> Dragonriders of Pern

Pretty boring writing. OK in the background as an audiobook due to the breadth of the series. But just poor characters and plots. Junk, filler.

Auel, Jean M., for more down-to-earth stuff in a similar vein, which all draw from Michener's droll style.
MCCaffrey got big along with Piers Anthony, and for fantasy I prefer Xanth to the Dragon Riders. Even Robert Jordan is probably a better overall reading experience, and that's not saying much.
Bujold, Lois McMaster's work is similar but much more relationship-driven. It's gossipy.
David Eddings for more wizards and dark magic angle (read that as male-centric).
Of course, Robert E. Howard gets you into vintage Conan with Sprague De Camp filling in with some additional Conan material. There's also the very pulp Thieves World series.