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This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.
That said, on to the review!
As the Sixth Pass of the Red Star draws to a close, the people of Pern prepare for Turns of peace and Thread-free skies. Two Lord Holders on opposite ends of the continent host great Gathers, celebrating a mild winter and a hopeful spring. But Nerilka of Fort Hold can enjoy neither Gather, kept in the Hold by her father's discriminating injunction. Little did she know that her unjust punishment probably saved her life, for shortly after her parents' departure to the Ruatha Hold Gather, the first tidings of plague reached the Healer Hall and a call for quarantine drummed out across the land. Nerilka, offers to assist the overworked healers, only to be rejected and later, barred from assisting by her father (who violated the quarantine to return to Fort Hold) and new stepmother (her father's mistress, whom he sent for the day after his return while his wife yet lived). Unable to bear her father's hypocrisy and her stepmother's rash ineptitude any longer, she vows to leave Fort Hold and help the healers in their toils, regardless of the threat to her own health. Little did she know that her determination would take her to the one place so recently denied her and where she's always longed to go: Ruatha!
Nerilka's Story provides another look at the events found in Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern via the point-of-view of one of its supporting characters. It's a first-person perspective, so it naturally departs from relative objectivity and delves deeply into subjectivity and emotional moments and observations. It is an interesting change from the third-person POVs used in previous Pern books, and eminently suitable to the story the author wants to tell.
Perhaps one of the best parts about this book is seeing how the events detailed in Moreta affected the less visible characters, and how those less visible characters contributed to the previous book. For example, we get to see what was happening during Masterhealer Capiam's convalescence, including the establishment of an internment camp below Fort Hold, and some of the reactions to its existence. We also get a first-hand glimpse at the actual production of the serum at Ruatha Hold, something that was only referred to in Moreta. Finally, we also get to see what happened after the closing events of that book...to a limited extent. There were a few minor discrepancies between the two books, but they're easily overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
Anne McCaffrey provides us with another glimpse of Pern's past, just as she did in Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, continuing the process of establishing a wondrous world of hardships and joys. It's a part of the whole that you can't skip!
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