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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A high point in the Pern series, November 1, 2001
This review is from: The Dolphins of Pern (Dragonriders of Pern) (Mass Market Paperback)
"The Dolphins of Pern" is one in author Anne McCaffrey's series of novels that take place on Pern: a world where the descendants of human colonists live together with huge, winged creatures called "dragons." The dragons of Pern have some similarities to the mythical creatures of ancient Earth, but McCaffrey throws in some science fiction twists. "Dolphins," as the title suggests, adds a new element to the culture and history of Pern. As McCaffrey explains in the book's prologue, the spacefaring humans who first settled Pern brought with them dolphins who had been endowed with the ability to speak human language. But over the course of time, the hostile environment of Pern caused the dolphin and human communities to gradually lose touch with each other. This book is the story of the attempts to rediscover and reestablish the ancient ties between the two species. To the cynical, the concept of this book might seem like a "gimmick" to bring a new element to the Pern series. But believe me, "Dolphins" is no gimmick: this is one of the best in the entire series. McCaffrey creates a rich and moving portrait of the dolphin community -- a community with a compelling culture and history. This is also a beautiful "coming of age" story that focuses on Readis, a boy of Pern who has a remarkable bond to the dolphins. McCaffrey superbly weaves the dolphins' history and Readis' very personal story into the epic story of Pern's humans and dragons. I recommend this book to both Pern fans as well as to newcomers to the series.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read with some comments..., August 1, 2003
This review is from: The Dolphins of Pern (Dragonriders of Pern) (Mass Market Paperback)
I love the Pern books! Ever since I was a young girl in school and found Dragonsong in the 1970's. I really enjoyed this book I love how Anne is filling in the gaps for us about folks from other books like Jayge, Aramina and Readis as well a the Dolphins from Dragonsdawn. But here is what I think would help folks a lot in their enjoyment of this book and some of the other books. I think some of these later books don't work as well on their own because they truely aren't stand alone novels like Dragonflight, Dragonquest etc.. You absolutly HAVE to have read Renegades of Pern, All the Weyrs of Pern and Drangonsdawn for this book to make sense to you! I think it would be a smart decision to integrate this book and possibly some of the other later books into the novels they companion. Take Dolphins for example: I think the plot would have been better recieved had it been combined with "All the Weyrs", yes it would have added another subplot but they also could have eliminated all the parellel "All the Weyrs" plot synopsis. And it would have prevented any major errors such as the Lord Holder death issue someone mentions here. I have to check my books at home I don't know if that reveiwer is correct or not. The timeline jumps around but I have no problem with that it happened in Dragonsdawn and other Pern books so what's the big deal? In the end I enjoyed this book but I believe it would have been better received as part of the "All the Weyrs" story than a separate novel.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This one is okay . . ., January 24, 2007
. . . but certainly not the best of the Pern series.
The concept of dolphins who could communicate with humans was introduced in "Dragonsdawn" and the notion of seemingly intelligent "shipfish" have been seen in several Pern stories.
Now, in "The Dolphins of Pern", the relationship between humans, dragons, and dolphins on Pern is re-established. The book could be viewed as a sequel to "The Renegades of Pern", as much of the action surrounds Jayge, his wife Aramina (the girl who heard dragons) and their son Readis. The book also runs concurrent with many of the events in "All the Weyrs of Pern".
Why only three stars? Because, frankly, the character development is, frankly, unbelievable. Jayge, Aramina, and Readis have all, at different times, been rescued from probable death by dolphins. Readis -- probably twice. Why then are his parents (especially his mother) so against the boy's interest in them? This seems forced to me. (Especially since most of the rest of the Pernese leadership -- including persons whom Jayge and Aramina greatly respect -- and owe much to -- are inclined to permit Readis to pursue his interest to the benefit of all Pern?
Also, once the Oldtimers, the Renegades, the Red Star, etc. have all been dealt with, where do we go for a villain? We've got to invent one, of course! Toric, now Lord Toric of Southern Hold -- who has in other novels been a character on the fringe of trouble -- is now the new designated "bad guy".
Overall, the story seemed too contrived. NOT the best book in the series -- NOT by a long way.
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