I've been a fan of the Dragonriders of Pern for almost thirty years and was thrilled to see that Anne's daughter Gigi had taken the reins. Coincidentally, I had just reread Dragonsdawn when I was approved for a galley of Dragon's Code. Perhaps it was that Pern was so fresh in my mind that I just couldn't find my balance in this story. I've always liked Piemur but this just didn't feel like him or his voice. There were also language anachronisms that I found distracting (chap, cripes, slam on the brakes) and a few dragon names which are actual words in their own right and therefore somehow not fitting these majestic creatures (Mirth, Seventh). Lastly, being intimately familiar with this story and timeline, I knew what was going to happen so there was nothing compelling me forward. I really wanted to enjoy spending more time in Pern with a fresh story and am sad to say this fell short for me.

First of all, I've read many of the Pern books several times. And this one did connect with me; I was able to return to Pern and enjoy new details of one of my favorite places. I thought the author successfully struck a similar tone to her mother's writing, which allowed me to really relax into the world. The story focuses on Piemur and takes place during the events of the White Dragon. I don't really think of it as a stand-alone book. It is a real Pern book, though, and very entertaining if you remember White Dragon.

I couldn't put in down... until about 5/6 of the way through, when it suddenly started having characters lecture about not pursing revenge and forgiving. For pages and pages. I started skimming at the end. Also, the author made a serious error - she consolidates Fort Hold and the Harper Hall, which were separate entities in the original books. In Dragon's Code, she makes Silvinia headwoman of Fort Hold, and the students take meals in the same hall as Lord Groghe. Since Harper Hall was a loud academy with tons of running, yelling kids, I thought this was a strange error.

I'll continue to watch and follow this author and her Pern. I hope she grows in confidence and continues to write!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

Dragon's Code: Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern
by Gigi McCaffrey
By fortunes providence I spent my birthday reading through this book. What a gift. When we Lost our Dear Anne McCaffrey in November of 2011, I mourned the loss of these stories. Although I read and enjoyed Todd McCaffrey's time in the sandbox, I also mourned the loss of his books when he stopped publishing. Anne McCaffrey has always been my favorite since I was in seventh grade and was given Dragonsinger to try. I have and own all her books in all her series, and her books have gotten me through some pretty hard times. I told Anne McCaffrey her importance in my life and her children have heard in my reviews over the years how this continues with these stories.
Gigi, has followed in her mother's footsteps bring a book not only from Pern but from that first series I read The Harper Hall series to life again. You find life lessons in this book like you do in all her mothers books. You find acceptance, love, compassion and remarkable understanding of the human spirit. Like her mother the reader will walk away with bits of advice, and profound compassion. I can see some differences between her style of writing and her mothers, but like Todd I don't mind the differences. The characters are still genuine to the original characters and the action sequence of events do not change the stories, just open up doors never seen before. This story like Masterharper of Pern Looks into more of the characters background that we knew before. It fleshes out part of the story we did not know and brings things to the forefront that we as fans and avid readers wish we had always know. Three cheers, Please keep writing, and tell Todd to get back in the sand box. Oh and if Rose is still willing, please help her get a chance to play. YOur mother was phenomenal, and her books made up the character of my life, not only by inspiriting me, but by teaching me. I have missed her voice most of all. Thank you .

This new tale is set in Anne McCaffrey’s world of the Dragonriders of Pern, but is written by her daughter, Gigi McCaffrey. While there are of course dragonriders in the story, this one centers on Piemur, a young journeyman Harper, who grew out of his ability to sing and so must make a new career for himself. Piemur has been on undercover assignment spending time around the Oldtimers. They are the dragonriders and their dragons who came forward in time to help teach the current people how to fight and survive the deadly and devastating Thread. During a period of no Threadfall, those skills had passed out of memory for the present generation.

The Oldtimers have been struggling to accommodate new ways, but too much has changed for some so they left to form a separate group in exile. A few of the riders do something so heinous, it could rock the foundations of the whole world for people and dragons alike. This tale is told mostly from Piemur’s viewpoint of how that plotline plays out as well as his own struggle to find his place in the world where he can feel joy again. He reminds me a bit of a Frodo type of character in that this feels like a bildungsroman for Piemur. His journey is emotional as well as physical.

I feel a bit conflicted by this take in that I enjoyed the original series very much which focused on the Dragonriders. While there are glimpses of them including Jaxon and Ruth, Piemur feels more as if he should still be a secondary character and not the main protagonist. The pacing is a bit slow making the story drag in places with quotidian details. The craft of the writing is fine, so fans of the series will have to decide whether this new edition will be something they would enjoy. Piemur and some of the characters in this book appear in The Harper Hall Trilogy:Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums.

I believe this is Gigi’s first book in her mother’s world. Which having read many of interviews with her brother Todd, can be a daunting task since her mother’s world is so beloved by so many people around the world. I felt, in the long run, she did a great job. The book started off pretty weak it was almost like she was scared to dive into Pern and make it her own. As the book progressed you could tell she was becoming more confident making Pern her own.
For the most part, I loved this book. The main character, Piemur, was one of my favorite characters I the last few books Anne McCaffrey wrote. In her books, he was more of a side note that only came out sparingly but I was always left with wanting more from him. When my wife showed me this book on NetGalley I became instantly excited. I’m talking five-year-old walking into a candy store excited! I was finally going to get more Piemur.

I mentioned before that I felt that Gigi started off the book weak. The reason for that was that in the beginning, she spent a lot of time explaining the world and the characters. Which normally would not be a bad thing but with the following this series has and the time period her book takes place in, this level of detail was not needed. This book is a rewrite of one of Anne’s books but from the POV of Piemur so all the characters are known commodities. Another reason I felt it was weak was the fact that for the first few chapters it felt like I was reading a book written for a young teenager. You could tell that you were in the Pern world but could also tell that it was not Anne or even Todd McCaffrey writing this book.

The last thing that brought my enjoyment of the book down was the fact that Gigi would switch time periods from one paragraph to the next with no warning. This lead to a lot of confusion as I had to keep going back to see if I missed something. As a Grunt, I like things organized and well planned out. If this is you as well then you are going to need to be prepared to be flustered by this book at times.

Excellent extension of the Pern saga. McCaffrey's daughter obviously has her talent - Gigi is perhaps a better writer than her brother Todd.

I absolutely love the genre of this book, and yet have somehow completely failed to hear about the massive series that revolves around Pern. (Dear Wallet, you and I have quite a few books to purchase when I am done writing this...sorry, not sorry). With all of that said, I am absolutely enamored with the way this author puts words on paper. This novel was absolutely incredible and had this dragon-loving-bookworm on Cloud 9 from page 1. From the characters to the setting to the plot, I was hooked. Definitely going to be keeping watch for more from this author and this series!

Dragon’s Code is set during the events of The White Dragon. Gigi McCaffrey has crafted a plot that winds around some of her mother’s critical plot elements of that book, including the theft of the queen egg from Benden Weyr. As such, the story jerks occasionally in its development. She has also chosen one of her mother’s most popular characters, Piemur, as protagonist.

Pern purists will be distracted by some of the odd changes Gigi has made in her mother’s world. I will mention just one. She makes an odd geographic change in which the Masteharper’s residence is relocated from the Haper Hall to Fort Hold. In addition Silvia is now the head woman of Fort. Since Anne had created a very clear and detailed portrait of the Harper Hall and its relationship to Fort hold in Dragonsinger I found these changes distracting.

However, this is a minor quibble. The spirit and tone of this novel fits neatly into the world of Pern. Piemur, Sebel, and Menolly are at home in this story. The narrative is unhurried but told with clarity. Dialogue is believable and moves the story without lengthy exposition. Overall, this is a fine first novel.

I should also like to thank Del Rey Books for proving we with an electronic uncorrected proof through Net Galley. Hopefully some of the continuity issues will be corrected prior to publication.

Dragon’s Code takes readers back to Pern, years after the events in Dragonflight. Piemur, a harper in training, is assigned to monitor the hold and dragon weyr on the Southern continent and report back to the masterharper. Some of the dragonriders brought forward in time settled in Southern weyr, but are finding it difficult to adjust to their new circumstances. When their dragons start to sicken, the dragons and riders of Southern begin to blame the other weyrs for their misfortune. Dangerous animosities rise that pit dragon against dragon and rider against rider, as one unspeakable act has the weyrs on the brink of war. What can one journeyman harper do to avert such disaster? This is a story that takes place in those awkward years somewhere between childhood and adulthood and follows Piemur as he tries to find his way thought them while preventing disaster on his home planet.

Dragon’s Code begins with an introductory chapter, that will serve both old readers and new. It concisely relates the history of Pern and the events that took place before we join Piemur in Southern. If you are like me, and didn’t quite grasp from Dragonflight that the first colonizers of Pern arrived on spaceships and created the dragons through advanced genetic techniques, the introduction clearly lays out those missing details. Old fans of the series will not be bothered by the introduction, as it is quite short, and provides a useful reminder of the backdrop against which Piemur’s story is set.
While I enjoyed seeing familiar characters like F’lar and Lessa (and of course Ramoth), I thought those were the highlights of the story. While the writing is clear and suitable for young adult readers, I thought this novel lacked the depth of previous works in the series. While the political machinations were complex, I felt the characters were rather flat. I thought the cleverest part of the writing was the organization, so that sometimes future events were placed before they occurred in the timeline of the main characters. This nicely echoed the ability of the Dragons to jump between times.
Overall, this book wasn’t up to the standard of Dragonflight, but younger readers or readers new to Pern might enjoy it.

Fans of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series will be thrilled to see a new offering in the fantasy/dragon books. Anne’s daughter Gigi does a solid job keeping the spirit of the wears, holds and craft halls alive and after a slow start, I enjoyed Piemur’s story of searching for his place in either Harper Hall or on the Southern Continent. It was great to read more about popular characters Robinson, Jaxom, Lessa, Menolly, and more. Unfortunately, without reading at least a few of Anne’s Pern books, it is unlikely that new readers will really understand the importance of impressing a dragon or fighting Thread. And Gigi’s book does not have the time to explain the unique social structure in a wear; she can only brush the edges of a queen rising to mate and the connection of that event to the establishment of weyrleader, or fully convey the depth of the relationship between dragon or rider. It is my hope that this book intrigues a new generation of Pern readers and that they go back and further their appreciation of a great fantasy series. And hopefully they start with Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon. Recommended for 7th grade and up. Content note: This book is free of language and sexual content, however, in Anne’s Pern, marriage is non-existent even though there are partnerships and the green Dragonriders are homosexual. No explicit sex in any book that I can remember...and I read them all with my personal children!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey for a digital galley of this novel.

I am proof that it can be done...….I have never read any of the Dragonriders of Pern novels, started with this book written by Anne McCaffrey's daughter Gigi and survived. Not just survived, but actually thrived and understood what was happening. If you are like me, in the evidently small group of fantasy novel readers who have never dipped their toe into a Pern book, take heart and start reading this one. Yes, there is a huge amount of backstory material but I prefer to look on that as an opportunity to read more about this interesting world instead of treating it as an impediment to enjoying this specific book.

I cannot compare the writing skills or fantasy world development skills of Gigi McCaffrey to Anne McCaffrey so I will dispense with that problem altogether. I definitely enjoyed the story of Piemur as he tries to find his place in this society since his voice has broken leaving him without the wonderful singing talent he had. Now Piemur is seeking his place by filling in time exploring and mapping the lands of Southern Weyr. At seventeen Turns and unable to continue his apprenticeship as a Harper he has no idea in what direction his future may go. This book has a Prologue which effectively encapsulates the main points of the world of Pern along with valuable information about the connections between dragons and humans as well as Thread and what dangers it poses. This was a very helpful section.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I would have liked to read more about the interactions between dragonriders and their dragons but with a main character not a dragonrider himself, that wasn't a focus of this book. I would quite like to read another book in this series written by Gigi McCaffrey because she has heightened my interest in the whole Pern subject.

Another story set in the Pern world. This was an enjoyable read and look forward to more. We revisit Piemur during his time with the Oldtimers and get further background on the stolen queen's egg.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. - Liked the story and hope we get more Pern books.

This was a wonderful addition to the Pern canon. I admit that part of it is pure nostalgia because no one can write Pern as well as Lady Anne herself, not even her daughter. The Ninth Pass is my favorite, mostly because that is what Lady Anne wrote mostly, and what she wrote first, and what most readers were introduced to when first encountering Pern. It’s the “right” time to be in. It felt good to come home to the Ninth Pass.

I also loved seeing Piemur grow from a lost, and let’s face it, kind of whiny kid to a young man full of purpose and drive. There was a lot to be said of his path in this story. It is not just a traditional bildungsroman, which would have been boring, indeed. He learned to lean on his friends and family, to trust himself, and when in doubt, always listen to your mother. I loved the bits of wisdom Ama doled out – it felt like those might have been things Lady Anne said to Ms Gigi and Todd as they grew up. It was like a little bit of Anne coming back to talk to her readers, and whether it is true or not, it was delightful.

The book played on themes of honor and trust throughout, which is directly related to the titular dragon’s code. The code that has to be upheld for Pern’s way of life to work has been violated on both sides – Oldtimer and modern riders alike have acted wrongly. The trust the crafters and holders place in the dragons has been broken. The honor of the dragonfolk has been bent, if not broken as well, and all must learn to work together to repair the code.

At first, there was a little too much telling and not showing, especially for readers already intimately familiar with Pern. It took a little while, but Ms. Gigi did eventually hit her stride and the pacing got much better. Some things are a little inaccurate based on her mother’s previous books. For example, Silvina is the Harper Hall’s headwoman, not Fort’s. The Hall and Fort are separate, though adjacent, so each would have their own headwoman. Totally minor, though, and not anything that took away from the overall story.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book – I already preordered the hardcopy for my own collection – and was absolutely beside myself to see a new Pern book on the market. I devoutly hope there will be more Pern books, and soon, from Ms Gigi. I was fine when Todd was writing Pern books, because any Pern book is better than none. But I didn’t care for his nearly as well as I did for this one. I thought Ms Gigi’s was better written, and I admit that I prefer those that are set in the Ninth Pass.

Dear Ms Gigi – PLEASE write more Pern books! I loved this and miss the people of the Ninth Pass terribly. They are real people, you know, and we need to visit our friends. I can’t wait to see what Piemur’s new career has in store for him! Love, Me.

Yay! So glad that the family of this great author has decided to add to this wonderful fictional world, not only that but the story really was good to!!!!

I haven’t been back to the world of Pern in decades but am happy to be back a time of the White Dragon and having the story of Piemur, a character I always wondered about. We run around with him in his clandestine adventures. I enjoyed this story and it was nice to see another side of the great egg caper. Review Provided Via NETGALLEY

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Gigi McCaffrey has done a wonderful job in returning us to Pern and the land of dragons and Thread and holders and craftsmen She has written a book that fits perfectly with those of her late mother, Anne McCaffrey. This is the tale of Piemur, the former child singing prodigy, and his transition to adulthood. When Piemur's voice broke as he entered puberty, he thought his world ended and he had no value. Since then, he's been doing mapping of the Southern Continent, along with some spying for the Master Harper, Robinton. The Oldtimers, brought forward 400 years (or Turns) to fight the dreaded Threadfall, are unhappy and out of synch with the modern day. This precipitates a series of events that almost culminate in tragedy. Piemur, with the help of mentors and friends like Sebell and Menolly and N'ton, uncovers plots against the fabric that holds Pern's society together and manage to resolve them. I don't want to give away any spoilers so that's all I'll write about the plot. The book is well-written and great for those who read the original series. I think you can read this book as a stand-alone as Ms. McCaffrey does provide the historical context and background. Since I've read all the books, this is like returning to an old friend that I've not met in a long time. I hope she writes more about Pern. I think her Mum would be proud of this addition.

The world of Pern has found a new voice with Gigi McCaffrey telling the tale of Piemur and the challenges faced in this time of Thread. As a first novel, this is a commendable effort though not all may agree. Long time readers of this series will either love and appreciate it or rush off and grumble with the Oldtimers about how similar yet wrong everything is. It is important to remember that while this is a McCaffrey writing, these aren't the words by the Grandmaster herself. Yes, they are set in her world she created. Yes, they are written by her daughter. No, they will not (and I believe should not) be exactly the Pern we knew as by the pen of Anne McCaffrey. This is the same world, with a new voice to tell its tales. I know I enjoyed this first story and I look forward to reading more of Gigi's writing and seeing Pern continue to grow and evolve.

This was the very essence of a McCaffrey Pern book. It had great storytelling in it, while still holding true to the world of Pern. I never felt that Gigi McCaffrey lost her voice during the novel, but merged it seamlessly with that of Ann McCaffrey.. I was thoroughly thrilled by this book, I enjoyed the main characters journey of self discovery and learning that life is full of difficult decisions but also of great joy. It was a very fast paced read, that left me turning the pages as fast as I could.
I would say one downside was if you did not pay special attention some chapters were very confusing on what time period or area the characters were based.

Dragon's Code is a delightful romp through one of the most magnificent worlds in literature. I loved connecting with Piemur again and watching him grow from an unsure boy into a confident man. Gigi has honored her mother with this foray into Pern.

While it's always exciting to get more Pern, and I was very interested to see Gigi McCaffrey's take on her mother's universe, I was ultimately disappointed with this novel. I did enjoy the writing, and found it much more approachable than Todd McCaffrey's Pern novels, but the story just didn't Go anywhere. Hopefully Ms. McCaffrey's (the younger) will branch out a bit more from the established story line in her next effort.