Rating: 
Summary: The Skies of Pern
Review: Would that I had not read the reviews, other wise I would have not ordered it. It was not a thrill. The last book was horrid and this is little better.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ideas, but boring
Review: I agree with some of the previous reviews: great to be back to Pern, but "Skies" reuses far too many old plot lines mashed together without cohesion. The return of the anti-Aivas group is unconvincing, and F'lessan's romance is basically F'nor/Breke rehashed, only not as interesting because it all works out happily in a matter of pages. I had hoped that McCaffrey would develop the question of what would happen once Thread was gone ("After") more thoroughly, but it instead comes to a trite and unrealistic conclusion. Most of the book is spent in conversations between characters about what's going on, or in excessively drawn-out descriptions of the few action sequences. Essentially, this book would be much better if it were shorter; it's long on dialog and short on plot.
Rating:
Summary: Average is just that -- average, not bad
Review: I had my hopes way up for "Skies" to be a killer book, but found it more a "comfortable" one. McCaffrey has clearly lived with these characters so long, there's little freshness to deliver. If you're a fan of the series, sure, it's worth reading. If you're not, it's not a book to fire your imagination. Now "The White Dragon" -- there's a five-star book!
Rating: 
Summary: Another fabulous trip to Pern
Review: I've been reading Ms. McCaffrey's work for almost 25 years now and the Dragonriders has always been my favorite series. I have to admit, though, that the dolphin book was a bit disappointing because it didn't have the "regulars" we've all come to know in it as much as I would have liked. The Robinton book answered soooooooo many questions and that made me content with it.When I first got this book and read, from the dustcover, that F'lessan was to be a major character I was concerned that Ms. McCaffrey had chosen the wrong character to focus on. Instead, we get to know F'lar and Lessa's son as well as we know his parents. He's all right...a lot of his thought patterns mirror my own at this point in time, and he's grown up considerably since last we saw him. The continued fleshing out of Pern's society -- always fascinating to me, I can't conceive of creating a multi layer society such as this and being anywhere near consistent telling stories about it over the course of thirty years -- just goes to show that humans as a race never change, at least in the Pern universe. It's rather comforting in some ways to know that, again at least to me. This book is a winner -- despite the type of disaster but given what's been around in the movies over the past few years, one can hardly be surprised at it. I have to admit, I was looking for a Bruce Willis character for a bit....:) If you like Pern -- read this book. If you love Pern and don't have it, shame on you! Run out this weekend and get it if you can.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read this book because I have read everything else written about Pern (and several other series for that matter) and loved most of them. Unfortunately, I felt that this book introduced too many sub-plots that were not completed and reused too many from previous novels (I am tired of reading about the gang of misfits causing trouble). Mid-way through the book, I felt that was oblidged to finished, but not really all that interested. Sorry, Anne.
Rating:
Summary: Well... at least it takes us back to Pern!
Review: I love Pern. I've loved Pern since the first books have come out. I've read and re-read every book so many times that I have a list of all the typos and chronological "boo-boos" in each one. But I still love Pern and the wonderful dragons. The Skies of Pern is a fair book. It takes me back to Pern and I get to meet all my old friends again. See how they've grown, what new changes are taking place. It's like going home again. But there are some major descrepancies that just cannot be ignored. For these four serious blunders I have to give only three stars instead of five. Blunder No. One: Lady Lessa. Lady?? Since when is Weyrwoman Lessa called Lady? She is not a Holder's wife. She gave up the right to be Holder of Ruatha at Jaxom's birth. Aivas called her Lady once and was trounced quickly as to her real title and rank. She is Weyrwoman or Ramoth's Rider. This is a very serious mistake. How can Anne not remember the titles and ranks of her own characters?? Blunder No. Two: Golly. The noble bronze dragon Golanth is called "Golly"? In Dragon's Dawn the first dragons clearly let it be known that they will not tolerate nicknames. The dolphins might shorten a name due to pronunciation, but for the humans to pick up on it and follow along is wrong. It demeans the dragon. Blunder No. Three: Mirrim. OK, to be honest here, I can't stand Mirrim. I didn't like her in DragonQuest, I tolerated her in Dragonsong, and I wished she had been banished to the Far Reaches in White Dragon. But she keeps popping back up like a really bad penny. I like Toric more then Mirrim. But besides all that. What is she doing being a weyrleader? She is only a green dragon rider. Where is the Queen Dragon of Eastern? Who is the Queen dragon of Eastern? Where does this bizarre menage a trois start? Have I missed a short story somewhere where all this is explained? Blunder No. Four: When did the Runners Guild become a player? Seems to me that we should have had some inkling of them back in the very first book. They might have come in handy when F'Lar was trying to figure out a way to communicate with all the holds before Thread started falling. At least in Renegades of Pern, Anne started the Traders Guild back at the beginning and slowly brought them forward with the rest of the story. But in Skies of Pern we are thrown in with a very major guild and left to wonder who they are??! I loved the book for the fact that it did take me back to Pern. But there were some major "wrongs" that I just can't ignore. So I stand by my assessment of Three out of Five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A major disappointment
Review: In the original six books for this world, McCaffrey offered us an enticing concept with sentient dragons in partnership with humans and a world-wide threat (Thread) that served to alternately unite and divide various elements of her society. Unfortunately, the weaknesses of plot and characterization that I've been determined to avoid seeing in the previous books hit me smack in the face with this one. More like an amateur effort at copying McCaffrey's style than a book by the same author of the rest of the series, The Skies of Pern draws heavily on the same cliched character devices McCaffery includes in all her books while taking her episodic style of writing to a dizzying and confusing extreme. Less than a hundred pages into the book, I would have paid double the cover price for a timeline listing what was happening and who was involved. The action skipped around in time and changed POV character so frequently that you need a scorecard to remind yourself who was involved in what particular scene. She has littered the landcape of this novel with characters familiar from previous books, without managing to make their contribution to the plot either compelling or convincing. The plot itself is contrived and suffers from an excess of exposition as the characters deliver huge chunks of mathematical explanation for various stellar or planetary events. Such indegestible chunks are both unnecessary to the plot and out of place in the universe the story inhabits. Quite frankly, those passages read as though the author had a minimum word count to reach for the novel and was desperate to add a few hundred words here and there. Characterization is always predictable for this series, since each book features a selected Abuse Victim who is destined to Rise Above Adversity in the end and Save The World. And, yes, the way she writes, you can almost read the capitals in the speeches designed to clue you in on how badly this or that person has been treated by life. But never fear...they'll triumph in the end, probably with a scene so treacly that your teeth will be glued together for hours afterwards. In closing, I can't describe how disappointed I was with this book. Amateurish, poorly plotted with clumsy exposition and lifeless dialogue, it was more like a first effort by a teenager than the work of a mature, experienced author.
Rating:
Summary: Preparing for After
Review: What a wonderful surprise - I was not expecting another book in the Pern series and was delighted to read this one. I disagree that the introduction of technology into the Pern culture makes the books worse; instead this trend is one of the main "problems" that the wonderful continuing cast of characters must deal with. Reading how they cope (or don't cope) with all the innovations makes for alot of interest. Add a natural disaster and a new love interest and this book is a winner. Yes, there are a few problems with chronology but they don't get in the way of the enjoyment of the book. I do agree that if one is not familiar with all the various personalities, the many threads (pun not intended) of the plot could be confusing. For followers of the series, however, the involvement of so many old friends is a delight. I very much enjoyed the development of F'Lessan as a character and the introduction of a new heroine with Tai. I can see lots of possibilites for them After. Although the future work for the dragonriders (as implied) may not be as exciting as fighting Thread (as one reviewer mentioned) I will enjoy reading how the Pernese learn to live and conquer new challanges After. Keep writing, Anne.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!!!
Review: This is such an awesome book. I couldn't put it down. Love the strong plot and fantasy setting. Anne McCaffrey does it again! Can't wait until i get more of her books. Buy this and treasure it forever.
Rating: 
Summary: I Love Anne McCaffrey's Worlds!
Review: I haven't been able to find a writer who is more talented at creating a fiction world. They are positive and affirming for the human race, and...they are magical. I love visiting my friends on Pern. I have read all of her books, that I can get my hands on, over and over. With The Skies of Pern we get to know some of our old friends better and we get to meet some new ones. However, she does have some cronological problems, which I think could be solved by more careful editing, I choose to ignore those problems. Our dragons have developed more personality and have discovered a new talent, what fun. This book was wayyy too short, there are many things left up in the air (pun intended). I can't wait for the next book. Thanks Anne.
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