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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!
Few characters have earned the love of readers as Robinton, the Masterharper of Pern, who has played such a huge role in the growth and development of Pern as it moves from Long Interval into a Pass. But what was his life before F'lar and Lessa came into their own? Young Robinton's childhood was--as one might expect--filled with music, and he quickly came to dominate his craft. But while he maintained a loving relationship with his mother, his relationship with his father was indifferent at best, and antagonistic at worst. Still, there were compensations, like the favor shown him by the entire Harper craft and the friendships he's developed across Pern (like the one with Falloner, later F'lon of Benden Weyr) and that some dragons will actually speak to him! But he comes of age in a trying time, as the Weyr falls into disfavor and more and more holders are of the belief that there is no more Thread. What can one man--especially one so relatively young as Robinton--do to save a race from its own shortcomings?
The Masterharper of Pern is a welcome addition to the Pern series. While the majority of its events take place during a time that is relatively quiet compared to the momentous events that mark the present Pass, this tale is still very compelling with details added to some of the facts already known at the beginning of Dragonflight, such as how Fax came to be lord of seven different Holds or how the death of F'lon--father of F'lar and F'nor--allowed the Weyr to plunge deeper and deeper into disfavor. And while some of the facts about Fax's rise were made known in The Renegades of Pern, now we realize that we only got to see the results of his campaigns, not its roots.
Perhaps one of the best parts of this book is the introduction of Robinton's parents. At the time of our original introduction to them in Dragonsong and Dragonsinger both of the parents are already dead. In this book, though, we get to see what influences Petiron and Merelan had on Robinton's upbringing. It's interesting to see the differing relationships Robinton had with his parents, and it's even more interesting when you compare Petiron's personality here and the different relationship he had with Menolly.
The Masterharper of Pern continues to fill in the history of Pern, this time by describing the life and times of one of its key figures. It provides answers to unvoiced questions that have gone wanting since Dragonflight, and describes the kind of situation the Craftmasters feared in Dragonseye. It provides a terrific sense of closure to this era in Pern's history, but it also offers an introduction into it at the same time!
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