An interesting book revolving around the time of the second crossing, and the dolphins that helped.

Another side story well worth reading. This is the story of the second crossing, from the Southern Continent to the Northern Continent. Jim Tillek is in charge of moving all the equipment to the north. This gives more background on the part the dolphins played in Pern's History.

To get the sull feeling of this book, make sure that you have read Dragonsdawn, as the events go together. What is nice about this story, is that there is no need to feel in the background information, as that is what Dragonsdawn is for. The story starts right where it needs to and continues on. It is really nice that we get to know Jim Tillek more. Anne did a wonderful job and the story flows rather smoothly.

A must read for Pern fans, as this gives us all more detail and more background information. A nice short story, that is wonderfully written.

This is a great book combining 2 of my favorite things dolphins and Pern. This is a very good book. I couldn't put it down.

Anne McCafffrey and Co. have written an excellent space opera - as good as any that I've read (and I've read alot!) Sassinak keeps you excited as she works her way through the ranks and outsmarts the bad guys. Lunzie isn't as much of a page turner, but that's just me. It left me wanting more.

(Elizabeth Moon's Sporting Chance and Once a Hero series' are a good read and very similar world too)

This book along with Sassinak is , for me , another wonderful time out from a great story teller, Anne McCaffrey. I hope to read this series of books at least a third time. If this book is the first of her writing you read, you will be glad there is more.

Great read...This is truly a space series that grabs leaving you wanting more. Its a story complete with strong hearted women that equals the Hononr Harringtons of the SF world. The Techie language is managable and the problems these women face who have been suspended in spcae for years appear to be real. I gave my copies of this series away and now wish I still had them for a reread!

In the author's acknowledgements she thanks the people without whose help she would not have been able to write a book instead of a long essay. This book is chock full of interesting details and amusing anecdotes, but it reads like the long essay the author originally thought it to be. It is short and very light on description. Some interesting subjects are mentioned but only briefly. Very little was expanded on in a way commensurate with the volume of her subject's life works. In a biography, I like to learn more about the subject's personality. I was fortunate enough to meet Anne McCaffrey once and would have loved to be in a position to get to know her better (once I got over being in awe of her imagination). In a nutshell, this little tome is a gem for die-hard fans; an absolute must have, to round out any McCaffrey collection. It would not do much to entice an unfamiliar reader to read Anne's marvelous works.

This is a well-researched detailed biography of the life of Anne McCaffrey, starting with her childhood and following the development of her writing career to the present. It does a good job of presenting the major events in McCaffrey's life and situating what novels she was working on at various times amongst those events. Included are quite a number of interesting photographs, a chronology, a partial list of McCaffrey's works, and sources for further reading including web sites. I really enjoyed reading this biography, and while I was already pretty well informed about McCaffrey's life I did learn new things from this book.

It should be noted that this book is part of series which is aimed at teens, and this is evident as the book stops to explain terms such as magna cum laude. But I think that McCaffrey fans of all ages will find it a very good read, just as they enjoy her own books that were aimed at a younger audience.

Whether you're just a casual reader of a die-hard fan, the Atlas of Pern is a handy companion to Anne McCaffery's popular series. It's nice to be able to flip open a book and see an illustration of the world, trace the routes from one Hold to the next and back again. It adds a depth to the work.

It's also handy for those of us who do roleplaying on the Pern-based worlds; there are details within its pages not seen elsewhere. In my years of playing apprentices, holders, and dragonriders, I have often called on it for more information. I highly recommend it and the DragonLover's Guide to Pern to all Pern fans.

If you participate in Pern fandom, this book is very valuable. It includes scaled drawings of many places on Pern, from the original colonists' time through "The White Dragon". Land use, climate, population, and spatial maps are also included. The only frustrating thing is that this is not a complete work - if the place hasn't been mentioned and described in detail in the Harper Hall trilogy, "Moreta" , or the original trilogy, then it's not mapped in this book. Igen Weyr, Telgar Weyr, High Reaches Hold, and Benden Hold are missing, to name a few. But Fonstadt has produced an excellent reference work.

if you like Pern and want to know mor about the geography and locations of some of you favorite pernese vaction spots i recomedd this

I really couldn't get into this book. I am a diehard fan of Anne, and I have read 99% of her books. This was the first one that I didn't even finish. I gave it about half the book, and then gave up because of the violence and awkward writing style. In fact, the style itself was nothing like Anne's! I would venture to say that Stirling wrote the majority of this work, and I found his style to be crude at best. Although, if you are into violence, hey this is the book for you! In fact, I bet it would be really good for folks who are into that. Anyway, I found it nothing at all like Anne's books, and I wondered how much of a part she had in the writing. I love the rest of the series though, and give the series a 4 star rating. :)

City Who Fought is an amazing book which I really love. The characters are all very real and three-demensional. I found myself so drawn into the story that I forgot about many other things, including my favourite tv show. I stayed up til...bout 2:30 AM reading this book, so that I could find out what happened to Simeon, Joat, Channa, and the rest of them. My favourite character was Simeon, of course, but Joat, Channa, Joseph, Seld, Patsy, Chaundra -- okay, all of them, just about -- are also wonderfully three-demensional. Simeon is my favourite brain -- favourite character -- from any of Anne McCafferey's B&B books. The only problems I found with this book were a) that it was much more militaristic than I like, but I knew that when I began reading it, so I can only blame myself, and b) the Kolnari were a bit..flat, and 2-demensional, not something I personally like in a book, especially for the villians. One thing that I read in another review of this book was that it was not a good book for children, having a lot of sex and violence in it. My opinion on this is: It's not MEANT for children! It's an adults book, and the person who wrote that review should have realized that.

The interplay between authors in the shell person series is fascinating. S. M. Stirling's influence is shown with more graphic violence and character shades of the mercenaries in "Prince of Sparta". (also well worth reading) The meld of the two styles may be surprisingly entertaining for die hard McCaffrey fans. It is not the kinder, gentler action you are accustom to but a much grittier and sadly somewhat more believable sadistic bad guys. It would be a real treat to see the Kolnari show up on War World's Haven and confront the Saurons. Evil vs. evil would be interesting and allow some relief for the rest of Haven. As much as a dragon fan as I am, I found this book very hard to put down and compelling to complete. A sequel is left open, I appeal to the authors to pick up the option and treat us to another heart accelerating story with Joat, Channa and Simeon as a dreadnought.

Acorna's Quest reminds me of Star Wars: Episode 1... It wasn't exactly deep, but it was a fun story. A summer day, nothing to do? Pick up this book. It's not great, but it is pretty good.

Acorna showed more personality in the first book, and the other unicorn people were simply two-dimensional snobs.

I loved the second chapter... Markel Illart, the brilliant 16-year-old space cadet, was resolutely heroic and I found the newly introduced subplot engaging. He was slighted and pushed into the background for the rest of the tale, though. The boy deserved a LOT more character development. Markel is too fascinating to let go; he could've starred in a sci-fi novel all by himself. I like to imagine him wearing a Jedi master costume.

Yeah... Markel is cool. I'll bet Starship Captain Andreziana made him an officer.

In Acorna The Unicorn girl, Acorna is a baby, found by her'uncles' Calum, Gill, and Rafik. They noticed the young foundling hadonly two jointed fingers and oddly shaped feet, along with a small horn in the middle of her head. She was able to heal people, and purify plants and water. In 'Acorna's Quest', Acorna is now an adult with her species, and Acorna and Calum, the mathemetician of the three miners, are setting off to find Acorna's home planet. Almost directly after Acorna and Calum leave, four of Acorna's people, one of them being her aunt, arrive at Maganos Moon base, Acorna's home! The Linyaari, as they call themselves, speak with Acorna's caretakers and tell them of a horrible enemy, the Kleevi, which are hurtling towards this sector of space. The Kleevi have captured and tortured so many Linyaari in the years preceding. The Linyaari are also searching for a young one of their race that they lost long ago. Will Acorna meet with her ancestors? Will the Kleevi reach Acorna and Calum before Rafik, Gill and the Linyaari can? Find out in 'Acorna's Quest'. This book has beautiful writing style, seamless plot, and although it is sci-fi/fantasy, it doesn't have so much scientific garbish that you can't understand. The charming Linyaari, and Acorna's tearful departure to come make waiting to read the next book as torturful as the Kleevi could ever be!

It took me forever to finally find the sequal to one of the best books I've ever read, "Acorna". I wasn't disapointed! A wonderful book. I'm waiting eagerly for the sequal!

The imaginative and sometimes complex story of Dragonsong is an involvong read. Dragonsong was a complex book in which the author introduced foreign and new fictional concepts. The entire story of Menolly is derived from the ongoing drama of a fictional land called Pern. The story is complex because it explains a twisted tale of a moon that sends deadly bacteria to Pern. The story goes on to describe how the dragon lizards were formed and why. The complexity continues with the ancient art of being a harpist, which is a singer of ancient story-songs that describe ancient times. The novel Dragonsong although imaginative was over all a complex and foreign story. I personally found it hard to believe and understand at all levels. Unless a person is intrigued by fantasy and the magic I would not recommend this book.

Awesome! This book was a very good addition to the Dragonriders of Pern series! First of all, the plot was excellent. Menolly, a young teenager, is very good at playing and singing music. However, her skills are out of place and unwanted in the Half-Circle Sea Hold where she lives. After her old mentor, a Harper named Petiron, dies, and a new Harper comes to replace him, Menolly's skills become evn less wanted. She runs away from the safety of her Sea Hold, and soon makes a discovery: The fire lizard, a creature of legend, actually exists! She ends up helping a fire lizard queen to save her clutch of eggs, and impresses nine of the many that hatch. However, danger still lurks. While out foraging one day, Menolly is caught in the Fall of Thread, a silver organism that devours alive anything it touches. She outruns the Thread for a while, but as it is closing in, she is rescued by a dragonrider, who takes her to Benden. There, she meets Lessa and F'lar, Dragonwoman and Dragonman of Pern, and makes a friend in Mirrim, a girl who has three fire lizards. Meanwhile, Elgion, the new Harper at Menolly's Sea Hold, finds out that MENOLLY was the prized apprentice Petiron wrote of. He sets out to find her, along with Robinton, Masterharper of Pern. Will they find her? Read the book to find out. This was a great book, one I would recommend to anyone who's dreamed of getting the best that they deserve.

"Dragonsong" is the first of Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall of Pern trilogy which focuses on my favorite Pern character, Menolly. In this first story, Menolly is the youngest child and daughter of Yanus, Sea Holder at Half-Cirlce Sea Hold in Benden Hold. Although she displays astounding musical talents, Menolly's father will have none of it. After the death of Petiron, the old Harper, Menolly is allowed to sign only to give the children their teaching songs. But when Elgion, the new Harper, arrives at Half-Circle Sea Hold, Menolly is forbidden to play ever again. Literally adding injury to insult, Menolly sustains a grevious wound to her hand while cleaning fish. But just as it looks at if life could not get any worse for Menolly, a wonderful thing happens. She impresses a clutch of nine fire lizards. In her miniature queen Beauty and the rest of the clutch, Menolly has a chorus of fire lizards who harmonize with her in a most amazing way. Meanwhile, Harper Elgion is having a problem, because he has been ordered by Master Harper Robinton to discover the prodigal talent Petrion has discovered. In his last message the Old Harper had sent two of the loveliest melodies Robinton had ever heard. But clearly none of the young lads at Half-Circle Sea Hold has a whit of musical talent and Yanus makes up some story about a foundling sent back to his own hold. Eventually Robinton himself comes to solve the mystery of the missing musical talent.

No hyperbole here, but not since Anne of Green Gables have I come across as enchanting a young girl as Menolly (her name is just perfect too). The similarity is certainly palatable, what with a young woman who is told to deny her talents because she is but a girl. But Menolly has a gift and it is impossible for her not to use it, even if it must be in secret, and what makes her so endearing is that she really has no idea how talented she is, a trait that becomes even more precocious in "Dragonsinger" and "Dragondrums." My only real complaint with Anne McCaffrey's recent novels is that Menolly has been reduced to only a minor supporting character.

This book is a quick read. The story is rather simple, but seems to be quite accurate with historical merit. She has avoided the cliche Arthurian stories providing a new view that I did find refreshing. Have no doubts - this story is FIRST a story about horses and quite a distant second it is a story about Arthur (Lord Artos). I wonder if she couldn't have told this tale in even fewer pages, but it did keep me interested enough to finish it quickly. If you have an interest in the farrier craft or the historical idea of bringing large horses into the service of early knights you will like this tale.

I give this book four stars for it's interest. The reason I read this book was for the Arthurian connections. If that's what you're looking for, it may or may not be what you'll find. For one thing, don't expect Lancelot or Guinvere to ever come into the story. Lord Artos -the legendary King Arthur- is a bachelor. I am not a huge horse fan, but I did enjoy the horse connections in this story. The conflict in "Black Horses" relates to the Saxon threat and to recent Irish raids. To prove his power and define his strength, Lord Artos acquires the enormous Libyan stallions. One problem- they're footsore, with problems like cracked hooves, growth rings etc, arising. That's when the "horse sandals" are made. "Black Horses" explores this knowledge and the devotion to Lord Artos through the eyes of Galwyn. It is a very good book, and I'd recommend it for a bit of light reading.

In a departure from her normal fare of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Anne McCaffrey gives us a hugely believable tale of King Arthur, and the true uniting of all the Britons. Told from the point of view of a young runaway, Galwyn Varianus, Black Horses traces Lord Artos', who is later thought to be King Arthur's, search for fast horses. These horses had to be big enough and strong enough for his knights to ride to give the Britons a fighting chance against the bigger armies of the Saxons.

Historically accurate, Black Horses is a fast read, and an emminetly exciting story. Despite the lack of the mystical turn of the normal King Arthur tale, or perhaps because of it, Black Horses for the King takes the reader into a realm of fantasy both thrilling and moving. A highly satisfying story aimed at the young adult, Black Horses is a treat for all readers, young and old alike. King Arthur fans will enjoy this unique look at their favorite hero, and those who like more realism in their stories will like this likely view of a piece of history.

This book is almost a extension of "Moreta Dragonlady of Pern".
In "Moreta Dragonlady of Pern" I first met Nerilka or Rill for short. "Nerilka's Story" is a slightly different novel, it is talks about a hold girl, a ordinary holder, not a dragonrider. Anne McCaffery really emphasize on how plain and physically unattractive Nerilka is. She never recieved many affections or attention. She decided to run away to start a new life. She ends up in Ruatha where she meets Lord Holder Alessan. As you might remember from the previous novel in the serious, Alessan is deeply in love with Moreta. This novel goes through the plague and how Alessan deals with Moreta's death.

I think that Alessan was really mean when he marries Nerilka when he doesn't realy love her. He says that as soon as Nerilka bears his child, he would kill himself. Nerilka is a really tough person because she goes through such a hard relationship with Alessan.

This novel is more of a subtle, not-so-moving plot. Yet it is a important part of the Pern series and it is worth reading. Think of it as a light read but it isn't a very romantic novel, so don't expect too much romantic parts.

I very much enjoyed this story. I've read all of Anne McCaffrey's stories of the Dragonriders of Pern and this is the first one I felt was a proper perspective of life during the great plague that nearly wiped out all of Pern. Nerilka was a very believable character and I feel very sympathetic toward her and her tragedy of losing her family, and her joy at finding love with the lord holder. However, the book was too short for me to enjoy fully. I would have liked to have seen more done with her.

With the publishing of Nerilka's Story, Anne McCaffrey took a bold and potentially dangerous step, leaving the proven success of concertrating on dragons and dragonriders to offer the reader a revealing and poignant insight into the equally dangerous but more mundane world of the common holder.

This book gives us a feel for what the average citizen of Pern must endure; privation, sickness, a medieval culture governed by far-from-enlightened nobles, and the desperation of facing endless drudgery with little hope of ever improving one's lot in life.

The entire Pernese series is greatly enriched by the grass roots knowledge revealed in this story. Nerilka faces daunting challenges from a variety of sources, eventually proving that both tragedy and triumph are the domain of all people, and that indomitable spirits are not limited to those whose lives are spent in the Weyrs.

Ms McCaffrey goes to great lengths, including illustrations, to emphasize how physically plain and unappealing Nerilka is. Regardless, nothing can keep the beauty of her spirit and personality from bursting through. She is as true a heroine as any who ever rode a dragon.

Nerilka's Story may be a saphire in a world of diamonds, but it is still a jewel in the crown of the Pernese Saga. Without this volume, the tale of the Dragonriders of Pern is incomplete.

It never occured to me to write, or even read a 'customer review' of Anne McCaffrey. I've enjoyed her since I was eighteen years old. Simply, She is one of two SF/Fantasy authors I buy in hardback. I'm enjoying reading the thoughts of people just discovering her, and also the controversy!

That said, THE SHIP WHO SANG is marvelous on many levels. Ms. McCaffrey has said that what she does best are love stories and Helva is as heroic yet soft-hearted as anyone could wish. As a silly little escape from the realities of the working world, this book succeeds. As a homage to her father, she overwhelms.

In a purely sci/fi vein, McCaffrey took the concept of cyborgs to a great extreme at a time when artificial heart valves and kidney transplants were in their infancy. The first functional pace maker didn't debut until 1960. The first of the Helva stories that make up this book came out in 1961. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN didn't appear until twelve years later, when Helva and her peers (shell people) were already the elite of space exploration, single-handed managers of major metropolis's and coordinators of space mining platforms. STAR TREK didn't boldly go here until 1966! While it's not Jules Verne, this ain't too shabby!

I see the Helva stories as perfect to spark high school discussions. McCaffrey's unified galaxy, Central Worlds presaged our current move to a global economy by forty years. Her social consciousness emphasizes the need for the arts in a civilized society and serious issues like euthanasia, drug use and civic responsibility are all major themes. The entire concept of social protestors evolving into 'Dylanists' should set the stage for historical discussions of the Viet Nam Era and extrapolating Shakespearean universality into alien societies should do the same. Her use of language has also greatly improved my vocabulary! (I won't even start on the military's way of honoring its members with parades and such and hypocritical senators who fight for NEA cuts. Attending a Memorial Day parade should be enough to convince ANY of them!)

I greatly enjoy the way the author took short stories and incorporated them into one book. I like her characters, their intelligence, their strength, their firmness of conviction, especially her women. Yes there are stereotypes, yes there's implied sex but the only 'graphic' passage has to do with overcoming one's baser instincts, a positive in my opinion. I also greatly admire the way McCaffrey's works overlap. Helva turns up briefly in the Crystal Singer series, where other brain ships play a major role, which I think is great fun. Look at this book from any view point, and it should turn out to be enjoyable. I give 4 stars, because, written as it was in the 60's it's slang seems dated now!

I read The Ship Who Sang when it first came out in the late 60s, and have read it a frightening number of times since. As a teenager I was entirely captivated by the wonderfully real Helva, one of the most genuine characters I had ever come across in SF at that time. She got mad, she exulted, she loved, she mourned, while all around her cardboard SF characters were moving in their puppet dance. There are scenes in this book that have stuck in my imagination for 30 years, powerful images of a world sprung from the mind of the author - but I never associate this work with the writer. It is too vibrant in its own right to need any other references. Anne McCaffrey has created, in The Ship Who Sang, an enduring classic of Science Fiction. This is a work with a brilliantly realised idea of a particular future, combined with enough passion to ensure that the characters will outlive all of us. Brava, Ms McCaffrey, and thank you.

This short story collection marks the genesis of the concept of 'brainships' in McCaffrey's Central Worlds universe: infants born so damaged that they cannot survive without life support, but whose minds are sharp and alert. Given a matchless education at Central Lab Schools, they don't strap on prosthetics - some become space stations or city managers. Those with a head for starflight mathematics, like Helva, may become brainships - the 'brain' half of a brain/brawn team, a human mind installed in a spaceship.

See also "Honeymoon" in McCaffrey's _Get Off the Unicorn_ for the tale of one of Helva's missions to Beta Corvi that didn't make it into this book.

"The Ship Who Sang" - Helva is unusual in that she developed her particular hobby while quite young: moving from a passion for Shakespeare, to grand opera, to overcome the technical difficulties in learning to sing. But there's a reason shellpeople don't consider themselves handicapped in any way...

"The Ship Who Mourned" - Helva has just endured the funeral of her beloved brawn partner; only to be expected, given the difference in their lifespans, but that doesn't help the sharp edge of her grief. MedServ's usual lack of sensitivity has sent her straight back out to carry physiotherapist Theoda to treat the survivors of a plague that left the few surviving victims paralyzed. And Helva sees more mourning than her own...

"The Ship Who Killed" - MedServ has assigned Helva a 3-year mission and a new brawn (temporary, but for the duration of the mission) with an unusual twist. Nekkar's entire population has been left sterile by a radiation flare from their star, and Helva and Kira now have Assignment Stork: delivering thousands of embryos to Nekkar from worlds all over known space. Something about the mission seems to be troubling Helva's new brawn, whose service record has some interesting gaps...

"Dramatic Mission" - The Beta Corviki have a great knowledge of physics, and can give humanity the ability to build starships with a far greater range - but they want something unusual in exchange after sampling the archives of the survey ship that made first contact. Helva is to carry a company of Shakespearean actors to Beta Corvi, to perform _Romeo and Juliet_. Will the company manage to satisfy their alien audience, given the personal strife between the stars of the show? (This mission marks Helva's first face-to-face meeting with her supervisor Parollan, incidentally.)

"The Ship Who Dissembled" - Helva is fed up with her current brawn, and is finally frustrated enough to face not only the financial penalties for breaking up the partnership, but the inevitable I-told-you-so from her supervisor, the abrasive Niall Parollan. But just as Helva is about to initiate formal proceedings over an open communication channel, hijackers strike, who know the vulnerabilities of a shellperson all too well.

"The Partnered Ship" - In only ten years of service, Helva has paid off the huge debt of her early medical care and ship construction, and can now be a free agent. Central Worlds, particularly her supervisor Niall Parollan, are crafting an offer to tempt her to stay, while Broley (a fellow shellperson, though a city manager) wheels and deals to line up job offers. Who (if anybody) will get their just desserts?