Pern and Other Worlds

Girls and dragons. Why can't we get enough of that combination?

I've read the first two books of the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and a few books in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles written by Donita K. Paul. They're all about girls. With dragons. The second book in each series is titled DragonQuest, and I read each of them at about the same time, one right after the other.

I actually read a separate trilogy by Paul before now, which takes place on the other side of the planet from Amara; the Chiril Chronicles. They were unchallenging and nearly boring and I almost lost hope after a few pages of the young, girly protagonist basically not doing much. But then other characters evolved around her, two of which shared a few zingy one-liners and very clever witticisms. So I kept on.

But the Dragon Keeper books are, irritatingly, fluffy Christian fantasy filed under the Sci-fi section for some reason. I've read one or two other people's reviews that say 'you don't have to be a Christian to like these books,' but yes, you do. No, it's not about "God" and "Jesus," but it is about "Wulder" and "Paladin." Close enough, right?
There isn't actually a lot of Jesus allusion, but the principles of Wulder basically take everything over. There's also anticlimactic climaxes, barely any in-group tension, and watered-down fight descriptions. And everyone loves Wulder except for the poor sods who don't.

The Pern series so far is a bit darker than I expected. It's weird transitioning from modern-day writing to something published decades ago. I also find myself asking, when reading a fantasy book, about the characters' religions- religion is such a prevalent aspect of so many lives. Paul's books address this issue with all the subtlety of a blunt axe. McCaffrey's approach is much more light-handed.

There's no 'religion' on Pern that I could discern. No one worships or leaves offerings for a deity. No one seems to pray. But they do have an overarching, constant battle with Thread. And this, this is their religion. It's easy for the dragon keepers- they are the ones battling Thread, they see it all the time, they exist to uphold traditions to be ready for the next wave of it. Those that live simple lives in holds forget about Thread when it is not imminent. It's very interesting politically.

So what have I been reading lately that doesn't have to do with girls and their dragons? Oh, a few things. I read Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling, which took me a while to get sucked into. It's about the end of the world as we know it. Electricity stops working for no known reason and society dissolves into chaos.


Also I read the latest by Seanan McGuire, Ashes of Honor. Remember October Daye? Spoiler alert: she finally bangs Tybalt. There. Now you do't have to read the book.

This whole series aggravates me because it is so rich in detail, so well-researched and beautifully sewn into our own mundane world, and yet what does this entire thing turn into but ridiculous amounts of violence and a forever-long will-they, won't-they between two people who should never, ever have even considered getting together with each other. I'm also tired of the Luidaeg pulling magical solutions to everything out of her ass.

In the first October Daye book, there were taboos. When October gets an idea to call the night-haunts, it was terrifying. You don't call the night-haunts. You just don't. It's absolutely unheard of. But she did anyway. It was crazy.

Now, nothing is taboo. Oh, sure, we can jump between lost worlds, whatever. Here, take this candle/bauble/rose/thing, it'll see you from point A to point B. Take care now, and try to watch out for men, they always seem to want to confess their love to you and you just don't have time for that, all right?
Anyway.


I just finished another book by Patricia A. McKillip, titled Ombria in Shadow.
Now, this was a book.

At first I was put off by the flowery descriptions and confusing writing. But what I do like about McKillip is that she seems to skip excessive exposition and jump right into Where Things Begin. In this book, the prince of Ombria has just died. His mistress, nephew, and son must cope with that all while dealing with one Domina Pearl, a sharply evil yet ambiguously human regent bent on... I'm still not even sure. Subverting the city, I think. Well, she's the bad guy.

Ombria has an interesting split personality of 'reality' and shadow, mixing mundane with magic. Basically, don't go out at night.

I could see myself writing a paper for English class on this. The themes of hidden identities and lost innocence  are displayed in motifs of mirrors, shoes, masks, jewels, and charcoal... I could go on, but I won't. Maybe another time.


And now I'm trying to muscle through The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I don't know what it is, I have a hard time getting through stories written in the mid twentieth century about computers.