What to Read Next: 1968's Sci-Fi & Fantasy Classics
Issue #363, featuring Philip K Dick and Anne McCaffrey
Happy Friday, readers!
In the midst of my Year of Charles Dickens, I’m adding some sci-fi/fantasy classics to break up the verbose Victorian writing. By happenstance, my two most recent reads in that realm were published in 1968. Turns out, it was a banner year for the genre. In addition to Dragonflight and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — which I’ve written about below — readers were treated to:
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
What a list! Below, I offer my thoughts on the aforementioned books, one of which was a little bit of a letdown.
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Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
After Philip Dick’s Androids left me feeling a little cold (more on that below), I decided I wanted something more in the realm of fantasy — not necessarily for the escape, but because the fantasy genre is less about experimenting with ideas and more about exploring our own human nature.
Fantasy stories can actually serve to awaken us to the reality of our existence and our world. As Clifford Stumme argues in the post linked below:
“When we finish a good fantasy story, having been jolted awake by the journey to Faerie on which we met an aspect of ourselves in a new guise, we should be prepared to return to our own world changed and better (even if we can’t explain why).”
I scrolled through Libby to find some classic fantasy and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight was available, so I jumped in.
TL;DR: I was immediately enthralled and eagerly finished the first title in this sprawling series in just a couple of days.
The world of Pern has long been protected by dragons and their riders. The threat: world-killing “Threads” that drop from a sister planet and devour all organic matter. These Threads used to appear every 200 years, but now it’s been 400 years and the Pernese are forgetting the importance of the dragons.
The old threat has re-awakened, though, and a new generation of leaders — and dragonriders — needs to examine those old ways and figure out how to protect their planet.
Who wills, Can.
Who tries, Does.
Who loves, Lives.
McCaffrey’s story is an interesting and innovative blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The characters are a little cheesy and one-dimensional at times, but they’re also just fun and easy to root for, while still feeling real. There are dragons and knaves and even some time travel — what more could you want in a weekend read?
Luckily for all of us, the world of Pern offers ~20 books — all of them around 300 pages — to fully explore the world, the people, and the mythology.
Look no further if you’re on the hunt for a fun, page-turning fantasy series. This is also one that a lot of folks first encountered as teens and young adults; if it’s been a while, it’s worth revisiting!