I Read What?!

So, I gave an introduction last time. Let's get down to it!



Okay, so we pretty much leap right in. Moreta (Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr) and Nesso (Headwoman of Fort Weyr, which means she's basically the Manora of this place) are discussing the Weyrleader, Sh'gall.

Apparently Sh'gall and Nesso don't get along at all, and so Nesso is inclined to see Sh'gall leaving on "other Weyr business" as a slight against Moreta, who is set to go to the Ruatha Gather. It doesn't sound like we're supposed to take Nesso's side here, with descriptions about how her "voice grated like a bone saw" or her "officious habit of 'taking' Moreta's place whenever the Weyrwoman was absent unless specifically ordered not to."

McCaffrey has never been subtle about this kind of thing. But it does raise the question, yet again, about what really justifies the Weyrwoman or Weyrleader's power in the Weyr. It's not merit based. It's based on whose dragon fucks whose. And that's a stupid ass system. Sure, F'lar and Lessa are talented in their roles, but it's not like they'd have been any less talented if they flew blues or greens.

Of course, I'm sure Nesso is probably terrible at her job. Because McCaffrey is a brilliant story craftsman when she tries, but she has the subtlety and nuance of a sledgehammer.

So yeah, Nesso is a busy body who interferes. (There's also a note about how Moreta went and talked to the old Weyrwoman, Leri, to see what she requires for the day. Leri, of course, "would have no ministrations from Nesso's hands".)

So Moreta's dragon, Orlith, is due to lay her eggs soon, but she's going to be flying Moreta to the gather. She sounds rather soft and sweet in personality. I like that. One thing I will give McCaffrey a lot of credit for is that, in relatively few lines, she's very good at giving the dragons distinct personalities. Anyway Orlith intends to swim in Ruatha Lake, and when Moreta asks if that's wise, so close to clutching, Orlith tells her that nothing is colder than between.

There's some cute banter between the two where we find out that Moreta and Orlith have been partnered for almost twenty Turns (years). Though apparently they've only recently become the leading pair, as Leri's dragon, Holth, hadn't risen to mate in the prior winter.

So this IS interesting to me. I was wondering how dragons aged, and how power is passed. And probably this explains the desperation of the Oldtimers in White Dragon: Mardra/her dragon were too old to mate.

Though, I still think it's stupid to transfer power because of that. Just because a dragon isn't fertile any longer, we're going to take perfectly capable people out of leadership roles?

I am interested though, that Moreta must be in her late thirties or early forties. That's probably about F'lar (and F'NOR) in Dragonquest. But this is the first older main female character we've had in the series.

We get more useful information here:

Moreta gave her head a final drubbing, then flicked her fingers through her hair to make the short crop settle into natural waves. Wearing a leather cap during Threadfall made her scalp sweat so much that the long blond braids in which she had taken so much pride as a holder girl had been shorn. Once this Pass was completed, she could grow her hair!

Once the Pass was completed ... In the act of pulling on a clean undertunic, Moreta paused in surprise. Why, this Pass would end in another eight Turns. No, seven if one counted this Turn a quarter gone. Moreta sternly corrected an optimistic attitude. The Turn was barely seventy days old. Eight Turns then. In eight Turns, she, Moreta, would no longer have to fly with Orlith against Thread. The Red Star would have passed too far to rain the devastating parasitic Thread over Pern's tired continent. Dragonriders would not have to fly because no Thread would blur the sky.

So here's a pretty big and interesting difference between this book and the prior ones. In the other books, we're at the beginning of a pass. We make it to probably 15 years into the Pass by White Dragon, but that's still comparatively early. Especially after a Long Interval that caused them to lose so much of their old knowledge. This book, on the other hand, is set toward the end of a Pass, when everyone's been fighting for a generation or two now. (And maybe gives us some indirect sympathy for the Oldtimers. Moreta's relief is palpable, and even though they came willingly, it probably is a psychological blow to go from "almost done" to "beginning all over again."

We get some useful description of Moreta:

She slipped into the dress now, smoothing it over her rather too broad shoulders, over breasts firm rather than large, a waist that was trim, and buttocks flat from long hours of riding astride. The gown hid muscled thighs that she sometimes resented, but they, too, were the legacy of twenty Turns riding a dragon and little enough inconvenience for being a queen's rider.

And of a dude that will probably be important:

She did wish that Sh'gall had chosen to come with her. She wasn't acquainted with the new Ruathan Lord Holder, Alessan. She had a vague recollection that he was the leggy young man with light-green eyes that were an odd contrast to his dark complexion and shaggy black hair. He had always stood most correctly behind the old Lord Holder, his father. Lord Leef had been a stern if just holder from whom the Weyr could expect every traditional duty and the last tittle of tithe. Just the sort of man the Weyr, and Pern, needed in command of such a prosperous Hold. But then, at Ruatha traditions had always been zealously maintained, and many of that bloodline had impressed queen as well as bronze.

Alessan, presumably, is Lessa's ancestor. Neat!

We get some politics infodumped here, but it's okay: basically, Leef had a number of sons, for whom he built smaller new Holds, and hadn't told any of them who'd be his successor. Moreta thinks the smaller Holds are a decent idea, but Sh'gall is concerned about creeping population expansion. Apparently there's talk of founding another Weyr. Moreta figures this isn't her problem, and fair enough.

There's a bit more about Alessan here:

Moreta set the gold and green jeweled band at her neck and slipped on her heavy bracelets. The light-eyed man must be Alessan. She had often seen him at the end of Fall with the flamethrower gangs. Always correct in his manner, nevertheless Alessan's presence was felt despite his reserve. For the life of her, Moreta couldn't remember as distinctly any of the other nine sons though they all seemed to have inherited the strong craggy features of their sire rather than those of their various mothers.

Sh'gall is apparently less impressed:

"Since there are the two Gathers, I shall attend Ista's," Sh'gall had told her that morning. "I told Alessan so yesterday, and it didn't displease him." Sh'gall gave a scornful snort. "He's got every rag and tag at the race meeting of his so you should enjoy yourself." Sh'gall did not approve of Moreta's uninhibited enjoyment of racing and, on those few occasions when they had attended a Gather since Orlith's mating flight with Kadith, he had put quite a damper on her pleasure in the sport. "I shall enjoy the sun and the seafood. Lord Fitatric always provides superb feasts. I can only hope you'll do as well at Ruatha."

"I've never found fault with Ruathan hospitality." Something in Sh'gall's tone required her to defend the Hold. Sh'gall had been awed by Lord Leef, but not by the new young Lord. Moreta did not always agree with Sh'gall's snap judgments so she would wait and form her own opinion of Alessan.

"Besides, I've promised to convey Lord Ratoshigan to Ista. He does not care to attend Ruatha. He does wish to see the curious new animal to be displayed at Ista."

Sh'gall sounds like a dick too. I apologize for saying Ms. McCaffrey lacks nuance. For once she gave us a feud between TWO clearly unlikable people instead of just one.

Also the curious new animal had been found adrift, clinging to a floating tree. It's a type of feline, from the Southern Continent. I'd judge, but you know we'd all want to go see the kitty too.

Oh, now this is interesting and gross:

"With the way we're being overrun by tunnel snakes, a fierce, hungry feline might be useful. The canines aren't quick enough." Her comment annoyed Sh'gall, who gave her one of his dark, ambiguous glares and stalked out of the weyr. His unexpected reaction irritated Moreta. Not for the first time, she heartily wished that Sh'gall's Kadith had not flown Orlith a second time. Then she told herself firmly that old L'mal had considered Sh'gall one of the ablest wingleaders. Until the end of the Pass, Fort Weyr needed the ablest wingleader. Everyone had thought L'mal would last out the Pass, so his sudden illness and death had been a great loss. Moreta had always liked L'mal, and Leri spoke very highly of him as a weyrmate. Sh'gall was young, Moreta reminded herself; this was not an easy time to assume Weyrleadership, and Sh'gall suffered by comparison to the older, more experienced L'mal. Time would teach Sh'gall tolerance and understanding. Meanwhile Moreta must have those qualities in full measure to survive his learning period.

Exhibit XYZ why this system is fucking disgusting. Moreta and Sh'gall clearly dislike each other but are forced to have sex. If Sh'gall is the "ablest Wingleader" then maybe just make him leader without the creepy sex?

I'm curious actually about both Sh'gall and Alessan's ages compared to Moreta's.

Orlith and Moreta exchange more banter before they take off. (Holth trumpets a farewell, aw.) And we learn that Orlith likes to give commentary about the Weyr in general. Moreta, as mentioned, has a thing for racing. And we get some nice description of Fort Weyr:

Orlith caught the wind flowing down the oblong Bowl, the crater of an extinct volcano which was home to the Weyr. In a distant Turn, an earthslide had rampaged down the range, broken through the southwest part of the Weyr and into the lake. Stonecraftsmen had cleared the lake and shored up the edge in a massive wall but little could be done to clear the lost caverns and weyrs, or restore the symmetry of the Bowl.

That is pretty fucking cool.

So they get to Ruatha, and meet Lord Alessan. Whose "broad shoulders were held at a confident angle and his rangy stride was assured, neither diffident nor hasty". Hm. My "love interest" sense is tingling. Especially as I see yet ANOTHER reference to his green eyes being striking in comparison with his dark complextion.

"Weyrwoman, welcome to Ruatha Hold. I had begun to think that you and Orlith were not going to attend.” His voice was unexpectedly tenor for a man so tall and lean, his words clearly spoken.

...not sure what this means though. Do tall, lean men have deeper voices?

Alessan and Moreta seem to get along reasonably well. Alessan's prone to formality, while Moreta is frank to a fault. She does note an "undercurrent" in his speech and wonders if Sh'gall had discussed her with him. Orlith is evasive, and instead shows off to fly over the Gather.

There's an interesting bit of tension when Alessan recognizes Moreta's jewelry as having been a gift from the previous Lord, but it passes. They banter about the upcoming races and we learn that Moreta comes from a runnerhold in Keroon. That's pretty interesting, because I'd assumed, from Dragonflight, that she was from Ruatha. Instead, it sounds like she's got more in common with Piemur, of all people.

A fun little bit: Benden's Weyrwoman and Weyrleader had popped by. We don't hear much about them, except that they apparently disapprove of Orlith being fascinated by a Benden Bronze named Tuzuth. It sounds like there may only be Benden Hold for now, as only one leader is mentioned. Perhaps Bitra and the other one aren't split off yet?

Alessan and Moreta share some gossip about various Lords and Ladies. We get some backstory for Alessan. He'd apparently had a wife, Suriana, who had died a year ago in the fall, and folks are inclined to try to marry him off. Alessan has some royal prince angst, in that he'd been married to Suriana before he had any "prospects" and so he knew that she liked him for him.

And...oh...

So that explained why he had been allowed to grieve and defer a second marriage. Moreta hadn’t thought Lord Leef had so much compassion in him. “You were more fortunate than most,” she said, oddly envious. Once she had Impressed a queen, personal choice had been denied her. Once she had Impressed Orlith, their love compensated for many things; love for another human paled in comparison.

The Weyrs are so fucking gross.

I think this does make me appreciate F'lar and Lessa's situation in Dragonflight marginally more. As awful as he was in that book, it was pretty clear from the beginning that the two characters were compatible in ambition and strength of will. F'lar wanted a partner, and generally did treat her like one. And it strongly implied that Lessa had some measure of choice/influence as to which bronze won Ramoth.

But it doesn't sound like Moreta has the same influence. Or maybe she would, if there was another bronze and rider she expressly preferred. Either way, McCaffrey ruined dragons for this asexual with this fucked up non-con extravaganza.

Alessan seems to be a fairly interesting male lead though with this response:

“I was acutely aware of my good luck.” In that quiet phrase, Alessan implied not only his loss but his realization that he must discharge the responsibilities of his new rank. Moreta wondered why Sh’gall had developed a curious antipathy to the man.

That seems a bit more sensitive and insightful than we've gotten from basically any male romantic lead yet...except maybe Sebell.

And Alessan maybe shows his distant relation to Lessa by finding Harpers irritating:

“Have the harpers arrived yet?”

“Yesterday . . .” Alessan grimaced.

“They do eat, don’t they?”

“They talk. There are enough of them, however, to keep the dancing square filled until dawn, now that your queen has graced it. And our ever jovial Masterharper has promised to dignify our Gather with his presence.”

Interesting.

The current Masterharper by the way, is Tirone, "a big hearty man with a robust bass voice that he allowed to dominate every group he sang in."

Alessan is also terse about Masterhealer Capiam, which surprises Moreta. Moreta likes both Tirone and Capiam. She's surprised that Alessan does not. Apparently the only dude they agree on is Lord Shadder.

And maybe dislike of Lord Tolocamp, who criticizes Orlith for fancy flying so soon before she clutches. None of your business, dude.

Moreta is a bit on the wild side, compared to Lessa and Brekke, but she's treated far more sympathetically than Kylara. She has another dragonrider give her a leg up so that she can see the race.

R’limeak’s lift was not wholehearted. If Alessan’s strong hands had not steadied her, she would have slipped.

“How shocked he looks!” Alessan laughed, his green eyes merry.

“It’ll do him good. Blue riders can be so prim!” She took her wine from Alessan. “Ah, what a marvelous view!”

...that is a dreadful name. Also, I'm glad to see that we're taking a break from slutshaming green dragons for once. But I'm a little curious about this stereotype.

We get some nice description of Ruatha here:

Having observed that the race was not about to start, she turned slowly, to appreciate the sweep of the land from the foot of Ruatha’s cliff hold, over the crude roofs of the decorated stalls, to the empty dancing square, the fields beyond, the walled orchards on each side, and then the slope that descended gradually to Ruatha’s river, its source the Ice Lake high in the mountains above. True, the orchards were bare, the fields browned by what frost had fallen that Turn, but the sky was a vivid-green-blue, not a cloud in sight, and the air was pleasantly warm. Favored with a long eye, Moreta saw that three laggard racers had yet to join the starters.

And some interesting historical perspective.

We are often good company here,” Alessan said. His eyes lay on the scene at the starting poles. “Ruatha is considered one of the best-placed Holds. Fort may be older but, I think, not so well laid out.”

“The harpers tell us that Fort Hold was thrown together as a temporary accommodation after the Crossing.”

“A mere fourteen hundred Turns temporary. Whereas we of Ruatha have always been planners. We even have special accommodations for visiting race enthusiasts.”

History!

Also, one big difference between the Sixth and Ninth Pass right there. 1400 years is still a long fucking time, but it sounds like there's still quite a bit of knowledge left in Moreta's time. Like "the Crossing" at all.

So they watch the race. Apparently Alessan's got a beast in the running, pun intended, and it wins. And they have a cute moment where he kind of fishes for confirmation of his achievement. I think I like him. So far at least. We'll see how McCaffrey ruins him.

Actually, I'll put this excerpt up:

“Certainly. The poles are parallel to this vantage point. You’ve a winner! Did you breed it yourself?”

“Yes, yes, I did. And it did win!” He seemed to need her confirmation of his achievement.

“It certainly did. A very respectable two lengths the winner or I miss my mark. And I don’t miss in racing. To your winner then!” She raised her goblet to his.

“My winner!” His voice was curiously fierce, and the light in his eyes became more defiant than triumphant.

Interesting. There are vibes here. And soon, we understand why. Apparently this is Alessan's first winning beast. Apparently, before becoming successor, Alessan had spent eight years working on a breeding project for his dad. They'd been breeding for endurance rather than speed, so he'd never had a race winning result before. This one is apparently from the rejects. But he couldn't race the beasts while his father was alive.

They banter more. Alessan says that if he'd known she was an enthusiast, he'd have given her odds, but she notes that she's a spectator, not speculator. He decides that he'll bring the beast to other Gathers. He likes winning, it's a new experience.

...it's also a new experience for me to actually like the love interest of a book. I liked F'lar only after he was supplanted as romantic lead by his brother, while Sebell's romance with Menolly mostly occurred off page.

So basically the dynamic we have here is Alessan and Moreta hitting it off very well, while she endures scrutiny from dragonriders, and he tries to dodge courting ladies and annoying courtiers.

There's another interesting cultural bit when he asks about her partnership with Orlith. He knows she's been bonded for twenty Turns and is curious but Moreta gracefully changes the subject, noting that Impression is a private matter.

I like that this happens without either one of them getting defensive or angry. It's clear to both us and Moreta that Alessan is asking innocently, rather than maliciously, while he accepts the subject change without pushing or prodding.

So far, I rather like it. And I'm honestly thinking I may never have actually read the book at all. Except for peeking at the end. So this is novel for me.

I like both Moreta and Alessan, and I like their vibe. I think they're an interesting contrast to the leads of the earlier books. I could wish for nuance when it comes to characters like Nesso or Sh'gall, but who knows, maybe McCaffrey will surprise us for once.