Nerilka's Story (Dragonriders of Pern Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Key Phrases: queen egg, Nerilka's Story, Master Capiam, Fort Hold (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest of McCaffrey's romantic Pern novels expands on the tale of a minor character in Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. Young Nerilka is considered unattractive and overly serious in her own hold, where her peremptory father installs his mistress immediately after his wife's death. Angry and frustrated, Nerilka uses her medical training and her access to the supplies her father is hoarding to help combat the plague sweeping Pern, which has already claimed her mother and sisters. Inevitably, her work with the Healers leads her to Ruatha Hold, whose rugged widower chief, Lord Alessan, sees her worth and marries her. In form, this is basically a Victorian gothic in which a governess tames and marries the gruff master of the house. As such, McCaffrey's legions of fans should enjoy it, but it is a weak entry in the Pern saga.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA This slight addition to McCaffrey's dragon novels is about a minor character mentioned in Moretta, Dragonlady of Pern (Ballantine, 1983). Nerilka, the plain and ignored oldest daughter of Lord Tolocamp, is appalled when her father abandons her mother and sisters to the plague spreading from Ruatha Hold, then refuses aid to anyone else on the rest of Pern. Nerilka first sends medicines secretly, then sets off (in disguise) for Ruatha, a place she had long wished to visit but had always been prevented from going. There she finds acceptance both for her healing skills and for herself, and she falls in love with the seemingly unattainable Alessan, Lord of Ruatha. This illustrated novella, about the size of a paperback, is not the best of McCaffrey, but it does have an interesting heroine and will satisfy McCaffrey's legions of fans who want to know why Alessan married so shortly after the death of his beloved Moretta. Betsy Shorb, PGCMLS, Md.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st THUS edition (January 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345339495
• ISBN-13: 978-0345339492
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,609 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 8 in The Dragonriders of Pern Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique entry in the Pernese saga, May 2, 2000

By	John A. Kuczma "RogueUlfric" (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Change of Perspective, January 3, 2004

By	Lys "lys1022" (Garland, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Readers of Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series will undoubtedly be familiar with the background and setting of this book. The planet Pern, in the Rukbat Sector, is perpetually under seige from a mindlessly voracious lifeform known as Thread. The Dragonriders are the planet's only hope, searing the silvery rain as it falls from the sky.

Ms. McCaffrey has spun many a wondrous tale of these heroic figures, creating a world rich with a culture all it's own. This story, however, does not feature a dragonrider, nor does it feature Ms. McCaffrey's other favorite Pernese subject, the Harpers. Instead, both of those groups play secondary parts to the main character, Nerilka. Rill, as she's known, is a new type of character for fans: she is an ordinary person. A middle child, a daughter in a culture that favors sons, and an average human being with jealousies as well as compassion, Rill stands out amongst the characters that the author has created as she becomes the 'average Rill' who rises above tragedy and finds strength deep inside to do what must be done.

The book stands best as a companion volume to Ms. McCaffrey's "Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern", though it can be read on it's own. There is a greater richness of understanding and unsaid detail available if the reader is familiar with the storyline and characters populating "Moreta", though.

The writing style is a bit more simplistic than usual for the author, and the book is a very quick read, not taxing in either length or complexity. The illustrations are interesting, though I have to admit that the characters looked very different in my own mind's eye, but that is probably to be expected.

All in all this book is good for a quick 'dip' into the world of Pern. The characters are engaging, Nerilka and those that the reader comes across at Ruatha Hold are the most clearly delineated. It has an enjoyable, simple plotline with no real shocks or unexpected twists and turns. An excellent read for times when the reader just wants something light.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewel of Pern from a different prospective, September 3, 2000

By	REmlein (USA) - See all my reviews

I had read reviews for Nerilka's Story most of which gave the impression that Ms. McCaffrey's time and effort had been wasted writing the book. I however beg to differ. This book told a truely unique story of a girl who is nothing speicial other than the fact that she is the Lord Holder's daughter. Nerilka is a middle daughter of a large family and she has no one who really cares for her except her mother and a few siblings. When her mother dies and her father takes his mistress for a wife she is pressed into labor for a woman she despises, sewing dresses for her stepmother. She finally runs away to help the over worked healers fighting the Great Plauge. Her journey leads her to Rautha Hold where Lord Alessen is trying to salvage his distruaght hold. She works for a month making serum to innoculate all the people and animals of Pern when a devistating thing happens, making Lord Alessen more miserable, to the point when she agrees to make him a cup of poison after leaving a heir to Hold Ruatha. With her loving patience she is able to salvage a life, make a distraught man tentativly happy, and create a place for herself in a world where her father didn't even know her name.