Sky Dragons by Anne & Todd McCaffrey

Title:  Sky Dragons
Author:  Anne & Todd McCaffrey
Pages:  344
Genre:  Science Fiction / Fantasy
Publisher:  Ballantine, 2012
Series:  Dragonriders of Pern

Synopsis:  From the New York Times bestselling mother-and-son team of Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey comes the final installment in the riveting Pern saga that began with Todd’s solo novel, Dragonsblood.

Now, with all of Pern imperiled by the aftereffects of a plague that killed scores of dragons and left the planet helpless against the fall of deadly Thread, the only hope for the future lies in the past. There, on an unexplored island, a group of dragonriders led by Xhinna, a brave young woman who rides the blue dragon Tazith, must battle lethal Merows and voracious tunnel-snakes to build a safe home for themselves and the dragons, whose offspring will one day—if they survive—replenish Pern’s decimated dragon population.

But as the first female rider of a blue dragon, and the first female Weyrleader in the history of Pern, Xhinna faces an uphill battle in winning the respect and loyalty of her peers . . . especially after an unforeseen tragedy leaves the struggling colony reeling from a shattering loss. Amid the grieving, one girl, Jirana, blessed—or cursed—with the ability to foresee potential futures, will help Xhinna find a way forward. The answer lies in time . . . or, rather, in timing it: the awesome ability of the dragons to travel through time itself. But that power comes with risks, and by venturing further into the past, Xhinna may be jeopardizing the very future she has sworn to save.

Review:  This was such a bittersweet novel.  This is the last novel published that Anne McCaffrey had a hand in.  Of course, being a life-time fan, I knew she had passed away, but I was still sad to realize I was reading her last novel.  I have others that were written earlier on my shelves, but this was the last one.

The great news is that it's a really good story.  I loved all the strong female characters, especially Xhinna and Jirana.  And I really loved the dragons, as always.

I'm so glad that I have two autographed bookplates signed by Ms. McCaffrey.  I was so blessed to be able to request them and have her mail them to me all the way from her home in Ireland.  I've never put them in a book.  Instead, they (and the envelope they came in) are in a box with my most valued treasures.  She was the Grand Dame of Dragons and I will always love her stories.

Rating:  8.5 / 10