Staff Book Reviews
Marilyn reviews THE WHITE DRAGON (Dragonriders of Pern #3) by Anne McCaffrey (Ballantine Books, 1978)
Jaxon is a boy on the brink of manhood in a world that is under a great threat. The planet of Pern has been invaded by a creature from space called Thread. In order to fight Thread, dragons are used in this imaginary world created by author Anne McCaffrey. Although the reader meets Jaxon in earlier volumes of the series, The White Dragon chronicles his becoming a leader. Anne McCaffrey also creates a loyal companion for Jaxon in Ruth, the white dragon. As Jaxon grows into manhood his relationship with Ruth deepens into a stronger bond of loyalty for each other.
The White Dragon is the third book in a series of science fiction novels that take place in Pern. I enjoyed the book because it had mystery, romance, and dragons. A reader who has not read the previous two books can easily follow Pern’s politics and benefit from McCaffrey’s use of brief explanations and background information.
Marilyn Umfress, Central Library