Ratings34
Average rating3.9
Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern and discover not only its flora, fauna, population and cultural hierarchy, but the history of an entire civilization. If you like David Eddings, David Gemmell and Douglas Adams, you will love this. **Runner Up for the John W. Campbell Award for Best Science Fiction Novel** **Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novel** 'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES Readers love it: ***** - 'The tale of intrepid explorers arriving at their destination, draws the reader in, you feel the joy, the pain and the determination to win through, to create a new home.' ***** - 'An amazing, totally engrossing book!' ***** - 'What impressed me particularly was the way science fiction and fantasy were mixed, elegantly and coherently into one novel.' ******************************************************************** THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN, AND HOW IT ALL BEGAN... In the beginning, before Thread, before the Dragons, before the Holds and the Weyrs and the elite Dragonriders of Pern, was just the great ships gliding through space with nearly six thousand colonists prepared to tackle the mighty task of beginning a new world on a strange planet. It was a jewel of a planet, with rivers and seas and mountains, and breathable air and growing things. Then came the terror. The strange, unidentifiable circles in the grass suddenly revealed a meaning, and every living thing was at risk. Many died - a horrible and consuming death. All resources, every man, woman and child had to fight the terrible nightmare of Thread. But a new creature was about to save the planet. From the delicate fire lizards a new life was born - a new symbiosis between man and beast...
Reviews with the most likes.
Anne McCaffrey doesn't disappoint. She has some science, some non-science, people you just don't like and others you do, and not a cliff hanger. I much prefer the books in this series that she wrote on her own; they seem to have a better flow to the sentences than some of her collaborations with others.
I liked the dragons but the book felt more like fanfiction to me, the plot never went anywhere and the characters were lackluster. I was told to read in chronological order but I don't think this book is a good starting point for what seems to be a beloved series.
But I liked the dragons.
This is an enjoyable read for fans of Dragonriders books. I read a Pern book years ago, and was happy to revisit Pern. This story gives the backstory of the first colonists on Pern. There is detail on how the colonists arrived and slowly lose their advanced science and technology.
I liked the technology talk about space travel, sled maintenance, and bio-engineering. I had originally picked this book for references to libraries. There is not much talk in the book. But there is communication with the spaceships in orbit and use of high tech.
The book gives a very detailed story of the beginning of the Pern saga. I recommend this for fans of Dragonriders. There is excessive detail at times, but the overall story is interesting.
Series
22 primary books29 released booksPern is a 28-book series with 22 primary works first released in 1968 with contributions by Anne McCaffrey, Karen Wynn Fonstad, and 9 others.
Series
24 primary books25 released booksPern (Chronological Order) is a 44-book series with 24 primary works first released in 1967 with contributions by Anne McCaffrey, Todd McCaffrey, and 14 others.