While I’m not the hugest fan of these remaining two stories, I’m really glad they exist. So let’s take a look at the pair of them before we start discussing the whys and wherefores of them… “The Ford Of Red Hanrahan” Fort Hold, the first of the settlements on Pern’s Northern Continent, is becoming overcrowded … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: The Chronicles Of Pern: First Fall →

The remaining four members of an Exploration and Evaluation team have arrived at the third planet of the Rukbat system. Tired, worn out and shattered after a gruelling mission which has cost four members of the team their lives, they are not holding out great hopes for this planet. But landing dispels their pessimism and … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: “The P. E. R. N. Survey” →

During the second half of Dragonsdawn, a rather epic event took place: the colonists, in their bid to reestablish the colony on the Northern Continent, create a huge convoy of boats and ships to convey people to the new settlement. But because Dragonsdawn was mostly about how the dragons were created, this got pushed aside … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: “The Dolphins’ Bell” →

I’d have been perfectly content if this had been the last novel in the series. It’s a great place to finish: during the course of this book the threat of Thread is eliminated, there’s a tearful ending of a long and fruitful life and the promise of a better future for those who want to … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: All The Weyrs Of Pern →

The 1980s had been very good to Anne McCaffrey. She had had successes not only with the Dragonriders novels, but with so many of her other books as well: by the end of that decade she had sold nearly fourteen million copies of her books. It didn’t hurt that Dragonsdawn explicitly stated that the Pern … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: The Renegades Of Pern →

I don’t normally enjoy prequels. Too often you have authors trying to shoehorn a future onto a situation that feels forced. Sometimes a story just needs to have happened without it being explained too much. However, when you are dealing with an imagined history, sometimes you do need to fill some gaps. Such a situation … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Dragonsdawn →

Moreta is a name that has already been dropped several times in this series. We know that she was a famous dragonlady from the past, and in Dragonsinger: Harper Of Pern, we are treated to an impromptu performance of the opera/ballad based around her life and death. We also know that she dies at the … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Moreta: Dragonlady Of Pern →

This was published in 1979 and is set roughly three years after the events of Dragonsinger: Harper Of Pern and about four years before The White Dragon. Piemur wakes up one morning in the Harperhall, helps Menolly feed her fire lizards, has breakfast, then goes off to rehearse a new musical piece that has been … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Dragondrums →

When we left Menolly at the end of Dragonsong, she was overjoyed to discover that she was going to live at the Harperhall. After a lifetime of abuse because of her musical talent, she was finally going to be recognised and accepted for her skills. Dragonsinger: Harper Of Pern begins with Menolly arriving at the … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Dragonsinger, Harper Of Pern →

I mentioned previously that “The Smallest Dragonboy” was picked up as a short story idea because Anne McCaffrey was working through a story about a girl called Menolly. After K’van’s adventure was published, she went back to her notes and fleshed out the basic idea some more. And in 1976, Dragonsong was published as a … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Dragonsong →

In 1973, Anne McCaffrey should have had the world at her feet: she had released several short stories and novels into the world, won some awards that no other woman had won before her, and had the beginnings of a bestselling series in Dragonflight and Dragonquest. However, she had recently divorced her husband and emigrated … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: “The Smallest Dragonboy” →

Dragonflight first appeared as two short stories: “Weyr Search” and “Dragonrider”. These were originally published in Analog magazine in October 1967 and in the December – January 1967-68 issues. Together they make up parts 1, 3 and 4 of Dragonflight. Part 2 of the novel (named “Dragonflight” in the book) was submitted to John W. … Continue reading Pern Appreciation Month: Dragonflight →