But the further I got into Dragonsinger, I started getting the inkling that something wasn't right. That there was something MISSING. And it wasn't until I forced myself to finish Dragondrums Sunday that I realized what it was:
There was no "all is lost" moment. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how incredibly easy the characters had it. Just when you started thinking that MAYBE things were starting to go downhill, something happened to make their life invariably better. In real life, I would be more than happy. But in a book, it makes me bitter. Disappointed. And it leaves me with the feeling that nothing happened. Which isn't true; loads happened. Menolly goes from a Sea Holder's outcast daughter--punished for singing and writing music--to arguably the most talented Harper ever. Not to mention she has nine fire lizards that love her . . .and very powerful friends.And then we move on from her to Piemur, her mischievous friend, and his misadventures. (Why, I want to know, do we not stick with the same character for the duration of the trilogy?) Piemur eavesdrops on important conversations, steals a fire lizard egg, and ends up in the less-friendly South where he escapes Thread (some sort of devouring death-ray) three times. Despite all this, I still felt as if the bigger story was taking place somewhere off page, which frustrated me to no end. What's the point of overhearing important conversations, confronting Oldtimers (dragonriders from another time), and being transported to a mostly hostile territory if nothing comes of it? Eh?
So, to sum it up, I think Ms. McCaffrey is too nice to her characters. At least in this series. But I also got the impression that maybe this was the fluff reading of the bigger Pern stories. And that's what all the hinting at a bigger (unresolved) conflict was about. But, really, it's just disappointing that she couldn't take that conflict and make her characters a bigger part of it.Recommended: For fluff reading.
Rating (out of five stars): 3.5
