A fantasy read: Dragonflight
The first DNF of the year in my fantasy read project.
“When is a legend legend? Why is a myth a myth? How old and discussed must a fact be for it to be relegated to the category "Fairy-tale"? And why do certain facts remain incontrovertible while others lose their validity to assume a shabby, unstable character?”
Reading my way through the 100 best fantasy books of all time, takes, well, time. Slow reading as become a larger part of my life and a new way of enjoying reading books. Slow reading Wolf Hall has really put things in perspective, how there is no need to truly rush through books, but rather, take your time and savour the moments you have between the pages. Of course there are books that I do binge, because they are just that good.
Going into Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, I was really hoping for one of those books. The fantasy books that truly grab you and blows you off your feet because it is impossible to put down. It is one of those series that I never picked up in my younger years, but have heard of many times when I engaged with other fantasy readers. Some love it, others not so much and some had issues with the series. Nevertheless, I did pick up my edition of it, a lovely little book - an edition that just screams 80s kid. The small compact fantasy pockets books you would find in a shelf at the library, and I was really hyped for it. However, it turned out that the Dragonriders of Pern, is just not my cup of tea.
The death sentence for a book
How can one girls save an entire world?
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise-and take back her stolen birthright.
But everything changes when she meets a Queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread and the blood-red star, but there are very few of them left these days. Only the gigantic, golden Queen can breed new dragons. And the Queen is fading... dying...
Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...
The synopsis and the praises had me hopeful for Dragonflight. It seemed to be a book that would check off all the boxes of what I typically enjoy in the fantasy genre. Truth to be told I only managed about a 100 pages before I started debating if this book was worth my time, then I read 60 more pages in hopes that I would change my mind as thing did start to happen.
The idea is a good one. A sole survivor of a family that has been destroyed, whom is seeking revenge and then is swept off with the legendary dragonriders. The execution of it on the other hand was not good at all. What should have been an intriguing and exiting plot was anything but. I found the story dragged out, repetitive, boring and not engaging at any level. Where there should have been suspense, there was none.
Unlikeable characters, written in a way that does not make it “fun” to read, or even work as a motivation to read on, makes the book harder to like. Combined with the blatant sexism, and uneasy feeling I kept getting from one of the main protagonists, I can say I am happy I decided to let this one go.
It might have been a good read back when it was published, but I have to admit I find it hard to understand why this book is on the list in the first place, why it won so many awards and still has so much praise. The panel considered their finalists based on key factors, like originality, ambition, influence on the genre and how it was received. It may have been all the hype back in the 60s or 70s - perhaps because the genre was still in its infancy, but I did find that it hit the mark on any of the key factors. Had the Dragonriders of Pern been published today, I am in doubt if it would have made it - but then again, opinions vary.
The reality is, for me at least, that this is a book that is too slow. It is not written well, but rather choppy, which makes it hard to follow the story and be engaged in it in any way. By the time Lessa is introduced it does become a little more interesting, however, this is not enough to make me want to continue reading. At this point there was no real incentive to continue on, I did not care for the story nor the characters.
And that my friends, is a death sentence for a book.
This reading project has been, so far an interesting journey. There are books that have really hit home, books that I have hated and books that are more or less interesting reads but not something I would reread on a later time. The best part though, has been to see how my own taste for the genre has developed as I have explored authors that I don’t think I would have read on my own. The list has helped in discovering old and new authors and refined my taste within the epic fantasy genre. It also solidified my love for the authors that I already knew I enjoyed - my favourite part so far has been the reread of The Lord of the Rings. The way I reconnected with the series has been mind blowing and I am debating if I want to do another reread of it this year.
However, before I do that, I do have many other books to pick from that pile. My current read is The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, the first book in the Dandelion dynasty and boy, I am enjoying this one! I am excited to continue on and see where it takes me - hopefully somewhere awesome.
Before I go, lets look at the numbers! I have two lists that I operate with, the original 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time from TIME and an extended list that was set up by a bookstagram friend, @theasbookworld, back when we decided to dive into this crazy reading journey. The last time I checked it was over 270 books on that list - due to the fact that a few books on the TIME list are part of longer series.
In other words, I will not be without a TBR for a long long time!
So the current numbers are:
29 books read from the TIME list
7 DNFs
47 books read from the extended list
Lets see how far I get in 2024!
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨