I have a feeling that people who have read the Pern series read it like I did: when I was younger. Now, as we dig the books back out again, we're expecting this magical place that we saw as children but the problem with age is that we see through the veneer and we notice the problems that are lurking beneath. Pern is a hugely problematic series in a bunch of ways but I'll say this: It's one thing to read for enjoyment. I can pick up the Pern books and read them with the thought of just enjoying them, or I can read them to treat them as research material for this blog. For the second, I tear it apart. I look at character interactions, word choice, what is being said, what isn't, how it's set up, how it's flawed, what makes it good, the logic behind the author's decisions and most importantly, keeping in mind that the author wanted the series to be a sci-fi and not a fantasy and that during the time that she started writing, it was in the 70's and so many things (like homosexuality, the human drive, the concept of true feminism, human relationships, space travel, the rapid expansion of technology...etc etc etc) wasn't as well understood, talked about, or expressed like it is now.
So I think that I should say this:
If you've read Pern, I apologize if this blog draws out the flaws of the series. It's done with the utmost respect. I have no intention of ruining anyone's childhood favorite series. I hope to show the good and bad of Pern and not just concentrate on the pure 'good' as the books try to portray various things as.
