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The Dolphins of Pern
Anne McCaffrey Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Dolphins of Pern
"Readis (son of Alemi - Menolly's brother) goes fishing with his father. A storm brews and the ship is damaged while the two sailors are thrown overboard where Readis injures his leg. They are miraculously pulled to shore by what Alemi discovers are shipfish (thanks to AIVAS) or dolphins. Readis makes friends with the creatures against his mother's advice (Aramina - remember she can talk to dragons) and discovers why the dolphins were brought to Pern. "
Rachael, Resident Scholar

"This is a continuation of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.

Humans weren't the only intelligent life form to travel from Earth to the new planet in the Rukbat system. Dolphins, because of their near/equal intelligence (especially when a "chemical" called menta-synth was used) were also transported. An important reason was because Pern, very Earth-like, had beautiful oceans.

Dolphins were to assist man in exploration and help keep them safe on Pern's oceans. During the early years, dolphins proved extremely important in moving the main settlements from the southern to the northern continent as volcanic and other disruptions threated the lives of the newly arrived earth people.

Readis is the son of an ocean-side "holder" of Pern. By the time Readis appears, the relationship between man and dolphin has been lost -- mostly because the humans involved have died through old age, accident or been killed by "thread". The dolphins maintained the tradition and the most intelligent of them held the position of "Tillek" (a dolphin teacher whose position was named after a human, space navy Capt Tillek, who had been greatly involved with the dolphins in the early years).

Readis and his uncle were rescued by shipfish (dolphins) after being caught in a sudden squall. They suddenly realize that the dolphins are making intelligent sounds. While his uncle had heard of this, he had never believed it, but it turns out that the dolphins do not only talk but also prove highly intelligent.

Using their sonar, they even help the medical experts of the planet since xray and similar equipment has been lost as well as the technical knowledge to create them. Readis, with the help of his uncle and various friends, helps reestablish their partnership to help make Pern a safer and better place to live. The story also discusses various other aspects of the planet, its society and history as well as describes a number of important events in the life of Pern.
"

John McCoy, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Dolphins of Pern
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Family relations Yes
Animal Story Yes
Kind of animal - fish/flipper

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - student - navy soldier
Age: - a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female - An "It".
Age: - 40's-50's
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can talk to animals
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Water
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to The Dolphins of Pern
Guardians of Gahoole: The Journey by Kathryn Lasky
Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
The Shadow of the Red Moon by Walter Dean Myers
A Wizard Abroad - Young Wizards 4 by Diane Duane


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Anne McCaffrey Resident Scholar Profiles

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Rachael  Rsegovia  Tina Loflin  Maria Cerimeli  Domini  John McCoy  Kim   Lisa Demopulos  sesshoumaru  


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