Rating: 
Summary: The Life and Times of Master Robinton
Review: Robinton is one of the most beloved citizens of Pern, he has figured prominently in most of the books but many personal details of his life have not been revealed ...until now. THE MASTERHARPER OF PERN is the story of those 'missing' years up to the events of DRAGONFLIGHT. Born into a musical family and raised in the Harper Hall Robinton showed extreme talent from his earliest days to the delight of all around him but his own father. Never quite understanding or recovering from this rejection Robinton grew to excel at his profession even though his dream of becoming both a harper and a dragonrider was not to be. His friendship with F'lon, father of F'lar and F'non is shown as well as the beginnings of many of his relationships throughout Pernese society. Many of these relationships have be alluded to in other books in the series.
Perhaps the most touching aspects of the book are his ill-fated romance and the recurring losses that seem to plague Robinton's life. For fans of the series this is a 'must read'. If you are new to Pern I highly recommend the series and this prequel would be a good place to start, then continue through the rest in the order they were written.
Rating: 
Summary: A beloved character gets his own book
Review: Perhaps the most popular of the major "regulars" in the Pern series is Robinton, the rich-voiced Masterharper who can hear and be heard by every dragon on the planet. Many readers grieved with the Pernese when he was killed off. Now, at last, we have a book that explains how this pivotal character came to be who he was. From his birth (which nearly kills his mother), through his childhood as a prodigy (loved by his vocalist-mother but cold-shouldered by his composer-father), his first meeting with Falloner (later the Dragonrider F'lon, father of F'lar and F'nor) and their developing friendship, his two great loves and the tragedies to which they led, and his clandestine (and hitherto untold) work among the Holders, up through the opening scenes (told from his viewpoint) of "Dragonflight," we watch as his character and gifts develop and he becomes, inevitably, the man who will help lead Pern into its as-yet-unsuspected future. McCaffrey also, as in every Pern book, sprinkles a few new tidbits about her planet through the story. You need to have read at least the first two books in the series to understand what's going on, and the story is a bit slow to start, although once Robinton is writing music it grows more interesting. Definitely an indispensable read for McCaffrey's legion of fans.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Entertaining Read
Review: Deadly Thread has not fallen on Pern for centuries and there are many who believe that it will never fall again. Those who believe and teach the old ways, such as the Harpers of Pern, are mocked and largely ignored. Robinton is born during this trying time to Petiron and Merelan. Merelan, blessed with a gorgeous soprano voice, had always wanted a child, but Petiron, arguably the most technically advanced composer in Harper Hall, did not. When Robinton turns out to be a musical prodigy and is rapidly surpassing those far older than he, Merelan is careful to keep his gift hidden from Petiron and his jealousy. Even though Robinton is not close to his father, he still has a relatively happy childhood, full of music and small joys. He discovers that he can hear dragons, for one, and enjoys befriending the dragonriders who come to call. Still, it is not without some relief that Robinton is able to start his career as a Harper Journeyman and travel to other holds. Robinton quickly discovers that, although he believes Thread will return, most Pern residents do not share his assurance. Benden Weyr is isolated and the holds do not send their tithes as faithfully as they used to. There is also the insidious shadow of a threat from the self-titled Lord Fax, who has been slowly taking over holds and areas around his original land. Robinton is there to witness Fax's clever assassination of F'lar and F'nor's father, the Benden Weyrleader and watches helplessly as Benden withdraws from the people of Pern more and more. But he is distracted by the love of his life - Kasia. He is overjoyed when they get married and envisions a whole new life and future for them. So Robinton is devastated when his beloved Kasia is taken from him after only a few months of marriage. He throws himself into his work, composing, traveling, trying to soothe people and convince them that the dragons are necessary to kill Thread. Much to Robinton's surprise, but no one else's, Robinton is named Masterharper when the previous one starts losing his good health. Robinton immediately sets out to support the dragonriders and do all that he can to keep an eye on Pern so he starts sending out spies and keeping track of Lord Fax... I think that The Masterharper of Pern is one of McCaffrey's finest in the Pern series. Of course, much of that is because I have always loved Robinton as a character and was just thrilled to read his story at last. This book answered so many of my questions about Robinton - such as why he never married. It also explained his close ties to the dragonriders and why so many people knew and loved him on Pern. It is also an amazing story of a very talented man who refused to give up and become discouraged. He had a difficult childhood, his father all but hating him and his talents, his mother passed away when he was still quite young, his wife was taken from him precipitously, and his only child, Camo (seen in the Harper Hall Trilogy, as is Petiron), is born a half-wit and will never be able to do anything musically. Even though Robinton's life was difficult and full of tragedy, he spent all of his considerable effort and persuasion to keep Pern from ruin, insofar as he was able. Readers who are familiar with the Pern series will be delighted with this book. Readers who have not read anything in the Pern series will also be delighted with this book and will understand everything that is happening, although they may miss some of the subtle implications and nuances. A must have for any fantasy fan!
Rating:
Summary: The best Pern book in the series
Review: I am not new to the world of Pern. Admittedly, I have only read the Dragonriders series, but I consider that to be a classic. Masterharper chronicles the life of Robinton, who is brought up by his mother and the Harpers he lives with. His father, Petiron, is neglectful and pretty much absent from the boy's life. This would be the makings of a great character were it not handled by Anne M'Caffrey.
M'Caffrey uses all of her authorial power to lay all the blame for Robinton's upbringing on Petiron. Yet it is clear that his mother knows of Petiron's deficiencies, and does nothing about them. Rather than work with him, she goes about assuming that what is plain to her must be plain to Petiron. This would not be an unusual circumstance were it not for the fact that all of the Harpers side with her. Thus, Petiron goes about in complete ignorance that he is a bad father, and not a single soul tells him so much. He is condemned as a bad father by his wife, his co-workers, his superiors, and even the author herself. This is simply not fair to the character, and it made me wish that Savil from Mercedes Lackey's Herald Mage series would show up to slap everyone into shape.
A further mistake M'Caffrey makes is by saying that Petiron and his wife are happy together. This is utter nonsense, since we can see how unhappy she is by his neglectful attitude, and the fact that she abandons him in the first part of the book. Once again, M'Caffrey uses every ounce of her authorial might to further damn Petiron, regardless of the reality she has created.
The final nail in the coffin comes from Robinton himself. With a neglectful father, a wife that dies prematurely, a child who is retarded, Robinton has no discernable personality flaws. This is often a complaint about his character, and I echo the sentiment. It is almost as if M'Caffrey is promoting such a life as the key to success!
Once again, M'Caffrey cheats the character out of a real life. His relationship with his wife ends shortly after it has begun, giving him absolutely no chance of showing what type of husband he is. One has to assume that he would be perfect in every way, and that theirs would be a blissful relationship forever. When his child is born, he is given permission to ignore the child completely by the mother and others. However, when Robinton does it, it is all perfectly OK, because M'Caffrey has thoughtfully lobotomized the child so it will not know it has no father. I am appalled by this treatment, and it shows a callous insensitivity to the families of disabled children.
Robinton is the main character of the story, yet he is the most uninteresting of all the characters presented. M'Caffrey seems to have forgotten everything about writing convincing characters when she wrote this book. As the characters are the major focus of this book, it is a real pity that they are handled so badly. This is not Pern for the beginner, nor is it Pern for anyone else.
Rating: 
Summary: The Masterharper of Pern
Review: I do actually enjoy Anne McCaffrey's work. But I feel that she must have been ashamed to bring out this book with so many plot inconsistancies.
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