Dragon's Fire by Anne McCaffrey, Todd J. McCaffrey (2006, Hardcover)

This is Todd McCaffrey's second collaboration with his mother on a Pern book. "Dragon's Fire" follows Todd McCaffrey's "Dragon's Blood" and Anne McCaffrey's book with Todd, "Dragon's Kin."

I had a hard time getting into this book for the first few chapters because the link to the end of "Dragon's Kin" wasn't obvious. I guess I needed a refresher course in all the character names, or to quickly skim over the ending of "Dragon's Kin" before beginning this one.

However, once I got over that hurdle, this is an excellent addition to the Pern world. It begins by examining the problem of the Shunned - outcasts who move like gypsies. They've been for various reasons thrown out of holds and halls, and now steal, beg and hide from the general populace.

A mute boy named Pellar helps the harpers figure out what to do about the situation.

The writing in this is much more even and the dialogue much more believable than the previous two books, where I felt like Todd McCaffrey was just learning to write and write well. I find his writing much improved and look forward to reading his next efforts.