyes because it seems that just a handful of people are running Pern and contributing to its history and what gets done rather than what really happens with a continent and the various cultures that live on it. But it's Pern, which I would rather visit than just about any other place in fiction, and, thankfully, it's always readable for which I can forgive a multitude of sins.
A whole book devoted to one of my favorite characters in the Pern series! Probably not a good entry into the series, as the focus is on the backstory of Robinton, his early life, and how he became Masterharper.
-the masterharpers life is a rather sad story.
"they dont want their children to know more than they did or they couldn't keep them from leaving those awful jungles."
"some of their antics would be enough to drive me to sea in a leaky boat."
"a man convinced against his will, is of his own opinion still."
"they dont want their children to know more than they did or they couldn't keep them from leaving those awful jungles."
"some of their antics would be enough to drive me to sea in a leaky boat."
"a man convinced against his will, is of his own opinion still."
This is really a merely adequate book. There isn't any real cohesion to the plotline, the writing is basic and dull. Too much spent on unnecessary day-to-day events, years glossed over elsewhere. Pays only half attention to the series's internal chronology, and rehashes events we already know of -- in the most boring way possible. Having just reread the bulk of the series, I suspect this is one of the first where they tried a ghostwriter, without much success -- even the later [b:The Skies of Pern|127566|The Skies of Pern (Pern, #16)|Anne McCaffrey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388266744s/127566.jpg|1760364] is much more like how McCaffrey's style of writing evolved.
Love Anne McCaffrey she had such a wonderful, boundless imagination and such a vivid and descriptive style, her stories transport the reader into the fantastic world that she created and sweeps you up on the breathtaking adventures. Wonderful!
This novel tells of Robinton from his birth to the death of Fax at Ruatha (which is seen from Lessa and F'lar's perspective in the first of the novels).
This was amazing to read, the scope of the overview Harper Hall is afforded through harpers across the continent - and their reports back. In other Pern novels, harpers are in the background, with dragonriders being a more important conveyor of information. But in the time before the Pass, before the other five weyrs came forward, the Harper Hall was a veritable mine of information and intrigue.
This was amazing to read, the scope of the overview Harper Hall is afforded through harpers across the continent - and their reports back. In other Pern novels, harpers are in the background, with dragonriders being a more important conveyor of information. But in the time before the Pass, before the other five weyrs came forward, the Harper Hall was a veritable mine of information and intrigue.
MasterHarper of Pern showed improvement in plotting and characterization compared to the few books published prior. I think this was largely helped by the fact that it's a prequel to Dragonflight, so all of the big plot elements have already been established.
Robinton is a major character found in the first few Pern novels and any story that takes place in the Ninth Pass timeline of Pern. He's the MasterHarper, in charge of Harper Hall, has a fondness for red wine and friendship, and is a talented and beloved leader. MasterHarper of Pern provides background on his upbringing and the events leading up to Lord Fax's invasions in the northern holds of Pern, detailed in the beginning of Dragonflight.
This is a character that never seemed particularly divisive among fans, considering other characters of Pern have gotten criticized for their more traditional treatment of women.
About half of the book details Robinton's youth, primarily focused on his poor relationship with his father, Petiron. He is very close with his mother, Merelan. I got Freudian echoes in many of the scenes between Robinton and Merelan. I am highly doubtful McCaffrey intended anything in that manner, but their mother-son relationship felt off to me.
Additionally, I got the impression that Petiron didn't like Robinton because he wanted Merelan all to himself, whereas later in the book it tries to frame it as Petiron was jealous of Robinton's musical abilities. Petiron didn't really act that way. Didn't try to sabotage Robinton's musical abilities or career. It was also weird how Robinton and Petiron all of a sudden came to terms in one paragraph.
The latter half of the book has Robinton's first serious romance, with Kasia, and his dealings as a journeyman harper. The dragon rider F'lon (father to F'lar and F'nor of Dragonflight) is friends with Robinton since youth, and he pops in and out of the storyline.
Eventually, Robinton does become MasterHarper, but it's close to the end. The last parts of this book run parallel to Dragonflight. In one way, it was interesting to have a different pov of the Ruathan Hold scene, but on the other hand, seemed way too convenient because it didn't need much originality.
Overall, I though the pacing was better that Dragonseye and The Dolphins of Pern. Probably because it was truly focused on Robinton, and in general Robinton tends to be involved in a lot of politics and interesting events.
Because much of this plot is already established, many of the elements don't have any surprise. We know Robinton will become MasterHarper and we know what will happen to Fax. We also know Thread is going to return. It doesn't give a whole lot of originality, but I liked reading about Robinton.
There were some scenes early in the book, with Halanna, a young singer, that didn't sit so right with me. I chalk it up to McCaffrey's old-fashioned ideas about how to deal with strong-willed women that's pervaded the whole series, even though in the later published books it has lightened up. Essentially, Halanna is being a brat. Petiron slaps her. She calls her dad and brothers because she's mad, and then her dad spends three days hitting her until she decides to act right, and her brothers agree that's the only way to make her behave.
Lastly, MasterHarper of Pern reneges on prior world-building when it comes to women as harpers. Robinton's mother is a MasterSinger, and there are multiple women acting as harpers. However, over about two generations, all the women have disappeared, at the start of the ya Harper Hall trilogy featuring Menolly. There's a few sloppy excuses: Robinton tried to find girls but couldn't, and an older female harper just wanted to attend to domestic duties. Considering Harper Hall fights to save traditions, it doesn't make sense. Why break with the world-building for this book?
Robinton is a major character found in the first few Pern novels and any story that takes place in the Ninth Pass timeline of Pern. He's the MasterHarper, in charge of Harper Hall, has a fondness for red wine and friendship, and is a talented and beloved leader. MasterHarper of Pern provides background on his upbringing and the events leading up to Lord Fax's invasions in the northern holds of Pern, detailed in the beginning of Dragonflight.
This is a character that never seemed particularly divisive among fans, considering other characters of Pern have gotten criticized for their more traditional treatment of women.
About half of the book details Robinton's youth, primarily focused on his poor relationship with his father, Petiron. He is very close with his mother, Merelan. I got Freudian echoes in many of the scenes between Robinton and Merelan. I am highly doubtful McCaffrey intended anything in that manner, but their mother-son relationship felt off to me.
Additionally, I got the impression that Petiron didn't like Robinton because he wanted Merelan all to himself, whereas later in the book it tries to frame it as Petiron was jealous of Robinton's musical abilities. Petiron didn't really act that way. Didn't try to sabotage Robinton's musical abilities or career. It was also weird how Robinton and Petiron all of a sudden came to terms in one paragraph.
The latter half of the book has Robinton's first serious romance, with Kasia, and his dealings as a journeyman harper. The dragon rider F'lon (father to F'lar and F'nor of Dragonflight) is friends with Robinton since youth, and he pops in and out of the storyline.
Eventually, Robinton does become MasterHarper, but it's close to the end. The last parts of this book run parallel to Dragonflight. In one way, it was interesting to have a different pov of the Ruathan Hold scene, but on the other hand, seemed way too convenient because it didn't need much originality.
Overall, I though the pacing was better that Dragonseye and The Dolphins of Pern. Probably because it was truly focused on Robinton, and in general Robinton tends to be involved in a lot of politics and interesting events.
Because much of this plot is already established, many of the elements don't have any surprise. We know Robinton will become MasterHarper and we know what will happen to Fax. We also know Thread is going to return. It doesn't give a whole lot of originality, but I liked reading about Robinton.
There were some scenes early in the book, with Halanna, a young singer, that didn't sit so right with me. I chalk it up to McCaffrey's old-fashioned ideas about how to deal with strong-willed women that's pervaded the whole series, even though in the later published books it has lightened up. Essentially, Halanna is being a brat. Petiron slaps her. She calls her dad and brothers because she's mad, and then her dad spends three days hitting her until she decides to act right, and her brothers agree that's the only way to make her behave.
Lastly, MasterHarper of Pern reneges on prior world-building when it comes to women as harpers. Robinton's mother is a MasterSinger, and there are multiple women acting as harpers. However, over about two generations, all the women have disappeared, at the start of the ya Harper Hall trilogy featuring Menolly. There's a few sloppy excuses: Robinton tried to find girls but couldn't, and an older female harper just wanted to attend to domestic duties. Considering Harper Hall fights to save traditions, it doesn't make sense. Why break with the world-building for this book?