Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
This month I’m taking part in a group readalong of Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. Today is the first of two parts of discussion. This first reading took us to the end of Part II and for those of you who haven’t read the book before be warned that spoilers be contained within.
The questions follow:
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.
Well, I have mixed feelings about this. Initially I was really surprised because the stereotypes were so blatant. For example, on the Search, F’lar’s thoughts and feelings about the women, felt like he was looking over them like nothing more than cattle and to a certain extent some of that attitude seems to remain throughout the following chapters. I could have slapped him and F’nor about the hands and face carrying on with themselves about ‘we should have taken the pretty one!’ And these are the good guys (I think). And yet I wonder to an extent if this is to really get over the sense of the way people really behaved on Pern at that time (which, come on, is quite old fashioned) and then to really highlight how different Lessa really is? I could of course just be projecting my own hopes onto the author here!! I suppose if you really think about it this book was written some time ago when attitudes and expectations were different so you have to be a bit realistic about what you expect. For example, Asimov’s Foundation – in the third book the couple (apologies, the names escape me!) I remember one scene where the bloke is going shopping and I strongly suspect that this was meant as really almost innovational at the time. Just a little example.
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)?
Well, like above, I have mixed feelings. I’m like Gollum. I likes them and I hates them. I think I’ll probably like them a lot more as things progress. I mean, firstly, they have this total lack of communication where you want to just say ‘talk to each other already’! Secondly, they’re both so goddam proud it gets on your last nerve. I really liked Lessa in that she had a terrible childhood but managed to survive and also to come up with a plan to regain what she thought was hers. I like that she stands up for herself. But then she infuriates me by being so infantile – having said that she’s probably not had the best role models to look up to so I guess you can forgive her for that, she probably is still quite immature. Then you have F’lar. Yes, he’s arrogant. I certainly don’t think he’s helped Lessa to fit in. He went on his search and wanted to find someone with a bit more humph and then when he does find someone like that he tries to quell it at every opportunity. But then conversely I like the way they get on each others nerves! I must admit that when Lessa first arrived back at the Weyr and went to bathe I had this insane thought for a moment that when she’d finished cleaning herself up and stepped out to F’lar he’d be all bowled over! A proper Disney moment where the ugly duckling is finally revealed in all it’s swanny splendour and everyone is totally bowled over. I’m VERY glad that didn’t actually happen because it would have been lame and obvious in equal measure. Hopefully there’s going to be more than just fickle skin deepness to them both. I’m sort of thinking that they’ll both become much more to each other than just a pretty face. I want a bit more depth and I think that I’m not going to be disappointed. I couldn’t help wondering about F’nor – who we keep having little mentions about – is this going to be some sort of triangle??? (and not a sparkly spangly vampire in sight)
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?
Well, (yes I’m doing this on purpose), I also had mixed feelings about Pern. I feel like we’ve been given very little information but chucked in and hit the ground running. There’s clearly an expectation that you’ll have a feeling and understanding of the world and what to picture. I don’t really mind that to be honest but in terms of the Red Star and the Between, not to mention the Threads. I’m waiting for the big reveal (maybe there won’t be one). That’s not to say I’m floundering around, I have my own interpretation and I’m quite happy. What I do love about this book is the dragons. I love dragons. In stories that is (pretty sure I’d be pretty terrified if I came face to face with one!) There are lots of dragons in this so that pretty much means I’m very happy. Plus, I love the way that they choose a rider and communicate with each other. I couldn’t help thinking as the story moved on that the dragons are more advanced in some respects than the people. Not to mention pretty clever. I mean, they can all communicate with each other. They choose their rider. They’re then looked after really, fed, pampered (tickled behing the ears!) Not to mention F’lar’s dragon almost has political savvy not to mention an understanding of how F’lar should speak to Lessa! Come on, that’s pretty damn savvy, on top of which wings, flying, breathing fire and other cool things.
4. For those new to Dragonflight, was their 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?
Mmm, not sure if there was any particular surprises so far. I like the way the story is narrated. It probably sounds that I’ve had criticisms from the above answers but that’s not really the case. These are almost fleeting thoughts, quite insubstantial. I’m enjoying this and looking forward to what comes next. I have a strong suspicion that the first half has lulled us into a false sense of security.
5. Discuss anything else that you feel passionate to discuss that wasn’t included in your responses to the above questions.
I’m really puzzled about the science fiction element to the book and I can’t wait to see how that unfolds. Looking forward very much to the next half.
Among Others by Jo Walton
Just finished reading Among Others by Jo Walton. I confess I have mixed feelings about this book which I think have stopped me from loving this as much as I wanted although I did enjoy it and thought the story was really well written.
Mori is a 15 year old girl. Her twin sister has died in an accident that also left Mori with a damaged hip leaving her needing to use a stick to walk. Mori ran away from her mother and after a short spell living at a children’s home has gone to live with her estranged father (Daniel) and his three sisters. She is despatched to the local boarding school where she struggles to fit in. The difference with Mori and the other school girls is that she believes in magic and fairies. She thinks her mother is a witch who is using dark magic for her own gain and she constantly sees and, in fact talks to, the fairies who exist all around us.
I think this is one of the areas that is really well done. I was never quite sure if the magic and fairies were just a product of Mori’s imagination and a coping mechanism or whether she was really experiencing something strange and wonderful. It’s very subtly written. The magic isn’t all about flashing wands and broomsticks but simple rituals, wards and protections and the belief that Mori has in the magic. If Mori attempts magic she’s never sure if something would actually have occurred naturally or not. There’s also the ‘wicked mother’ element – is her mother evil or is she suffering herself – you’re never quite sure. Or at least I wasn’t. For me Mori came across as a lonely character who has maybe suffered neglect, loss and the feeling of not being wanted by her family who has this whole other magical community surrounding her that nobody else can see. It’s sort of like an imaginary friend.
The method of story telling is through a diary which Mori keeps. Again, I think this is a really good form of story telling. At first you could be forgiven for thinking that some of the entries are a little bland but this is a 15 year old girl after all. I remember keeping a diary for a couple of years with some sort of romantic notion that I would later look back on these and it would be a revelation – it wasn’t. I did in fact look back as a precursor to having a good clear out and the writing was the most inane imaginable. Actually Mori’s diaries are amazing by comparison!! The only issue I had with the diary system of story telling is that you’re never really made fully aware of what actually did take place in Mori’s life beforehand. After all, she’s writing a diary about ‘now’ not ‘then’ and so this means that there is a very slow reveal to past occurrences and you never fully gather a full picture of her history. What I did question with the diary entries were that there never appeared to be a great deal of sadness about the loss of the sister – or it didn’t come across to me as though there was but perhaps I misinterpreted it?
The thing that book lovers can’t fail to enjoy, particularly science fiction and fantasy lovers, are all the references to books and authors, bookshops and libraries. I loved reading about all that although I didn’t know half the books mentioned and I’m sure a lot of references went straight over my head. I think however that this could become a little bit tedious to those people out there who are not quite as book absorbed as Mori – and OMG how quickly did she read – I’m surprised she had any time for school work (but I suppose when you consider that virtually all her time was spent in school it must be a very long day)!
I will admit that Mori puzzled me. At first, and particularly with her style of diary keeping, I wondered if she had issues with socialising – she seemed a very lone person and to an extent quite happy to be alone. She was a little bit detached and had a very black and white way of looking at things. Even when she attracted the attention of an older and rather good looking boy at her book club I wouldn’t say she came across as giddy about it like you would expect of a schoolgirl.
On the whole I think this is a lovely subtle read, a coming of age of a young girl who has suffered loss and is coming to terms with her circumstances in the best way she can and using her overpowering love of books to help her. It was great to see Mori start to interact with other people and come out of her shell and also to see how others started to respond to her and become more caring. I think if you go into this with any thoughts of all sorts of magic and mysticism then you may be disappointed. Like I mentioned earlier this is a very subtle story.
In terms of criticisms – the whole boyfriend issue felt a little too easily worked out. Everything just seemed to fall into place too easily. Mori never seemed to suffer from any sort of nerves or embarrassment and also I wasn’t totally convinced that it was necessary to the story and it somehow felt a little bit tacked on. I also thought it somehow felt a little out of character with Mori – suddenly she was all about the good looking boy and seemed to quite easily drop the other friends she had just made – okay, I can imagine that happening with girls that age – but Mori came across as different is all.
There was one other issue that I had which related to a particular episode between Mori and her father Daniel where it appeared that he made a sexual pass at her that was then dropped and never referred to again. I don’t know, I just found that a little disturbing but the fact that no further reference was made to the episode me wonder if the author was in some way trying to make the reader doubt Mori’s own diary accounts or to maybe not totally trust her telling of events? Almost as though she perhaps makes things up??
However, in spite of a few little criticisms I think this is a good read that you can’t fail to enjoy. I think you need to go into this with the right sort of expectations but with that proviso it’s a well written and very easy to read story.
My top books of 2012
Well, I’ve held off writing my ‘best of’ list for as long as I can. I keep thinking I might just read one more book that turns out to be so awesome it would need to go on here but I’ve decided enough already and just pick your top ten. So here they are, in no particular order
- King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Last year Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence was also on my top 10 list and at that point I couldn’t imagine how he could top that novel. This year King of Thorns was released and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I was even nervous before I started reading (why I was nervous I haven’t the first notion – it’s not like I’m the author!). As it happens my case of the nerves was completely unwarranted. King of Thorns was absolutely amazing. It surpassed my own expectations and raised the bar yet even higher for the third novel (no pressure there then!) Seriously, I couldn’t love this book any more even it I tried.
- Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. The Dresden Files are my new No.1 fantasy series. Harry Dresden is very easy to read about and it’s easy to see why he’s gained such a large and loyal following. The series is a great combination of all sorts of paranormal thrown together with a little magic, a little mystery, a little romance, some scary moments, wit and a good dose of sarcasm and occasional bad language. What’s not to love?
- The Troupe by Robert J Bennett. The Troupe is a brilliant read and one that I will definitely read again. Robert Bennett is one of those unusual authors who seems to defy any sort of genre and who also manages to come up with a different style of book every time he sets pen to paper. On the back of reading this I also read Mr Shivers and The Company Man which are also great reads. I can’t wait for his next book to see where he will take us next.
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I don’t think this book needs any introduction. It’s a masterpiece and this year I’ve read such a lot of Neil Gaiman that I actually think I may be in danger of falling in love with the man! Seriously, I don’t know where he’s been hiding all my life but I’m so glad I’ve finally discovered his books. Lots of fangirl gushing could actually have happened right about now…. but, I’ve decided to exercise restraint.
- The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint. Charles de Lint is another author that I’ve only recently discovered. Blue Girl was a lovely introduction and I already have a few more of his books based in Newford waiting to be read. A lovely story teller.
- The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt. Out of all the books I read last year I can genuinely say that The Sisters Brothers was the biggest surprise for me. Its a western and completely out of my comfort zone. I picked it up and read it on the strength of a recommendation from one of my longest known book buddies. What can I say, this is harsh, funny, dark, brutal and very entertaining to read. The dialogue is top class. All I can say is it was a must read.
- Shadows by Ilsa Bick. Shadows is the second in this trilogy which started with Ashes and will apparently conclude autumn next year with Monsters. I can’t wait for the conclusion. This is a very dark and frankly quite brutal read. It’s not for the squeamish. Set in a post apocalyptic world, telling the story of the survivors battling against terrible odds – not least of all the zombie types that seem to be taking over.
- The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M Valente. I think that Catherynne Valente could become one of those authors where I sit tapping my foot impatiently waiting for the latest release. Fortunately I have a little catching up before I reach that stage! The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland looks deceptively like a children’s story book but don’t be deterred. Appearances can be misleading and this novel quite effortlessly spans all ages with a lovely blend of fairytale reminiscent of Victorian classics and yet with a more modern bearing. The story telling is charming, quirky, fun and imaginative. Apparently there are to be five novels in this series so still so much to look forward to.
- Wolfsbane by Gillian Philip. This is the third in the Rebel Angel series which burst onto the book scene with Firebrand. This is about the fey. No soft and fluffy fairies these. Rough and tough. Living beyond the mortal world and separated by a veil that seems to be rather more fragile than some of them would wish and that others would desire be removed altogether. The series is full of conflict and blends this strange, beautiful and dark other world with the world in which we live. Not to mention this brings to us the creation of Seth. And, lets face it – a thing of beauty is a joy forever (how right you were John Keats). Okay, Seth is a rather lovely hunk of delicious mind candy and I don’t mind admitting it!
- Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig. Just literally read this days ago and was blown away. I didn’t read the first book and actually hadn’t particularly planned on reading this series but picked this book up quite by accident. I’m glad I did. After a little bit of a shaky start I literally couldn’t put this down. Very entertaining indeed.
I feel I should also mention Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies – which isn’t on the list because even though I did read it this year this wasn’t for the first time. I do love that series though so wanted to give it a special mention. So excited about Republic of Thieves.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Just finished reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens which I was reading as part of a Dickens readalong being hosted by Caroline (Beauty is a Sleeping Cat) and Delia (Postcards from Asia).
This is a reread of the novel for me as I read it many years ago and I always wonder if I will actually like a book the second time round or whether revisiting will somehow mar the memory. No problems here I’m pleased to admit. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the second time round the story was even better.
For those of you unfamiliar with Great Expectations the story is about a boy called Pip. Pip is an orphan, being raised by his sister and her husband Joe. Due to a chance circumstance Pip is thrown into the path of the local eccentric lady of the manor, Miss Haversham where he meets her ward the beautiful and proud Estella. Pip is later to be apprenticed to Joe as a blacksmith until his fortune is changed by an unknown benefactor and he is elevated to the status of a gentleman with ‘great expectations’. I won’t elaborate further on the plot.
The first thing I noticed this time round is the humour in Dicken’s telling of the story. I can genuinely admit that I recalled none of that at all and yet he really does incorporate a lot of fun into his character Pip. Perhaps I missed this originally as I was much younger and probably concentrated mainly on the story (not to mention racing to the end to find out how it all concludes). I think much of the writing style and the subtle nuances were probably wasted on me at that age whereas this time, being already aware of the story, I was able to enjoy Dicken’s style.
I must confess that I had moments where Pip didn’t come across as well as he could – in fact at one point I positively disliked him. But, I think this was part of Dickens intentions. Pip starts out in life quite destitute and his only friend in the world is Joe (who frequently rescues him from a good beating from his sister). And, yet, as soon as he meets Miss Haversham he becomes overwhelmed with shame about his own circumstances. He cringes at the thought of the disdainful Estella ever meeting Joe or seeing his home circumstances. This is in sharp contrast later in the story when Pip becomes friendly with Mr Wemmit who works at the law firm that acts as Guardian to Pip’s income until he becomes of age. Mr Wemmit doesn’t have a lot to speak of in the world. He has a small home and looks after his elderly father who remains known throughout the story as The Aged. And yet Mr Wemmit loves his home and family and experiences none of the feelings that Pip does. It also reaches a bit of a peak when Joe pays a visit to Pip in his new home in London and Pip is practically on pins for the whole visit, acts quite rudely towards Joe, is ashamed for him with his country ways and lack of breeding and is actually relieved when he leaves! I was really naffed off with him at this point I must admit!
That being said I think that Pip does redeem himself – and this seems to be a theme with Dickens that characters become aware of the flaws in their own character and attempt to change themselves for the better.
A couple of things that occurred to me during this read were:
I thought that Dickens was making a point about females in society – if you look at Biddy in this story she is quite obviously as clever, if not more so, as Pip and yet due to circumstances her chances in life are quite different.
The other thing that stood out with this, and I don’t know if this is the same for other novels by Dickens, is that he is a master of misdirection. He leads you into wrong conclusions and dead end alleys without any difficulty whatsoever.
And, finally, I wondered if he was making a point about nature over nurture. Both Pip and Estella were taken into a situation where they were manipulated and raised almost like a tool of revenge. Estella to seek revenge against men on behalf of Miss Haversham and her overwhelming disappointment in life and Pip, placed into a different situation in life by somebody who wanted to make a gentleman out of him to prove a point and then display Pip around time as being the superior of everyone else. Both of them, later in life, realised how they were being used and it was sad to see that neither of them were able to lead perfectly happy or normal lives comparative to some of the other characters in the story.
I really enjoyed this story reading it for the second time. It is a great story and easy to see why it’s been adapted to film on so many occasions and I would like to thank Caroline and Delia for giving me the inspiration to revisit.
Random thoughts on my Kindle…
23 December 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Kindle and ebooks, Random thoughts, Reading experience
So, a few weeks ago I was bought a Kindle. I’ve always resisted the temptation because frankly I’m a total booky type person. However, people have conspired against me, as they will and do, in some sort of grim determination to bring me into the electronic age and having previously been a bit outspoken against e-books I thought it only fair that I revisit my thoughts now that I’m actually using one and can speak from a little experience as oppose to a lot of prejudice.
Before I continue I must state emphatically that I will not be abandoning books! Phew. Had to just get that out there. But, I will also be including a few electronic ones now.
On the plus side
– OMG there are a lot of books out there that are much cheaper on the kindle – this is a definite bonus when you read a lot. Okay, there are some that are more expensive and I do struggle to understand why that is but, in the main, they seem to be cheaper. (on the downside to this I will admit that you can become a little bit entranced in looking through the ebooks to the extent you find you haven’t done any reading at all for quite some time!)
– no need for book marks or bent pages – the Kindle just opens your book up to where you left off, even if you have more than one book on the go, no more losing your page. No more watching as your book slides off the arm of the chair where you (thought you had) carefully placed it, bashes to the floor and loses your place!
– free samples – how many of those have I now got waiting to be read. This is a definite bonus. I know you can’t always tell from the first few chapters if you’re going to like a book or not you can at least get to check out a flavour of the book and also the author’s style – lets face it this isn’t really possible with paperbacks!
– Dictionary – okay, I’m not a total dunce but every now and again you read a book and there’s a word in there that you don’t know. So, do you make a note, rush home and whip your dictionary out. No, you don’t. You read on and hope that the use of the word in the sentence has given you the correct feel for the meaning. No need for that with the Kindle. Okay, having said that, I haven’t used that facility – but, I could if I wanted!!
– plus, you can bookmark things really easily – so no need to make any notes or remember page numbers to come back and look at later – a definite plus. although I do like my little notebook I must admit.
On the down side:
– does a book ever run out of power. I think not! How annoying is that, and, yes thank you, I realise it’s my own fault if I don’t keep the Kindle properly charged but you have to concede the point that this is not a problem you ever suffer with a book! So, when I want to read something on the way to work and open the Kindle and then it just powers down – a little bit disappointing which brings me to the second down side
– because I’m not the best at keeping things charged, and because this means I may wind up in the situation of not having a book to enjoy over lunch, etc, then I now carry a book as back up. Which rather defeats one of the main arguments for a kindle, i.e. lighter to carry in your bag, no more lugging around heavy tomes, because now I’m carrying a book and a Kindle (doh!).
– also, and this may seem lame – but its yet another gadget! And, gadgets appeal to people with light fingers. As much as I love books I don’t imagine anyone stealing one – but this is just something else that might attract unwanted attention. I’m just saying!
– book covers – I think this is one of the biggest downside. You download a book (oh, and that’s another bonus – it’s there straight away) but there’s no cover. I like book covers. I’m sorry but I do. In fact I’m not sorry. I’m not going to apologise for liking covers. It’s a whole industry going on right there and I can’t help wondering what sort of bad effects this will have on all the illustrators, designers, etc.
– plus, just read a Christmas Carol – no illustrations. The book I picked did have illustrations but the book I downloaded didn’t. Okay, I don’t need pictures but that’s not the point.
So, that’s my experience so far. Even Stevens. Like and Don’t like. I’m like Smeagol. I loves it and I hates it precious. So, for now, the jury is out, but I’m keeping an open mind and continuing with my experiment.
