The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (The Dragonriders of Pern) - Hardcover

McCaffrey, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345368983 ISBN 13: 9780345368980

Publisher: Del Rey, 1993

Synopsis

Let the queen of dragons herself take you back to the earliest days of Pernese history as Anne McCaffrey brings to life events that shaped one of the most popular worlds in all of science fiction, in this first-ever Pern short-story collection.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

n of dragons herself take you back to the earliest days of Pernese history as Anne McCaffrey brings to life events that shaped one of the most popular worlds in all of science fiction, in this first-ever Pern short-story collection.

Reviews

A quarter century after Dragonflight , the novel that introduced the vastly popular dragon planet of Pern, McCaffrey details the difficult yet exhilarating early years of the Pernese settlers in five highly readable tales. Trouble starts early when the original landing site is threatened by volcanic action, forcing the human settlers to ring "The Dolphin's Bell" in a plea for help from the intelligent sea mammals who migrated with them from Earth. Then there is the First Fall of the devastating Thread which leads colonists to the security of Rua Atha (Ruatha Hold) in "The Ford of Red Hanarahan," while "The Second Weyr" recounts the creation of two new Weyrs to accommodate the growing population of dragons and riders who are essential to the colony's survival. The book begins and ends with the human federation, with the initial survey of Pern and, in the odd final tale called "Rescue Run," with the story of how the planet was abandoned when a small Federation expedition, responding to a distress message sent by Pern during the First Fall, finds only 11 colonists led by a madman. Told of the Thread and convinced that these are the only survivors, the rescuers recommend that Pern and the entire system be interdicted. This collection will provide some answers long awaited by avid Pern fans.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Four originals, one magazine reprint: the first story collection centered on McCaffrey's immensely popular Dragonriders and their battle to keep planet Pern free of the invidious, corrosive Thread. As the title implies, the stories form a sort of chronology of the early days of Pern's colonization. The original survey and exploration team designate the planet as P.E.R.N.: parallel Earth, resources negligible. After colonization, the Southern Continent must be evacuated following a volcanic eruption, the colonists in their fragile ships aided by intelligent, talking dolphins. Famed Ruatha Hold is founded by big, genial Irishman Red Hanrahan. Later, after resounding success in destroying Thread before it can fall to ground, the Dragonriders expand into a second, then a third Weyr. Finally, a remnant of the original colonists, cut off from the Dragonrider groups, are rescued by a Federation vessel before the Pern system and its cometary cloud, permeated with deadly Thread organisms, is interdicted, and so cut off from the rest of humanity. Fairly mediocre stories, overall, but don't underestimate the crowd-pulling power of McCaffrey's all-but-legendary planet. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the initial reports of the survey team that discovers Rukbat's third planet ("The Survey: P.E.R.N.") to the official banning of the planet to space travel ("Rescue Run"), these five original stories by the author of the popular Pern series offer a glimpse into the early history of the world of "thread" and Dragonriders. McCaffrey's unadorned prose allows characters and plot to take center stage. Anticipate a demand for this title. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/93.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0345368983
• ISBN 13: 9780345368980
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306