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Summary: A book that really brings together the pices of the series
Review: I thought that this book really has all the key elements that a good novel should have.It has aventure,suppence,comedy.
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Summary: I love Robinton, but was totally bored
Review: I have read every book that Anne has written about Pern. They fall into two categories. If they have a lot of contact with the dragons, they're GREAT. If not, they're mediocre. This book was totally average. Robinton is much beloved by all us Pern fans, but I yawned through this whole thing. PLEASE, Anne, Pern is about dragons, and their fantastic link to their riders. Who cares about the stupid lord holders? You can find people like them in anyone's books. You can only find the joy of the dragon/rider connection in yours. I bought this when it came out, because I was out of audio cassettes. Otherwise, I no longer buy Pern hardcovers, and wait for the paperback. How I wish it was different.
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Summary: For die-hards, it's ok; for others, not worth it.
Review: First, let me say that I'm a die-hard Pern fan, and Robinton is one of my favorite characters from Pern. It was very nice to have a novel which detailed his background so well. However, this novel is severely handicapped by all the same faults found in the later Pern novels. First, there are many re-hashed plots. For example, Robinton's problems with his father mirror Menolly's problems with her father, and they end in the same way (even down to the exact same speech spoken by the Masterharper when each gets promoted to journeyman). Second, the characters are very one-sided, and are sometimes even direct copies of others. For example, Petiron is exactly like Yanus Seaholder; Halanna, when you first meet her, is exactly like Kylara, and when she changes, you never see her again; Manora is fifty years younger than in Dragonflight, but hardly has any physical description other than her "quiet dignity," a phrase used to describe her in every other book. Third, Robinton is a god. He is the best musician on the planet and the nicest person, and everyone looks out for his well-being. Even as a child, his greatest problem was his father, and everyone shielded him from him; Robinton managed to escape from the Harper Hall as a journeyman without ever truly having to face his greatest problem. Except for the fact that Robinton is my favorite character in the series, I would have no real emotional attachment to him in this book--he is too perfect. I've read every Pern novel and short story that has been published, and some are better than others. This one isn't the worst, but it isn't the best either. It does provide a great history for the other novels. However, in general, McCaffrey's writing suffers from repetition of description and plot, and an inability to create deep characters. The worlds she creates (such as in Pern and the Crystal Singer novels) are beautifully crafted, but the books, especially the later ones, become banal.
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Summary: This book was great ... but now I want more!
Review: Once again, Anne McCaffrey does an excellent job of fleshing out the Pern world without ever really repeating herself. Since I was introduced to the Pern books through the Harper Hall Trilogy, I've always loved reading about the Harpers, and particularly the MasterHarper. This book answers just about every question I ever had about Robinton ... yes, this is the MasterHarper I know, and this is how he came to be the way he is. And I loved being able to learn about the characters who were long-dead by the time of "Dragonflight," particularly F'lon, Merelan, and Kasia. Unfortunately, now I am full of questions about Robinton's father, Petiron! The man is full of contradictions: he can tell if a complete stranger has the makings of a Harper, but he overlooks these abilities in his own son ... he loves his wife but neglects his child ... he prides himself on his knowledge of composition in this book, but by the events of "Dragonsong" he has to ask Robinton if he thinks that Menolly's compositions are any good. When did he come to doubt his own abilities? And how did this self-absorbed perfectionist turn into the beloved old Harper of Half Circle SeaHold -- the first character in the Pern saga that I was introduced to (although he was already dead at the time). MasterHarper of Pern does a brilliant job of recounting the events leading up to "Dragonflight," but it leaves me wanting to know more about the events leading up to "Dragonsong!"
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Summary: This story is an example of master plot weaving.
Review: Anne Mc Caffrey has proven once again that she is not only a master storyteller, but a highly skilled author. In MasterHarper of Pern she takes elements of previous Pern books back since before Dragonflight and weaves them together to create a full background for Robinton, the beloved MasterHarper. The approach seemed odd at first; we already know the character, what more could we possibly learn about him? Much more, as it turns out. The story is completely true to the "present day" Robinton and in fact I found myself nodding my head often, recognizing how he got to where he did. I was most impressed with the way the Mc Caffery handled different details from several different books. The tie-ins were flawless, and I have to admit, having read all her Pern books, I was looking for discrepancies. Not only were there none, the strings attatching Robinton to each other story were completely believable. Never once did I feel that she had "stretched" to tie Robinton in to a particular scene previously written in another novel. I was enormously pleased with the results. For those of you who prefer the dragon aspect of the Pern books (i.e. tales told from the dragonriders' point of view] do not hesitate to try this novel. Through Robinton's encounters with dragons and the respectful relationship he develops with them from a small boy, your dragon-need will more than adequately be filled. The MasterHarper of Pern is a testament to Mc Caffrey at her best.
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Summary: For the fan, not the beginner
Review: This book is meant for the fans of Pern and Robinton in particular. There are a few inconsistencies, but not many - McCaffrey does a good job for the most part in working around the small details that were revealed in the original trilogy, but it is really only meant for the fans of her work. If you really wanted to know how Fax got his seven holds, or how Robinton became Masterharper, then this is the book for you.
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Summary: excellent work..............yet again
Review: as i have always wondered about the mysterious character of Robinton, this book was a must read for me. i was pleasantly surprised that while i expected it to be a "fluff and filler" book because it was done so quickly, it surprised me. it brought every emotion felt by the characters to the surface and i felt them, perhaps stronger that in some of the others. the story was crafted to give a birds eye view into the life of the largest character that has ever been in one of her novels a story behind his life and she accomplished that extremly well.
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Summary: Excellent prequel, but best served after the rest
Review: With this, Anne McCaffrey's latest entry into the low-tech sociological science fiction world of Pern, the author provides a grand prequel to the Present Pass books (Dragonriders, Harper Hall, etc.) in the form of a biography of one of the central players of those ealier written books. In the process, we view the formative years of MasterHarper Robinton and gain a deeper understanding of the politics of pre-Pass Pern, mostly especially involving the rise to power of the villainous Fax. We also visit the early lives and events of many other characters from McCaffrey's novels. As with many prequel books like this, MasterHarper doesn't make for an ideal intro to the Pern setting, being high on biography and low on action and cool stuff like the dragons. But for anyone who has read the later-occuring Pern novels (especially Dragonflight), this is a must read. Fans of Robinton will adore it.
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Summary: Robinton makes all the difference
Review: I enjoyed this book because of one thing and one thing only: the Masterharper. For fans of Ms McCaffrey's Dragonrider series, Robinton is an old friend that we have missed terribly. I was glad to have the opportunity to visit with him again and learn more about how he became the most beloved man on Pern. However, if I had never read any other Pern novel, I would not have understood or cared about him nearly as much as I did. This is truly for Dragon fans only. I was happy to find that this book marks a return to good storytelling for McCaffrey. I have faithfully read every Pern novel and have found the last few sorely lacking in plot. Once again, though, the reason I liked this story is because I feel I have a vested interest in the main character. I liked this book but I didn't love it. I recommend it to McCaffrey fans, but not to first time Pern visitors. But thanks, Ms McCaffrey, for giving us one more chance to spend time with the Masterharper; we miss him still.
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Summary: Very, Very good! Anne McCaffrey is truly a talented writer!
Review: Anne McCaffrey has truly shown off her talent once again in this extraordinary novel! Amazingly, she has made everything, every detail, every person, every dragon, coincide PERFECTLY with her other books. McCaffrey truly knows how to put emotion in ink, as many of her novels have left me crying or almost bouncing with joy. This one made me sad, sympathetic, and angry. I felt like cheering when Gifflen was sentenced to the Eastern Islands, but unfulfilled when his sentence could not be carried out as planned. But it was all explained later. When I read her first book, Dragonflight, it started in a dark, evil mood with Fax. The MasterHarper of Pern started out beautifully but sloped down into that dark, evil mood, which I feel was just perfect. It explained Petiron, Merelan, Silvina, Camo, Shonogar, Domick, etc. If anybody is considering buying this book, I highly advise it. This book should make no one feel dissapointed!
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