Rating: 
Summary: Worth every penny!
Review: As a long-time major fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels, I gleefully pounce on them the moment they appear in hardback. In fact, they're the ONLY novels I'll routinely shell out so much money for. In the case of "The Skies of Pern", I managed to get my hands on the UK version...Was it worth it? Definitely! I'd've downed it in one marathon sitting were it not for having to go to work and earn a living. And I reread it the following week. All 450 pages of it! Once again Ms. McCaffrey visits our old friends in the Ninth Pass, picking up where "The Dolphins of Pern" leaves off. We get to see how they deal with the perils of anti-technology fanatics ("Abominators"), the uncertainties of the role dragons will play in a Thread-free world and Lord Toric's endless greed and conniving. A major new threat faces Pern from above, and the dragons have to come up with a novel and surprising way of dealing with it. A way hinted at in earlier books, particularly "All the Weyrs of Pern". Along the way, Ms. McCaffrey does her usual excellent job of developing characters both old and new. Be prepared for a real tear-jerker toward the end. So, if you're a Pern fan, this one is a must! While you're waiting for this one to arrive, you might want to dust off your copy of "All the Weyrs" and "Dolphins" just to refresh your memory and whet your appetite. My only hope is that the next installment comes soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Moving, well-developed characters... and FABULOUS dragons!
Review: I've been disappointed with most of the recent installments in the Pern series, largely because of the lack of depth to human-dragon interaction. The Skies of Pern, however, is a very welcome return to a relationship-centered Pern. F'lessan and Tai, the two central characters, are remarkably well-developed, and their dragons are even better! This novel explores the depth of the relationship between dragon and rider, and between Weyrmates, in a way that none of the previous Pern books really have. The buildup is gradual, the climax at once heartbreaking and triumphant. I sincerely hope that McCaffrey gives us more of F'lessan, Golanth, Tai, and Zaranth in the future, as I loved and cared immensely for all four of them... and definitely feel that the ending warranted a follow-up! Mercifully, the accounts of Council meetings and politics among Lord Holders are limited to vital decisions which affect the main storyline. The side plot about the Abominators, however, didn't really feed into everything else. Maybe that will be wrapped up in a future installment.... But at least in this volume of the Pern saga, I found myself skimming those sections to get back to F'lessan and Tai. Golanth and Zaranth are some of the best-written draconic characters that Pern has ever seen, and the only way that I will find their story disappointing is if there is no more of it!
Rating:
Summary: A Dragon Lover's Look
Review: Well, first of all, I would like to congragulate Patricia C. Wrede on her astounding work with the Dragon Riders Of Pern series. Well Done!!! As for this particular entry back into the world of Pern, I would have to say that this book took us deeper into the world of Men and Dragons than anyone has ever gone! For a long time I have been a dragon lover and these books give me an opportunity to live my fantasy, however imaginary. The story of F'lessan and Tia was incredible. One could actually feel the passion of their relationship unfolding. Though it did lack the usual aspect and involvement with arial battles that the other books held, I must say that this book is an enchantment unlike any other, and is in itself the start of another possible series, should the author decide to develop on it. Keep up the good work Patricia, and you'll have me on my way to the Dreams of Pern. (I do wish I could find a Fire-Lizard of my own...)
Rating: 
Summary: This book is an abomination!
Review: Like many others, I was excited to see a new addition to the Dragonriders series and, unfortunately, like many of the readers here, I was horribly disappointed in the Skies of Pern. There were too many discrepencies to go into (other reviewers have done that) but what it means when you are reading is that instead of getting engaged with the plot(s), your mind says, 'hang on a minute...isn't Mirrim a GREEN rider?' then you re-read the passage about her gold dragon. Then you put the book down and hunt through several rooms to find one of the other books with the dragon/rider relationship handily printed in the back and confirm you are not crazy but rather, Ms McCaffrey and her crack team of editors completely screwed up. Repeatedly. There are a multitude of plot lines that are not resolved, somewhat unusually for the Pern series. The writing is not crisp nor witty. And smart characters end up in the stupidest situations. The ending is totally fabricated (it didn't make me want to cry. Vomit, maybe, but not cry). It is painfully obvious there will be another book taking us to the end of Thread in the Ninth Pass, but the bigger question is how many of us faithful Pern fans will care enough to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Pernese society continues to evolve
Review: It has been thirty years or more (the book could definitely benefit from a chronological appendix) since the Hatching of Ruth, the White Dragon, and the Lost Colony of Pern is now experiencing what most of its inhabitants devoutly hope will be the last Threadfall ever. The central question of this latest Dragonrider novel, then, is, What will Dragonriders and their Dragons do when there is no more Thread to fight? For some, the holdborn, the question isn't too vital: they need only return to their ancestral occupations. Others are moonlighting as carriers of mail and light freight. But new challenges continue to arise: the Abominationists, a Luddite group that disapproves (to the point of terrorism) of the new technologies imparted by the AIVAS computer at Landing, and the splashdown of an Object From Space (either a huge meteorite or a small asteroid), which results in a world-circling tsunami from which the Dragonriders must struggle to evacuate the inhabitants of lower-lying settlements. It is this Object which reveals the role the Dragonriders must play After: they will be the Watchers of the Skies, the defenders of their planet from similar debri. And green Zaranth, ridden by the female Rider Tai, displays a new talent which shows how such debri will be dealt with in future. Most of the familiar characters reappear in this novel (including Weyrleader F'lar, now in his 60's, and his Weyrwoman Lessa), but the main concentration is on F'lessan, son of F'lar and Lessa, and on Tai, who proves to have been severely psychologically bruised by her dragon's previous mating flights. Of course, it's almost mandatory to have read the previous volumes, but I can't imagine anyone who buys this book not having done so. And it's reassuring to see that the Pernese recognize that their world needs only adopt so much technology and no more; their society need not be totally shaken to its roots by the revelations of AIVAS. I'm sure McCaffrey never anticipated, when she published "Dragonflight" in 1968, that 35 years later she'd still be chronicling the history of Pern in a series that has now grown to 16 volumes. My only question is, how will she follow this act in the chronicles of one of the most beloved sf societies yet to appear in print?
Rating:
Summary: A good and a worthly addition to the series...
Review: OK I really enjoyed this book, not as good as the first books, nothing ever will be IMHO. There is one major thing people keep harping on and another previous reviewer also corrected. It never says Mirriam is a gold rider or a Weyrleader. It says she is T'Gellan's weyrmate, that is all and that certainly has not in prior novels ever meant they were automatically a Weyrleader.
There are many examples of the Weyrleaders having separate mates from each other.
This book was wonderful, I enjoyed the new issues and charcters, I like how Anne is evolving the stories I've loved for more that 20 years and I hope she will continue to do so.....
Rating: 
Summary: If There Were A Mark Less Than One Star I Would Pick It...
Review: How to describe how truly bad this book was? I kept on reading in the mistaken but optimistic belief that it would sudden;y get better. Thirty pages before the end I realise that no, it really wasn't, and gave up. Look, I like HUMAN characters. Not black and white but all the pretty grey shades between. People just don't come in Good or Bad flavours. And the plot [wasn't good]. Sorry, but there's no other word for it. *twitch* I won't be reading more Pern books. Burn this one. The world will be a better place for it.
Rating:
Summary: Pern
Review: This book is a good addition to the Pern series. It mostly follows Lessa and F'lar's son F'lessan. It also reveals a new dragon talent and the future occupation of dragonriders. I would definately recommend this book to any Pern reader.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful world, wonderful writer, mediocre story
Review: Anne McCaffrey has proven dozens of times that she is a fabulous writer, and the books of Pern are truly exceptional. This book, however, falls a little short. While it's nice to be able to read what life is like post-"All the Weyrs of Pern," I occasionally found the story of this book to be a little contrived. Still worth reading, but not quite the same caliber as the other Pern books.
Rating:
Summary: Where to go next?
Review: I love this book, but it does lead you wondering if she is going to write any future books! Fun series, fast enjoyable reads.
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