First line:
~I am not a Harper, so do not expect the polished tale~ ( )

Nerilka's Story is a very lean novel (possibly a novella by actual word count?) that retells the story of Moreta. Spoilers for Moreta: at the end, following the death of Moreta, Alessan marries minor character Nerilka "Rill."Nerilka's Story retells the plague from Nerilka's perspective. It follows some Pern tropes that will be familiar to anyone who's read Dragonsong and Masterharper: Nerilka's family is mean to her even though she's gifted, Nerilka strikes out on her own, everyone realizes how awesome Nerilka is, the end. It's 182 pages long, but there are pictures and generous typography; I blew through it in one day. Though I was generally entertained, I feel like the central question I had from Moreta—how did Alessan come around to Nerilka so quickly—was largely unaddressed, going by very fast at the end.

I think the publishers knew this wasn't up to much; the dust jacket insists this is a gift to Pern fans (a gift you had to buy yourself in hardcover?) and the pictures—which are not very good—and the maps and other appendices seem like padding.

Another amazing story about the People of Pern. Highly recommended.

A deadly epidemic was sweeping across Pern!

Everyone, holder and dragonrider alike, pitched in to help—except Nerilka’s father, who refused to share Fort Hold’s bounty with the other Holds. So, ashamed of her family and determined to do her part, Nerilka packed up medicines and supplies and sneaked off to aid her people.

Her quest to help wherever she was most needed led her finally to Ruatha Hold, where Lord Alessan was frantically preparing the precious serum needed for mass inoculations against the dread plague.

Nerilka had long ago abandoned her hope of marriage and a home of her own. Now she found happiness in being useful and appreciated—first the Healers and then Alessan made very clear that they were grateful for her help.

She had no idea that her new path would change the course of her life forever! ( )

Anne McCaffrey is the quintessential writer of fantasy books pertaining to dragons. These books are always wonderful, well written, and perfectly characterized. All of her series are great but the ones that take place on Pern are the best of all. A thoroughly fun and engaging read. ( )

This novella, set in McCaffrey’s epic world of Pern, is stylistically more like a Regency romance than a science-fiction short story. McCaffrey provides an prologue which explains the setting and historical background of the story, but it is more confusing than explanatory, and readers would do well to skip to the story itself.

Nerilka is one of the many daughters of the Lord of Fort Hold, and as a plain, hard-working girl, harbors no romantic thoughts of a lavish marriage and escape from Fort Hold. She spends most of her time gathering and preparing medicinal plants for the healers. Her parents and four sisters are visiting another Hold when a disease and quarantine strikes Pern. Nerilka’s father, in defiance of the quarantine, leaves his dying wife and daughters to return home to Fort Hold, where upon hearing of their death, installs his mistress, Anella, and her extended family in the Fort. Nerilka, appalled at his actions and his refusal to send supplies from their overflowing stockroom to those in need, disguises herself and takes medical supplies to those in need, eventually coming to Ruatha Hold, where she becomes a valued member of the Healers.

Published in the mid 1980′s, the black and white illustrations are rather laughable. I remembered this book as being a charming little story, but upon re-reading, found that it has not aged well — which is funny, seeing that it is science fiction set in the distant future. Perhaps it is best read after consuming several of McCaffrey’s Pern novels and getting in to the proper mindset. ( )