Re-Reading my Favourite Books : Dragonriders of Pern

Dragonflight, the first in the Dragonriders of Pern series, was written by Anne McCaffrey and originally published in 1968. It is set in world where the chosen ride huge beasts bred to defend the world of Pern against a deadly interplanetary threat that returns every 200 years. This threat comes in the form of the Red Star which, when it nears Pern, gives off silver Threads which burrow into the earth and kill every living thing. Last time though, that threat never eventuated, and while traditionalists still hold onto the training schedules and teaching songs, many don't believe it will ever return, and much knowledge has been lost. Too, the population of dragons is no longer big enough to protect the planet effectively should the Red Star throw off the deadly Threads on its return.

I first read this book somewhere around 13 to 15 years old, and I remember really enjoying it. I went on to read several in the series (there are now over 20 books in all, some written by McCaffrey's son). The world the series is set in is unusual and intriguing, enhanced by the terms used for some common words, such as 'turns' instead of years. It has a strange mix of technology and archaism, with flamethrowers used to combat the threads, but knowledge is passed on through songs because they no longer have a reliable way of writing it down.

And, of course, dragons!

I can see how the particular way dragons are presented in this series would appeal to a lonely teenaged reader. Each dragon is matched to a rider, who Impresses on it when hatched, much the same way a mother duck impresses on its baby. From then on, the dragon and its rider are physically and emotionally inseperable: a love beyond any mere trivial human emotion. Dragonriders are a class above the holders, the ordinary people who do the farming, cooking and cleaning to support the riders. I'm sure I would have imagined myself as a Dragonrider, soaring through the skies on a magnificent golden beast, not to mention understood and loved by it unconditionally to boot.

Upon reading this time, however, I was brought back to earth with a jolt. This book is so problematic that I just couldn't enjoy it. It smacks of racism and sexism. There's domestic violence, unchallenged adultery, disturbing sexual references and repeated fatphobic commentary.

The main character, Lessa, is a woman in her early 20s, hardened by 10 years of domestic slavery. Her status as the rider of the golden Queen dragon makes her joint leader of the riders along with her male counterpart. However, he dominates her, mocks her, treats her like a child and physically abuses her by grabbing her by the arms and shaking her. She responds by gradually coming to feel affection for him and feeling jealous of his cheating on her. In a moment of danger and fear, her first reaction is to be afraid of his being angry at her. She is clearly a victim of domestic violence, but the text presents this unchallenged. She is expected to serve him and his visitors food and drink. The treatment of women in general is little better than of servants.

The sexual references in the book are also disturbing. Every time the Queen dragons mate, their two riders are compelled to mate also, no matter how much they may hate or be repelled by each other. It made me feel sick to read these passages.

The previous Queen leader and her dragon failed in their duties to produce enough offspring and keep the numbers of dragons up. She is repeatedly referred to as lazy, incompetent, obese and obstinate, and contrasted with Lessa, who is slender and delicate. She is blamed for all of the riders' current ills, and her death celebrated as a case of good riddance. The dragonriders are in their current situation partly because of past failings, but they are all blamed on a single person, and her physical appearance is irrelevant to what happened. The repeated references to the appearance of the female characters seem to say more about the author than the characters.

Dragonflight was published in 1968, so it must be remembered that it's a product of its time. It's also set in a fantasy world, where social norms are different to our world. Having said that, I'm not arguing that these flaws can be excused. The Lord of the Rings, which I wrote about in this post, was written slightly earlier, and while it doesn't have any central female characters, the ones it does have are treated with dignity. There are many more and better examples, but I'll leave it there for now.

I tried reading the second book in the series, Dragonquest, in case it was any better, but unfortunately it was worse. I only got a couple of chapters in before I had to stop. I didn't even get time to talk about the florid writing style. I have no problem with a more formal writing style, but it was so highblown as to be annoying and distracting at times. I can't help but wonder if the author felt she had something to prove.

Unfortunately I have to conclude that on re-reading, this is no longer one of my favourite series. Part of me thinks I should continue reading the series to try and find some redeeming qualities in it, but there are too many other books and too little time!

Re-Reading my Favourite Books : The Lord of the Rings

Here is the first in a series of posts I hope to write called Re-Reading My Favourite Books. I'm a very slow reader so they might not come out that often, but there you are.

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I first read The Lord of the Rings over the Summer school holidays when I was about 13 years old. I was staying at my grandparents' house, and there was very little else to do. I remember feeling that it was such a hugely long book that it was very intimidating. It also felt like a huge slog, especially the middle section when the Fellowship are separate and there are a lot of battles going on. I found the section with Tom Bombadil to be especially excruciating -- annoying and pointless. I did manage to make it to the end though, and I did love the book. I related so hard to the Hobbits. I even have a Hobbit-themed tattoo, but that's a story for another time.

I decided to re-read it finally, this Winter. To see if my impression of it had changed, but also because I'd always wanted to return to it, and it was high time. I purchased a box set which included the The Hobbit, but Husband and I already both had copies of some of Tolkein's works. So that means we now have two (or three?) copies of The Hobbit, three copies of The Lord of the Rings, and two of The Silmarillion. I think we also have e-book copies of all three. Never mind, in some ways it's good to have a 'working' copy of books as epic as these -- one you can scribble notes on.

I felt less intimidated by the length of the book, perhaps because this time the three parts were divided into separate books, so it didn't seem as hefty. While I was determined to read some every day, I didn't give myself a time limit or pressure myself in any way. I was also familiar with the story already, having of course read it before and seen the movies a couple of times. I was less likely to get confused by the story or lose track of things, so it felt a bit more comfortable.

Being older and more learned (if I do say so myself), I was able to appreciate Tolkein's use of language -- the evocative descriptions of landscape which fired up my imagination, and his surprisingly skillful handling of dialogue. The many songs and poems added to the text rather than seeming like a hindrance. There were some that I couldn't even help reading out loud to better appreciate them.

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I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the section with Tom Bombadil this time. I used the full force of my imagination to bring his realm to life, and it was quite lovely. Of course, his character is meant to be enigmatic, and I was better able to grasp the nuances of that. It's heavily implied that Tom could fix the whole business with the ring very easily if he wanted to, but he chooses not to. When I was 13, I found that stance to be incredibly annoying and frustrating -- if only he'd stop being a jerk and help it wouldn't be such a long book! This time though, I was able to look at it from a more mature perspective. It can't be that easy. Hardship must be experienced and sacrifices made for the quest to be truly worthwhile.

I was also happy to report that I didn't get the same feeling of hard slogging through the centre of the book, or at any stage. Perhaps it was because I already knew the general story, though I'd forgotten many of the details. There are scenes in the book that aren't in the movies, or are different to the movies. These details helped to keep me interested.

I felt the emotion of Frodo's struggles very keenly. His ongoing trauma after completing his quest -- which some scholars have suggested is PTSD -- was something I would not have been mature enough to understand at the age of 13. His inability to lead a normal life again, and his need to emigrate with the elves to find peace was very moving.

And yes, I actually cried at one point, though it wasn't the point you might think. When Sam plants the strange seed that Galadriel had given him, and it's revealed to be a mallorn tree, growing so fast, I shed a few tears. The older I get, the more I learn about what humans are doing to the earth, and the less optimistic I am. But the tears were ones of hope.

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I was proud of myself for re-reading such a long and (some might say) difficult book. Putting aside the problematic aspects for a moment, I enjoyed it very much and will definitely read it again. I love the idea of reading seasonally, and it seems like such a good book to read in Autumn/Winter. I'm easily distracted from reading these days, and I find listening to ambient sound or music helps. There are LOTS of videos on Youtube, but two channels I like are:

☁ ASMR Rooms. It has ambient noise set in many different fandoms from Harry Potter to My Neighbour Totoro. The accompanying visuals are beautiful and relaxing cinemagraphs from several different independent artists.
☁ Ambient Worlds. It has ambient noise, but with gentle music from the movie soundtracks mixed into it. (The music helps if you need extra distraction-blocking power!) It features many other movies and video games as well.