I've read a few of the other reviews, and I think many of the readers have missed the whole point of this book. One reader discusses in his review beginning writing skills taught in school - but completely missed the boat when it came to beginning comprehension skills. This story is not centered around a supposedly incurable virus. That virus is merely part of the setting. The climax of the story did not happen when the cure for the virus was discovered (as the above mentioned reviewer surmised)...

When I was a kid, I remember learning in English class about the parts of a narrative: Rising Action, Climax, and Denouement. The teacher illustrated this by drawing an equilateral triangle on the board, with the rising action on the left side and the falling action on the right, and the climax as the peak of the triangle. Did we all get taught this concept the same way?It didn't take me long to learn that this was absurdly wrong. The climax occurs very close to the end of the narrative, not in

I remember this being one of my favorite Dragonriders of Pern books. I wasn't sure that would remain the same, but as I got further into the book I realized that it was still a great book. In this story we find Pern almost to the end of a thread pass, but stricken with a terrible sickness that is killing so many. There is no cure for beast or human. They must treat the symptoms and get through the sickness. They need to vaccinate all the humans as well as the runners since this sickness is sprea...

It's been decades since I read this book. I don't know if it would hold up to adult Emily's standards, but what I do remember is that it's the first book that made me cry. I remember crying and hurling it across the room. Being able to elicit that memorable of a response earns it a 5-star rating, at least in my very subjective and forgiving rating system. The Pern series overall swept me away. I remember reading the first trilogy and wishing with all my heart that it was real, that I could bond

This one had its moments, but is not the best Pern has to offer, especially with the ending.

This is the story of Moreta, a Dragon Healer and Weyrwoman in the old time (way before the Current Pass with F'lar and Lessa as Weyrleaders of Benden).A flu-like plague begins to spread across the land, and it's up to her and her dragon to help find a cure.This book is one of my top 5 favorites from Anne McCaffrey... I won't give away the ending, but it makes me cry each and every time, I'm not going to lie about it. I'm a wimp, what can I say :)

#7 overall publication order of the "Pern" fantasy series, this seems to be a stand-alone story of the weyr-woman Moreta, whose dragon Orlith is the queen of Fort Weyr. The events in this book happen about 900 years before the earlier books in the series, and take place when they are just discovering that dragons cannot only go "between" and thus traverse hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye, but that they can also go other places in TIME. A plague is upon the land, started by a strange cat-...

I was really delighted to be starting in on another Anne McCaffery book after too long away. As a child, I sort of looked down my nose at McCaffery's escapist simplicity, but as an adult, I find I love it (at least, as a change of pace), and I no longer believe that grittiness necessarily equates to realism. I also no longer believe that I could write such a happy world if I tried.Because Pern is a happy world. A kind of STAR TREK:TOS with dragons. The good people are noble and true and hardwork...

Oh my God, the BEAUTY of this book. I was kinda reluctant about starting it; it's been a few months since I've read my last Pern book, and I had this feeling that it was gonna be slow and a bit boring. How in the world could I forget the wonder that is Pern as a world and as a book series, I seriously don't know. This book is set in the past (if we consider the present the time in which the first two trilogy were set), describing a part of the life of one of the most famous Dragonwomen in the hi...

I love the medical aspect, and the exploration of how different people respond to medical crisis. And Moreta is in many ways, the most adult of McCaffrey's characters since we only know her as an adult. Maybe for that reason, she seemed better rounded and capable than many of the other characters in the series.Addendum 1/2020 Moreta is likely one of my favorite titles in the series after the first: Dragonflight. We see mature people determined to carry out their responsibilities even if others i...

This hits so differently considering COVID19. A plague hits Pern toward the end of a Pass so not only do they have to deal with Threadfall, now they have a pandemic! It's crazy how much has become relatable in this book. Now the idea of a plague, the importance of quarantine and isolation, the hurried rush to create and disperse a vaccine to the population - it's all so much different to me now. On top of that, I forgot how it ended and oh. /Oh/

oof. If only we had time traveling dragons to end all pandemics.

If you enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's previous six Pern books, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you were getting tired of meeting the same characters with different names or beginning to get frustrated by the discrepancy between the books' potential and what they actually delivered, Moreta will be more of the same.The story, which takes place nearly 1000 years before Dragonflight and the Harper Hall trilogy, involves a planet-wide plague of mysterious "flu" and the efforts of the people of the plane...

I have a rule that I call the "Dracula Rule" which states that you have to read at least fifty pages of a book before you pass even summary judgment. The rule exist to protect books, such as its namesake, that are a little slow to start. And it is this rule that saved this book for it is on page fifty that the first hint of a plot appears. Okay they try to establish a 'star-crossed lover' plot, which is a stupid plot to begin with and is even more toothless when neither lover holds a position th...

Oh maaaaaan. I don’t even KNOW. This is a hard one to review because, honestly there were parts of the book where I was bored or had to force myself to keep reading.But then that ENDING OHMYGAH. I have so many FEELINGS right now and that makes me think it was a GREAT book. For fans of the Pern series, you will find this similar to the other books; lots of peoples names to remember (I just have to accept the fact that I’m supposed to know who they’re talking about but I just DONT.) and very elabo...

If this isn't the best thing Anne M. has ever written I really can't imagine what is!I loved Moreta! She was a strong woman who wasn't in your face about it like so many are these days. She cared deeply for everyone and it is that love and care that lead her to doing what she did, saving everyone from the sickness that swept the planet!(and this is extra relatable now in the 2020's with our own planet wide sickness)The story is just utterly gripping, marvelous, realistic and heart breaking!Of al...

I wanted to give it 2 stars but the ending made me cry, so 3 stars it is.

Storyline: 2/5Characters: 3/5Writing Style: 3/5World: 2/5McCaffrey and Pern fans need not worry about this seventh in the series, Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. Readers who enjoyed the original trilogy will find more of the same here. McCaffrey puts into it the things that she has shown herself to be adept with: relatable characters that one will eagerly support and a slow exploration of the social life of those characters. The book gives us a new crisis, one that could be – and has been – told in

I re-read this book for the first time in a while in an effort to get a new perspective on the ongoing pandemic. Warning, spoilers ahead!! I’ve always loved this book since I first read it about 20 years ago, but I never thought the science fiction of a pandemic painted on another world would be so much better than what we’ve been experiencing this past year.As the book opens, the entire Northern Continent on the planet Pern is anticipating two large festivals, called Gathers, on both sides of t...

I stalled in the middle of rereading this, and got very close to giving it a DNF. But I went with the "just a little more" option and suddenly I was enjoying it all over again.I don't deny for a moment that Anne McCaffrey's Pern books can be dated and definitely can be problematic, but she sure could write a rollicking good story and I'm going to carry on enjoying them as such and continue my reread through her bibliography.

Given the infinite variety of human personalities, it was impossible to like everyone.Not my very favorite of the Pern books I think, but still a good part of the series - and it did make me cry there at the end.

If you’ve been following along with Pern, this is a nice trip back to an earlier time where the inhabitants retain more memories of the origins of Pern. Moreta and her dragon and the other characters are enjoyable, and her challenge is interesting.

Sadder than most of the Pern novels, this one deals with a plague which sweeps through the planet I found the Dragondex at the back of the book very helpful.

Re-read again for September 2018Review to come :)

[Please forgive me if any names are misspelled. I used and audio book and just did not feel like looking up the correct spelling of every character.]After reading the sagas of the dragon riders of Pern and the Harper Hall tales I became a big fan of Benden Wheir people. So it was a bigger adjustment than I thought to now think of Fort Wheir as the most important of the Wheirs. I also started becoming accustomed to how Pernese, and especially dragon people, view their sexual lifestyles but it was...

My love of fantasy genre began after reading works by authors of my parents and grandparents age, including Anne McCaffrey whose masterful creation ignited a spark that has burned brightly ever since. Since devouring works by authors such as Terry Goodkind and Raymond E Feist alongside the more current writers, I have always tended to look back at those works which really captured the essence of this genre and forming it so that it made it what it is today. Anne’s creation surrounding the world

Every reader has a guilty pleasure. The Dragonrider of Pern books are mine. No, they are not the most earth-shattering novels ever published and they do not break any bounds of literary expression but they are a lot of fun. I was in elementary school when I first read the first 6 books in the series (which now are NOT considered the first 6 chronologically), so I was familiar with the legend of Moreta, a sort of sexy Florence Nightingale who rode dragons.Although I like the book and got caught u...

The ending was extremely sad! Found myself close to tearing up, which is surprising considering that this book was quite a snoozefest for me.I enjoyed the character Moreta. Compared to her biggest fan years later, Lessa, she is a nice mix of carefree and responsible, depending on the situation. I think she is my favorite Pern weyrwoman so far.Sh'gall was a raving lunatic. Really one-dimensional character for a man. Alessan interested me, and I liked his "forbidden" romance with Moreta, but it wa...

Depressing, this book was sad for me. I liked Moreta and her "mate" was an asshole. I was mixed though. Should she have been with Lord Alessan? I can understand their desire to be together. They are both people who honour the old ways and yet are adaptable to change. They want to save the world. Their saviour complexes are what did me in. They do so much and in the end, they didn't really get what they wanted, did they? Star-crossed lovers due to politics. I just want to scream in frustration!

Outbreak/Contagion/Balto, with teleporting Dragons. Awesome right? Well it loses a star for some very abrupt happenings at the end that were rushed and not set up well, and there wasn't enough detail about the famed flight that inspired the ballad mentioned so often in the series. If I could do half stars it would only get 2.5.