Rating: 
Summary: Pern
Review: Personally, I've never been that into short stories. Mainly because they're not long enough. It seems like in a lot of cases just when I'm getting really interested in the story, it ends. I'm the type of person who likes to read full sized or even larger than normal novels. And if the novel is part of a series then even better. That being said the short stories from this book are much more my style, since they are from a series (the Pern series to be exect). This book includes two short stories that have been published before in other books. One short story that is part of a larger story. And one new short story. If you are a fan of the Pern series this book is definately worth having.
Rating: 
Summary: Dragons for the holidays or any time!
Review: Reading Dragon Stories from Anne McCaffrey is a delight anytime, but especially so during the holidays. Her prose, always so smooth and humanely warm, shimmers in the holiday glow. Such a pleasure to read again about Keevan, the smallest dragonboy, and Aramina, the girl who heard dragons, and then to meet new charmers like Tenna, the runner and Nian and Neru, the dragon-riding twins. McCaffrey is an absolute master of characterization, but never at the slighting of plot. The pages here turn much too fast. It seems SO long since the last dragon novel. More, please, Ms. M, and soon.
Rating:
Summary: a collector's dream
Review: This beautifully illustrated book finally collects some of the hard to find Pern short stories in one place. "The Smallest Dragonrider" was my introduction to her books & it was nice to see one of the non-riders stories, "The Runner of Pern," included. That nice story focuses on a group that is usually incidental to the stories, the messengers/runners who are the ones who really keep the people of Pern connected. The new story "Ever the Twain" is appealing & has a thing or two to say about pride. My one regret --- the exclusion of "The Dolphin Bell" which would have provided a nice historic Pern touch to the 'modern' stories.
For the collector craving hardcover copies of their favorite author, this volume is a wonderful addition to the library.
Rating:
Summary: a collector's dream
Review: This beautifully illustrated book finally collects some of the hard to find Pern short stories in one place. "The Smallest Dragonrider" was my introduction to her books & it was nice to see one of the non-riders stories, "The Runner of Pern," included. That nice story focuses on a group that is usually incidental to the stories, the messengers/runners who are the ones who really keep the people of Pern connected. The new story "Ever the Twain" is appealing & has a thing or two to say about pride. My one regret --- the exclusion of "The Dolphin Bell" which would have provided a nice historic Pern touch to the 'modern' stories.
For the collector craving hardcover copies of their favorite author, this volume is a wonderful addition to the library.
Rating:
Summary: A very good book.
Review: This is a good book, that I recomend to anybody who loves Pern. The reason I gave it four stars is because 3 of the 4 stories have already been published, so it is a totally brand new book. But if you haven't read any of these stories before, buy it! You will enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Short Stores of Pern
Review: This is a somewhat strange little book, and I'm not at all sure who the intended audience is. First of all, it is an anthology of four short stories, only one of which is being newly printed. Other than being set on the dragon planet of Pern, the stories have nothing in common, each standing quite apart from the others in its topic. Every page is adorned with a fanciful border, making for wide margins and short lines of type. There are also a few full-page illustrations here and there, endearing enough but sparse. Surprisingly, the book is also printed entirely in a sepia-toned ink (which I thought might be hard on the eyes but actually posed no problems or eye fatigue).Since only one-fourth of the content is newly published and because of the artwork and the unusual ink color, I simply cannot fathom for what audience the book is intended. Junior high school level, perhaps. The four stories are quite fun to read, especially if one hasn't read them recently in their original publications. However, especially with science fiction, I much prefer to become engrossed in the lengthy plot afforded by novel-length books. Short stories always end too soon, jerking the reader out of the fantasy and back into the mundance world of reality just as one is really getting into the story! Maybe this book is for readers with short attention spans, or maybe McCaffrey is tiring of creating new story lines for the residents of Pern, and this book is analogous to a StarTrek re-run. Overall, I prefer McCaffrey's earlier full-length novels about this planet and its wonderful, telepathic dragons.
Rating:
Summary: Short Stores of Pern
Review: This is a somewhat strange little book, and I'm not at all sure who the intended audience is. First of all, it is an anthology of four short stories, only one of which is being newly printed. Other than being set on the dragon planet of Pern, the stories have nothing in common, each standing quite apart from the others in its topic. Every page is adorned with a fanciful border, making for wide margins and short lines of type. There are also a few full-page illustrations here and there, endearing enough but sparse. Surprisingly, the book is also printed entirely in a sepia-toned ink (which I thought might be hard on the eyes but actually posed no problems or eye fatigue). Since only one-fourth of the content is newly published and because of the artwork and the unusual ink color, I simply cannot fathom for what audience the book is intended. Junior high school level, perhaps. The four stories are quite fun to read, especially if one hasn't read them recently in their original publications. However, especially with science fiction, I much prefer to become engrossed in the lengthy plot afforded by novel-length books. Short stories always end too soon, jerking the reader out of the fantasy and back into the mundance world of reality just as one is really getting into the story! Maybe this book is for readers with short attention spans, or maybe McCaffrey is tiring of creating new story lines for the residents of Pern, and this book is analogous to a StarTrek re-run. Overall, I prefer McCaffrey's earlier full-length novels about this planet and its wonderful, telepathic dragons.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Mix Of Pern Stories
Review: This nice mix of short stories about the planet of Pern is a great way to learn about some of the suppoting characters. Although The Girl Who Heard Dragons is a favorite of mine, I was a little disappointed to find it included as a large section of a "new" book. That said, if you are a fan of McCaffrey's Pern novels you will want to own this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Mix Of Pern Stories
Review: This nice mix of short stories about the planet of Pern is a great way to learn about some of the suppoting characters. Although The Girl Who Heard Dragons is a favorite of mine, I was a little disappointed to find it included as a large section of a "new" book. That said, if you are a fan of McCaffrey's Pern novels you will want to own this one.
Rating:
Summary: Filling the gaps
Review: This slim volume is nowhere near as fascinating as Anne McCaffrey's full length Pern novels. Its worth is that the 4 stories it contains serve to fill in gaps in the overall picture. The stories are short and somewhat simplistic but present a view of Pern not otherwise dwelt on - children hoping to impress dragons for example. Not quite a book to add to one's library but for all Pern fans, a nice set of glimpses. I only wish Anne had focused on some other Pernese professions - maybe the Healer Hall (2 of the 4 stories are dragon-rider oriented)?
|
