Reading challenge update -- Dragon's Code

Gigi McCaffrey's first entry into the world of Pern.  This novel is built around the same events as The White Dragon, one of the first novels in the series, but tells the story from the viewpoint of other characters.

The main character in this story is Piemur.  Anne McCaffrey first introduced us to Piemur (in Dragonsinger) as  a young apprentice in the Harper Hall, known for his beautiful voice.  Over the next few novels of the series, we watched Piemur grow up  to become a journeyman Harper, an explorer, and a student of the technological wonder known as AIVAS.

Gigi McCaffrey's novel takes us back to Piemur's adolescence.  It is a coming-of-age story, in which Piemur struggles with his identity and his future goals.

But, being a Pern novel, it also concerns itself with the strife and stresses of Pernese culture, the conflict between the Oldtimer Dragonriders and the leadership of the modern Benden Weyr, and the problems of the "holdless" men who have no place in the carefully organized society.

A running theme of the novel is the protection of Lord Jaxom. Jaxom is an anomaly in Pernese society, both a Lord Holder and a Dragonrider.  Several of Jaxom's exploits are plot points in this story.  However, Jaxom, the hero of The White Dragon, never makes an appearance in Dragon's Code.

A word about style.  It was clear, from chapter one, that while Gigi was raised on her mother's works, she isn't completely comfortable taking over Anne's role.  For example, there was a lot of exposition, where the author provided background details that readers of the series would have assumed without being told.

But overall I enjoyed the story, and I look forward to seeing another Pern novel from Gigi, should she care to write one.

queued up on my Kindle:  The Dolphins of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.