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Pern #12
The Dolphins of Pern
In a new Pern novel that takes place a decade after All the Weyrs of Pern, two boys--one of them a dragonrider-- reestablish crucial contact with the wise dolphins, the legendary ""shipfish"" of Pern.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Anne McCaffrey
573 books7,367 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
March 15, 2020
What a lovely novel! As the title would indicate, it has dolphin characters in it and they are adorable. The Dolpines of Pern was my introduction to this series. I was not familiar with this series prior to reading this novel, but from I gathered it is quite interesting. I didn't have problems following the narrative or understanding this future society. The only thing I had to google was 'between' as I wasn't sure what exactly is mean by dragon riders flying 'between' but I would have had probably figured it out even without the extra info. In general, I would say that the Pern world isn't difficult to understand. I imagine that most of these books if not all can be read separately. Although, it is probably better to read them in their established order. I'm definitely interested in reading more of Anne McCaffrey, especially when it comes to her Pern series. Space colonization is a fascinating concept. In addition, I liked the mixture of fantasy and science fiction in this once.
On overall, I quite enjoyed reading this novel. However, there were a few things that bugged me. Most of the adult characters were quite annoying, especially the female ones. Are only the young supposed to be inspiring and fun? Moreover, the story was slow paced. Not much happens in this one. A boy and a man are saved by dolphins. They go to re-discover the dolphins and their intelligence. While they both face some opposition in the beginning, it is pretty obvious (sorry spoiler) that things will work out in the end. There was a bit of a generation clash in this one and that was it. Some talk of the land and its even distribution but not much info on that either. Lot of characters that I believe are quite established in this world make an appearance and while it is obvious they are otherwise significant characters, they don't necessarily do much in this novel. So, to conclude. This was a nice read, but a bit too long and slow paced. As much as I love dolphins some things just didn't make sense. I'm hoping that the other novels in this series will be better. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this one.
On overall, I quite enjoyed reading this novel. However, there were a few things that bugged me. Most of the adult characters were quite annoying, especially the female ones. Are only the young supposed to be inspiring and fun? Moreover, the story was slow paced. Not much happens in this one. A boy and a man are saved by dolphins. They go to re-discover the dolphins and their intelligence. While they both face some opposition in the beginning, it is pretty obvious (sorry spoiler) that things will work out in the end. There was a bit of a generation clash in this one and that was it. Some talk of the land and its even distribution but not much info on that either. Lot of characters that I believe are quite established in this world make an appearance and while it is obvious they are otherwise significant characters, they don't necessarily do much in this novel. So, to conclude. This was a nice read, but a bit too long and slow paced. As much as I love dolphins some things just didn't make sense. I'm hoping that the other novels in this series will be better. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this one.
July 27, 2018
Ta dah! Review located. I am copying to here because the conversation thread is too interesting to lose. For any newcomer, mystified by this comment, see *footnote.
The Dolphins of Pern
In this latter book in the Pern series Anne McCaffrey explores the notion that dolphins came to Pern with the original human settlers as helpers for the ocean side of the new planet. The book explores the re-discovery of the dolphins which have sentience and language skills due to a process they were given back on Earth (which apparently bred true).
Published in the early 1990's when dolphins and their intelligence were very much the talk of the decade, the book is a lot of fun in exploring Pern from these ocean going mammals perspective - I did very much love the fact that Pern's extensive oceans were getting a look in and would have been happy to read more about them.
This novel concentrated more on the Southern continent and a small number of settlements and people there so there was less repetition than was starting to creep in to many of the latter books in the series. McCaffrey's favourite characters from Benden ect do make a token appearance to wind up one plot thread, but I think McCaffrey loved them too much to ever completely leave them out, they are not central at least.
There was one element about the book that I was less than enamored with and it is kind of a spoiler, so maybe don't read it if you are planning on picking up this book. Definitely don't read it if you have never read any of the Pern books and want to
Despite the two small elements about it that bothered me; the spoiler and the Benden contingent swooping in to save the day, this was a fun book and a very enjoyable installment in the Pern sagas. It is also very nice indeed to see a fantasy/sci-fi book making use of the oceanic environment and its inhabitants, too few do so.
*Footnote. In July 2018 I tried unsuccessfully to access this review, I angry-blogged; another long well thought out review, posted ages ago, that Goodreads has deleted (while moving the book onto my unread shelf) as though it never existed. Really angry about this!
The Dolphins of Pern
In this latter book in the Pern series Anne McCaffrey explores the notion that dolphins came to Pern with the original human settlers as helpers for the ocean side of the new planet. The book explores the re-discovery of the dolphins which have sentience and language skills due to a process they were given back on Earth (which apparently bred true).
Published in the early 1990's when dolphins and their intelligence were very much the talk of the decade, the book is a lot of fun in exploring Pern from these ocean going mammals perspective - I did very much love the fact that Pern's extensive oceans were getting a look in and would have been happy to read more about them.
This novel concentrated more on the Southern continent and a small number of settlements and people there so there was less repetition than was starting to creep in to many of the latter books in the series. McCaffrey's favourite characters from Benden ect do make a token appearance to wind up one plot thread, but I think McCaffrey loved them too much to ever completely leave them out, they are not central at least.
There was one element about the book that I was less than enamored with and it is kind of a spoiler, so maybe don't read it if you are planning on picking up this book. Definitely don't read it if you have never read any of the Pern books and want to
Despite the two small elements about it that bothered me; the spoiler and the Benden contingent swooping in to save the day, this was a fun book and a very enjoyable installment in the Pern sagas. It is also very nice indeed to see a fantasy/sci-fi book making use of the oceanic environment and its inhabitants, too few do so.
*Footnote. In July 2018 I tried unsuccessfully to access this review, I angry-blogged; another long well thought out review, posted ages ago, that Goodreads has deleted (while moving the book onto my unread shelf) as though it never existed. Really angry about this!
November 8, 2018
This was such a great addition to the Dragons of Pern series. When the settlers came to Pern, they brought dolphins with them. Once thread began to fall and the settlers had to move north to the caves and as generation after generation came to be on Pern, the dolphins were a forgotten history. When the current Pernese went South and began to unearth their history, the dolphins were once again befriended and utilized. These were bottlenose dolphins that came from earth, or rather their ancestors.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book and learning more about the dolphins and their relationships with humans. It is a beautiful story full of so many different events. A fantastic addition to this series. One more to go!
I really enjoyed the characters in this book and learning more about the dolphins and their relationships with humans. It is a beautiful story full of so many different events. A fantastic addition to this series. One more to go!
April 21, 2024
A different sort of Pern novel...but an enjoyable one!
December 18, 2012
I enjoyed this book very much. I like the dolphins almost as much as I like the dragons and that is saying something. I also enjoy Readis as a character.
I am beginning to wonder, however, what it is that Anne McCaffrey has against grown women, especially being one herself. The young female characters of Pern, with a few exceptions, are good natured and charismatic. However, her adult female characters are stubborn, self righteous, and often down right mean. The three most noteworthy examples (for me) are Lessa, Mirrim, and Aramina.
When we were first introduced to Lessa, she was strong willed, determined, and opinionated. She was also vulnerable and kind. In later books, she lost all of the vulnerable and most of the kind. These traits were replaced with incredible bitchiness and an unwillingness to entertain other points of view. She went from being my favorite characters to being among my least favorite.
When Mirrim made her first appearance helping Brekke at Southern Weyr, she was charming, shy, gentle, and sweet. The very next time we saw her character (after she had impressed the Green Dragon) she was an insufferable bitch. She was rude, bossy, and seemed to think that she knew everything. I was horrified to see her as a Weyrwoman.
Aramina was a character that I never really liked, but one that I felt sorry for. She was so innocent and sweet. Her psyche was just battered by hearing all of the dragons all of the time. She was like a kicked puppy. In Dolphins, she was HORRIBLE. She didn't deserve her son's forgiveness and was lucky to receive it. She was the worst kind of mother, projecting all of her own fears and prejudices on to her children and failing to see how it was to their detriment.
Now, none of that has anything really to do with the plot of this book. This book was yet another wonderful Pern novel. It obviously dealt with the sentient dolphins that came over with the colonists and have thrived in the oceans of Pern. The book is about the Pernese rediscovering their ancient duties to the dolphins in exchange for the dolphins duty to the humans. Unfortunately, for me, the author's obvious dislike for adult women and the way it shows in her characterization prevented me from giving this book 5 stars. I really wonder what that's about.
I am beginning to wonder, however, what it is that Anne McCaffrey has against grown women, especially being one herself. The young female characters of Pern, with a few exceptions, are good natured and charismatic. However, her adult female characters are stubborn, self righteous, and often down right mean. The three most noteworthy examples (for me) are Lessa, Mirrim, and Aramina.
When we were first introduced to Lessa, she was strong willed, determined, and opinionated. She was also vulnerable and kind. In later books, she lost all of the vulnerable and most of the kind. These traits were replaced with incredible bitchiness and an unwillingness to entertain other points of view. She went from being my favorite characters to being among my least favorite.
When Mirrim made her first appearance helping Brekke at Southern Weyr, she was charming, shy, gentle, and sweet. The very next time we saw her character (after she had impressed the Green Dragon) she was an insufferable bitch. She was rude, bossy, and seemed to think that she knew everything. I was horrified to see her as a Weyrwoman.
Aramina was a character that I never really liked, but one that I felt sorry for. She was so innocent and sweet. Her psyche was just battered by hearing all of the dragons all of the time. She was like a kicked puppy. In Dolphins, she was HORRIBLE. She didn't deserve her son's forgiveness and was lucky to receive it. She was the worst kind of mother, projecting all of her own fears and prejudices on to her children and failing to see how it was to their detriment.
Now, none of that has anything really to do with the plot of this book. This book was yet another wonderful Pern novel. It obviously dealt with the sentient dolphins that came over with the colonists and have thrived in the oceans of Pern. The book is about the Pernese rediscovering their ancient duties to the dolphins in exchange for the dolphins duty to the humans. Unfortunately, for me, the author's obvious dislike for adult women and the way it shows in her characterization prevented me from giving this book 5 stars. I really wonder what that's about.
January 9, 2023
Very nice book in the Pern series. Nice to see a story that has Dragon as a side note instead of the main focus. great read. Very recommended
May 8, 2012
After all the exciting things happen--after the settlers land on Pern, and are nearly destroyed by Thread, and discover dragons, and set up Weyrs and Holds and Halls, all the while devolving into a sexist&rigidly hierarchal medieval society, and eventually Jaxom bonds with Ruth, and Menolly finds her firelizards and transforms Harpers, and they rediscover their computer and figure out how to end Thread-fall once and for all, and all manner of social changes start being forced through--after all that, this incredibly prosaic, boring little story takes place.
A number of people realize (practically simultaneously) that the "shipfish" of Pern are actually dolphins who travelled from Earth with the first settlers. They were engineered to have human speech and increased intellects, and even generations after humans stopped remembering them, they still remember humans. They're thrilled to have contact with humans again. One boy, Readis, runs away from home to form a Dolphin Hall. Meanwhile, a Holder is plotting to settle the Southern Continent against the Weyr-leaders' advice. And there's a big storm that doesn't actually do anything. That's pretty much it! Even famous characters like Leesa, Menolly, Mirrim or Jaxom are colorless and personality-free here.
This was easily the most boring Pern book I have ever read in my life. I would much rather read another book about the brave-flame-haired-fiesty-girl fighting against sexist-evil-old-dude and psychically bonding with a dragon; as trite and wish-fullfillment-y as that is, at least there's something there. This was just empty of all inspiration, emotion, plot, or character.
A number of people realize (practically simultaneously) that the "shipfish" of Pern are actually dolphins who travelled from Earth with the first settlers. They were engineered to have human speech and increased intellects, and even generations after humans stopped remembering them, they still remember humans. They're thrilled to have contact with humans again. One boy, Readis, runs away from home to form a Dolphin Hall. Meanwhile, a Holder is plotting to settle the Southern Continent against the Weyr-leaders' advice. And there's a big storm that doesn't actually do anything. That's pretty much it! Even famous characters like Leesa, Menolly, Mirrim or Jaxom are colorless and personality-free here.
This was easily the most boring Pern book I have ever read in my life. I would much rather read another book about the brave-flame-haired-fiesty-girl fighting against sexist-evil-old-dude and psychically bonding with a dragon; as trite and wish-fullfillment-y as that is, at least there's something there. This was just empty of all inspiration, emotion, plot, or character.
December 17, 2016
What a darling book this is! I love dolphins and am quite captivated by these intelligent mammals so I was really taken with this book and the two boys who tuned in to the dolphins need to be recognised once again by the humans they had so been longing and waiting to connect with once again. readis and t'lion the dragonrider faced a lot of opposition particularly readis whose parents banned him from contacting the dolphins ever again but readis is proof that when one feels strongly about anything we can make our dreams reality so when the tillek herself appears to order readis to become their healer and dolphineer his dream is finally complete!! and after so many turns the dolphins are back with their beloved humans to watch over one another!!! the dolphins are so lovable and intelligent, its wonderful!!
July 16, 2008
To borrow a TV phrase, I consider All the Weyrs of Pern (the book immediately proceeding Dolphins of Pern chronologically) to be where McCaffrey jumped the shark with the Dragonriders series. I will refrain from including any spoilers here and only say that All the Weyrs has the natural feel of a conclusion about it. Then McCaffrey had to go and write two Pern books to follow it! To put it another way, all the books written before All the Weyrs of Pern have warrented multiple rereadings. All the books after, I have only read once.
October 12, 2019
There was a little bit of the "same story from a different point of view" that she has been doing on and off - which irritates me. But, it went far beyond All The Wyers of Pern and had little to do with much that happened in the other book. I really liked it. I've ordered the rest of the series from Amazon as soon as I finished this book, so I would have to say that I am a "Pern fan".
September 27, 2022
This was an enjoyable read. The dolphins are sweet and fun. Though there is some old/new, parent/child conflicts, the overall tone is positive.
Familiar faces among the characters. The only off-setting thing again is the timeline. Lessa, F'lar, F'lon are all here, but there is also talk of a 9th Pass and the end of thread.
Someday when I am totally bored, I will sit down and make a chart of Turns, Passes, Dragonriders and Dragons, Holders and Craftsmen. Some of these books have a mini-who's who of same, but it is scattered and often only which rider belongs to which dragon.
Aside from that I really did enjoy this installment.
Familiar faces among the characters. The only off-setting thing again is the timeline. Lessa, F'lar, F'lon are all here, but there is also talk of a 9th Pass and the end of thread.
Someday when I am totally bored, I will sit down and make a chart of Turns, Passes, Dragonriders and Dragons, Holders and Craftsmen. Some of these books have a mini-who's who of same, but it is scattered and often only which rider belongs to which dragon.
Aside from that I really did enjoy this installment.
July 12, 2017
My one big problem with the book is that it is not mainly about Readis and T'Lion and the Dolphins. It is a transition book between the "traditional" Pern books and the ones that will take place centuries in the future. It is a Companion piece to "All the Weyr's of Pern", instead of really a stand alone that deals with the Dolphins. Which is really what I wanted or expected, a book about re-finding the Dolphins of Pern. This was part of the content, yes, but so much more could have been done with the Dolphins, there's enough of a story there, that it should have been expanded into just one story. Otherwise, this was a really good Pern story.
February 11, 2014
I would have enjoyed this installment more if Readis' mother hadn't had such antipathy for her son's work with the dolphins. It really didn't make any sense at all and just added unnecessary conflict. The confrontation with Toric was also superfluous.
November 25, 2011
I read this long ago. I recently picked up a large collection of McCaffrey hardback (many first edition) novels. I felt somehow in Her presence as I was about halfway through this book when she passed to 'between.'
This is not my favorite book of the Pern novels, but it ranks very high. I am passionate about dolphins and swimming... and dragons. But at times I wished for more of Readis's life than the life of the 'politicians' of the planet. I wished for more science discovery. There was a lot of that, but I wanted more. But I know these are the threads of the next books and the evolving of Pern, so I shouldn't complain.
Though I have the hardback, I now prefer to read on Kindle where it doesn't hurt my eyes. And at times I need the audio version to listen to when my eyes get tired. Since the text to speech tool didn't work on this novel I downloaded the Audible version. Hearing a human voice narrating is always preferable to the computerized versions, anyway.
Mel Foster's interpretation was different than what I expected. I think, knowing that Anne McCaffrey is of Irish descent, I expected a brogue to come from the sea holds rather than what sounded a southern drawl. But that was Mel's interpretation and I soon adjusted. He did a decent job keeping the character's voices dissimilar enough to know who was talking when.
I look forward to 'worming' my way through all of Anne's books, those I have read and those I haven't yet. I hope I can afford to use Audible/Kindle help to do this. R.I.P. to my most favorite author.
Let the all humans, firelizards, dolphins and dragons keen:
Drummer, beat and Piper, blow
Harper, strike and Soldier, go
Free the flame and sear the grasses
As the dawning Red Star passes...
Until eternity passes
For Anne McCaffrey
This is not my favorite book of the Pern novels, but it ranks very high. I am passionate about dolphins and swimming... and dragons. But at times I wished for more of Readis's life than the life of the 'politicians' of the planet. I wished for more science discovery. There was a lot of that, but I wanted more. But I know these are the threads of the next books and the evolving of Pern, so I shouldn't complain.
Though I have the hardback, I now prefer to read on Kindle where it doesn't hurt my eyes. And at times I need the audio version to listen to when my eyes get tired. Since the text to speech tool didn't work on this novel I downloaded the Audible version. Hearing a human voice narrating is always preferable to the computerized versions, anyway.
Mel Foster's interpretation was different than what I expected. I think, knowing that Anne McCaffrey is of Irish descent, I expected a brogue to come from the sea holds rather than what sounded a southern drawl. But that was Mel's interpretation and I soon adjusted. He did a decent job keeping the character's voices dissimilar enough to know who was talking when.
I look forward to 'worming' my way through all of Anne's books, those I have read and those I haven't yet. I hope I can afford to use Audible/Kindle help to do this. R.I.P. to my most favorite author.
Let the all humans, firelizards, dolphins and dragons keen:
Drummer, beat and Piper, blow
Harper, strike and Soldier, go
Free the flame and sear the grasses
As the dawning Red Star passes...
Until eternity passes
For Anne McCaffrey
January 30, 2011
I really enjoyed this one. The dolphins add a new dimension to the Pern stories. I wish they could have been reintroduced earlier. However, I love what they bring to the series.
February 8, 2022
Good storyline, def held my interest!
September 12, 2020
Delightfully realistic fantasy.
February 12, 2018
In this latter book in the Pern series Anne McCaffrey explores the notion that dolphins came to Pern with the original human settlers as helpers for the ocean side of the new planet. The book explores the re-discovery of the dolphins which have sentience and language skills due to a process they were given back on Earth (which apparently bred true).
Published in the early 1990's when dolphins and their intelligence were very much the talk of the decade, the book is a lot of fun in exploring Pern from these ocean going mammals perspective - I did very much love the fact that Pern's extensive oceans were getting a look in and would have been happy to read more about them.
This novel concentrated more on the Southern continent and a small number of settlements and people there so there was less repetition than was starting to creep in to many of the latter books in the series. McCaffrey's favourite characters from Benden ect do make a token appearance to wind up one plot thread, but I think McCaffrey loved them too much to ever completely leave them out, they are not central at least.
There was one element about the book that I was less than enamored with and it is kind of a spoiler, so maybe don't read it if you are planning on picking up this book. Definitely don't read it if you have never read any of the Pern books and want to
Despite the two small elements about it that bothered me; the spoiler and the Benden contingent swooping in to save the day, this was a fun book and a very enjoyable installment in the Pern sagas. It is also very nice indeed to see a fantasy/sci-fi book making use of the oceanic environment and its inhabitants, too few do so.
Published in the early 1990's when dolphins and their intelligence were very much the talk of the decade, the book is a lot of fun in exploring Pern from these ocean going mammals perspective - I did very much love the fact that Pern's extensive oceans were getting a look in and would have been happy to read more about them.
This novel concentrated more on the Southern continent and a small number of settlements and people there so there was less repetition than was starting to creep in to many of the latter books in the series. McCaffrey's favourite characters from Benden ect do make a token appearance to wind up one plot thread, but I think McCaffrey loved them too much to ever completely leave them out, they are not central at least.
There was one element about the book that I was less than enamored with and it is kind of a spoiler, so maybe don't read it if you are planning on picking up this book. Definitely don't read it if you have never read any of the Pern books and want to
Despite the two small elements about it that bothered me; the spoiler and the Benden contingent swooping in to save the day, this was a fun book and a very enjoyable installment in the Pern sagas. It is also very nice indeed to see a fantasy/sci-fi book making use of the oceanic environment and its inhabitants, too few do so.
August 16, 2015
As I reread Pern, I'm coming to the conclusion that McCaffrey would've been better off quitting while she was ahead (and that Todd McCaffrey should never have been let at the universe).
I wanted to like this because it featured characters I love (really enjoyed seeing Alemi again and his relationship with Menolly), but there's no heart to this story, nothing cohesive that made me want to turn the page.
There's a couple of anecdotes and characters I enjoyed (I liked the dolphins and how they've carried on tradition). However, the book suffers a similar fate to The Renegades of Pern - there's no overriding plot with any sense of urgency, so it's really a bunch of fragments.
This book set parallel to All the Weyrs of Pern in the beginning, but there's no freshness in the world. The first third is retelling the wonders of AIVAS and there's some rewritten scenes from earlier works. I'm not really a fan of Pern post-AIVAS, since it upended the society that I found so fascinating.
It's not the worst of the Pern books, but The Dolphins of Pern is part of the downward spiral that made me abandon the series.
I wanted to like this because it featured characters I love (really enjoyed seeing Alemi again and his relationship with Menolly), but there's no heart to this story, nothing cohesive that made me want to turn the page.
There's a couple of anecdotes and characters I enjoyed (I liked the dolphins and how they've carried on tradition). However, the book suffers a similar fate to The Renegades of Pern - there's no overriding plot with any sense of urgency, so it's really a bunch of fragments.
This book set parallel to All the Weyrs of Pern in the beginning, but there's no freshness in the world. The first third is retelling the wonders of AIVAS and there's some rewritten scenes from earlier works. I'm not really a fan of Pern post-AIVAS, since it upended the society that I found so fascinating.
It's not the worst of the Pern books, but The Dolphins of Pern is part of the downward spiral that made me abandon the series.
January 22, 2015
For many Turns the dolphins have been left to fend for themselves. They remember the Second Crossing, the evacuation of the southern continent (detailed in a novella in The Chronicles of Pern First Fall), but why have the humans abandoned them?
I understand why some people consider this one of the less-enjoyable books in the series: dragons hardly enter into it at all, the beloved characters featuring in the other books (F'lar, Lessa, Robinton, Menolly, Jaxom) are all on the sidelines here, and too many of them (Aramina and Lessa in particular) seem to have unwarranted narrow-mindedness. But to me, these are the things that make the series as a whole stronger. People aren't always nice, or rational, or thoughtful, and it's great to see the dolphins returning and drawing other characters into the center.
Dick Hill is a great narrator, but his female characters are a weakness: it's often hard to tell which is speaking, except for the words they are using, and their voices are nowhere near as distinct as the men, but as the second half of the book feature Readis and there's far less dialog, it wasn't too much of an issue.
I understand why some people consider this one of the less-enjoyable books in the series: dragons hardly enter into it at all, the beloved characters featuring in the other books (F'lar, Lessa, Robinton, Menolly, Jaxom) are all on the sidelines here, and too many of them (Aramina and Lessa in particular) seem to have unwarranted narrow-mindedness. But to me, these are the things that make the series as a whole stronger. People aren't always nice, or rational, or thoughtful, and it's great to see the dolphins returning and drawing other characters into the center.
Dick Hill is a great narrator, but his female characters are a weakness: it's often hard to tell which is speaking, except for the words they are using, and their voices are nowhere near as distinct as the men, but as the second half of the book feature Readis and there's far less dialog, it wasn't too much of an issue.
October 15, 2016
This book is parallel to The All the Weyrs of Pern in that it takes place in the same time frame.
Readis is a youngster who develops an interest in "Ship Fish" (Dolphins) when they rescue him from a sinking skiff (during a storm). He's the first person in hundreds of years ("turns") to realize that they can talk. The story revolves around around this link between Readis and the dolphins as the fact of talking (and helping) "ship fish" clashes with the hidebound culture of Pern that is already reeling from the discovery of AVIS (for more on AVIS, read the parallel book) and the projects that evolve from that.
It's written in McCaffrey's usual style that actually makes me comfortable while reading about the problems the characters have to overcome. I was facing some problems of my own, so reading this before going to bed calmed me down so I could sleep better.
One problem stood out: McCaffrey has a problem with using "down river" when it should be "UP river (away from the sea). I suspect she was looking at her map of the Southern Continent (where most of the action takes place) and assuming that north (the top of the map) was "up". But it doesn't detract from a good story.
Readis is a youngster who develops an interest in "Ship Fish" (Dolphins) when they rescue him from a sinking skiff (during a storm). He's the first person in hundreds of years ("turns") to realize that they can talk. The story revolves around around this link between Readis and the dolphins as the fact of talking (and helping) "ship fish" clashes with the hidebound culture of Pern that is already reeling from the discovery of AVIS (for more on AVIS, read the parallel book) and the projects that evolve from that.
It's written in McCaffrey's usual style that actually makes me comfortable while reading about the problems the characters have to overcome. I was facing some problems of my own, so reading this before going to bed calmed me down so I could sleep better.
One problem stood out: McCaffrey has a problem with using "down river" when it should be "UP river (away from the sea). I suspect she was looking at her map of the Southern Continent (where most of the action takes place) and assuming that north (the top of the map) was "up". But it doesn't detract from a good story.
October 16, 2017
This is such a sweet tale in the Pern series. You can't not love the dolphins, they're so happy and clever and so loyal to their traditions and duties to 'mans'.
This book gives some nice depth to events after the victory over the Red Star and adds a good element of the dolphins which are mentioned now and then before and it's nice to see them finally embraced. It gives a nice view on how things are shaping up, building to The Skies Of Pern regarding Toric and the start of civil unrest.
I really like the brief paragraphs from the dolphins, I wish these could have been continued through out. The tradition and culture that they develop is lovely with their songs and own coming of age trials, it really adds to their individuality as an intelligent species and their adaptation to Pern. It's heart warming how loyal they are to their responsibilities to humans and how they remember through all the years and uphold them. They are such chipper things and I love how they express themselves and their 'games'.
The ending does seem to be a bit sudden but that might be me wanting more of the dolphins and less of the Toric situation but it's a lovely ending with the dolphins and Readis finally being recognised.
This book gives some nice depth to events after the victory over the Red Star and adds a good element of the dolphins which are mentioned now and then before and it's nice to see them finally embraced. It gives a nice view on how things are shaping up, building to The Skies Of Pern regarding Toric and the start of civil unrest.
I really like the brief paragraphs from the dolphins, I wish these could have been continued through out. The tradition and culture that they develop is lovely with their songs and own coming of age trials, it really adds to their individuality as an intelligent species and their adaptation to Pern. It's heart warming how loyal they are to their responsibilities to humans and how they remember through all the years and uphold them. They are such chipper things and I love how they express themselves and their 'games'.
The ending does seem to be a bit sudden but that might be me wanting more of the dolphins and less of the Toric situation but it's a lovely ending with the dolphins and Readis finally being recognised.
August 3, 2008
Oh for crying out loud...what the heck HAPPENED? The book right before this one, "All the Weyrs Of Pern" was fantastic and startling and different and beautiful. And then this one was AWFUL. McCaffrey took one of my favorite characters from the last book, Aramina, and turned her into a shrewish, unsympathetic, two-dimensional twit. The storyline with her son going off to make his own hold was like something out of a nine-year-old's diary ("I'm going to run away and make my own hold and live with dolphins and THEN they'll be sorry"), and there just wasn't anyone in the story I liked, at all.
I know I sound bitter, but this was an author I really liked. I read her books voraciously, and then suddenly the work turns to crap. No dividing line, no gradual drop off in quality, just one book that's great, and the next book isn't worth reading. This keeps happening to my favorite authors for some reason.(Varley, I'm looking at YOU here.)
I know I sound bitter, but this was an author I really liked. I read her books voraciously, and then suddenly the work turns to crap. No dividing line, no gradual drop off in quality, just one book that's great, and the next book isn't worth reading. This keeps happening to my favorite authors for some reason.(Varley, I'm looking at YOU here.)
July 24, 2017
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book! I'm a huge Pern fan...reading the original series again for 3rd or 4th time...I thought I had read this one, but it didn't seem familiar at all...
I found the interactions between humans and dolphins and especially the charming childlike-ness of the dolphins just what I needed to read right now. Deep in depression lately, this book gave me a welcome respite, and brought me happy tears and many smiles. I get what others say about it not adding to the overall plot of Pern...but I still thoroughly enjoyed the dolphin/human interactions and found it all so charming and a downright balm to all my recent emotional turmoil. I need to read more books like this that make me feel this good. And how I WISH we could actually help dolphins to talk in real life! :)
I found the interactions between humans and dolphins and especially the charming childlike-ness of the dolphins just what I needed to read right now. Deep in depression lately, this book gave me a welcome respite, and brought me happy tears and many smiles. I get what others say about it not adding to the overall plot of Pern...but I still thoroughly enjoyed the dolphin/human interactions and found it all so charming and a downright balm to all my recent emotional turmoil. I need to read more books like this that make me feel this good. And how I WISH we could actually help dolphins to talk in real life! :)
February 19, 2019
Decent for late-career McCaffrey. Not thrilled at the way Aramina (literally the only female character who shows up in more than one or two scenes!!!) is reduced to an irrational and domineering obstacle for plot purposes but the dolphins were cool. Wouldn't recommend to someone who isn't already a fan of the Pern books, though, there are so many cameos that were only enjoyable because I knew the characters already.
April 22, 2013
Another chronicle of Pern. If you've enjoy your time on the planet before this will give you more of the same. This novel explores the oceans of Pern and the community of dolphins that have long been forgotten by the humans and dragons. I didn't find it compelling or exciting or satisfying, but a healthy diversion.
January 5, 2013
Another good Mccaffrey read. Love the dolphins.
December 4, 2017
A feel-good story and not for people who want blasters and battling spaceships, but another enjoyable Pern book if you like that kind of story.
April 12, 2019
Good tale
An ending to the saga of Pern, dragons and all. The dolphins ad some color. I enjoyed this diversion. Well done
An ending to the saga of Pern, dragons and all. The dolphins ad some color. I enjoyed this diversion. Well done
May 26, 2024
Dolphins of Pern was an excellent book. It's not often that an author adds a new element to an alteady defined storyline and it brings with it an extra dimension to the world which doesn't feel tacked-on or gimmicky. Dolphins of Pern is refreshing and delightful and you can't help but want more from the very beginning.
That being said, it does suffer from a side plot in the second part of the book, where Toric tries to gobble up additional land, but only succeeds in gobbling up precious book space during a part of the storyline which could have been much better utilized with the dolphins instead. While faffing about with a guy who is greedy and ultimately accomplishes nothing, we are shortchanged an adventure with the dolphins themselves. There is every opportunity to go delving down with them and explore some ancient wreck, or uncover one of their secrets, or have them help the residents rediscover rubber - an element they badly need - and that is a real shame, as we never get to take an adventure with them at all. If that had happened, this would be a five-star perfect book, but it didn't.
Even so, this is one of, if not my favorite, Pern book so far, and I'm terribly sad to see it go back on my shelf, as with only one additional book appearing chronologically after it (#15, the skies of pern), I'm not certain whether or not we'll hear from the dolphins again.
That being said, it does suffer from a side plot in the second part of the book, where Toric tries to gobble up additional land, but only succeeds in gobbling up precious book space during a part of the storyline which could have been much better utilized with the dolphins instead. While faffing about with a guy who is greedy and ultimately accomplishes nothing, we are shortchanged an adventure with the dolphins themselves. There is every opportunity to go delving down with them and explore some ancient wreck, or uncover one of their secrets, or have them help the residents rediscover rubber - an element they badly need - and that is a real shame, as we never get to take an adventure with them at all. If that had happened, this would be a five-star perfect book, but it didn't.
Even so, this is one of, if not my favorite, Pern book so far, and I'm terribly sad to see it go back on my shelf, as with only one additional book appearing chronologically after it (#15, the skies of pern), I'm not certain whether or not we'll hear from the dolphins again.
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