In some ways, this prompt from Long and Short Review’s Wednesday Weekly Blog challenge is timely. I’ve been reflecting back on Anne McCaffery‘s Pern Series. I delved through so many of the books, up through the 1990’s. At one point, I bought one of the new ones in hardcover and then gave it to a friend to hold until after one of my doctoral exams. I knew, having spent that not-inconsiderable money (on a grad student’s salary), it would force me to wait when I would have otherwise delved in.
I loved the combination of what seemed like fantasy on the surface but then one learns the science underneath. And dragons! This perhaps started my love of dragons. I swear Toothless is really my cat Circe (perhaps esp. since a recent trip to the cat dentist – she now only has two teeth on one side, though a full set on the other still).
And Naomi Novik‘s Temeraire series still enchants me.
So what does this have to do with the prompt? The original Pern book has elements of old Romance novels and not in a good way. Really, the relationship between the two dragon leaders (Less and F’lar) is a bit unhealthy and dated. And probably in other books, similar issues would arise. I would seriously hesitate to recommend this book to one of my students today, despite having loved them so well. Sigh.
Ramblings 
Good to know in advance!
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Ah, Greta, you can’t go wrong with dragons!
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Ohhhh, yes. I remember reading at least part of her Crystal Singer series as well, and it had similar issues. Like, everybody involved really is happy with the way the situation goes, but there was *not* a lot of checking for consent going into this…
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I think the women’s lack of empowerment in the early Pern novels is something McCaffrey always meant to show changing, so it’s worth keeping. Lessa was specifically establishing her and Ramoth’s right to fly, and in the companion trilogy Menolly was specifically establishing her right to be a harper. Naturally they have to contend with “hidebound” ideas–including some of their own. Things get better as Pern modernizes.
When the Harper Hall trilogy was new, girls were still being told we had to be twice as good as a man to be paid half as well…I’ve seen more than one blog named after Menolly, because so many of us saw her as a role model!
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Oh, I agree. I did see that too. And it wasn’t the traditional gender roles that were indeed being challenged that bother me. It is the dynamics of Lessa and F’lar’s, romantic relationship that strike me as unhealthy.
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