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i_read_whatSo last time, the book managed to piss me off royally with its wasted potential. Brekke lost her dragon, Kylara lost her mind (and dragon), and I lost any interest I actually had in the only real ongoing plot of the book now that F'lar's fully thwarted the Oldtimers.
And we've still got four chapters to go.
We start out with Robinton, who is dragonback but not particularly enjoying it for once. He's going to a viewing of the Red Star, but it's not great timing. Brekke's tragedy was only six days ago, and everyone's still reacting. Robinton knows that F'lar wants to prove to the Lord Holders that the dragonmen earnestly want to stop Thread (something that I would have said shouldn't be necessary, but I remember F'nor's absurd conflict last chapter). For once, though, Robinton isn't being F'lar's cheerleader, and he's expressing some doubt about F'lar's wisdom in pushing this now when so much is still in flux.
The viewing is taking place at Fort Weyr. Apparently Fandarel's "glassman" Wansor mounted the viewing glass permanently there, since that's where it was discovered. Apparently P'zar (the new Fort Weyrleader) wants it to stay, and Wansor thinks it's a good idea because of something to do with elevation, angles and altitudes.
Robinton admits he doesn't understand, but also resolves to learn more. He, Fandarel and Terry believe that there should be an interchange of knowledge between Crafts, especially since so much was lost over the years. Apparently, some of the Crafts had the dumbass idea to have secrets only the Craftmaster knew, which then get lost if the Craftmaster dies before teaching people. We're told that Robinton and his predecessor never agreed with the practice though, and there are five senior harpers that know everything Robinton does, with three promising journeymen studying diligently.
I won't make fun of that. It's smart, especially given how dodgy written records can be in this setting.
Anyway, when Robinton gets there, he finds Fandarel, Wansor, and Lessa waiting. Lessa fills us in on Brekke.
'She does as well as can be expected. F’nor insisted that we bring her to his weyr. The man’s emotionally attached to her—far more than gratitude for any nursing. Between him, Manora and Mirrim, she is never alone.'
That's fucking creepy. I would feel a lot better if we knew for sure that's what Brekke wants too.
Lessa goes on to say that no one is happy losing Brekke as a Weyrwoman, but she has a plan. Now that there is proof that people can Impress more than once, and with more than one kind of dragon, she wants to present Brekke as a candidate at the hatching.
This is why I love Lessa. And why, even with all of the nonsense in Dragonflight, I think she and F'lar really are a well-suited couple. Because this is a STUPID IDEA.
It is. It's not going to work. We know that now. We know from Lytol that losing one's dragon is soul crushing, and notice that Lytol refused a fire lizard egg. His loss is decades old. Brekke's is brand new. This is a terrible idea.
But it's completely in character. Lessa is not remotely a passive character. She always takes action. And she's ruthlessly practical. Brekke's a talented Weyrwoman. People can Impress again. So throw her in the ring, and see if they can get her reinstated. Emotional issues be damned.
Lessa's not her husband, but she's someone who had all the soft edges burned away a long time ago. She responded to her own substantial trauma by focusing on what she could do, and wreaking havoc in the process. It makes completely sense that Lessa thinks this is the way to help Brekke, it would possibly be the way to help Lessa.
And that's why Lessa and F'lar are so suited. They're not cold people. They're not intentionally cruel. But they're not people people. They are so incredibly goal oriented, and neither has much patience or understanding of human foibles. F'lar's more of a planner. Lessa is more impulsive. But they both operate under the same framework: there's something that needs to be done and they're going to do it, without flinch or hesitation.
This will go badly. It may even hurt Brekke more. But I still love Lessa for wanting to try it.
Robinton, wisely, has his doubts which he expressesd diplomatically by asking about people who aren't in favor of this plan. The Oldtimers have been indifferent, probably because they're so sure it can't be done. But F'nor and Manora are opposed.
We get a fairly amazing passage that tells us as much about Lessa as it does about Brekke.
Lessa gave an impatient snort. 'Brekke says nothing. She will not even open her eyes. She can’t be sleeping all the time. The lizards and the dragons tell us she’s awake. You see,' and Lessa’s exasperation showed through her tight control for she was more worried about Brekke than she’d admit even to herself, 'Brekke can hear any dragon. Like me. She’s the only other Weyrwoman who can. And all the dragons listen to her.' Lessa moved restlessly and Robinton could see her slender white hands rubbing against her thighs in unconscious agitation.
'Surely that’s an advantage if she’s suicidal?'
'Brekke is not—not actively suicidal. She’s craftbred, you know,' Lessa said in a flat, disapproving tone of voice.
'No, I didn’t know,' Robinton murmured encouragingly after a pause. He was thinking that Lessa wouldn’t ever contemplate suicide in a similar circumstance and wondered what Brekke’s 'breeding' had to do with a suicidal aptitude.
'That’s her trouble. She can’t actively seek death so she just lies there. I have this incredible urge,' and Lessa bunched her fists, 'to beat or pinch or slap her—anything to get some response from the girl. It’s not the end of the world, after all. She can hear other dragons. She’s not bereft of all contact with dragonkind, like Lytol.'
This is an amazing bit of characterization. Lessa is being kind of awful here, but it's clear that it comes from worry, fear and helplessness. It also comes from being a different person than Brekke with very different trauma based coping mechanisms. (Also, Robinton shares my confusion about breeding.)
This is the kind of passage that reminds me of how great Ms. McCaffrey can be. This is how you write a flawed protagonist. I love it so much.
Anyway, Lessa's frustration also comes from worry about F'lar, who apparently aggravated his wound something awful when he came to High Reaches, and is now feverish.
Six days later? That sounds really really bad. No wonder Lessa's nearly out of her mind. Anyway, he would be here tonight, but she dosed his klah when he wasn't looking.
I love you Lessa.
Robinton's response is pretty great too: 'In fact,' he went on, 'I’m a trifle relieved that F’lar isn’t here, railing at anything that keeps him from blotting out any Thread he happens to see in that contraption.'
Hah, that's probably accurate. They're interrupted then, but Robinton gets the impression that Lessa isn't entirely on board with F'lar's plan to move against the Red Star.
See, now, there is actually a really interesting thread here that seems to be happening entirely off screen. Lessa and F'lar have been basically a united front for the past seven years. They tend to be phenomenally on the same page, even in Dragonflight. But there, Lessa was the one who engaged in the incredibly risky behavior. This time, F'lar wants to do it. And he's also physically vulnerable in a way that Lessa probably isn't used to. And Lessa's lost a lot of people in her life. So for the first time in a long time, they're a bit at odds.
I'd like to actually see this. Ideally from Lessa's point of view, because we haven't had it at all in this book. I want to explore how things have changed for her.
Instead, we spent half a book on a crap rape-romance, and Kylara's scheming, which culminated in a big fat nothing. I might still be annoyed.
Anyway, Meron has arrived, which enrages Lessa. He of course acts like a dick. It occurs to me that it could have been interesting if Ms. McCaffrey had gone in a sympathetic adversary direction here. After all, he has just lost Kylara. She's alive, but in a permanent state of childhood regression. That could enhance his antagonism toward the dragonriders, if he blames them, or if he thinks they're unjustly using Kylara as a scapegoat.
Which honestly, they kind of are. Pilgra was the High Reaches Weyrwoman. She would have a good idea of safe distances. She knew Kylara had taken Prideth to Nabol and didn't seem concerned. It sounded like a terrible accident.
But three dimensional villains are not Ms. McCaffrey's strong suit, at least in this series. So Meron is just a swaggering dick. Eventually, Lessa puts an end to his monopolizing the distance viewer, and when Meron decides to be a provocative dick to HER, Fandarel actually bodily lifts Meron up and CARRIES him farther away. Hah.
So Lessa gets to see the planet, as do we:
Lessa had to stand on tiptoe to reach the eyepiece, silently wishing someone had taken into account that not all the viewers this evening were tall. The instant the image of the Red Star reached her brain, such trivial annoyance evaporated. There was the Red Star, seemingly no farther away than her arm could reach. It swam, a many-hued globe, like a child’s miggsy, in a lush black background. Odd whitish-pink masses must be clouds. Startling to think that the Red Star could possess clouds—like Pern. Where the cover was pierced, she could see grayish masses, a lively gray with glints and sparkles. The ends of the slightly ovoid planet were completely white, but devoid of the cloud cover. Like the great icecaps of northern regions of Pern. Darker masses punctuated the grays. Land? Or seas?
So the other lords get to see it too, and there's lots of bickering and speculation. No one can tell if the grey part is land or not, and Wansor wins Lessa's approval by admitting that he's not sure. "A man ought not be afraid to say he didn't know. Nor a woman."
Oh Lessa, how I missed you.
Eventually things come to a head though, when Meron pokes his nose back in the fray and (somewhat accurately) accuses Robinton of always doing as Benden Weyr decrees, and (inaccurately) stating that Benden doesn't care to exterminate Thread at its source.
This leads to Meron making the most amazing accusation in the entire book.
'But it’s so obvious. Surely you can all see that,' Meron replied with malicious affability and a feigned surprise at the obtuseness of the others. 'He has a hopeless passion for—the Benden Weyrwoman.'
HAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHA. It's not the WeyrWOMAN that Robinton seems to be in love with, Meron. Oh god. I am delighted. Now, F'LAR. MAYBE. I read that first chapter.
Lessa is not as delighted as I am. She worries that with Kylara's antics, that the accusation might be plausible. So? What difference would it make if it was? Also, logically speaking, why would Robinton being obsessed with Lessa make him more likely to agree with F'lar? Unless he thinks there's a threesome...
Oh well, Robinton laughs in Meron's face and says 'Benden’s Weyrwoman has not half the attraction for me that Benden’s wine has!' Which happily reassures everyone, because they all know Robinton is a borderline alcoholic. He continues by saying he has no opinion about the Red Star except that it is really fucking scary. Fair. He gives his usual full page long pro-Dragonrider speech, pointing out how they fight Thread every day and what it does to man and dragon. It's less annoying here than in Dragonflight, as at this point, the Weyrs actually have been pulling their weight.
Meron still tries to push the issue, wanting to know WHEN the expedition will take place. But even the previously annoying Lord Groghe defends Lessa, asking how he can expect anyone to give a date and time. Meanwhile, Wansor needs to complete his observations, since it would be really fucking stupid to go there until they've seen the whole thing and figured out how the geography actually works.
There's also some banter about F'lar taking it as an insult that Thread isn't falling according to his timetables anymore, and a nice bit where the Lords appreciate that the timetables have worked accurately for years. Meron tries to rally them against the Weyr, claiming that they don't need dragonriders since fire lizards eat Thread.
Which is patently ridiculous. Lessa counters by asking if she should inform T'bor that he no longer needs to patrol Nabol, which shuts Meron down. This does make one of the other Lords nervous, but she reassures him. Without admitting that she wouldn't actually have the authority to order it anyway.
I love you, Lessa.
Kylara comes up, with requests to know what's going to be done with her. Lessa's answer is "Nothing" and she points out that the Lord Holders haven't done anything about Meron either. Which...isn't entirely the same thing, I have to admit. Meron is an asshole, but he's not a dragonrider and doesn't really appreciate how this all works.
That said, I still think Kylara's being a bit unfairly scapegoated, and besides, in the end, she and Brekke have suffered the worst consequences, so...I think "Nothing" is probably the best option.
-
The next morning, F'lar is querulous and feverish still. Egads, I think I'd be worried about infection or sepsis by now. Do they HAVE antibiotics?
Anyway, he's frustrated by his inactivity and by the fact that Lessa can't give him much by way of information about the Red Star. He wants F'nor, but has to be reminded that he's not leaving Brekke's side. I'm willing to cut F'lar some slack here since he's obviously not really thinking clearly.
As it turns out, Lessa's on top of his pet project. She's had N'ton get the Thread. (N'ton's apparently also been unobstrusively wheedling his way into Fort Weyr and will likely be the one flying the queen when the time comes.) F'lar wants to know what happened with the experiment: the grubs rose to the surface and soon the Thread was gone. F'lar is delighted.
F'lar has apparently come to certain conclusions during his convalescence also. Basically that they need people who can "carry on" after them. This is an interesting bit of growth, because, as I've mentioned, F'lar has always kept things close to the chest. He wants N'ton to know everything he does, just in case something happens.
This causes Lessa to get angry, irritated, and terrified in equal doses. But F'lar's actually right here. Dragonriding IS a hazardous job after all. What if he took a nasty bit of Thread and died. What would they do?
I think also, this may be related to the way his father, F'lon died. If F'lon hadn't died, stupidly in a bar fight if I recall Masterharper of Pern correctly, then Benden would have had a good extra decade to prepare for Threadfall.
Anyway, N'ton actually arrives with Wansor, who is alarmed to see exactly how sick F'lar looks. He has news: through the distance viewer, they've seen other globes in the sky. Presumably planets. And Wansor now has some theories about gravitation, without the name of course.
Actually though, wouldn't they know about planets already? After all, people in ancient Egypt and Greece knew about the nearest planets. Mars, Venus and Jupiter are visible with the naked eye. But I admit, I'm not an astronomer, and I don't really know how they differentiated planet from star.
F'lar starts to worry that Thread may come from something other than the Red Star, but Lessa, thankfully, puts the kibosh on that, pointing out that the ancients who made the viewer definitely attributed Thread to the Red Star. N'ton then realizes that he's seen diagrams of globes in one of the Council Room drawings, including one with satellites, like the one Wansor saw in the distance viewer.
It's kind of neat seeing them put all of these things together.
Wansor also has some theories about using lenses in with the Star Stones to see the Red Star, though the angle would be different and there'd need to be a lot of calculation. Lessa, realizing that Wansor hasn't slept in days, gets him to go to bed. Meanwhile N'ton and F'lar talk more about the Star and the grubs.
N'ton actually has a really interesting idea, namely that the Southern Continent might have been abandoned intentionally for so long specifically to let the grubs grow in strength there. He thinks they might have been meant as ground crews, but the knowledge was lost before it could be transmitted.
Lessa really likes the idea as a substitute for going to the Red Star, though F'lar knows that they probably will still have to go, if only to show the Lord Holders that the dragonriders truly want to eliminate Thread.
The doubts make some sense, if we take F'nor's bit last chapter in mind. Without Thread, the Weyrs lose their power. Now, F'lar is a fanatic who wouldn't care about that. But the others...
N'ton volunteers to sneak around T'kul and investigate more of Southern, to see if the grubs exist beyond the swamps. And F'lar has a moment of actual human empathy for another person:
'All right, all right N’ton. Go. It’s the truth I’ve no one else to send,' and F’lar tried not to feel bitter that F’nor was involved with a woman; he was a dragonrider first, wasn’t he? Then F’lar suppressed such uncharitable thoughts. Brekke had been a Weyrwoman; through no fault of hers (and F’lar still berated himself that he had not thought of keeping a closer check on Kylara’s activities—he’d been warned), Brekke was deprived of her dragon. If she found some comfort in F’nor’s presence, it was unforgivable to deprive her of his company.
I mean, yes, he expresses it in an assholish way. But still. LOOK at this. This is a HUGE development! Empathy. Not only empathy, but empathy for a circumstance that causes F'lar actual inconvenience! And acknowledgment of his own role in her loss.
Congratulations, F'lar! You're learning to become a better person! I am so proud!
Once N'ton goes off, F'lar and Lessa have their own little moment.
That underscored his youthfulness and F’lar waved him out, trying to suppress jealousy with gratitude. The moment he’d gone, F’lar let out a sudden exasperated oath that brought Lessa, all consideration, to his side.
'I’ll get well, I’ll get well,' he fumed. He held her hand against his cheek, grateful, too, for the cool of her fingers as they curved to fit against his face.
'Of course you’ll get well. You’re never sick,' she murmured softly, stroking his forehead with her free hand. Then her voice took on a teasing note. 'You’re just stupid. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone between, let cold into a wound, and developed fever.'
F’lar, reassured as much by her caustic jibe as her cool and loving caresses, lay back and willed himself to sleep, to health.
...god damnit. I really do love them as a couple now. Fine, McCaffrey. Just this once, you win.
And we've still got four chapters to go.
We start out with Robinton, who is dragonback but not particularly enjoying it for once. He's going to a viewing of the Red Star, but it's not great timing. Brekke's tragedy was only six days ago, and everyone's still reacting. Robinton knows that F'lar wants to prove to the Lord Holders that the dragonmen earnestly want to stop Thread (something that I would have said shouldn't be necessary, but I remember F'nor's absurd conflict last chapter). For once, though, Robinton isn't being F'lar's cheerleader, and he's expressing some doubt about F'lar's wisdom in pushing this now when so much is still in flux.
The viewing is taking place at Fort Weyr. Apparently Fandarel's "glassman" Wansor mounted the viewing glass permanently there, since that's where it was discovered. Apparently P'zar (the new Fort Weyrleader) wants it to stay, and Wansor thinks it's a good idea because of something to do with elevation, angles and altitudes.
Robinton admits he doesn't understand, but also resolves to learn more. He, Fandarel and Terry believe that there should be an interchange of knowledge between Crafts, especially since so much was lost over the years. Apparently, some of the Crafts had the dumbass idea to have secrets only the Craftmaster knew, which then get lost if the Craftmaster dies before teaching people. We're told that Robinton and his predecessor never agreed with the practice though, and there are five senior harpers that know everything Robinton does, with three promising journeymen studying diligently.
I won't make fun of that. It's smart, especially given how dodgy written records can be in this setting.
Anyway, when Robinton gets there, he finds Fandarel, Wansor, and Lessa waiting. Lessa fills us in on Brekke.
'She does as well as can be expected. F’nor insisted that we bring her to his weyr. The man’s emotionally attached to her—far more than gratitude for any nursing. Between him, Manora and Mirrim, she is never alone.'
That's fucking creepy. I would feel a lot better if we knew for sure that's what Brekke wants too.
Lessa goes on to say that no one is happy losing Brekke as a Weyrwoman, but she has a plan. Now that there is proof that people can Impress more than once, and with more than one kind of dragon, she wants to present Brekke as a candidate at the hatching.
This is why I love Lessa. And why, even with all of the nonsense in Dragonflight, I think she and F'lar really are a well-suited couple. Because this is a STUPID IDEA.
It is. It's not going to work. We know that now. We know from Lytol that losing one's dragon is soul crushing, and notice that Lytol refused a fire lizard egg. His loss is decades old. Brekke's is brand new. This is a terrible idea.
But it's completely in character. Lessa is not remotely a passive character. She always takes action. And she's ruthlessly practical. Brekke's a talented Weyrwoman. People can Impress again. So throw her in the ring, and see if they can get her reinstated. Emotional issues be damned.
Lessa's not her husband, but she's someone who had all the soft edges burned away a long time ago. She responded to her own substantial trauma by focusing on what she could do, and wreaking havoc in the process. It makes completely sense that Lessa thinks this is the way to help Brekke, it would possibly be the way to help Lessa.
And that's why Lessa and F'lar are so suited. They're not cold people. They're not intentionally cruel. But they're not people people. They are so incredibly goal oriented, and neither has much patience or understanding of human foibles. F'lar's more of a planner. Lessa is more impulsive. But they both operate under the same framework: there's something that needs to be done and they're going to do it, without flinch or hesitation.
This will go badly. It may even hurt Brekke more. But I still love Lessa for wanting to try it.
Robinton, wisely, has his doubts which he expressesd diplomatically by asking about people who aren't in favor of this plan. The Oldtimers have been indifferent, probably because they're so sure it can't be done. But F'nor and Manora are opposed.
We get a fairly amazing passage that tells us as much about Lessa as it does about Brekke.
Lessa gave an impatient snort. 'Brekke says nothing. She will not even open her eyes. She can’t be sleeping all the time. The lizards and the dragons tell us she’s awake. You see,' and Lessa’s exasperation showed through her tight control for she was more worried about Brekke than she’d admit even to herself, 'Brekke can hear any dragon. Like me. She’s the only other Weyrwoman who can. And all the dragons listen to her.' Lessa moved restlessly and Robinton could see her slender white hands rubbing against her thighs in unconscious agitation.
'Surely that’s an advantage if she’s suicidal?'
'Brekke is not—not actively suicidal. She’s craftbred, you know,' Lessa said in a flat, disapproving tone of voice.
'No, I didn’t know,' Robinton murmured encouragingly after a pause. He was thinking that Lessa wouldn’t ever contemplate suicide in a similar circumstance and wondered what Brekke’s 'breeding' had to do with a suicidal aptitude.
'That’s her trouble. She can’t actively seek death so she just lies there. I have this incredible urge,' and Lessa bunched her fists, 'to beat or pinch or slap her—anything to get some response from the girl. It’s not the end of the world, after all. She can hear other dragons. She’s not bereft of all contact with dragonkind, like Lytol.'
This is an amazing bit of characterization. Lessa is being kind of awful here, but it's clear that it comes from worry, fear and helplessness. It also comes from being a different person than Brekke with very different trauma based coping mechanisms. (Also, Robinton shares my confusion about breeding.)
This is the kind of passage that reminds me of how great Ms. McCaffrey can be. This is how you write a flawed protagonist. I love it so much.
Anyway, Lessa's frustration also comes from worry about F'lar, who apparently aggravated his wound something awful when he came to High Reaches, and is now feverish.
Six days later? That sounds really really bad. No wonder Lessa's nearly out of her mind. Anyway, he would be here tonight, but she dosed his klah when he wasn't looking.
I love you Lessa.
Robinton's response is pretty great too: 'In fact,' he went on, 'I’m a trifle relieved that F’lar isn’t here, railing at anything that keeps him from blotting out any Thread he happens to see in that contraption.'
Hah, that's probably accurate. They're interrupted then, but Robinton gets the impression that Lessa isn't entirely on board with F'lar's plan to move against the Red Star.
See, now, there is actually a really interesting thread here that seems to be happening entirely off screen. Lessa and F'lar have been basically a united front for the past seven years. They tend to be phenomenally on the same page, even in Dragonflight. But there, Lessa was the one who engaged in the incredibly risky behavior. This time, F'lar wants to do it. And he's also physically vulnerable in a way that Lessa probably isn't used to. And Lessa's lost a lot of people in her life. So for the first time in a long time, they're a bit at odds.
I'd like to actually see this. Ideally from Lessa's point of view, because we haven't had it at all in this book. I want to explore how things have changed for her.
Instead, we spent half a book on a crap rape-romance, and Kylara's scheming, which culminated in a big fat nothing. I might still be annoyed.
Anyway, Meron has arrived, which enrages Lessa. He of course acts like a dick. It occurs to me that it could have been interesting if Ms. McCaffrey had gone in a sympathetic adversary direction here. After all, he has just lost Kylara. She's alive, but in a permanent state of childhood regression. That could enhance his antagonism toward the dragonriders, if he blames them, or if he thinks they're unjustly using Kylara as a scapegoat.
Which honestly, they kind of are. Pilgra was the High Reaches Weyrwoman. She would have a good idea of safe distances. She knew Kylara had taken Prideth to Nabol and didn't seem concerned. It sounded like a terrible accident.
But three dimensional villains are not Ms. McCaffrey's strong suit, at least in this series. So Meron is just a swaggering dick. Eventually, Lessa puts an end to his monopolizing the distance viewer, and when Meron decides to be a provocative dick to HER, Fandarel actually bodily lifts Meron up and CARRIES him farther away. Hah.
So Lessa gets to see the planet, as do we:
Lessa had to stand on tiptoe to reach the eyepiece, silently wishing someone had taken into account that not all the viewers this evening were tall. The instant the image of the Red Star reached her brain, such trivial annoyance evaporated. There was the Red Star, seemingly no farther away than her arm could reach. It swam, a many-hued globe, like a child’s miggsy, in a lush black background. Odd whitish-pink masses must be clouds. Startling to think that the Red Star could possess clouds—like Pern. Where the cover was pierced, she could see grayish masses, a lively gray with glints and sparkles. The ends of the slightly ovoid planet were completely white, but devoid of the cloud cover. Like the great icecaps of northern regions of Pern. Darker masses punctuated the grays. Land? Or seas?
So the other lords get to see it too, and there's lots of bickering and speculation. No one can tell if the grey part is land or not, and Wansor wins Lessa's approval by admitting that he's not sure. "A man ought not be afraid to say he didn't know. Nor a woman."
Oh Lessa, how I missed you.
Eventually things come to a head though, when Meron pokes his nose back in the fray and (somewhat accurately) accuses Robinton of always doing as Benden Weyr decrees, and (inaccurately) stating that Benden doesn't care to exterminate Thread at its source.
This leads to Meron making the most amazing accusation in the entire book.
'But it’s so obvious. Surely you can all see that,' Meron replied with malicious affability and a feigned surprise at the obtuseness of the others. 'He has a hopeless passion for—the Benden Weyrwoman.'
HAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHA. It's not the WeyrWOMAN that Robinton seems to be in love with, Meron. Oh god. I am delighted. Now, F'LAR. MAYBE. I read that first chapter.
Lessa is not as delighted as I am. She worries that with Kylara's antics, that the accusation might be plausible. So? What difference would it make if it was? Also, logically speaking, why would Robinton being obsessed with Lessa make him more likely to agree with F'lar? Unless he thinks there's a threesome...
Oh well, Robinton laughs in Meron's face and says 'Benden’s Weyrwoman has not half the attraction for me that Benden’s wine has!' Which happily reassures everyone, because they all know Robinton is a borderline alcoholic. He continues by saying he has no opinion about the Red Star except that it is really fucking scary. Fair. He gives his usual full page long pro-Dragonrider speech, pointing out how they fight Thread every day and what it does to man and dragon. It's less annoying here than in Dragonflight, as at this point, the Weyrs actually have been pulling their weight.
Meron still tries to push the issue, wanting to know WHEN the expedition will take place. But even the previously annoying Lord Groghe defends Lessa, asking how he can expect anyone to give a date and time. Meanwhile, Wansor needs to complete his observations, since it would be really fucking stupid to go there until they've seen the whole thing and figured out how the geography actually works.
There's also some banter about F'lar taking it as an insult that Thread isn't falling according to his timetables anymore, and a nice bit where the Lords appreciate that the timetables have worked accurately for years. Meron tries to rally them against the Weyr, claiming that they don't need dragonriders since fire lizards eat Thread.
Which is patently ridiculous. Lessa counters by asking if she should inform T'bor that he no longer needs to patrol Nabol, which shuts Meron down. This does make one of the other Lords nervous, but she reassures him. Without admitting that she wouldn't actually have the authority to order it anyway.
I love you, Lessa.
Kylara comes up, with requests to know what's going to be done with her. Lessa's answer is "Nothing" and she points out that the Lord Holders haven't done anything about Meron either. Which...isn't entirely the same thing, I have to admit. Meron is an asshole, but he's not a dragonrider and doesn't really appreciate how this all works.
That said, I still think Kylara's being a bit unfairly scapegoated, and besides, in the end, she and Brekke have suffered the worst consequences, so...I think "Nothing" is probably the best option.
-
The next morning, F'lar is querulous and feverish still. Egads, I think I'd be worried about infection or sepsis by now. Do they HAVE antibiotics?
Anyway, he's frustrated by his inactivity and by the fact that Lessa can't give him much by way of information about the Red Star. He wants F'nor, but has to be reminded that he's not leaving Brekke's side. I'm willing to cut F'lar some slack here since he's obviously not really thinking clearly.
As it turns out, Lessa's on top of his pet project. She's had N'ton get the Thread. (N'ton's apparently also been unobstrusively wheedling his way into Fort Weyr and will likely be the one flying the queen when the time comes.) F'lar wants to know what happened with the experiment: the grubs rose to the surface and soon the Thread was gone. F'lar is delighted.
F'lar has apparently come to certain conclusions during his convalescence also. Basically that they need people who can "carry on" after them. This is an interesting bit of growth, because, as I've mentioned, F'lar has always kept things close to the chest. He wants N'ton to know everything he does, just in case something happens.
This causes Lessa to get angry, irritated, and terrified in equal doses. But F'lar's actually right here. Dragonriding IS a hazardous job after all. What if he took a nasty bit of Thread and died. What would they do?
I think also, this may be related to the way his father, F'lon died. If F'lon hadn't died, stupidly in a bar fight if I recall Masterharper of Pern correctly, then Benden would have had a good extra decade to prepare for Threadfall.
Anyway, N'ton actually arrives with Wansor, who is alarmed to see exactly how sick F'lar looks. He has news: through the distance viewer, they've seen other globes in the sky. Presumably planets. And Wansor now has some theories about gravitation, without the name of course.
Actually though, wouldn't they know about planets already? After all, people in ancient Egypt and Greece knew about the nearest planets. Mars, Venus and Jupiter are visible with the naked eye. But I admit, I'm not an astronomer, and I don't really know how they differentiated planet from star.
F'lar starts to worry that Thread may come from something other than the Red Star, but Lessa, thankfully, puts the kibosh on that, pointing out that the ancients who made the viewer definitely attributed Thread to the Red Star. N'ton then realizes that he's seen diagrams of globes in one of the Council Room drawings, including one with satellites, like the one Wansor saw in the distance viewer.
It's kind of neat seeing them put all of these things together.
Wansor also has some theories about using lenses in with the Star Stones to see the Red Star, though the angle would be different and there'd need to be a lot of calculation. Lessa, realizing that Wansor hasn't slept in days, gets him to go to bed. Meanwhile N'ton and F'lar talk more about the Star and the grubs.
N'ton actually has a really interesting idea, namely that the Southern Continent might have been abandoned intentionally for so long specifically to let the grubs grow in strength there. He thinks they might have been meant as ground crews, but the knowledge was lost before it could be transmitted.
Lessa really likes the idea as a substitute for going to the Red Star, though F'lar knows that they probably will still have to go, if only to show the Lord Holders that the dragonriders truly want to eliminate Thread.
The doubts make some sense, if we take F'nor's bit last chapter in mind. Without Thread, the Weyrs lose their power. Now, F'lar is a fanatic who wouldn't care about that. But the others...
N'ton volunteers to sneak around T'kul and investigate more of Southern, to see if the grubs exist beyond the swamps. And F'lar has a moment of actual human empathy for another person:
'All right, all right N’ton. Go. It’s the truth I’ve no one else to send,' and F’lar tried not to feel bitter that F’nor was involved with a woman; he was a dragonrider first, wasn’t he? Then F’lar suppressed such uncharitable thoughts. Brekke had been a Weyrwoman; through no fault of hers (and F’lar still berated himself that he had not thought of keeping a closer check on Kylara’s activities—he’d been warned), Brekke was deprived of her dragon. If she found some comfort in F’nor’s presence, it was unforgivable to deprive her of his company.
I mean, yes, he expresses it in an assholish way. But still. LOOK at this. This is a HUGE development! Empathy. Not only empathy, but empathy for a circumstance that causes F'lar actual inconvenience! And acknowledgment of his own role in her loss.
Congratulations, F'lar! You're learning to become a better person! I am so proud!
Once N'ton goes off, F'lar and Lessa have their own little moment.
That underscored his youthfulness and F’lar waved him out, trying to suppress jealousy with gratitude. The moment he’d gone, F’lar let out a sudden exasperated oath that brought Lessa, all consideration, to his side.
'I’ll get well, I’ll get well,' he fumed. He held her hand against his cheek, grateful, too, for the cool of her fingers as they curved to fit against his face.
'Of course you’ll get well. You’re never sick,' she murmured softly, stroking his forehead with her free hand. Then her voice took on a teasing note. 'You’re just stupid. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gone between, let cold into a wound, and developed fever.'
F’lar, reassured as much by her caustic jibe as her cool and loving caresses, lay back and willed himself to sleep, to health.
...god damnit. I really do love them as a couple now. Fine, McCaffrey. Just this once, you win.
no subject
Date: 2019-02-19 04:02 pm (UTC)I just love Lessa so much. Be in this book more, Lessa!
As with so much of the rest of this book and the previous one, there are amazing kernels of ideas, like everything Lessa is and does, and F'lar being an asshole and learning to human, and Pern doing science(!), that just get dragged down by frustrating choices like 'rape is actually love' and 'everything F'nor is not adding to this story'. But F'lar and Lessa, and their relationship, are fantastic because they're both determined assholes who are so ruthlessly practical, and I love it. They are by far and away the strengths of these books. (Also GRUBS! Grubs are the most important players here, obviously.)
no subject
Date: 2019-02-19 04:15 pm (UTC)But F'lar and Lessa are amazing, and their flaws so complementary, that I can't help but love them even though I have serious issues with lots of Dragonflight.
And F'lar would agree with you about the grubs!
no subject
Date: 2024-09-19 11:45 pm (UTC)Oooh, I know the answer! Not an astronomer or historian, but I have amateur curiosity about both.
The word "planet" comes from "wander", because in contrast to the stars, which all move together as a unit, seven celestial objects move relative to the stars: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Most ancient societies that paid any attention to the skies recognized those seven.
Now, Pern. Since they had to watch for the Red Star, they'd probably have to have some awareness of the night sky. So they'd notice that there were other point lights that moved independently of the stars. They might have forgotten that those point lights were basically other Perns, but they'd know of their existence. They'd probably also pay special attention to other planets, in case any of them become a threat like the Red Star. (Which should probably be called "Red Planet", or whatever word they came up with for moving point lights in the sky.)
And now I'm wondering what Pern's model of the universe is. Almost all ancient civilizations had a geocentric model, because it was more intuitive based on what they saw. But since they're descendants of astronauts, would they have retained any of that knowledge?
no subject
Date: 2024-09-20 02:14 am (UTC)