I admit that before I read this book, I thought it was a fantasy story about dragons. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned its genre is science fiction.

The novel is a product of its time, with a copyright date of 1968. If you are able to look past the cultural Dogma of the day, you will be rewarded with an engaging and creative story.  Anne McCaffrey builds an incredible world full of relatable characters, wry humor, and exciting action.

I find the central female character, Lessa, to be fierce and strong, blazingly intelligent, and full of courage. Her male counterparts, while sometimes frustrating, are noble and worthy. What else can we ask from our sci-fi characters? Humans aside, the irrefutable Heroes of this Tale are the dragons. Perhaps if you read this book, you will want one as badly as I do.

If you are looking for some classic science-fiction escapism, I cannot recommend this book enough.