General Discussion

@Reltseo

I am currently on GoT too! (G.R.Martin betta hurry with the next book!)


Why would you say on harder PG-13 level?

Gosh that's a funny story! Lol

Are the dragons the same gender as their rider?

And WHY do the dragons influence the behavior of their riders?

How old do you have to be to impress a dragon?

@NightWhisper666 are you reading the book? A lot of this is explained.

There's a telepathic bond that happens soon after a dragon Hatches. It's left up to the reader to fill in the psychic phenomena that happens when a dragon Impresses on a rider, but it's usually the people with the most mental acumen and touches of powers themselves that get the high ranking and strong dragons, though this is not only the case. Everything has it's own personality. This psychic link and having another being in your head 24/7 has a profound effect on the rider themselves. It's referenced quite a bit that dragons and riders begin to exhibit the same habits, such as sloth, or petulance, or responsibility and kindness.

Dragons usually are the same gender as their rider, with the exception of green. Bronze - Green dragons are considered "fighting" dragons, and in the patriarchal society Pern turned into hundreds of years after the settlement, men are the ones to do the fighting, and woman are to be kept safe and treasured. (Unless you're poor. Like I said before, very feudal-ish, royalty without saying so type of deal.) Since green dragons are female and only boys get presented to the main clutch of eggs, greens Impress male riders.

I think it's anywhere from 10(or 12? i know it's pretty young) - 22 that someone could stand on the Hatching Sands and be presented for a clutch. Dragons only live as long as their riders, due to the mental bond, so Impressing young and growing up together is the way to do it.

@Nightwhisper666 - Hah, well, I'm not holding my breath...at this point I'm just hoping the series ends before I die or else I'm haunting the crap out of Mr. Martin.

Oh, I dunno, that's just personally what I would rate it. Because it's there but nothing really descriptive like, say, GOT is.

I think ReclusiveHarlot answered your questions really well. The only thing I'll add about impression is that the boys who ride fighting dragons seem to be chosen as possible candidates younger and the girls who are picked to try and impress the queen seem to be older...like the boys are maybe 11-15 years old and the girls seem to be young adults, maybe late teens to early twenties. I always assumed that was because the queen riders need to take on a lot of the Weyr's responsibilities right away.

Keep reading. :)

@Reltseo ahh yea that part had kinda slipped my mind. Another reason i think the Queen riders are older is because dragons reach maturity pretty fast, and it would be pretty squicky to have a child be in a mating flight with a much older Weyrleader.

but that also makes you wonder about the younger boys on the Sands, she doesn't really go into the fighting dragons mating with the greens when they reach maturity. There's lots of references to men pairing up when their dragons mate frequently

@ReclusiveHarlot

I am only on chapter three, and would be farther if it wasn't for my lack of motivation and drive recently.

The bond must be POWERFUL! I heard that dragons would kill themselves if their rider died. And some humans do to, but if they don't, they are left with series psychological effects! Especially for the dragon and rider being different in personality, yet adapt to each other and sometimes pick up the same habits? Now I want a dragon!

And could you imagine a mating flight happening while you are ten? XD



@Reltseo


I am trying! I have been having a lack of motivation to even pick up a book for the past month, which was around the time I got the book. I am only on chapter three, although, I want to read more!





Thank you both! When I read further, I would love to discuss the series with yall!

@NightWhisper666

Yea getting used to all the terms and the new world and customs can be a bit tricky. But when it all falls together you really appreciate the scope of how big and deep it goes. Reading about the settlement and how man came to Pern, the first Fall, everything. I love it dearly and desperately do want a dragon of my own too.

@ReclusiveHarlot

I know! The vocab is large! Honestly, I am not sure If I can get used to it, I am a little concerned...

I just love how it's sci-fi and not fantasy!

@ReclusiveHarlot - I don't remember how long it takes for a dragon to mature...is it like two or three years? So yes it's another thing that is pretty squicky if you think about it. I have the feeling that it was something that the author maybe didn't really consider in the beginning, or maybe just purposefully ignored because she didn't feel like addressing it. I mean, there really aren't any books that follow the development of weyrlings and their dragons around that period of time so maybe she felt that she could gloss over it.

@Nightwhisper666 - The telepathic bond between the dragons and riders is indeed very strong. It's almost like they become a part of one another. You will eventually meet a character who lost his dragon and lived afterwards, and you get a bit of insight into what it does to them.

Haha, yeah I get like that a lot. For some reason I have a harder time getting through books nowadays. I've gotten really bad at skip reading.

Enjoy the book!

EDIT: As far as the vocab, if you look in the back of your book, you should find a couple of short little glossaries that explain a few things. Depending on your edition.

@Reltseo

I certainly hope this phase of mine will be passing soon, because I would love to read it!

And I am way too curious... what happens to the guy who loss his dragon?

@Nightwhisper666 you've heard the stories and accounts of older people who've lost their longtime spouses and go downhill health-wise and mentally very quickly right? It's like that to a maximum level. It tears the dragonrider's mind apart since there is that intense psychic bond. He lives, but he is half a man, a shadow of himself. I won't spoil the book but it's definitely a sad part. It's mentioned that most riders kill themselves if their dragons die because they cannot cope mentally without their comrade and love of their life. Dragons come first to riders, any other relationship is second.