A world filled with dragons. Dragonflight is the first book in The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. It tells the story of the lead up to the ninth pass of thread fall on Pern. It opens in Ruatha hold where Lessa, daughter and heir to the hold, hides from Fax, the man who usurped her hold when she was a child. She waits patiently for the opportunity to take it back, an opportunity that arises when F’lar, a bronze dragon rider from Benden Weyr, shows up looking for potentials to try and bond with the waiting queen dragon on the hatching sands. While Fax is overthrown, Lessa ends up going with F’lar to the weyr in order to become the next Weyrwoman. Bonding with Ramoth she works desperately to convince the other members of the weyr that she is not useless. At the same time F’lar tries to convince the other dragon riders, especially the more senior bronze riders, that thread is coming and they do need to be prepared. However, they both struggle to find a way to be prepared as the weyr is desperately understrength and they seem to be the only weyr where there was six.
This book is an awesome introduction to the dragons of Pern. Reading about Lessa and F’lar as they struggle to prepare the weyr and the people for the thread fall was intriguing. There were times where I felt their despair and other times where their optimism was rather infectious. However, the thing that I find most intriguing about this book, and ultimately this series, is the fact that it is science-fiction. The idea that dragons are created by humanity on a far-flung planet that we settled far in the future is incredible. It creates a very interesting premise for the series that also puts these dragons squarely in a category all their own as I don’t think I have ever seen anything similar. Perhaps just as intriguing is the basic plot of this story, preparing for this thread fall that is coming. The conflict in the book is created by this entirely exterior threat that isn’t even from their own planet but yet must be combated in some way or it has the potential to destroy the entire planet. At the same time it is an entirely natural threat and one that they seem to have no way of preventing so it creates this interesting background conflict or problem for later books in the series as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of these elements as well as the incredible development that was present in the book. The characters were well developed and fleshed out and I felt like I really got to know Lessa and F’lar over the course of the book. Perhaps just as developed was the culture and the setting of Pern. It wasn’t just surface level but a lot of minor details were included that made it feel like a lot of thought had gone into creating Pern. I really enjoyed this book as it was an interesting take on dragons. Definitely getting 4.5 out of 5 stars from me for this book.
Even though there are dragons present in this book it is still science-fiction. If you happen to enjoy a good soft sci-fi that focuses on character development and interaction than I suggest you consider trying this book out as it is really good. However, if you don’t enjoy science-fiction than it may not be for you. In terms of recommended age range the book is aimed primarily at an adult audience. I could also see it being read by older teens and young adults as well though there are some minor mature references due to the dragon’s mating flight. Nothing explicit or that would be an issue I don’t think. Overall, a great book and one that I hope you consider reading. If you are already familiar with this book or decide to try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.