Alif the Unseen

Alif the Unseen cover
Good Books rating 3.25
Technical
  • ID: 4631
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-21
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
justonemorepaige.wordpress.com · Unknown · 2023-03-13
mixed 2.50

The reviewer appreciates the worldbuilding in Dragonflight, particularly the dragons and the unique environment of Pern. However, they found the characters uninteresting and the romance lacking chemistry, making them unsure about continuing the series.

The reviewer highlights the strong worldbuilding in Dragonflight, noting the prominent role of dragons and the unique environmental factors that shape the world of Pern. The blend of science fiction and fantasy elements is praised, with the story's setting and history being particularly engaging. However, the characters, especially F'lar and Lessa, were found to be uninteresting and lacked the chemistry needed for a compelling romance. The plot and ending were successful, but the reviewer is unsure about continuing the series due to the uninteresting characters.


Quick quotes

    The narrative spent more time with F’lar than I would have liked.

    The man “took her shoulders and shook her” so many times that Lessa actually made a joke about it.

    At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll be returning to Pern.

theguardian.com · Unknown · 2012-10-06
good 4.00

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is the first in a long-running fantasy series, featuring a unique premise and a strong protagonist. However, its short length and lack of character depth leave something to be desired, making it a somewhat underwhelming start to the series.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is a significant work in the fantasy genre, introducing a compelling premise and a headstrong protagonist, Lessa. The story follows Lessa as she discovers her unique abilities and navigates a war-torn future where humanity has colonized another planet. While the premise is intriguing and the dynamic between Lessa and F'lar is engaging, the book's short length and lack of character depth detract from the overall experience. The plot, though interesting, lacks the necessary pace and tension to keep readers fully engaged. Additionally, the brevity of the book means there isn't enough time to build a rich lore or develop the characters fully. Despite these shortcomings, McCaffrey's writing and the solid foundation she lays make Dragonflight a noteworthy start to a vast series. It's clear that McCaffrey is a legend in the fantasy genre, and while this first book may leave readers wanting more, it sets the stage for the many books that follow.


Quick quotes

    Dragonflight has a generally really cool premise — without spoiling too much of the plot — as I mentioned before, we follow Lessa as our main character as she attempts to work her way up to become useful during a war — along the way, she realises she has a very powerful ability that means she could end up helping win the war.

    It’s a plot that had a lot of potential and could, for some, keep them very interested for a while but it just lacked a real sense of pace or tension to keep me truly interested.

    Anne McCaffrey is a legend of the fantasy genre and led the way for many fantasy authors after her. Dragonflight is the first in a vast series and at times it does feel like the first. It’s got some great writing and a great idea with some solid characters but its shortness and lack of character depth or plot unfortunately left me feeling a little underwhelmed after reading it.

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