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Dragon's Fire by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
01/09/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Bantam Press. 366 page hardback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-593-05498-9. Buy Dragon's Fire in the USA - or Buy Dragon's Fire in the UK  check out website: www.booksattransworld.co.uk, www.annemaccaffrey.org and www.toddmccaffrey.org
This is another 'Dragonriders Of Pern' book based around events of the Second Interval before the Red Star planet returns in its erratic orbit to throw thread at the planet of Pern. Here, the Weyrs are in continuous preparation keeping their dragons trained to burn the thread from the skies and even run competitions at gatherings.
There is also a problem concerned the firestone mined for this purpose. Principally composed of phosphorus which tends to explode when touched by water. Getting volunteers to mine for it has become difficult and so people who have been found guilty of criminal acts and permanently marked with an 'S' on their forehead for 'Shunned' are used.
There is also only one golden queen watch-wher left, cared for by an ageing crazed woman who has to supply the next generation thrown into the mix as well. Together with the fate of children of the Shunned who aren't guilty themselves who have to live rough to survive.
This book, actually two stories with intertwining events, follows the lives of those most involved. There is Pellor, a mute apprentice harper who is seeking out missing harper Moran who is pursuing the children of the Shunned. Amongst these is a nasty piece of work called Tanin out for his own interests and the girl Halla who is trying to hold everything together. Tarik, a recently Shunned miner for the crime of stealing coal and wood, the latter used for shoring up the tunnels, which resulted in deaths and sent to mine firestone. His son, Cristov, lives with the guilt of his father but is determined to do better.
Lots going to keep up with throughout the book as I'm sure you can see. Working out which McCaffrey has written what isn't that much of a puzzle. My comments on handling key moments poorly seems to be very much at son Todd's feet because I saw it in his books he wrote alone. There is a lack of emotional impact associated with death and its after-math as well. A lot of the time, it's only referred to, almost like it didn't want to be covered. The children, too, are written more as adults than children. Even with education or in the case of the children of the Shunned, practically no education, they all appear to come out of the same mould as the adults and you'd have difficulty telling them apart. This is something only experience can really sort out with the ability to lie open the soul of characters, and indeed that of the author, on the page and give it more heart. Some of it is there but not quite all yet.
This doesn't mean to say that this isn't an interesting book to read. It addresses the problem of firestone mining as it is a very important part of the Pern novels that wasn't covered in other books and how the harper archives have not been kept as well as they should be even after 400 turns. It fills in gaps about the life on Pern that will no doubt have some of its fans checking some of the earlier books for anything they might have missed themselves. It's certainly a better place for Todd McCaffrey to cut his teeth writing than in a future part of the timeline. Hopefully, his Mum, Anne, will up his writing gears so he becomes more integrated. In the meantime, it'll be interesting watching her sibling develop.
GF Willmetts
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