From Publishers Weekly
In this latest addition to McCaffrey's popular Pern series (Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, etc.), the humans of Pern are reunited, after eons of noncontact, with the intelligent dolphins who had originally settled the planet with them. When a boy, Readis, is rescued by "shipfish" and realizes that they can talk, he develops a lifelong obsession with the fascinating creatures. But, though his interest is shared by the young dragonrider T'Lion and his dragon, Gadareth, it is forbidden by his mother, who has feared the unusual ever since she was kidnapped by outlaws because of her ability to hear and talk with dragons. Readis pursues his briney friendships nonetheless, reporting his findings to the computer, Aivas, which is attempting to guide the humans to a new era by freeing Pern forever from the devastating, life-consuming Thread. Meanwhile, the leading dragonriders and holdlords must act to contain the lust for land and power of Toric, Lord Holder of the South. Expanding upon events related in All the Weyrs of Pern, McCaffrey here adds yet another dimension to her colorful and vivid saga by focusing on the attractive dolphins and their highly believable society. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Rescued from drowning by a pair of dolphins, a young boy embarks on a lifelong mission to reestablish ties with the third most intelligent species on the planet Pern. This latest installment of McCaffrey's most popular series (The Chronicles of Pern, LJ 10/15/93) features a resourceful and determined human hero as well as a host of appealing dolphins as the supporting characters. The author's unnecessary reliance on parental opposition as a stumbling block to the fulfillment of her protagonist's dream is the only weak point in an otherwise solid contribution to the growing literature of Pern. Demand will be considerable for this title.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
As the inhabitants of Pern finally near their longtime goal of ridding their world of the hazard of Thread, they regain contact with the shipfish, the dolphins that accompanied the earliest human settlers on the planet. T'lion, a young dragonrider, and Readis, a boy from a fishing village, are instrumental in rebuilding the ancient partnership between humans and dolphins in preparation for the spread of humanity over the remaining wildernesses of Pern. McCaffrey's latest installment in the Pern epic completely upholds the high standards of the series. Dennis Winters


From Kirkus Reviews
Fans of McCaffrey's (The Chronicles of Pern, 1993, etc.) famous dragons will no doubt be surprised by this latest installment in the Pern saga, which, for a change, spotlights the planet's dolphins. Although genetically engineered dolphins were part of the original Pern colony, humans lost contact--and interest--in the friendly cetaceans over the years, as they desperately developed the fire-breathing dragons to combat the deadly thread. But when a pod of dolphins rescues young Readis and his Uncle Alemi from a storm, the pair is stunned into silence by the appearance of the legendary talking ``ship fish.'' While few back at the holding believe the pair, Aivas (an ancient computer) encourages the contact. The dolphin's gentle (and too often cutesy) nature eventually wins over the other humans, including young T'lion, a dragonrider. While the residents of Pern launch a bold plan to rid their planet of threadfall forever, T'lion and Readis realize that it is their destiny to work with the dolphins, like the dragonriders who worked with the winged flyers before them. McCaffrey's solid characterizations and lush descriptions counterbalance the feathery plot, making this latest trip to Pern a pleasant, sentimental respite among old and familiar friends. (Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club main selection) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


From the Publisher
There are dragons all over Anne McCaffrey's house. Some she's bought, but many have been made for her by adoring fans and given to her as gifts. I don't make dragons, of course. But whenever circumstances allow, I do try to bring her American bacon, something she can't get easily in Ireland, and something which she has taught all her friends there to love, as well! I remember the first time I went to visit her, when she was still living in her old, much smaller but very homey, house. My husband and I arrived at the doorstep, and she immediately began bustling about, frying up some of the bacon we'd brought and sharing a lovely late breakfast with us before sending us off to the hotel for a nap. She made us dinner that night, too--the one and only time in my life that I've actually liked shrimp cocktail. Maybe that's because if you squint your eyes and look sideways, shrimp are kind of dragonlike, and I was eating them in the right company!
                        --Shelly Shapiro, Executive Editor

ANNOTATION

An exciting new adventure in the bestselling Dragonriders of Pern saga. 6 cassettes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When the first humans came to settle the planet Pern, they did not come alone: intelligence-enhanced dolphins also crossed the stars, to colonize the oceans of the new planet while their human partners settled the vast continents. But then disaster struck in the form of Thread, deadly silver spores that fell like rain from the sky, devouring everything - and everyone - in their path. And as the human colonists' dreams of a new, idyllic life shattered into a desperate struggle for survival, the dolphins were forgotten, left to make their own life in the seas of Pern. As time went by, human memory of dolphins was lost to legend, and only the occasional tall tale of "shipfish" rescuing fishermen lost at sea kept the legend alive. But the dolphins never forgot, and from generation to generation they preserved their oral history against the day when humans at last might remember their old friends, and once again the seas would resound with the ringing of the dolphins' bells from docks and ships... Now, centuries later, the dragonriders of Pern were on the verge of ridding their planet of Thread forever. But T'lion, a young bronze rider, was not old enough to participate in that great venture. Instead, he and his dragon, Gadareth, were relegated to conveying people from place to place - until he and Readis, son of the Lord Holder of Paradise River Hold, made contact with the legendary "shipfish." And as the dragonriders grappled with the ending of an era, T'lion, Readis, and the dolphins faced the start of a new one: reviving the bond between land- and ocean-dwellers and, in the process, resurrecting the dreams of the first colonists of Pern...

SYNOPSIS

When the first humans came to settle the planet Pern, intelligent dolphins also crossed the stars -- to colonize Pern's oceans. Then came disaster: Thread fell like rain. Humans struggled to survive. Now -- centuries later -- dragonriders and dolphins face a new era, reviving the bond between land and ocean dwellers.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In this latest addition to McCaffrey's popular Pern series (Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, etc.), the humans of Pern are reunited, after eons of noncontact, with the intelligent dolphins who had originally settled the planet with them. When a boy, Readis, is rescued by ``shipfish'' and realizes that they can talk, he develops a lifelong obsession with the fascinating creatures. But, though his interest is shared by the young dragonrider T'Lion and his dragon, Gadareth, it is forbidden by his mother, who has feared the unusual ever since she was kidnapped by outlaws because of her ability to hear and talk with dragons. Readis pursues his briney friendships nonetheless, reporting his findings to the computer, Aivas, which is attempting to guide the humans to a new era by freeing Pern forever from the devastating, life-consuming Thread. Meanwhile, the leading dragonriders and holdlords must act to contain the lust for land and power of Toric, Lord Holder of the South. Expanding upon events related in All the Weyrs of Pern, McCaffrey here adds yet another dimension to her colorful and vivid saga by focusing on the attractive dolphins and their highly believable society. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Rescued from drowning by a pair of dolphins, a young boy embarks on a lifelong mission to reestablish ties with the third most intelligent species on the planet Pern. This latest installment of McCaffrey's most popular series (The Chronicles of Pern, LJ 10/15/93) features a resourceful and determined human hero as well as a host of appealing dolphins as the supporting characters. The author's unnecessary reliance on parental opposition as a stumbling block to the fulfillment of her protagonist's dream is the only weak point in an otherwise solid contribution to the growing literature of Pern. Demand will be considerable for this title.

BookList - Dennis Winters