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Queenyforever
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Dragonriders of Pern

Just adding this as Chaxu and I have taken over the Harry Potter MOVIE topic... emoticon

From the Weyr and from the Bowl,
Bronze and brown and blue and green,
Rise the dragonmen of Pern,
Aloft, on wing, seen, then unseen.

DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN
The Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive fantasy/science fiction series of novels and short stories primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. Since 2004, McCaffrey's son Todd McCaffrey has also published Pern novels, both in collaboration with Anne and on his own. As of July 2006, the series consists of 18 novels or novellas and several short stories, most of which have been collected in two volumes.

The earlier novels in the series have a clear fantasy slant to them (low levels of technology, fire-breathing dragons, feudal societies), although McCaffrey herself prefers to describe them as science fiction and stresses the scientific rationales behind the world she has created. In more recent novels, the series moves toward more overt science fiction as the colonists rediscover their links to the past and develop much higher levels of technology.

as presented in the novels resembles a pre-industrial society with lords, holds, harpers (musicians, entertainers, and teachers), and dragons, with the occasional examples of higher technology (like flamethrowers, telegraph, chemical fertilizers, and powerful microscopes and telescopes).

Pernese people are described as belonging to four basic groups: Weyrfolk (including Dragonriders) who live in the Weyrs, the Holders who live in the Holds (cities, towns and farms), the crafters who live in Crafthalls (or are assigned to work their crafts in certain Holds), and the Holdless who have no permanent home (including traders, displaced Holders, and brigands).

One of the main threats to Pernese civilization in the series is Thread, which is described as a mycorrhizoid spore that periodically rains down on the planet due to the orbit of the Red Star. The Red Star is set out to be a rogue planet in the Rukbat system. The Red Star, characterized as a "Sedna-class inner Oort cloud object", has a 250 Turn (or Pernese year) elliptic orbit around its sun. Thread can reach the planet Pern for about 50 Turns while the Red Star is at perihelion. Thread is described in this series as an agent that consumes organic material at a voracious rate, including crops, animals, and any humans in its path.

The Pernese use intelligent firebreathing dragons and their riders to fight Thread. The riders have a telepathic bond with their dragons, formed by Impression at the dragon's hatching. Later books deal with the initial colonization of Pern and the creation of the dragons through genetic manipulation. The lengthy (over two millennia) time period covered by the series as a whole allows room for new stories and characters, explored by each new novel released by the authors.

This article lists the McCaffreys' Pern novels and stories in chronological order, which is very different than the order in which they were written and published.

First Pass

    * Dragonsdawn 1988

    * The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (1993, anthology)
          o The Survey: P.E.R.N.
          o The Dolphins' Bell
          o The Ford of Red Hanrahan
          o The Second Weyr
          o Rescue Run

Second Pass

    * Dragonsblood (2005, by Todd McCaffrey) (some events)

Second Interval/Third Pass

    * Red Star Rising (1996) (called Dragon's Eye for US release)
    * Dragon's Kin (2004, with Todd McCaffrey)
    * Dragon's Fire (2006, with Todd McCaffrey)
    * Dragon Harper (2007, with Todd McCaffrey)
    * Dragonsblood (2005, by Todd McCaffrey) (majority of events)

Sixth Pass

    * Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern 1983
    * Nerilka's Story 1986
    * "Beyond Between"

Eighth Interval

    * The MasterHarper of Pern 1998
    * Runner of Pern 1998

Ninth Pass

    * Dragonflight (1968, first novel written)
    * Dragonquest 1970
    * "The Littlest Dragonboy"
    * Dragonsong 1976
    * Dragonsinger 1977
    * Dragondrums 1979
    * The White Dragon 1978
    * "The Girl Who Heard Dragons"
    * Renegades of Pern 1989
    * All the Weyrs of Pern 1991
    * The Dolphins of Pern 1994
    * The Skies of Pern 2001

The time period of the short story "Ever the Twain" from the anthology A Gift of Dragons is unclear.

This chronology is by necessity inexact, as some works overlap in time, while others depict the same events from different characters' perspective. For instance, Moreta and Nerilka's Story cover the same events, although the much shorter Nerilka's Story depicts some events after the earlier novel's ending.

AS A SIDE NOTE...
In May of 2006, it was announced that the rights to the entire Dragonriders of Pern series was optioned by Oscar-winning production company Copperheart Entertainment. Copperheart announced their intention to bring Pern to the big screen!

AND the latest on the 2008 DRAGON CON
Dragon*Con 2008
March 7th, 2008 | Archives

We’re pleased to announce something most of you already know: Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey will be attending this year’s Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia on Labor Day weekend, August 29 through September 1, 2008.
2008 DRAGON CON LINK

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3/27/2008, 12:49 pm

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Finduilas Nenharma
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Re: Dragonriders of Pern

I've read a few of the Dragons of Pern and enjoyed them all. I loved the concept and dearly would like a little fire lizard of my own, though they may not sing with me as I sing badly emoticon