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i_read_whatSo this is interesting! For the first time in a while, I've hit a Pern book that I've actually read before. I don't remember much about it, but I don't remember hating it either.
It's definitely sci-fi. I tend to think that it had to be. If we're going to see the end of a threat like Thread, we're going need more firepower. And as this isn't a universe with strong magic, we're going to have to go back to the roots of the setting.
Of course, it's hard to imagine what story they'd have after the defeat of Thread and the reintroduction of sci-fi elements, but apparently they did manage it. I think this is the last book I personally read though...except for Masterharper of Pern. Ugh. Well, we'll get there.
Anyway, let's see how this one goes!
So the first thing that stands out when I read this copy of the book is that it's lacking the standard spiel about Pern being in the Rukbat system of the Sagitarrian sector. That's oddly jarring to me. I don't remember how it was in my original paperback copy (which I haven't been able to find, sadly), but I'm definitely noticing it here. Instead, we're starting with a prologue from AIVAS.
Essentially, it's Aivas's awakening from its point of view. Apparently, it's been working for 2525 years to try to find a means to destroy Thread. I'd like this more if we had literally any mention of an artificial intelligence at any point in Dragonsdawn. But I've already complained about that. AIVAS is here now, so I'll give it a chance.
Anyway, it's exterior optics are obstructed, but it's aware of some activity in the region and thinks that it might be humans, finally returned to the Landing facility. It's hoping that with the return of the humans, it might finally complete its assignment.
As Aivas's solar panels are cleared, it gets more and more power, and soon is in full running order. It seems...happy, if an AI can be:
Humans had returned to Landing! Many of them! Once again humankind had triumphed over tremendous odds. Aivas duly noticed through its adjustable optical elements that they were still accompanied by the creatures called fire-dragons. Noise, too, was now filtering through the audio channels: human voices speaking in unusual word patterns. A lingual shift? In 2,525 years, that was entirely likely. Aivas listened and interpreted, measuring the altered vowels and slurred consonants against the speech patterns that had been programmed into it. It organized the new sounds into groups and checked them with its semantics program.
And then it sees Ruth:
Within its vision came an immense white creature. The descendant of the bioengineer’s first production? Aivas did a rapid extrapolation from the biolab’s files and reached the inescapable conclusion that the so-called dragons had also matured and prospered. It searched for, but did not find, “white” in the parameters of the engineered species.
Okay, there's one touch here that I rather like. Ruth is, by modern standards, a very small, almost underdeveloped dragon. But Aivas, who had (presumably) seen schematics at least, if not living models, from the first generation, calls him "immense". We had been told that Benden dragons were quite a bit larger than Old Timer dragons. It seems reasonable that the Old Timer dragons were probably a bit bigger than their own predecessors and so on.
Aivas seems happy to see that humankind not only survived but flourished. Hm. That's a stretch, I think. Aivas is seeing a small party of humans here. There's no guarantee that the greater population is doing well, or at least any better than the original settlers were. And honestly, I'd argue that they're not. They live in caves, in a feudal sexist society. Admittedly, Aivas has no way of knowing that. But it has no way of knowing anything.
That said, I can understand the sentimentality. Aivas spent millennia not knowing if humans survived at all. So any sight of reasonably healthy humans is probably quite wonderful.
Another nice touch from McCaffrey is that Aivas's responses are low key and muted, but they don't feel dispassionate or emotionless. I actually do believe this AI cares about humans on some level. We may still find out that Aivas lacks emotions, but if he does, it's Commander Data style.
There's another interesting touch here:
If humans had been able to return from the Northern Continent, had they also managed to destroy the organism? That would be well done. What must Aivas then do if its priority was superseded?
It's a question that's come up a few times in this series, in the context of the Dragonriders. But Aivas, like F'lar, has some idea...
Humans, with their insatiable curiosity and restlessness, would undoubtedly have new tasks which an Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System could undertake. They were not, Aivas knew from its memory banks, a complacent species. Soon those who worked to clear the debris of centuries would uncover the entire building and reach its position. It must, of course, react as its program ordained.
The prologue ends, telling us that Aivas is waiting.
It's definitely sci-fi. I tend to think that it had to be. If we're going to see the end of a threat like Thread, we're going need more firepower. And as this isn't a universe with strong magic, we're going to have to go back to the roots of the setting.
Of course, it's hard to imagine what story they'd have after the defeat of Thread and the reintroduction of sci-fi elements, but apparently they did manage it. I think this is the last book I personally read though...except for Masterharper of Pern. Ugh. Well, we'll get there.
Anyway, let's see how this one goes!
So the first thing that stands out when I read this copy of the book is that it's lacking the standard spiel about Pern being in the Rukbat system of the Sagitarrian sector. That's oddly jarring to me. I don't remember how it was in my original paperback copy (which I haven't been able to find, sadly), but I'm definitely noticing it here. Instead, we're starting with a prologue from AIVAS.
Essentially, it's Aivas's awakening from its point of view. Apparently, it's been working for 2525 years to try to find a means to destroy Thread. I'd like this more if we had literally any mention of an artificial intelligence at any point in Dragonsdawn. But I've already complained about that. AIVAS is here now, so I'll give it a chance.
Anyway, it's exterior optics are obstructed, but it's aware of some activity in the region and thinks that it might be humans, finally returned to the Landing facility. It's hoping that with the return of the humans, it might finally complete its assignment.
As Aivas's solar panels are cleared, it gets more and more power, and soon is in full running order. It seems...happy, if an AI can be:
Humans had returned to Landing! Many of them! Once again humankind had triumphed over tremendous odds. Aivas duly noticed through its adjustable optical elements that they were still accompanied by the creatures called fire-dragons. Noise, too, was now filtering through the audio channels: human voices speaking in unusual word patterns. A lingual shift? In 2,525 years, that was entirely likely. Aivas listened and interpreted, measuring the altered vowels and slurred consonants against the speech patterns that had been programmed into it. It organized the new sounds into groups and checked them with its semantics program.
And then it sees Ruth:
Within its vision came an immense white creature. The descendant of the bioengineer’s first production? Aivas did a rapid extrapolation from the biolab’s files and reached the inescapable conclusion that the so-called dragons had also matured and prospered. It searched for, but did not find, “white” in the parameters of the engineered species.
Okay, there's one touch here that I rather like. Ruth is, by modern standards, a very small, almost underdeveloped dragon. But Aivas, who had (presumably) seen schematics at least, if not living models, from the first generation, calls him "immense". We had been told that Benden dragons were quite a bit larger than Old Timer dragons. It seems reasonable that the Old Timer dragons were probably a bit bigger than their own predecessors and so on.
Aivas seems happy to see that humankind not only survived but flourished. Hm. That's a stretch, I think. Aivas is seeing a small party of humans here. There's no guarantee that the greater population is doing well, or at least any better than the original settlers were. And honestly, I'd argue that they're not. They live in caves, in a feudal sexist society. Admittedly, Aivas has no way of knowing that. But it has no way of knowing anything.
That said, I can understand the sentimentality. Aivas spent millennia not knowing if humans survived at all. So any sight of reasonably healthy humans is probably quite wonderful.
Another nice touch from McCaffrey is that Aivas's responses are low key and muted, but they don't feel dispassionate or emotionless. I actually do believe this AI cares about humans on some level. We may still find out that Aivas lacks emotions, but if he does, it's Commander Data style.
There's another interesting touch here:
If humans had been able to return from the Northern Continent, had they also managed to destroy the organism? That would be well done. What must Aivas then do if its priority was superseded?
It's a question that's come up a few times in this series, in the context of the Dragonriders. But Aivas, like F'lar, has some idea...
Humans, with their insatiable curiosity and restlessness, would undoubtedly have new tasks which an Artificial Intelligence Voice-Address System could undertake. They were not, Aivas knew from its memory banks, a complacent species. Soon those who worked to clear the debris of centuries would uncover the entire building and reach its position. It must, of course, react as its program ordained.
The prologue ends, telling us that Aivas is waiting.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-17 12:37 pm (UTC)One thing that always massively bothered me about this book - one that took me later doing a research spiral into the effects of Vesuvius's eruption on Pompeii and Herculaneum - is that for presumably being buried so deeply in volcanic ash and pumice that the area resembled "lumps and bumps on the landscape" and had been overgrown with at least lush grasses the local winds were able to scour away the ash enough for the AIVAS to still have enough power to maintain minimal status. Nope, does not compute. Either that part of Pern regularly has massive hurricane force winds blowing over the plateau or Anne (or her research assistant) didn't bother to think about how massive volcanic eruption + thick ash + pryoclastic flow = pretty much total destruction.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-18 11:59 pm (UTC)Hah, I wish I were surprised by McCaffrey's lack of volcanic knowledge. Though to be fair, if she'd bothered to MENTION Aivas in Dragonsdawn (I know she probably hadn't thought of him yet, but he's in the NEXT PUBLISHED BOOK, bleh), I would be willing to handwave it as some kind of back up power source/charger that's closer to the surface than the main complex.
But I'm already annoyed, so no. :-D
no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 12:04 am (UTC)Yeah - you'd think she'd have mentioned it at least in passing but the only other mention of the AIVAS is in one of the short stories in First Fall I think where they mention that Sean - because a feverish Ezra was worried about it - went and checked on Landing... he told Ezra that the AIVAS was safe but confided to the Admiral that the plateau was completely buried. Consistency ain't Anne's strong point.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 01:16 am (UTC)As I said, I don't remember hating this book. But I do vaguely remember a lot of Jaxom and Roberton so...
I think it was McMaster Bujold who said something about always reserving the right to retcon things if she gets a better idea later. I DO respect that. But it really does seem absurd that she got all the way through Dragonsdawn and only one book later came up with AIVAS.
We didn't really even NEED AIVAS after all. The First Fall type comment would have been fine at any point before. But since there wasn't a mention at all, it feels like a massive asspull.
It's like she went: "Shit, there's no way these characters would be smart enough to just read records and figure things out themselves, I need to add someone to tell them what to do." The sad thing is, she probably could have convinced me that F'lar, Lessa, Lytol and maybe Piemur were smart enough to figure this out. Though knowing my luck, she'd have given the achievement to Jaxom or Robinton.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 10:06 am (UTC)I guess there could be some books of epilogue, to show how everyone adapts to the absence of Thread? I can't think of a whole series of books, though.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 07:04 pm (UTC)= Multi-Facets.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-20 03:14 pm (UTC)= Multi-Facets.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-03 12:37 am (UTC)I keep wanting to compare this to other media I've consumed. Mostly video games, so if anything, they're copying the idea of an ancient advanced AI awakening in a fantasy world. But it's still a great idea, ripe for a lot of stories.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-03 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-03 01:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-03 02:08 pm (UTC)It makes me wonder what might have happened to that egg if it hatched before Jaxom had rescued it.