Dragon's Kin
By Anne & Todd McCaffrey

     Veteran science fiction author Anne McCaffrey is joined for the first time by her son Todd in the authorship of this new novel of the dragons of Pern. Set presumably some time prior to the later books when Threadfall had been averted, this is the story of the miners of Camp Natalon, who have hopes of becoming recognized as Mine Natalon. Young Kindan is the youngest in a large family of miners who own a watch-wher, a creature related to the dragons who serves as a type of reptilian canary, warning of gases and dangers. Or so some miners believe, while others think them a waste of resources. When Kindan's family and the watch-wher are killed in a disaster, it looks as though he will be training as a harper, his dream for many years. But who is the mysterious Nuella, and why is she kept hidden?

     It is good to read about Pern again, and doubly good to read about a different part of it other than the dragonriders' weyrs and their internal politics. McCaffrey can be relied upon to deliver a good tale, replete with energy and human interest, and this has its fill of well-realized and memorable characters, almost all of which are new to series aficionados. These authors write well together and it is hard to see any seam where two writers' individual voices can be told apart. This seems to be a good thing for the series' continuity, although it will be interesting to see where Todd goes when his new book Dragon's Blood comes out.

     McCaffrey is adept as ever at describing the minutiae of everyday life, creating a more believable background instead of just a thin framework to hang adventures on. Some of her books can get bogged down in housekeeping details, but this one is shorter and more succinct. (Todd's influence, perhaps?) I hope there will be a return to Camp Natalon soon.