Renegades of Pern - Chapter Fourteen

[kalinara]

So last time, we finally saw Thella again!

I've got mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Thella was the best part of the early book. On the other, she's kind unraveled since the destruction of her hideout. Maybe even a bit before that, when she decided to abandon all calculation and caution to the wind to attack a caravan just because they pointed her in the wrong direction.

That said, she is at least a hopeful sign that we're going to actually see some events in this book, rather than a rehash of a (sadly) better book, or little vignettes that basically tell us all the interesting stuff happened off page.

If there's one takeaway from Renegades of Pern, I think, it's that plot actually does matter. It's easy sometimes to say that plot should come secondary to character. I still think that's true. But it's still important to have an actual story. Otherwise, these characters are just wasted.

( And sadly, that's kind of my view of this book right now: a waste. Let's hope McCaffrey can salvage something out of this. )