#f’lar

[auntieoneandauntietwo]

*rubs hands together* okkkkk, time to over analyze lessa and gemma’s deathbed conversation

As gemma is dying, lessa hurts her (squeezes her hand really hard) cause she’s angry that gemma intentionally interrupted fax and f’lar when they were about to duel. She then tells gemma her whole villainous plot, and gemma, confused, reveals that she was defending f’lar, not fax. Then she dies and women don’t have a conversation for like a hundred more pages.

What’s crazy and pivotal about this scene is that lessa has been hellbent on revenge since she was eleven and basically hasn’t spoken to a soul in a decade and now suddenly there’s someone on her side! She’s not alone in her hatred or her goals! And not only does gemma hate fax, she agrees that there’s something really weird happening with that red star that’s been showing up lately. So this is a moment of genuine human connection and support for someone to whom those concepts are completely alien.

And now lessa the stone cold revenge demon is feeling REMORSE, because she just caused a woman on her deathbed more pain. She even acknowledges that gemma “had suffered far more subjective brutalities and indignities” than she herself had. It’s a serious awakening of humanity for our motivated hero.

THEN she goes “she had no time for regret or contrition” and immediately resolves to at the very least spin gemma’s death in a way that will avenge her.

I feel like this whole interaction actually sets up a lot of lessa’s ongoing character struggles (or maybe I’m reading into things but bear with me) where she makes decisions that she knows risk herself or ramoth or other people (her famous backwards jump, manipulating fnor to go to the red star, is she the one who sends Jaxom back to get the queen egg from southern?) and then she does them anyway. In this scene with gemma, she discovers some of her humanity and also discovers she can operate despite it.

This is also another example of some of the most pivotal scenes in these books being interactions between two women that are weirdly subtle and unnoticeable. Am I grasping for straws in books that barely pass the bechdel test? Absolutely. Do I think I’m right anyways? Kinda, yeah.

#pern #dragonriders of pern #dragonflight #anne mccaffery #lessa #gemma #f’lar #fax #stubbornly tagging pern characters names #meta #character analysis #dragonflight reread

[mofun2read]

Finished Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey.

I loved this book! I will pick the series up after I finish this challenge. What a cool sci fi fantasy idea. Dragons that can jump through time.

Not to mention the dragon/rider bonding!

Lessa is such a moody, headstrong character and I love that by the end she is so close and in love with F’lar.

I’m glad this was my D. It was also a quick easy read which I needed after the American Gods and Cresent City.

I have Eragon on hold at the library so I have to skip to Fairy tale by Stephen King for now.

#dragonflight #anne mccaffrey #fairy tale #stephen king #alphabet book challenge #books #lessa #f’lar

[avrablake]

National Science Fiction Day

January 2 is National Science Fiction Day

(oops I missed it so I'm posting today instead)

Truth be told, even though I’m writing a sci-fi novel, I’m not much of a sci-fi reader. I do have some favorites, though, so I thought I would share them with you.

Wannabe by @emelkae

In terms of true sci-fi novels with space travel and robots and aliens, this is hands down my favorite. It also happens to be one of my favorite books ever.

This exciting, action-packed story about brotherhood and found-family will leave you crying. Seriously GO READ IT.

The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery

These books were so formative for me. I became obsessed with them as a teen. They have the perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy (psychic dragons on an alien planet–yes please!).

Lessa and F’Lar are some of my favorite fictional characters. Lessa is a fantastic example of a strong female character. She knows what she wants and she stubbornly goes for it. She’s never afraid to speak her mind. At the same time she continues to change and grow.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Yes I get all the strange looks when I tell people that Shades of Grey is one of my favorite books :D

I first fell in love with Jasper Fforde’s quirky storytelling when I picked up the Thursday Next series at the library. This dystopia, set in the future after the Something That Happened, is absolutely my favorite. It is equally hilarious and heartbreaking.

After 13 long years the sequel is finally coming out this year. I am beyond excited and I am not going to shut up about it.

#national science fiction day #national scifi day #scifi #emelkae #anne mccaffrey #jasper fforde #book recs

[hearsayhorizons]

Thinktober 6: Golden

The heat of the sands, the massive bulk of the mother dragon nearby, the crowds of people there to see and be seen, the little dots of Rekke’s parents in the distance.

Of the seven or so girls and women here to try their luck, only perhaps three are any sort of real possibility: the headstrong Kimara whose self-confidence will get her where kindness won't, the timid Berne whose ability to hear all dragons will probably overcome that limitation in time (not that anyone’s said anything, but Rekke sees the way dragons react to her, and her to them)... and Rekke herself.

Always dependable, always practical, keeps her head in a crisis, already has a lifetime of sacrificing the songs and freedom she wants for the greater good of her family and farmhold.

Which wouldn't be a problem, because the other two are happy to be here. But there are three golden eggs; all of them are shaking.

Across the cavern, a clumsy bronze claws its newfound partner as it tries to embrace him. People are shouting, but not at the violence as a blue tosses one boy aside to get to another behind it--no, the noise is Kimara's people, because she has Impressed the first queen hatchling. She's trying to stand tall and smug while it mews at her feet, but even from here Rekke can see her expression.

Berne becomes a sobbing mess as she embraces her new partner; the thing snuffles over her shoulder for food while she hugs it.

The last gold flexes free of its shell. Rekke tries to ignore the stab in her heart at the sight of that damp-dark hide and those whirring rainbow eyes. She plans to remain indistinguishable amongst the other white-robed candidates. Some of the girls strain toward the thing; a few others look forlornly at the greens Impressing in the distance. Others are more sensibly shrieking and backing away from its ungainly movements as it begins to approach.

It’s too late. It made eye contact, and has invaded the quiet of her mind with forlorn words: my name is Marath and I love you. And Rekke—inescapably, irrevocably, claustrophobically, loves Marath. She sinks to her knees as the other girls scatter or break into sobs or look to each other for comfort. Marath sticks her face into Rekke’s—none of the short briefings mentioned the stink—but just like everything else, just like the few girls Marath walked over and probably maimed forever in her rush to reach Rekke—it all matters so much and not at all.

She helps Marath extend her baby wings with fingers that tremble. Somewhere, far, far away, she can hear her family screaming for her. She is screaming inside, too. Her family has been talking for weeks about the prestige, the connections, maybe recruiting some lesser riders for help in getting their goods to market faster. She has been thinking since selection about... her heart outside her body. Feeling the dragon’s—Marath’s—hunger as though it is her own. Never again being alone inside her head, just like she’s never been alone in the fields or in the bedroom she shared with four siblings.

Rekke couldn’t help dwelling on the stories the weyrfolk whispered like bait or whips to the candidates during their briefings: of Ramoth’s first flight and the state her rider was in afterward, how F’lar showed her... they said it was a good time, but they talked about her injuries. How the dragons’ emotions make things different. Acceptable.

The weyrmen looked at all the girls during those talks, and the boys. Rekke wonders how many will get home. How many will want to.

Marath licks away Rekke's tears of love and revulsion.

#thinktober 2023 #fanfiction #dragonriders of pern #it is a problematic series with a lot of punch and good ideas #yes I stole the name of my favorite mtg commander but it fit the naming scheme

[readtilyoudie]

At unspoken orders, all the dragons rose with a great churning of air and dust. F’lar strode nonchalantly past the welcoming files. The men were rolling their eyes in alarm as the beasts glided above to the inner courts. Someone on the high Tower uttered a frightened yelp as Mnementh took his position on that vantage point. His great wings drove phosphoric-scented air across the inner court as he maneuvered his great frame onto the inadequate landing space.

Outwardly oblivious to the consternation, fear, and awe the dragons inspired, F’lar was secretly amused and rather pleased by the effect. Lords of the Holds needed this reminder that they still must deal with dragons, not just with riders, who were men, mortal and murderable. The ancient respect for dragonmen as well as dragonkind must be reinstilled in modern breasts.

Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1) by Anne McCaffrey

#book quote #dragonflight #anne mccaffrey #dragonriders of pern #fantasy #science fantasy #dragons #quote #quotes #booklr #bookblr

[kariachi]

Quick ficlet. F'lar and Lessa realize their actions have consequences.

~~

There was only barely enough time for F’lar and Lessa to reach the Bowl between the announcement of R’mart and Branth’s approach and their touching down. The Telgar bronze’s eyes whirled in stressful colors, and the pair could feel their own dragons rankling in the backs of their minds.

“What’s wrong,” F’lar asked before they three had even reached each other, concern roiling in his gut as a glance to the side saw Lessa getting more aggravated at whatever the dragons were telling her. Or not telling her, if Mnementh was to be believed. Solth had a clutch on the Sands, the first in centuries outside Benden, and if something went wrong-

“What,” the Oldtimer demanded, “did you do.” On instinct the Benden leadership’s backs straightened, shoulders going tautly straight and eye narrowing.

“We haven’t done anything in your territory,” Lessa said sharply, nearly glaring when R’mart shook his head.

“You did something,” he said, “because we just had what J’sat and his Tolserth say was one of the most promising queen candidates they’ve seen turn down Search.”

“I don’t see,” F’lar cut in, “what that has to do with us.” He didn’t flinch at the way R’mart and Branth both turned sharp looks on him, but Mnementh bugled warningly from his ledge.

“According to J’sat she said that Benden had already shown her more than enough hospitality for one lifetime,” he said, “and when he tried to convince her she pulled a knife on him.”

The other two couldn’t help but gape. A young woman refusing Search? During a Pass? Pulling a knife on a rider?!? As their minds wrapped around the concept, faces twisting in offense, their dragons managed to get their minds on the exact information and push it to the forefront.

She was a Lord’s daughter.

The pair went red and sour as it all sunk in. R’mart clearly noticed by the way he glared, voice lowering.

“I think,” he said with the air of an angry parent, “we should head inside, and you can tell me exactly what you did to my candidate options...”

#fanfic

[emblazonet]

DRAGONSDAWN REVIEW

This is a heckin weird book and I started off enjoying it until I Was Not Enjoying it.

The intro seemed interesting enough: we’ve got people who are escaping a variety of circumstances (including retired war veterans). They’re looking to colonize an uninhabited planet, which neatly sidesteps major issues in other colonial literatures, since, well, there’s no one sentient to object!

Personally, the sciencey stuff seems fine... I’m nota science person to begin with, and I was mildly interested by their tech and how it was described. Nothing stood out as weird. Maybe funny, when they refer to film or tapes, since we’ve established this is in our future and the colonists are often from actual places: Ireland, etc.

I did find it weird that they name a bunch of places after places on Earth. Why bother? Why not just make names that actually communicate something about the landscape they’re in? This is somethig that obviously colonists did here to North America—every city I’ve lived in has roads that are named ‘Hillside’ or ‘Pinevale’ or something (even if there are no hills or pines). In my hometown, Beacon Hill was a region my high school was in (and I’m not sure there was ever a beacon or a hill); in my current city, Beacon Hill is a park. It’s stupid and I hate it. Name things organically, or else it feels WEIRD. (In books. Obviously IRL just use the indigenous names and maybe please do a land back, like with Haida Gwaii!)

I know, I’m yelling about colonial problems at an author who has a weird obsession with bloodlines. And who killed off all the black characters in the first Threadfall. Uh huh. Moving on.

There are too many characters in this book, by the way. There are too many AND they are kinda bland. They run together. I don’t know why I should care about any of them. It’s weird that it’s supposed to be multicultural or whatever but it never feels like it. The way other cultures are represented is kinda uncomfortable. Spoilers and stuff upcoming.

Paul and Emily seem like they should have Main Character Energy, but neither does. They’re important people or something but the narrative never makes you feel it. There’s a whole bunch of names that keep coming up but I can never rememeber who they are or what they do... Pol, Bay etc. Idk.

Sorka and Sean are obviously telegraphed as some of the first dragonriders, they’re the sort of Adam and Eve first kids of Pern, and they’re boring and I grew to kinda dislike them by the end of the book because they’re just like Generic Hetero Couple and it was very yawn.

I liked Kenjo, I though he was going to be The First Dragonrider because the book goes on and on about his flying ability, the way he can conserve fuel, all that. But actually he dies halfway through and I hate that actually, because it feels like any build up with this character never went anywhere. His death was pointless but the story didn’t even make it about the pointlessness, so like... why?

Sallah’s seduction of Tarvi, a pretty man, was awkward as fuck. She drugs him and they fuck and then later she’s like ‘why doesn’t he seem to love me?’ BECAUSE YOU DRUGGED HIM? OH MY GOD????? At least Dragon Sex Pollen gives you an out! There’s no excuse to for this nonsense! And then when she dies, Tarvi—changing his name to her last name, Telgar—has this ‘oh I DID love her after all’ grief thing but it comes across as super contrived.

Look, I stand by actually liking Lessa/F’lar, but I’ve pretty much hated every single other romantic relationship in this series (except for Moreta/Alessan ... Moreta is the best book).

Speaking of Sallah’s tragic death aboard the orbiting, fuelless colony ship—her murderer is the Obviously A Villain Avril Bitra. Who is a mean gold-digger lady who is also a slut, and Anne, did you need to work something out with this one? Avril is set up as a villain but instead of being a threat to anything, she basically does a stupid and dies, but manages to take Sallah down with her. But her inexplicably meanness with Sallah has a weird sexual undertone to it? I’d be into it if I didn’t hate it. Like. The scene where Sallah is cut up and Avril is tormenting her is SO CHARGED and it could’ve been so good except it’s... it’s just not. It feels incredibly out of place! It’s the climax of the book in terms of intensity, but it’s in the middle and we haven’t even gotten to the dragons yet!

Thread, by contrast, wasn’t even that dramatic. Oh noo, there’s Thread.

And the dragons feel sort of rushed into the end of the book. There’s something weird about the biologist and her granddaughter. They’re Chinese, and everyone loves the grandmother, but apparently the granddaughter is an unpleasant bitch and there’s no explanation offered at all. I have no idea why the characterizations are so weird and awkward, but they really are.

How many times can I say ‘weird and awkward’ in one review???

Also, why does that one MAGA-style asshole, Ted Tubberman, try to bioenginner felines? What even was that? There’s literally nothing relevant about it? WHY WAS IT INCLUDED? Why wasn’t it cut?? It doesn’t do anything for the plot or characters except, I guess, kill off a loose end? Who was already exiled?

By the way, the glee with which everyone exiles this dude is so weird. ‘We didn’t kill him! We just ostracized him forever!’ Wow. Just. Wow. I don’t even know what to say.

In sum, basically, this book is a structural mess with bad characters. It had a fun dragonfighting sequence three pages from the end, and that was probably my favourite part.

I don’t know how a book with so much stuff happening crammed into it could be so boring, but here we are. Like, this wasn’t Nerilka-level bad: it didn’t do any character assassinations because it wasn’t a sequel to anything that came before. But it was a slog, and it didn’t even have the grace to have a lot of dragon-related screen time to offset it.

3/10, a structural disaster.

#dragonriders of pern #amber reads pern #dragonsdawn #I miss moreta #moreta was actually good

[godzilla-reads]

💎 Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4

Lessa of Ruatha has waited more than a decade to exact her revenge on Fax, who had massacred her family and taken over her Hold. F’lar of Benden Weyr is in search of a new Weyrwoman after the last golden queen died. Their lives intersect as an old danger threatens Pern.

This one was hard to rate. I loved the story and how it was slow-paced and drawn out, making the danger of Threads more threatening. I wanted to rate it 3/5 because the book had a lot of old-school misogyny in it, but I heard that gets better in McCaffrey’s later books. I ended up giving it 4/5 stars because I really do think it’s a classic fantasy/sci-fi story that deserves its praise. I also really liked the depiction of dragons and seeing them form a bond with their rider.

I want to continue reading the Pern series, so fingers crossed on seeing less sexism in the next books 🤞

#godzilla reads #dragonflight #anne mccaffrey #book review #fantasy books #dragon books #bookdragon #bookwyrm #reading #reads #book blog #book blurb #bookworm #booklr #booklife #bibliophile

[adobedragon]

No more than an arm’s length above her the air shimmered and Pidge flinched instinctively at a sudden, small gust of wind. Jeweled eyes winked at her and she, along with several people around her, gasped in delight. A gold fire-lizard, the miniature of mighty Ramoth on the sands, had just emerged from between and hovered for a few heartbeats, little wings pushing a small breeze onto Pidge’s face.

Turning, the little creature soared over the crowd, her passing noted by other humans and a scattering of other fire-lizards perched on shoulders. As of late, fire-lizards had become the accessory of choice for Lord Holders and other people of influence. The little gold aimed for a cluster of dragonriders including F’lar and Lessa, Benden’s Weyrleader and Weyrwoman, where she settled on the shoulders of a man who was likely F’nor, Benden’s Wing-second. Pidge had never seen any of the trio before, but Lessa’s fierce dark beauty contained in a diminutive frame was unmistakable.

Laughter, light but echoing in the vast cavern, rang out.

Seated with a cluster of other dragonriders in the tiers almost opposite her location, a lanky young man grinned goofily at another rider, that one dark and heavy-set. Hands waving, he carried on telling some tale. Something familiar about him drew her attention and she realized he was the rider of the large blue dragon seen earlier. Bared of flight cap and googles, his short hair was the warm brown of klah.

The grin faded from the young man’s tanned face as his gaze swept to the left. Pidge followed his line of sight, landing on L’tor, rider of bronze Orianth. The elder dragonrider arched an elegant, snow white eyebrow at the younger dragonrider, his face passive, but the meaning clear. Quelled, the blue rider’s shoulders hunched and he affected a serious mien although it didn’t seem to fit his face properly.

#plance #pidgeance #pidge holt #lance #pre-plance #first impressions #Impression #fanart #my art #fanfiction #crossover #digital drawing practice #krita #dragon #green dragon #AU #vld #dragonriders of pern #complete fic #prologue #plance week 2022

[cgan]

the first time i finished dragonflight i remember being so irritated that it ended with a f’lar scene. felt like he pulled the plot right out from under lessa

[ahammz]

ok finally remembering to post the rest of my doodles from reading Dragonflight. like i said, i drew a lot while reading this. it just felt like an old anime to me, which inspired me to draw.

f’lar is such a stupid name.

#dragonriders of pern #dragonflight #lessa of pern #f'lar

[auntieoneandauntietwo]

Seeing as the big high point of Dragonflight is the relationship between Lessa and Mardra, it’s a bit of a shame that the conflict in Dragonquest doesn’t actually center around the collapse of that relationship

#as opposed to the relationship between F’lar and T’ron #which I don’t have a problem with but it has less emotional weight because we never get to see their relationship being good #whereas with lessa and mardra it’s like this is the first woman lessa has met who is in the same position as her #and can be a friend and a mentor #they’ve formed a connection literally across centuries #and the fact that they formed that relationship saves the entire planet #and then eight years later they’re bitter enemies #so it would be way weightier for the conflict with the oldtimers to be framed around THAT #don’t mind me I’m just adding complex female relationships to books with very few women again #pern #dragonriders of pern #anne mccaffery #dragonflight #dragonquest #mardra #lessa #f’lar #t’ron #stubbornly tagging pern characters names #dragonflight reread #character analysis

[rjalker]

Sarcasm: It's okay to kidnap women and girls no ones gonna try to rescue them or anything, after all, they're only property! The exact same thing as objects!! If only the kidnappers has *asked* if they could please have some women and girls to be separated from their families against their will to become their slaves!!!!! /sarcasm.

“They’re still taking,” Robinton said, wanting to ease D’ram’s distress. “They’ve taken what they wanted from the north all along. Here, there. What pleased them. Young girls, material, stone, iron, jewels. They looted with quiet system ever since they were exiled. I’ve had the reports. I’ve given them to F’lar."

“If only they had asked!” F’lar looked upward at the fast-dwindling specks of dragons in flight.

#Rjalker reads The Dragonriders of Pern #The Dragonriders of Pern misogyny #The Dragonriders of Pern bigotry #the misogyny is coming from inside the house

[booksopandah]

Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey (Dragonriders of Pern 2)

This is a direct continuation of the first book in the series, and features essentially no skip. For those who aren’t familiar, Pern is a pseudo-medieval world that has very recently started receiving Thread again, a parasitic fungus that falls from a nearby rogue planet and rapidly consumes any organic material. The Dragonriders, after dealing with the first Threadfall in centuries, brought forth heroes of old to help combat the continued plague.

I really enjoy this series, both for discussing it with my mom, and because it has the decency to treat women like people. Not perfectly, there are still issues, but much better than women in typical scifi fantasy books. Lessa is intelligent and strong, Brekke is hardworking and so human. F’lar is clever as always, and F’nor is a dumbass but we love him for trying. There are also some much less fun moments, and characters easy to hate, but thankfully we move on.

If you want a really interesting take on traditional fantasy, especially one which makes use of scifi tropes, and old “ancient aliens” style worldbuilding, then you’ll really enjoy these first two books. For the most part, just really fascinating ideas, and a really adventurous and clever world. Also, it counts for the weird ecology square for the r/Fantasy bingo, which is a plus. Happy reading!

#Dragonquest #anne mccaffrey #dragonriders of pern #books #sff books

[bubblesandpages]

I’m reading Dragonflight right now, and the image of F’lar all but force feeding Lessa food is adorable.

#really REALLY vibe with the writing style as well #thinking about it I haven't had the honor of reading much old school fantasy in a long time #it's a lot closer to Eragon than anything I've read that's come out in the past ten or so years #not to be that person but they just don't make books like they use to #dragonriders of pern #Anne McCaffrey #Fizzy talks #reading

[readtilyoudie]

F’lar doubted that Fax would have attempted such a program of aggression against neighboring Holds if the Weyr had maintained its old prominence. Each Hold must have its Lord to protect valley and folk from the Threads. One Hold, one Lord—not one Lord claiming seven Holds. That was against ancient tradition, and evil besides, for how well can one man protect seven valleys at once? Man, except for dragonmen, can be in only one place at a time. And unless a man was dragon-mounted, it took hours to get from one Hold to another. No Weyrman of old would have permitted such flagrant disregard of ancient ways.

Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1) by Anne McCaffrey

#book quote #dragonflight #anne mccaffrey #dragonriders of pern #fantasy #dragons #quote #quotes #booklr #bookblr