Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

This is the topic to discuss the books in the Dragonriders of Pern challenge.

I've created a reference shelf for the challenge here:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Thanks Allan - has fall officially begun now that it is September? Wow, where did the year go?

I've started listening to the first book. It took me a bit to keep the male characters apart, cause their names all seem to start with F.
I'll pause a bit now, cause the new Jimenez is available on audio and I have to listen to that one first. After that it's back to Pern.

F'lar and F'nor are brothers, which is why their names are similar. There's some sort of a naming system. F'lar is the boss dragonrider and therefore rides a bronze dragon whose name I cannot recall. F'nor rides Canth, a brown dragon.

And I just did that off the top of my head without reading these books for at least 10 years. I am going to enjoy reading them again.

I had copies of Dragonflight and Dragonquest and I think at least one other when I was young. I don’t feel drawn to revisit them, so I’ll pass on the challenge.

:D They have apostrophes in their names? Am I glad I'm listening to it. that's one thing I can't stand when reading.

Gabi wrote: ":D They have apostrophes in their names? Am I glad I'm listening to it. that's one thing I can't stand when reading."

Agree that the names are stupid. Apparently, the names come from the mothers and fathers, and then when they become dragonriders, the drop a vowel at the front and put the apostrophe. It's some sort of honorific, I guess.

You can find the compiled version of the trilogy, called "Dragonriders of Pern", on Kindle. I got it a couple years ago on sale. I think Kate just flagged a sale on the first book, but that sale may be ended now.

I posted this elsewhere in a thread, but I wanted to let folks know that there is some pretty rough, retrograde, abusive, sexist behavior in the first book. I think these books have very cool aspects to them, but not the handling of some of the interpersonal dynamics in that first one.

I've read about that in reviews, and I'm not looking forward to it ^^'.

I'll join the challenge. I know the big secret of the series but haven't read a book of it

I found the three book compendium at my library, so I'll be using that e-book as long as I can renew it over the next few months. I'm trying to get through of few of the monthly reads and then will turn to this after.

Anthony wrote: "I posted this elsewhere in a thread, but I wanted to let folks know that there is some pretty rough, retrograde, abusive, sexist behavior in the first book. I think these books have very cool aspec..."

and thanks for the warning Anthony, I'll steel myself for that unpleasantness.

Just in case anyone is having trouble keep track of characters (because I know not everyone looks at them).. just about every version I've ever seen of the book has a character list in it.

I'm waiting until October to start this challenge e4cause I have no books to read with you that month. But I am looking forward to revisitng Pern

I'm about halfway in and it is not clicking with me. The character names all blur together for me (perhaps audio isn't ideal here), and none of them has any standout personality so that I could connect with or distinguish the character. I know that's a child of its time (I was surprised to find that the book is as old as I am), but nowadays me is reading and I find it not very compelling.

I'm through Weyr Search, the first section of the first book, which was the Hugo-winning novella. Moving along pretty easily, though I do find this time through I have to reorient myself with the names. Easy, engrossing reading though.

Gabi wrote: "I'm about halfway in and it is not clicking with me. The character names all blur together for me (perhaps audio isn't ideal here), and none of them has any standout personality so that I could con..."

just keep going. They get better

Okay, finished it. I wasn't impressed. I hope the next books improve.

I've finished the first book. I see that in my teens I'd be fascinated by it, but as for now, I find some actions too juvenile and irresponsible and some plot twists too easy. The warning about outdated social interactions while true, I guessed it was much worse

Just started this on the plane and am liking it so far. My library has the edition that bundles all three books together so I think I’ll try to read them all in one go.

I have the same addition, but on Kindle, which I keep on my phone. I'm halfway through the first book but will just keep going as you say. The style is a bit old school, but it is from 1968, and depicts a pre-industrial society with the unpleasantness that goes with that.

My review of the first book https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Anyone else feel like there are a lot of details left out in this first book? So many questions that one character should ask another but they don’t, conversations that should happen right away but never do. I’m have to stretch my abilities of going with the flow to imagine that these situations are “real”.

Rebecca wrote: "Anyone else feel like there are a lot of details left out in this first book? ."

I was more frustrated with "no one thought this out before" which drives a lot of the plot - also the mix of medieval and ability to produce relatively hi-tech stuff quickly upon request (view spoiler)[e.g. flamethrowers (hide spoiler)]

Rebecca wrote: "Anyone else feel like there are a lot of details left out in this first book? "

Yes, though I think it's meant to convey Lessa's frustration at not knowing the story & the disbelief in the red star. It's one of those stories where you have to find out gradually instead of the characters just sitting down and having a conversation instead of making assumptions.

I finished the first book last week, it was good but not great. The world is interesting and I can see how it could fill out into a long series. This felt like classic YA fantasy, not enough world building, unfinished/out-dated characters, but juuust enough action to be interesting. I really didn’t like the main relationship, besides the problematic beginning, it felt concocted and then too happy by the end.

As with other older works, I try to divorce my thoughts on a book from the modern versions of relationships and gender roles, as a way to test if a book is well written just not up to today’s standards. I think this one fits, it’s structured well, has a nice world, and cool action. It’s a 3.5⭐️ for me.

I have lots of thoughts on the second book but not sure if we are talking about that one here?

I've just started the second book. The prologue gives a lovely summary of the first book, which is nice.

I finished the first one a couple of days ago and then started the second before I had to stop--dead Kindle. I will get back to it soon, ut I am rereading a Vorkosigan book right now. I have decided that for this challenge I am reading:
Dragonflight
The Smallest Dragonboy (short story)
Dragonquest
Dragonsong
Dragonsinger
Dragondrums
The White Dragon
The Girl Who Heard Dragons (short of some kind, I think I have read it before)
and All the Weyrs of Pern

Why? Because I love Dragonsong and Dragonsinger the best, and because I have never read All the Weyrs of Pern. Need to read SOMETHING new . . .

I am finding the writing in Dragonflight and the beginning of Dragonquest to be much clunkier than I remembered.

I plan to get to the second volume early next week

Oleksandr wrote: "I plan to get to the second volume early next week"

Me too, trying to finish a couple other things first.

I've only started Dragonquest, having gotten onto finishing a few books that I've left half-read over a long time. I hope to finish it on time this month, although it will delay Too Like the Lightning to finish in early November. Has anyone else started?

I have it waiting to go on my shelf but I haven't started yet. I'd like to finish The Witcher challenge from the other group first, so I'll probably start mid-late November.

I’m opposite to Allan, I’ve gotten mired in Too Like and have put off continuing to the third book. But I’ll be back in mid Nov.

I started it but but left it about 25% through. Found it rather tedious and boring, even though I did enjoy the first book. I'm not really a fan of books (or anything) about dragons.

I started the 2nd book today. so far I like it more than the 1st

The second book is the best of the three tha the group has decided to read. I have started "All the Weirs of Pern," and it picks up directly after the white dragon ends. I'm liking it. So you guys might want to add it as an extra for January. Also, if you are reading The White Dragon and find some harper characters that you are not familiar with, they were introduced in Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums.

I've finished the 2nd book and I liked it much better than the 1st.

I finished The Glass Bead Game today and will now pick up with Dragonquest.

Oleksandr wrote: "I've finished the 2nd book and I liked it much better than the 1st."

agree.. It has been so long since I read these, I forgot!

My review of the 2nd book https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

If the social interactions don't put you off.. the series definitely gets better as it goes. I would highly recommend reading the Harper Hall books (Dragonsong/singer/drums) before the 3rd book of the main trilogy (White Dragon). They have the best character interactions and those character become increasingly important as the series progresses. I think I like the series for it's uniqueness.. but the more of the side stuff you read, the more it feels all the same.

I definitely agree that these books about weir and harper hall are increasingly good depending on publication date. I have started All the Weyrs of Pern, and it starts up immediately after (or maybe intertwined with the very end of) The White Dragon. I hope to finish it this month.

Other books I have failed to read. Most importantly, I failed The Renegades of Pern, which may have information in it that is before All the Weirs, but I am plunging on without too much difficulty. But once again, I think All the Weirs should be added to this challenge because it follows after White Dragon and because it is nominated.

Discuss??

Also another that should be on list that I have talked about before

https://www.goodreads.com/series/5430...

Second book on our list, first made Bram Stoker list, and the third, I don't know.

The seem to share a common locale but not much else from a little research I did. but I might have a better chance of getting this group to read them if they're in the short challenges list. So can this fit?

Turing off computer again. Getting hard to see

Kateblue wrote: "Also another that should be on list that I have talked about before..."

I've added the series to our compendium, but the books appear to be unrelated except for the location in which they take place. The first book got a Stoker nom as you said, the second Nebula & WFA, the third Locus YA.

My library doesn’t have the Harper Hall books so I’ll probably go straight on to white dragon. Bummer.

There are single editions and an omnibus edition in the Open Library.

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15415...

Rebecca wrote: "My library doesn’t have the Harper Hall books so I’ll probably go straight on to white dragon. Bummer."

I found paper copies of Dragonsong and Dragondrums but not Dragonsinger, but to get the challenge done, I'm forging ahead with The White Dragon.

I've finished the trilogy and while The White Dragon was interesting, I don't plan to read more in this series any time soon