Massive, Complex, but Worthwhile Reading

Dragonheart
By Todd McCaffrey
Hardcover: 560 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (November 11, 2008)
Rated: 4 Stars of 5 Possible

Okay, I'll admit it. I am a die-hard Pern fanatic. That being the case, I HAD to buy Dragonheart hot off the press... in fact, I placed my order for this latest volume in the Pern saga about eight months prior to it's release to be certain I didn't miss buying it... that said, I'm not sorry that I bought the book, however, after reading it, I realized I could have waited.

If you are new to Pern, Dragonheart isn't your easiest entry; in fact, I don't recommend that you start with this novel if you've never read any of the Dragonriders of Pern series. Some might find the previous statement a little shocking coming from such a fan as myself; Todd McCaffrey's latest entry in the Saga of Pern is complex. Dragonheart builds on the second interval/third pass story that Todd and his mom began with Dragon's Kin back in 2003. Start there if you're new to Pern then read Todd's first solo Pern novel, Dragonsblood and his other two collaborations with his mom before you get to Dragonheart.

Dragonheart is told from a different point of view than Dragonsblood, but covers much of the same storyline. Readers who have read the previous novel will find some storyline that's familiar and some that's not so familiar in Dragonheart. Todd is laying down the groundwork for several massive novels with this book and providing some backstory that's necessary to understand the future novels he is planning to write.

Yes, Dragonheart can stand alone, however, it is greatly enhanced by reading the novels of the second interval/third pass era of Pern which came before. The prior work provides backstory and lays the groundwork to better understand this massive and complex tale. Recommended to fans of the Dragonriders of Pern saga and to those readers with an affinity for long and complex fantasy or science fiction novels.