Dragon Harper

Dragonriders of Pern, Book 19

By: Anne McCaffrey, Todd McCaffrey

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa's defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram - a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship.

Meanwhile, in nearby Fort Hold, a clutch of fire-lizard eggs is about to hatch, and Lord Bemin's beautiful young daughter, Koriana, is determined to Impress one of the delightful creatures. At the hatching, Kindan Impresses a fire-lizard of his own...and wins the heart of Koriana. But Lord Bemin mistrusts harpers and will not hear of a match between his daughter and the low-born Kindan.

Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly. Arising suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the contagion decimates hold after hold, paying no heed to distinctions of birth.

In this feverish crucible, friendship and love will be tested to the breaking point and beyond. For with Threadfall scant years away, the Dragonriders dare not expose themselves to infection, and it will fall to Kindan and his fellow apprentices to bravely search for a cure and save humanity.

The price of failure is unthinkable. But the price of success may be even harder to bear.

Pay another visit to Pern.

©2007 Anne and Todd McCaffrey (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"The McCaffreys depict the crisis vividly, with enough detail to make the tragedy all too real and with enough hope to keep fantasy fans happy." ( Publishers Weekly)

Mid-history Pern

Beautifully written and narrated, this novel of Pern covers one of the terrible plagues from the perspectives of the Harpers and Holders. Great story!

Breath taking.

I've connected with this book more then the others simply because I've lost family and friends to covid
I,myself have had "the killer flu" and almost died. For this to have been written on 2008 long before covid is scary accurate.

Dragon Harper

Dragon harper was another book that was not out when I read this series the first couple of times. This was during the same time period as Dragon Kin and Dragon Fire. All of these have been exceptional reads.

There are some of the same characters in each of these books. Some of these characters are very likable. This one focuses on a plague that hits Pern. This a terrible plague and it takes the lives of so many. Kindan is an amazing character and he has been through all of these books. This one is mainly focused on him as a Harper apprentice and how he deals with so much.

This is just one more great addition to this wonderful collection of stories of Pern. I thoroughly enjoyed characters new and old. I wept for them and pulled for them. Another great work of art from Anne McCaffrey.

dragon harper

loved it. yes yes yes yes . interesting tale of what Hyman are capable of

A Pern Song to Tell of Character During Pandemic

What will be said of all Survivors of a Worldwide Illness that Kills?
Here is a 2007 audiobook by 2 grand writers of a stand-alone novel with an audio performance by another grandmaster to tell of a Planet healing occurance that helps all struggle through a forced maturities and goal centering survival.
They didn't know that 14 years later Earth would experience something very similar that would strike so many people regardless of birthskin.

Loved it!

Love the Pern novels! And having these cherished books in audio format so I can enjoy them again and again while multitasking is wonderful!

Two thumbs up

I really liked this one, though I was expecting a slightly different ending (not wanting to spoil the ending), but it was still a really good story overall.
It was nice to have some other characters from previous books make an appearance.

Be prepared to cry

This Pern story does not shy away from the harsh realities of an agrarian society. Anne and Todd creates a story that speaks about life, tragedy, death and then living. It is a well done tale.

I've heard other performances done by Susan Eriksen, this is not one of her better reads. She did not resonate with the characters. The company would have been smarter to stick with Dick Hill, whose voice has become synonymous with the Pern series.

Great story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon Harper?

There is a story of loyalty in here that I won't say too much about because I don't want to give it away.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A character died near the end that I wish hadn't. :(

Any additional comments?

Development of the characters is good. You know what makes them tick. There is intrigue and loyalty and development of individual abilities that lend themselves to the story. The story isn't overly complicated or or simplified. It just works. I still like Anne's earlier Pern novels better in many ways. Not sure Todd has really done later ones justice, but as long as he was writing with Anne, they are still good and interesting stories.

Fabulous just Fabulous

I laughed, i cried, i lived this story. Fabulous narration and Fabulous story. A must read.