Dragonflight

As I did not particularly care for this book, I'm forgoing the usual format and just writing a quick review. I read this book as the April pick for Sword & Laser. I was vaguely aware of it being considered one of the “classics” of fantasy. It hadn't really been on my radar as something I wanted to read.

In fact I had this feeling (based partially on discussing it with a friend who just read it for the first time recently) that I wasn't going to like it, so I borrowed it from the library rather than just buying it like I normally would. Maybe I was setting myself up to dislike it. Either way I'm glad I didn't buy it.

I didn't connect to a single human character in the entire book. I found them all to be pretty awful people that I wouldn't want to be around.

The only redeeming part of this book to me were the dragons. I think they were well done, and interesting/likable (for dragons). Maybe I'm not being forgiving to the fact the dragonriders themselves are just as arrogant as the dragons they ride.

Overall I found the plot lacking too. It seemed to jump all over the place, and when it finally came time to battle the “threads” that threatened Pern, it jumped off again (time travel: go!), then ended rather abruptly. Now I know there are more books, but I can't say I'm really itching to read them.

I will say I found the last third or so of the book much better than the first two-thirds, so really this is maybe a 2.5 for me rather than just a flat 2, but I couldn't give it a 3 after spending so much time looking for excuses not to read it. If it hadn't been a club pick and so short, I might have considered dropping it all together.

Maybe this is a book I would have enjoyed as a kid, but it's hard for me to say.