I've been a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series ever since I stumbled across them at the bookstore across the street from my house when I was a teenager. While my love of fantasy and science fiction may have already been well established by that time, the Pern books had a huge impact on how I felt about dragons in the genre and I've never really been able to find anything that I think comes close to the Pern books. As much as  I love the series I wasn't a huge fan of the Pern books Todd McCaffrey wrote. He's a good author but his Pern books didn't feel like they really fit in with the series to me. So I approached Gigi McCaffrey's book with a bit of hesitation, though I was still hopeful for a great book.

The problem I have with reviewing a book like this is its always so difficult not to compare any of the newer Dragonriders of Pern books with the originals which just isn't fair to Todd or Gigi. So I was honestly a bit surprised with how well Gigi McCaffrey did in matching the tone and feel of her mother's books while still making the story and it's characters her own. Dragon's Code was one of those books that I enjoyed so much I was unable to stop reading it once I had started and there were honestly a few times where it felt like this was something Anne McCaffrey herself could have written, which really impressed me coming from a first-time author.

Pern is one of my favorite fantasy worlds to return to and I thought the world in Dragon's Code was as beautiful and richly detailed as it's ever been and the characters were fantastic. Piemur has always been one of my favorite characters in the Pern books and I thought Gigi did a great job expanding on his character and showing what he would be like as he aged and changed as a person. He's always been one of those characters that I wanted to read more of and I'm happy he's one of the main characters in this book. It's always good to see familiar faces who were kind of pushed to the back take center stage once again.

I do have to say though that I thought the dialogue was a bit rough and ridiculous at times and the author was a little too free with the random info dump. I mean I understand that there is a lot of background information that she wanted to fill in with this book so new readers didn't have to read the entire series to enjoy it but I don't think it was very well done. It took away from my enjoyment of the book whenever it happened.
That being said, I still found this book to be beautifully written full of great characters that were a lot of fun reading about. I can't wait to see what Gigi McCaffrey has next in the series but I know the wait is not going to be an easy one. I will happily recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read, and can honestly say that while it would help to read the original books first, Dragon's Code makes a pretty solid jumping off point for new readers.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the magic of Pern, and Gigi McCaffrey's new book helped bring back that feeling of wonder from my childhood.

I feel like us readers finally got a decent ending to Piemur’s arc begun in Dragondrums, which never satisfied me completely. I always love spending time with Pern’s harpers and it was a pleasant journey this time around too, as well as getting to see some scenes of life amongst the Holders.

I also appreciate that Gigi showed that it’s not all black and white with the Oldtimers. I always felt the renegade Oldtimers had been painted with a simplistically broad brush, and this story helps show that though they may be driven to make poor decisions they’re not sitting there wondering how they can constantly be a pain in F’lar and Lessa’s backside. They went forward through time because they wanted to help people, and Gigi did a wonderful job humanizing the individuals within the group.

A reading of this is helped by having a familiarity with Anne’s books. There are many references made to other events and characters, and though a good few are explained for a new reader, I feel like one would get the most out of the character interactions in here by reading through the first few books in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

For me this was a wonderful return to Pern and its brave dragonriders.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up reading, and re-reading, Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. I found the Harper Hall trilogy one day at the library and never looked back, I was totally hooked. I've either read or listened to the audiobook, or both, for every one of her Pern stories. It's just a such a huge and richly detailed world. The whole premise of Pern where it feels old and fantastical but it's actually so far in the future has always been amazing to me.

Now, with Dragon's Code by Gigi McCaffrey, I felt like I was coming home again. Dragon's Code did justice to the world and characters Anne created so many years ago. I felt like this was a continuation of the Harper Hall series with the way it came back to Piemur as the central character and his continued work for the Harper Hall on the Southern Continent with the Old Timers. As events unfold, with the Old Timers still balking at the new times and new ways, Piemur, along with a few other characters you'll remember, struggle to save the peace between the weyrs.

Gigi McCaffrey still had her own voice in this story as well though, it didn't feel like she was trying to mimick Anne McCaffrey's style at all. My one disappointment in this story was that I felt it was over too soon! I wanted more story! If you haven't read the original Pern stories, don't let that deter you. Where necessary, previous events are succinctly explained throughout this book as well. I hope to see more Pern stories from Gigi McCaffrey. I am definitely a fan!

First and foremost – I can’t believe how quickly time flies! Did you know that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary for the Dragonriders of Pern series? Okay, I can’t really comment on how quickly that time actually flew, not being alive for half of it…but still. It feels like just yesterday I was picking up my first book by Anne McCaffrey and losing myself in her words. So it seems right, in a way, that they’re using this momentous occasion to try something new in the world.
I know I’m not the only fan out there that has greatly missed getting new books from the Dragonriders of Pern series. However, I long ago came to terms with the idea that I would never be seeing any news works from it – after all, Anne McCaffrey had sadly passed away, and the previous attempts made to keep the mantle going weren’t impressive (for me, at least).
So imagine my surprise when I learned that Gigi McCaffrey was writing her own original story set in the Dragonriders of Pern world. At first I’ll admit I was a little hesitant, but after looking at the book for a couple of days I decided to just go for it and give it a try. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?
I was shocked. I honestly think that if you had handed this book to me when I was younger and very much into Anne McCaffrey, I never would have been able to tell the difference. Gigi did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the world and the writing style that her mother used.
Now, looking at this book compared the others, as an adult and a book reviewer, I can clearly tell some differences, but honestly? I’m okay with that. Gigi McCaffrey is a writer in her own right, and I think I’d be disappointed if she didn’t try to do things her way.
I've always loved the Dragonriders of Pern series. I loved the explanation for how dragons came about, why they were important to the people, and the world that was built around it all. It was enchanting and enthralling.
Reading Gigi McCaffrey’s take on her mother’s world was interesting. I love that she chose to keep so many of the core elements – I don’t think I could have considered it the same world without those pieces. I can clearly see her mother’s influence, but I can also see what parts of the world Gigi McCaffrey enjoyed writing the most.
It was so great to be reading this series again, but I’ll be brutally honest with you. I know I wouldn’t have just accepted anything from this series. I remember when I was on my Anne McCaffrey reading kick – the last three I read just didn’t read that well, and really put me off of her writing for a while. It wasn’t until later that I learned that it had been her son writing those books under her name. But it explained everything about why I hadn’t liked those books.
I hope that helps you believe me when I say that Gigi McCaffrey did a great job capturing the important parts of this series. This really did feel like diving back into the series, as opposed to diving into a series that is sort-of-like-the-original-but-not-really.
I really enjoyed the main character, Piemur. He had an interesting character arc, one part coming of age and one part learning to appreciate the situations that other people can find themselves in.
Words cannot express how happy I was to see Menolly and all the others again too. I sincerely hadn’t expected cameos, let alone major parts, from characters I had previously read about. That was a nice touch.
Obviously it was so wonderful to see the dragons and fire lizards again too. While I have always loved the dragons, there will always be a special place in my heart for those cute little fire lizards. The girl in me still wishes I could have one.
I can’t believe how excited I am about this series, all over again. It’s almost – but not quite – like finding the series again for the first time. I do hope that Gigi McCaffrey continues to write for the series. I’m not sure if she’s written anything else, but after this I clearly need to take some time to look into her works some more.

Let me start out by saying that I have every book of Pern written by both Anne and Todd McCaffrey and have read the first 10 so many times that I had to replace my copy of Dragonriders of Pern because it fell to pieces from being read so many times. Yes, I am a huge fan!

It felt so good to be back in Anne McCaffrey’s world of the dragons, riders, and harpers of Pern.

In Dragon’s Code, Anne’s daughter Gigi takes over the reins and brings us Piemur’s story during the time of The White Dragon. We even get to see where Piemur came from and meet his family.

I fell back into Pern immediately and at times forgot this book was not written by Anne. I found myself once again enthralled and teary eyed at an Impression, holding my breath during a journey Between, and on the edge of my seat when Thread fell.

I was so happy to be back with Piemur, Menolly, Masterharper Robinton, and their firelizards. I hope Gigi continues to give us more stories of Pern and the beloved characters I have loved for decades!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for the advance copy!*

As a longtime reader of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders series, I will admit to being disappointed by this book. I thought this novel lacked the depth of the books that came before it. Anne was able to create characters that I loved and felt were three dimensional. It had potential but never really lifted off the ground for me.

I will say as a side note - I think that readers who have never read Pern series and younger readers might enjoy it.

I read the originals when I was a child so I did not know if another voice writing the books would make them enjoyable. Also, I remembered loving them but did not remember a lot of details so I was grateful for the prologue to remind me in general terms why we were here.

It is hard to write a book not only using a world that the author did not create but using characters that were already there. They were characters that were fully developed so we tend to be more critical if they do not quite live to our memories. To say it simply it feels like the spark is missing. That being said it needed to have familiar characters to join the two authors.

This new book gives a balanced look at the Oldtimers and why they have had such a hard time reconciling themselves to this “new world”. It goes deeper into their point of view.
Still I enjoyed the visit and would like to read more by her. I think I would prefer new stories and new characters. Although the new characters bit might be my resistance to change.

Two plot points cross here: a stolen dragon queen's egg is returned by a mysterious person, and Piemur, former harper, explores what his life looks like after he is no longer able to sing as well as he did as a child. Readers of Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon will not be surprised by the first plot point, and readers of Dragondrums (but no books that reach further into Pern's timeline) will enjoy learning more about Piemur. The book might also serve as an introduction to Pern for a very casual reader who is more focused on plot and absorbing a few moral lessons than on worldbuilding.
That said, I have read other Pern fanfiction that feels more like Anne McCaffrey's original work than this did. Many of the small cultural touches - drinking klah, nuances of life on the planet - are missing, and one hopes, for Gigi McCaffrey's sake, that she was asked to edit those out to make the book more acceptable to a teen audience. Characters from earlier books, especially Menolly and Piemur (or, as they call each other, "Lolly" and "Pie") do not ring true.
Candidly, if you were a fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, especially the older ones, give this rehash of The White Dragon a miss.

For those of us who have been waiting to get more Piemur, specifically the details of what he was doing on the Southern continent under the Master Harper's orders, he is here. This book follows the events in Dragon Drums and interweaves with those of The White Dragon to flesh out what the harpers were doing to help with the tense situation of the Oldtimers deciding to withdraw from the Weyrs and the theft of the queen egg from Benden. It also lets us get a glimpse of Piemur's home in Crom and his kin there. We see Toric of Southern Hold, observe some of the interactions between the Oldtimers, and spend time with dragonriders N'ton and J'hon. Of course, any story with Piemur couldn't be told without his friends Menolly and Sebell, as well as his fire-lizard Farli and his runnerbeast Stupid.

This story fills a gap within the awesome Chronicles of Pern, bridging the continents, the Harper Hall and Weyrs, and even the Holds. It does an excellent job of underscoring what Master Robinton is always telling his proteges - that they are all dependent on each other and what affects one, affects them all. It is rewarding to see Piemur work to rise above his disappointment over losing his beautiful young singing voice and use the other skills he has to help those he cares about.

While fans will recognize the characters and what is at stake in the conflicts, newcomers may be a bit frustrated by their lack of prior knowledge. The action begins in medias res and takes off from there, so they will have to do some reading between the lines to make sense of things. The characters are compelling enough that it probably won't put off many new readers, but they may want to go back to the original series and then revisit this again later to enjoy it even more.

I have to admit that I have not read any of Anne McCaffrey's books concerning the dragonriders of Pern. It is one of my goals in retirement to read the series. While her daughter lays out some of the history at the beginning of the book I found myself feeling like I needed to go back to the beginning of the series to fully follow and appreciate the story that she told. Also, this book focused on an non-dragonrider which was a little disappointing.

My recommendation is that if you have not read the Dragonriders of Pern series to do that first before reading this book. It will give you a fuller appreciation for the world of Pern and the history preceding this novel.

I received a free Kindle copy of Dragon's Code by Gigi McCaffrey courtesy of Net Galley  and Random House, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I wanted to get a sense of the series. This is the first book by Gigi McCaffrey that I have read.

This is another example of the child trying to ride on the coattails of a successful parent. The story is awful. It doesn't tie into the rest of the Pern world well. It seems and reads like a money making venture to take advantage of Anne McCaffrey's popularity and talent.

Sad to see her legacy being tarnished by her children.

Gigi McCaffrey carries the torch of dragon life on Pern with all of the McCaffrey genes in full measure. I never felt like I was reading a new author and that is a serious accomplishment given the many books in the Dragon riders series. I was thoroughly entertained and enjoyed the book completely.

Not a bad telling, not badly written, but it lacks something of the essence of the original. This is mostly evident because the story takes place during the original cannon with characters already established by the original author, and not just background characters, but those who were covered in depth. Unfortunately, this is disorienting when familiar characters don't feel 'right' or the same..

While I have of course heard of the "Dragons of Pern" series, I had never read them or knew all that much about the premise or world building. Gigi McCaffrey does well to pay homage to her mother's legacy as well as write a new tale set in this fantastical world. Having read a great deal of adult and YA fantasy, I was unfortunately less than enthralled by Dragon's Code. The writing style did not appeal to me as a reader. I was not truly able to engage with the protagonist nor fully with the story in part since I was new to the world-building and have missed so much history. Overall, fans of the series and new readers who love dragons are sure to find this book appealing.

2.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary:
Piemur, mischievous young harper boy, is growing up. His voice has broken, and he doesn’t sing anymore, spending all his time mapping and spying for the Masterharper, and wondering what to do with his life.

Review:
I’m glad I went back to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight before reading this, because Gigi McCaffrey’s book takes place not long afterward, and references many of Dragonflight’s key moments. It’s essentially a gap-filling book in the series – filling in backstory and side characters from other books. And for those who loved Piemur in other books, here he is at the center of this one.

I know that Todd McCaffrey took the helm at Pern from his mother Anne first collaboratively, then alone. I haven’t read those books – I just haven’t had much luck with authorial dynasties. But I saw this on Netflix and thought I’d try it out.

I think it’s probably fair to say that the younger McCaffrey uses the book in part as a cathartic way to examine her mother’s death. Not to worry; it’s not the focus of the book, but there’s what seems to me a fairly obvious stand-in; it’s one of the better parts of the book. The rest however, is fairly hum-drum, and suggests that the younger McCaffrey just isn’t the writer her mother was. The prose itself is decent, but the plotting is thin – far too much turns on unlikely coincidences and other tricks that a more experienced author might pull off (or avoid), where a neophyte does not.

If you insist on owning the complete Pern, by all means pick this up; it fills in some detail. But the kind of magic that McCaffrey mere brought to bear is sadly missing.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Lovers of the young adult trilogy, Harper Hall will enjoy this new perspective from Piemur. This book should be read after reading the original trilogy by Anne McCaffrey to fully appreciate this tale. When I read the original trilogy, I loved the first two books, Dragonsong and Dragonsinger. When it suddenly shifted to Piemur in Dragondrums, I was severely disappointed. Primarily because I didn't care for Piemur and didn't want to read about a "boy". There were so many stories already with boy leads. As a strong willed twelve year old girl three decades ago, this was a letdown. Returning as an adult to see another perspective from Piemur I am nostalgic for my younger more innocent years.

Piemur is in a tough situation where he is no longer a child yet not quite an adult. Anne McCaffrey's daughter, Gigi gives a slight different flavour than her mother. Gigi's writing is less emotional. As in, Piemur comes across as just a mini adult. Whilst Anne wrote him with child like antics and behaviours to be expected from a pre-teen young adult. It is hard to exactly point my finger on the subtle difference, but as an avid fan of the Original Ms. McCaffrey, there is a little bit of spark that is missing for me.

Still, this story brings back good memories of the original series. It takes us back to a time where there is turmoil and hard feelings. Feelings of resentment that are shown from the losing side. I enjoyed seeing from the other side because it is not so black and white when it comes to the Old timers. They were lauded as saviours and then within a book or two, they became horrid villains. That extreme always troubled me when I read this as a child. I couldn't understand how someone could go so bad and become so evil so quickly. Seeing the old timer's side from Gigi McCaffrey's perspective helped balance the story and made me a bit sad for these people. These people who sacrificed so much to do what they do best. And they are displaced in a modern time where the norm is drastically different then what they are accustomed to living.

Is this a commentary for those who grew up in a different time and now have to adjust to a world they can no longer understand? Where their value is no longer appreciated and instead, they previous benefits are ripped away and labeled as arrogant privilege? And yet not all the Oldtimers have difficult integrating into this new world. Those who can accept change and adopt new practices are thriving. But at what cost? Because now they are considered traitors. It is a quandary which Ms. McCaffrey does a nice job of setting up and letting the reader decide which side they fall on. I think as a teenager, I would have been outraged and sided with the current dragon rider regime. In my older jaded age, I can understand and empathize with the old timers. This is a tough call as there are no winners in this scenario, only losers. It will be interesting to see if Ms. McCaffrey will continue to revisit the old world and reminisce with beloved characters or if she will start fresh and begin where her mother left off. I had hoped for the later and I'm still optimistic we might learn what happens to this world after thread was finally defeated.

Dragon's Code is a new book by Gigi McCaffrey set in the Perniverse around the same time as the events in The White Dragon .

I grew up with Pern and revisited the canonical books many (many many) times over the years. They're well written, genuinely beloved books. The creator's love and stewardship of Pern and denizens over the decades are clear to anyone who reads any of her work. They've inspired literal generations of fans and would-be authors to try their own wings. Not least, they give their readers a glimpse of a society which can and does work for the most part to the good of the many.

This entry felt like another visit with a lifelong friend and I really feel that the author has done a great job of honoring the original works whilst adding something personal. When reading this book I felt like the author did a good job of channeling her mother's voice without being slavish or mimicking.

This book, as the original series, are family friendly fantasies which bridge fantasy with science fiction. This one is appropriate for all readers and is entertaining and enjoyable.

Four stars.

There is an adage used by writing coaches that says, "Show me, don't tell me." This applies completely to Dragon's Code. I felt like I was told a lot of things in this book, but none of it transported me into the story. The long pages of text, unbroken by dialogue or action, left me wanting to skip pages. When beloved characters appeared, I waited for the magic to happen, but it never did.

I'm not ready to give up on this author, mainly because I love the PERN world so much and hope that the skills of the writer will improve in her capacity to bring these characters and the PERN world to life.

Dragon's Code – Gigi McCaffrey
The Dragonriders of Pern
Del Rey of Penguin Random House
ISBN: 978-1-101-96474-3 – Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-101-964675-0 – E-book
ASIN: B078VZ12C1
October 2018
Scifi/fantasy & Young Adult

The Planet Pern

Anyone who has read the Dragonriders of Pern volumes by Anne McCaffrey will be glad to learn her daughter, Gigi McCaffrey, has written another story. I was.
This volume concerns the harper apprentice Piemur during the period after his initial book Dragondrums (first published in 1979), with elements from the volume The White Dragon (first published in 1978). Piemur, a former exceptional soprano singer at Harperhall at Fort Hold in the Northern Continent, lost his voice as he grew older. Now he is seventeen and in the essentially unknown Southern Continent, mapping areas for the Masterharper Robinton.

The Southern Continent is where the Oldtimers, dragon riders from the past brought forward through time to help fight the dangerous thread that periodically falls from the sky, relocated when their desire for their past style of living were rejected by the Dragon Weyrs of the present. When the dangerous thread falls, the dragons rise and burn the long stringy threads from the sky with flaming breaths of fire. Already discontented with changes in society, the Oldtimers were exiled to their present home in the Southern Continent, but they need a fertile female dragon. That lack fuels their discontent. Piemur does more than map, he also secretly listens for any developing problems to report to Robinton.

In this story Piemur overhears an Oldtimer dragon rider making plans with two men Piemur suspects are from Nabol Hold in the Northern Continent. He believes they want to illegally claim Southern land. His suspicions lead Piemur on a journey back to Harperhall and then to Nabol. He faces many trying, often dangerous, situations. All the while he laments losing his glorious voice, and wonders what he will do with the rest of his life. He doesn’t want to go back to Harperhall as he feels he no longer fits in. Other characters previously associated with Piemur, including Sebell and Menolly and several dragonriders, help him on his journey of finding out who he really is and what he wants out of his life.
While you can read this novel without having read any of the previous volumes, it might be difficult. It is helpful to have read the history of this far-away planet and the tribulations the surviving population have faced. The backstories from previous volumes are intricately entwined and add nuance to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Piemur’s journey is interesting and has purpose beyond what the reader expects.

Robin Lee