The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
"The Dragonriders of Pern" is a science fiction series created by Anne McCaffrey, first introduced in 1967 with the novella "Weyr Search." The narrative unfolds on the planet Pern, originally colonized by Earth settlers, who face a dire threat from destructive spores known as Thread. To combat this menace, the inhabitants genetically engineer large, telepathic dragons and Thread-eating organisms. The story is set during the Ninth Pass, a period marked by the decline of dragonriders and the disarray of Benden Weyr, the last bastion against Thread.
Key characters, including Lessa and F'lar, strive to prepare for the impending return of Thread, discovering that dragons can teleport through time. This revelation enables them to bring lost weyrs into the present to bolster their defenses. As the narrative progresses, themes of cultural evolution emerge, highlighted by the rise of female characters in traditionally male roles, such as the first female harper and dragonrider. The series showcases the rediscovery of ancient technology and knowledge, heralding a new era for Pern as its inhabitants work collectively to confront their challenges.
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The Dragonriders of Pern
First published:Dragonflight (1968; the opening is a revised form of “Weyr Search,” Analog, 1967), Dragonquest (1971), The White Dragon (1978; part previously published as “A Time When,” 1975), Dragonsong (1976), Dragonsinger (1977), Dragondrums (1979), Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern (1983), Nerilka’s Story (1986), Dragonsdawn (1988), The Renegades of Pern (1989), All the Weyrs of Pern (1991), Rescue Run (1991; earlier version in Analog, 1991), The Dolphins’ Bell (1993), The Girl Who Heard Dragons (1994), and The Dolphins of Pern (1994)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—extrasensory powers
Time of work: Pre-landing through the Ninth Pass
Locale: Pern, an undeveloped world
The Plot
In 1967, Anne McCaffrey introduced readers to the Dragonriders of Pern series with the story “Weyr Search.” Pern’s story begins with Earth colonists landing on an agricultural planet. All goes well for eight years, until Pern is attacked by deadly spores called Thread. The initial losses to Thread in livestock, crops, and human life are staggering. To fight Thread, the Pernese biogenetically engineer large, telepathic, fire-breathing dragons (weyrs) and Thread-eating grubs.
A Thread attack, called a Pass, lasts fifty years; they come in Intervals of two hundred years. By the Ninth Pass, five weyrs have disappeared, Benden Weyr has fallen into disarray, and dragonriders are in disfavor. Only Benden Weyrleaders Lessa and F’lar and F’lar’s half brother F’nor believe that Thread will fall again. They try to prepare Pern, but the two hundred dragons of Benden cannot defend all the settlements. Lessa discovers that the dragons can teleport between times as well as between places, and she and her queen, Ramoth, travel back in time to bring the missing five weyrs forward to aid Benden’s fight with Thread.
Tensions mount because the Oldtimers resent the cultural changes in Pern. Dragonman fights dragonman as F’lar fights T’ron and later T’kul. A queen egg is stolen and then returned by the young Lord Holder Jaxom, who, against all tradition, impresses the white dragon Ruth. The male-dominated culture continues to evolve as Menolly becomes the first female harper, Mirrim impresses a green dragon, and female and male young people attend cross-crafting classes together for the first time.
Small, emphatic friends called fire lizards are discovered. They form a link among holders, craftsmen, and dragonriders. Masterharper Robinton helps to guide the development of Pern with wise counsel and carefully developed teaching ballads. Old knowledge is rediscovered, and the Pernese learn to use a distance viewer, talking wires, and an enlarger. The Lord Holders pressure the dragonriders to go to the Red Star to eliminate Thread at its source. Using the distance viewer, F’nor directs his brown dragon Canth to the Red Star, and they are nearly killed trying to land on the turbulent planet.
Ruins are discovered on the southern continent. These include the shuttles that brought the colonists to Pern and a voice-activated interactive computer. The powerful computer teaches the Pernese much of the knowledge lost over the years and helps them plan how to use the Dawn Sisters, the original starships, to get rid of Thread. Jaxom and Ruth again are instrumental in making plans that signal a new beginning for this agricultural world.