The Dolphins of Pern (Dragonriders of Pern) by Anne McCaffrey
Sci-Fi, Published 1994
Mel read June 2008
3.5/5
From the Cover:
When the first humans came to settle the planet Pern, they did not come alone: intelligence-enhanced dolphins also crossed the stars to colonize Pern’s oceans while their human partners settles the vast continents. But then disaster struck. The deadly silver spores called Thread fell like rain from the sky, and as the human colonists’ dreams of a new, idyllic life shattered into a desperate struggle for survival, the dolphins were forgotten.
Now, centuries later, as the dragonriders of Pern prepare to complete the momentous task of ridding their world of Thread forever, T’lion, a young bronze rider, and his friend Readis, son of the Lord Holder of Paradise River Hold, make contact with the legendary “shipfish.” And as the dragonriders grapple with the end of an era, T’lion, Readis, and the dolphins face the start of a new one: reviving the bond between land – and ocean – dwellers – and resurrecting the dreams of the first colonists of Pern.
Review:
I’ve been a long-time fan of the Dragonriders of Pern series, and was happy to finally pick up this last volume missing from my collection of the novels written before Todd McCaffrey began co-authoring the series. This book would likely leave readers confused if read as a standalone novel, but is an enjoyable addition to the larger story of Pern.
The dolphins, or “shipfish”, are lively and often humorous characters, and it is their antics and interactions with the humans that make this book so much fun. Though over the centuries the people of Pern forgot the truth of their oceanic friends, the dolphins always remembered, and seek every opportunity to help the humans through the troubles that accompany a society trying to adjust to radical changes to their way of life.
