With a respectful nod to all her brilliant other works, when I think of Anne McCaffrey, I always think of dragons first, and, specifically, the telepathic dragons of Pern and their bold riders. From Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern), the first published novel about Pern, all the way up to The Skies of Pern, I have so enjoyed the ride. The Chronicles of Pern (or maybe the Dragonriders of Pern) is a series of novels which I go back to every few years, and it always is as awesome a read as the first time. Anne McCaffrey is simply a timeless storyteller. My second thru fifth favorite Pern novels are, respectively, DRAGONFLIGHT, Dragonsinger (Harper Hall Trilogy, Volume 2), The White Dragon (Dragonriders of Pern Vol 3), and Dragonquest (Dragonriders of Pern). ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN trumps all of those.
This series won't elicit the same exact sense of excitement from new readers, I think, as opposed to those who've been following the Pern stories for decades. Me, when I first picked up this series, Dragonsdawn (Dragonriders of Pern Series) hadn't yet been published. Trust me, it's not the same if you haven't waited years for each book to come out, and then have McCaffrey kick you in the jaw with all the stunning revelations. Back then, far as I knew, even though the prior books had fleetingly mentioned a science-fictiony origin, the present backdrop was predominantly of a fantasy nature, dragons and fire lizards and harpers and such making their way in an agrarian society. Really great stuff. Then DRAGONSDAWN came out (in 1988) and blew my mind. It told the story of the colonists fleeing Earth and settling on Pern, and, over time, genetically creating the dragons of Pern. Then, shortly after came The Renegades of Pern: (#7) (Dragonriders of Pern), which ended with a passage establishing a solid, "living" connection between DRAGONSDAWN's very distant past and the present-day Pern. So now here's ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN (here, of course, meaning published back in 1991), which picks up on that connection and runs away with it.
That "connection" is the Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System (or Aivas), dug up in the Southern continent by Piemur, Jancis, Jaxom, and his white dragon Ruth. Aivas dates back to the time of the original colonists and had languished under earth for over 2500 years, yet somehow was able to sustain itself on minimal power. Having now been reacquainted with man, Aivas promptly revolutionizes modern-day Pern, ushering in a new age, introducing new technologies and new ways of thinking, improving the quality of life, as well as establishing closer ties between the current Pernese and their ancestors. And there's one more thing. Aivas also means to complete the overriding project tasked him by the colonists, which is to rid Pern of Thread...
ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN is, hands down, my favorite Anne McCaffrey novel. It is the big mamajama. Other entries have followed (and they're pretty good), but ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN is the crowning touch to this series. I can't tell you how pumped up I was when I first read this book, as Anne McCaffrey, all of a sudden, shifted gears. This is a dazzling, sweeping epic, and more in the realm of science-fiction than the prior books (except for DRAGONSDAWN). If you haven't yet seen dragons freefalling in a spacecraft or engaging in EVAs, then you're in for a treat. And all the characters I've come to love are here... Life would never again be the same for the Weyrleaders F'lar and Lessa, Jaxom and Ruth, Piemur, Menolly, Masterharper Robinton, and the rest.
I wasn't messing around when I said "sweeping." This novel chronicles almost five years in the lives of the people of Pern. The massive undertaking, of destroying Thread forever, comes to involve the entire planet, from the Weyrs to the Holds to the Crafthalls. But, as ever, change doesn't suit everyone. Certain quarters soon begin rumbling, dubbing Aivas "the Abomination"; and the naysayers and traditionalists begin to get their hate on. And it's not too long before they decide to do something about it.
But, really, terrorist acts aside, ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN tells mainly of wonder and joy and of keeping faith. For F'lar, who was the first to galvanize the dragonriders into action and who years ago vowed to eradicate Thread, and for Aivas, who had patiently, steadfastly waited for thousands of years to continue his mission - for these two, especially, it's been a long time coming. To see F'lar and Lessa and the other characters run the gamut of emotions at each of Aivas's unveilings, to see them marvel at each new experience, to have them slowly realize that the threat of Thread could indeed end in their lifetimes, to see them strive and work and pull it off (yes, they pull it off)...well, if you're into being gratified thru reading, if you like being taken on flights of fancies, and maybe even crying a bit in the end, then this book doesn't disappoint. I cherish - cherish! - the hell out of this book. If you haven't yet read ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN, dammit, I envy you. But I do recommend that you read all the preceding novels first, and, I say, read them in the order they were published.
Lastly, does a computer have a soul? The way McCaffrey writes Aivas, I would have to say, "Yes."
