why is he shaking her every time he feels an intense emotion???

Well, I didn't love it, but I gave it an honest shot. Anne McCaffrey is one of those big names in dragon literature that you can't really avoid and so I thought it would be best to start at the beginning of the Pern stories. I enjoyed it well enough, but it's not something I am likely to ever want to reread. For that reason, I'll give Dragonflight 2.5 stars (but I'll round up to 3 for Goodreads). The patriarchy hits you in the face regularly throughout the book, although they do make some come backs later in the book. The role of a Weyrwoman who flies a queen is clearly very limited in the beginning, and, while they do open Lessa's use up more as the book progresses, they still maintain that her use is pretty limited. Women are clearly still treated as second class citizens, even if their dragons are the only ones who can bear eggs and continue the race of dragons on. Additionally, none of the characters experience any sort of character growth over the course of the book. Lessa, despite getting a bath and a decent meal, is still the same vengeful, snippy girl you meet in the beginning. F'lar, additionally, gains rank but never gains any real growth as a person. Actually, it's a little disappointing. However, on the other hand, you understand the characters from the get go and they don't change. Other minor characters likewise do not change or grow in any way, with the exception of Lytol, who manages to smile at the end of the book. The passage of time in this book was all sorts of unpredictable. There was one point where the book said it had been 3 years and I thought it had been just barely a year in the story. Amusingly, after the time travel starts, I was much more able to understand the passage of time because they're more consistent about telling you how much time had passed. And, finally, I have to bring up the sex. The sex, at the best of times, is creepy and forced. Literally, Lessa's first experience is described by F'lar as being rape in the aftermath. I'm not sure if anyone informed her of her new role as F'lar's lover when the mating happened, but they certainly didn't inform the reader and, frankly, it was completely uncalled for. Of course, Lessa falls in love afterward and becomes a committed lover to him, but F'lar is far from being a loving boyfriend. She disobeys you? Just shake her silly. It'll totally work! Yay domestic violence! NOT.

** spoiler alert ** 2 Stars is being charitable. I want to be charitable to this book, and that is why I am giving it two stars, but to be honest I cannot remember the last time I completed a book that I have such a low score two. Usually I DNF them will before. There are definitely some good elements, Lessa is absolutely a character I could get behind. Sadly the book let's get down. I know it's written in a different era (53 years ago at the time of writing this.) but this is no excuse. My main issue with it is the romance between Lessa and F'lar. I'm sure at one point he was effectively raping her! But by the end Lessa was within pages of each other, worried he was going to physically harm her, abs then melting into his embrace (said embrace being the first time she seems to explicitly consent! I know this book has a list of fans, and it means a lot to some people. That's ok. I'm now in two minds about whether I want to continue with the series. If I hadn't read the Harper Hall series set in the same world, I doubt I would. If I do it would most likely be from an anthropological stance.

Who doesn't love Ann McCaffrey

This was fine, neither really marvelous nor a dud. I read it aloud to my wife and son, who had both already read it but who were keen to hear the story again.

Now I see where Eragon copied from!