Subject: _The Dolphins of Pern_ by Anne McCaffrey

From: [email-masked] (Christina Schulman)
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 23:13:40 GMT

[Beware of spoilers for _All the Weyrs of Pern_]

There are hordes of devoted fans of Anne McCaffrey who will run out and
buy _The Dolphins of Pern_, no matter what anyone says.  And there are
throngs of readers who never liked McCaffrey in the first place, or who
have given up on the Pern books in disgust, and they won't get within
50 feet of _The Dolphins of Pern_, no matter what anyone says.  I belong
to the third group of readers who have continued to read the increasingly
disappointing Pern books out of a lingering sentimental fondness for the
earlier books.  So should these borderline fans try _Dolphins?_  I think
so; I enjoyed it more than I did the previous few.

In _Dolphins_, McCaffrey returns to her strength:  writing about
unappreciated kids who bond with endearing animals.  And her dolphins
are endearing, and considerably less goofy than I expected them to be.
The first section of the book, which begins several Turns before the end
of _All the Weyrs of Pern_, deals with the rediscovery that the "shipfish"
are sentient.  This part of the story is fairly self-contained and
centers on only a few characters, which I found a pleasant change from
the recent Pern books.

The mercifully short second part of the book, which meshes with the end
of _All the Weyrs_, is far less successful.  In a typical passage, Readis,
the young son of Jayge and Aramina, receives a note with the news of
Robinton's death; he goes from one adult to another for an explanation,
and each adult promptly bursts into incoherent tears.  McCaffrey was
obviously shooting for pathos here; unfortunately the effect is ludicrous,
especially after the third or fourth adult, and I giggled through it. 

The final third of the book is the best part.  Forbidden by his mother
to have anything to do with the dolphins--and stop me if you've heard
this one before--Readis runs away from home to live Holdless in a cave by
the sea, where he spends his time swimming with and caring for a pod of
dolphins.  It's not exactly new material, but I enjoyed it.

So if you've read your copy of _Dragonsong_ into shreds, take a look at
_The Dolphins of Pern_, although you may want to skim the middle.  If
you've read the previous two Pern books, you have a good idea of what to
expect, and if you haven't, it stands fairly well on its own.

%A   McCaffrey, Anne
%T   The Dolphins of Pern
%I   Del Rey
%C   New York
%D   October 1994
%G   ISBN 0-345-36894-0
%P   340pp
%O   hardcover, US$22.00

-- 
Christina Schulman    Presbyterian University Hospital   [email-masked]