Having read and loved both Dragonflight and Dragonquest before I picked up this one, I was assured ahead of time that this would be another McCaffrey masterpiece, a story of Pern where you could be tipped into the book and not want to resurface. I wasn't wrong- there is plenty on the old heroes Lessa and F'lar, and of course the amazing, enormous, telepathic dragons that fight the Thread of Pern. I read this book over three days and didn't want it to end.

Still, there were flaws in The White Dragon that weren't there in Dragonflight and Dragonquest. The biggest is the character of Jaxom, the new main character. McCaffrey didn't spend nearly enough time on him- like Dragonquest she pushed you right into the story without dwelling on his personality. It was fine in Dragonquest because you had already gotten to know the main characters in Dragonflight- but it's annoying in The White Dragon because I never really liked Jaxom. He wasn't a very likable character, and as one that the story focuses about and came out on top at the end he should have been. He ordered about his dragon- Ruth was a big, flying, talking pet more than Mnementh, Ramoth, Canth and the others ever were. His romances were annoying- he didn't care about Corana, his slowly developing relationship with Menolly screeched to a halt abruptly, and Sharra wasn't introduced early enough for you to care.

Robinton's narrative was much more satisfactory, and I liked his character and how he developed during the story. There are a lot more characters to remember in The White Dragon than there were in the other two novels- at some point I stopped checking back and just skipped over the names I didn't know. The story itself, still, is as engaging as any past novel of Pern- McCaffrey has a way of grabbing your interest, and every time it starts to ebb away she puts in something else that draws you back again. I loved this novel, despite Jaxom, and Pern will always be one of my favorite series.

The white Dragon is the third book in Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern trilogy. In my opinion, the Pern books are McCaffery's best. In this book Jaxom, the son of the evil Lord Jax who invaded the kingom of Ruatha when Lessa was a young girl, is struggling with his own identity. He knows that one day he will be the Lord Holder of Ruatha, but the kingdom is right now under excellent stewardship and Jaxom just doesn't quite know what he's going to do with his life.

While visiting Benden Weyr, he accidentally impresses a dragon, Ruth, but Ruth is no ordinary dragon. He is pure white and is somewhat small for a dragon. Jaxom's impression of Ruth sets off a huge fuss among the holders-- how can Jaxom rule Ruatha and be a dragon rider at the same time? It also causes problems among the weyrleaders because they are not sure what should be done with such an unusual dragon.

The story of Jaxom and Ruth's drive for acceptance by both worlds is a great story, filled with friendship, love and some humor as well. With this book, McCaffery has written a stellar ending to her trilogy.

This story introduces two new fabulous characters, Lord jaxom and his dragon Ruth. This is truly a great book, and it's interesting storyline and great writing, as well as the bond between Ruth and Jaxom make this a great and wonderful story to read.

The third in the series, this book is just as good as the first two. Jaxom and Ruth are a great couple and Pern is the best. I recommend this book to anyone. Anne McCaffrey created a world that is fun to be in.

Anne McCaffrey is the mother of boys, and her description of Jaxom, Lord of Ruatha touched me. He is my favorite character in the Dragon Riders of Pern series, and I named my son Jackson after him. I teach high school English, and after 13 years working with young men about the age of her character, I think she nailed how young adults think and act. Jaxom plays the most significant role in All the Weyrs of Pern which is my favorite book in the series.

If you are looking for a great fantasy series, I recommend reading Anne McCaffrey, and I recommend this book.