I Read What?!

Last time, Lessa came in like the cavalry bringing a whopping eighteen HUNDRED dragons to F'lar's doorstep. Hey, considering how it was Lessa who discovered that Queen's could fly, Lessa who discovered Time Travel, and Lessa who brought back the Weyrs: why can't SHE be the Weyrleader again?

Oh right, crappy gender politics. Alas.



So we start out with the return of F'nor and his comrades, which is, to be fair, a little anticlimactic after Lessa brought them five Weyrs.

I'm also trying to figure out how old F'nor is supposed to be at this point. If he spent ten years in the past then he's now the older brother, by far. Since per one of the later books, F'lar was three years older than F'nor. Hell, the guy has to be damn near forty. I vaguely recall F'nor being one of the leads of Dragonquest, so I wonder if this is ever brought up at all.

Anyway, R'gul comes in bearing the news about F'nor and company, and he's pretty scornful of them, claiming he "'can't imagine what could have gotten into them, with sun and plenty of food and all, and no responsibilities.'"

You know, R'gul, that's basically what YOUR life was like in the Weyr too, you realize. Until the return of Thread, all you idiots did was act like parasites and play Games. No sun, sure, but you were lazy enough.

We also learn that the five Weyrs had brought forward their equipment, and Fanderal obtained samples to reproduce. T'ton informed F'lar that in his time, each Hold could supply all of the men on the ground with flamethrowers. We also find out that another of the travelers, D'ram, is really interested in Fanderal's spraying device though, since it can also fertilize.

I really like that. I like the idea that the past travelers can bring all of the every day knowledge that was (foolishly) lost in the past 400 years but can still be impressed by some of the new innovations of Fandarel and F'lar. (Later, T'ton will be very taken with F'lar's charts.)

F'lar tells R'gul that the Weyrs have come forward, but R'gul thinks he's being made fun of. The next morning, we're told, when R'gul sees the full mass of dragons, he got quietly drunk. Well, that's helpful.

It's a shame really, I think if Ms. McCaffrey had wanted, she could have made R'gul a very interesting character: a man who holds the Weyr together during decades when they have no apparent purpose, who generally believes that Thread is gone and tries to find ways for the Weyr to survive while knowing that they're on borrowed time. A man who either loves Jora, or is willing to put up with the universal disgust of her to lead when other men (like F'lar) don't even bother. (Ideally, I'd prefer it to be a love match since Jora deserves better than her role in this book). R'gul could have been a complex and interesting adversary, with his own measure of strength and endurance, who is misguided but genuinely wants to do what's best for the Weyr.

But unfortunately, R'gul isn't that adversary. He's just hidebound and stupid and bitter, and there's no depth to him at all. We've seen no real indicator that he has done anything for the Weyr except try not to antagonize the Lords (which doesn't stop him from picking up pretty girls on his Search anyway). He has no innovative ideas, or reasonable arguments against F'lar and Lessa's ideas. He's just...dreck. It's a shame.

So anyway, we find out that F'lar almost resigned as Weyrleader on the grounds of his inexperience, and honestly, I wish we'd gotten to see that play out. It sounds like it would have been a good humanizing, humbling moment for a character who gets very little of that. F'lar's arrogance and certainty has been unfailing throughout this book, and he's been justified in that, but it must have been a shock to come face to face with riders who have been fighting Thread their entire lives. I never thought I'd wish for more F'lar point of view, but I'd have actually liked to see that.

And ugh, while I hate to give F'lar any sort of credit. I'll give him some props for being willing to put his money where his mouth is for Pern's wellbeing. He worked hard to become Weyrleader...well, not really, given that all it took was Mnementh banging Ramoth, but he worked hard AFTER becoming Weyrleader to institute vast amount of change. But he'd give it up for someone with more experience.

Anyway, we do get to see T'ton praise F'lar as he talks him out of resigning though. Basically, he'd done very well in his first threadfall, given that every single dragonman was as green as a hatchling. They're willing to lend them riders to build up to full strength.

While I like T'ton, I'm a little creeped out by his statement that "'Oh the queens love these times!' And his grin broadened to indicate that bronze riders did, too."

...okay, so the Queens like to mate so they can shore up numbers. The bronze riders enjoy it. What about the fucking Weyrwomen? You know, the ladies bound to the dragons, who are stuck banging the rider of whoever her dragon bangs? What do THEY think.

F'lar creeps me out here too: "F'lar returned that smile, thinking that Ramoth was about ready for another mating flight, and this time, Lessa ... oh, that girl was being too deceptively docile. He'd better watch her closely.

Ugh. Just. Ugh. WHY.

And okay, I'm a bit confused by the timing. Because F'nor indicates now that the Southern Weyr has been abandoned for six Turns "in this time". Which would imply that he and his people only spent four years back in time, not a full ten. This would make more sense given what I dimly remember from Dragonquest. But I'm still a bit confused. Oh well, that's time travel for you.

F'lar really likes the idea of keeping a Southern Weyr, and F'nor really likes the idea of having Kylara continue down there. And I'm still not sure what exactly Kylara is supposed to have done that was so bad, but I'm resigned to it.

There is a pretty great moment where T'ton, accidentally, punctures F'lar's ego a bit. F'lar comments that they'll need Lessa at the Thread battle, since she can talk to any dragon. T'ton says they know and that Mardra doesn't mind.

Mardra, we're told, leads the Queen's wing. Anyway, T'ton spares some sympathy for Benden Weyr's dilapidated condition but "his enthusiasm overtook him" as he explains how Queen dragons and riders are very good with flamethrowers and fly low under the main wings to catch Thread the others miss.

I love that T'ton is enthusiastic about the Queens fighting. And I love this part too:

"'Do you mean to say that you allow your queens to fly - against Threads?' F'lar ignored the fact that F'nor was grinning, and T'ron, too.

'Allow?' D'ram bellowed. 'You can't stop them. Don't you know your Ballads?'"

I love the old dragonriders. They're so great.

Anyway, F'lar grins, sheepishly, and goes to find Lessa. They banter as usual, and then F'lar springs his surprise that Fandarel has made her a flamethrower so she can join the wing. The idea of battle seems to get Lessa's gears running, and we get a fade to black.

Disappointingly we don't actually get a climactic Thread battle, the story ends with them primed and ready, with F'lar leading the charge. I'd have preferred to end the story with Lessa, given that this entire book was her triumph and her discovery, but nope, we have to let F'lar have this self-congratulatory moment.

One final time: Fuck you, F'lar.

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Part 4: 7, 8 and 9 | Table of Contents | Verdict