4.5 stars rounded up.

Dragonheart by Todd McCaffrey is the 21st book in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

I've been a fan of the series since I discovered them in the late 1990's. I must admit that I was a bit leary when I heard that her son, Todd, was starting to take over the series. I wasn't a huge fan of the first couple of books that came out under his name, but this one I really love. Fiona and T'mar have become two of my all-time favorite Pern characters and this book really showcases their characters and their development.

In this book, we see Fiona go from a Lord Holder's daughter to a Weyrwoman. We see her develop through her early teen years trying to adjust not only to the changes in her own body and feelings but also the changes in her life brought on by impressing a dragon. T'mar is an older bronze rider whose path crosses with Fiona's many times after she first becomes a weyrwoman. Then, they both find themselves back in time at an abandoned weyr which allows their relationship to grow and develop in new ways.

I highly recommend this installment of Pern's story. ( )

Dust Jacket

When young Fiona impresses a queen dragon, she doesn't realize the perils and privileges that come with her new role. The challenges of becoming a Weyrwoman - co-leader of an entire dragon Weyr - can be overwhelming. And then, on top of it all, she faces the possibility of losing her dragon to the sickness that has already claimed so many others. Now Fiona is forced to confront the question: What is she willing to give up in order to truly be a queen rider? ( )

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 is another Pern book about the time of the second Interval and the third Thread fall. If that sentence did not make sense to you, then you haven't been reading the Pern series of books. This is probably not the place to start, but it is a fine place to continue visiting that world.

I was a bit concerned that I had read some of these books out of order. I need not have worried -- Several of these newer books are happening at basically the same time-period, following the arc of different characters in different Holds and Weyrs. The same characters show up - Kindan, Nuella, and the Weyr leaders, as supporting characters.

This follows the fortunes of Fiona, the 13-year-old daughter of the Lord Holder of Fort Hold, who impresses a gold queen dragon hatchling at Fort Weyr. The story is good, but at 500+ pages, did not need to be quite so long. It is a "slice of life" story, but perhaps it could have been edited down a bit. Important things do happen that are related to the other books in this series, which is cool. But at times I wanted the story to just get going. ( )