Dragonriders of Pern is a science fantasy series written primarily by American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning in 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. The series (as of 2024) comprises 24 novels and two collections of short stories. The two novellas included in the first novel, Dragonflight, made McCaffrey the first woman to win a Hugo Award for writing fiction as well as the first to win a Nebula Award.Publishers Weekly review of Robin Roberts, Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons (2007). Quoted by Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
Overview
Humans have colonized the planet Pern in the Rukbat star system, but have lost much of their technology and history (including their origin on Earth) due to periodic onslaughts of Thread, a mycorrhizoid spore that voraciously consumes all organic material, including humans and their crops, given the opportunity. Thread comes from the Red Star, actually another planet. The Red Star has a 250-Turn (Pernese year) elliptic orbit around Rukbat, and when its orbit brings it close enough, Thread rains down on Pern at predictable intervals over about 50 Turns.
The Pernese use intelligent firebreathing dragons to fight Thread. A human rider has a telepathic bond with their dragon, formed by Impression at the dragon's hatching. The bonding instantly creates a very close, lifelong relationship – the dragon almost invariably commits suicide at the rider's death, and a rider whose dragon has died bears a deep emotional wound which can never be fully healed. Later books deal with the initial colonization of Pern and the genetic modification of small native animals into creatures capable of carrying humans in flight.
The Pernese live in a pre-industrial society, with lords, holds, harpers (musicians, entertainers, and teachers), and dragons, with occasional examples of higher technology (like flamethrowers, the telegraph, chemical fertilizers, and powerful microscopes and telescopes). There are four basic social classes: Weyrfolk (centered on Dragonriders) who live in Weyrs, Holders who rule Holds (cities, towns and farms), Crafters, and the Holdless who have no permanent home (including traders, displaced Holders, and brigands). The society resembles feudal Europe, but with some significant differences – especially, farmers are organized in their own guild, independent of the Holders – rather than being serfs as in historical feudal societies. Also, there is no formal religion and nothing like the Medieval Church, the closest equivalent being in fact the Dragonriders, who have a planet-wide organization and to whom a tithe is due, although they are in no way sworn to celibacy (rather the reverse).
The series as a whole covers over two and a half millennia.
Publications by the McCaffreys This list is arranged in publication order. For Pern historical order see the chronological list of Pern books.
There are 24 Dragonriders of Pern novels and two story collections, the latest published in 2018. Anne McCaffrey once requested reading the works in the order they were written.The Renegades of Pern author note This differs greatly from Pern historical order, for several reasons. The McCaffreys have published stories set in several different periods of Pern's history from initial exploration to more than 2,500 years after landing (AL). Multiple stories feature the same events from different viewpoints. Some stories feature travel between times, even across centuries. Todd McCaffrey, writing alone or with his mother after 2002, has specialized in an early time period.
Original trilogy These stories take place immediately before and during the Ninth Pass, about 2,500 years after landing (AL): Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey (1968; composed primarily of McCaffrey's first two Pern novellas, "Weyr Search" and "Dragonrider", which were originally published in Analog science fiction magazine, in the October and December 1967 issues respectively) Dragonquest (1971), by Anne McCaffrey. The White Dragon, by Anne McCaffrey (1978; although published prior to Dragondrums, The White Dragon continues the adventures of certain Dragondrums characters; McCaffrey recommended reading Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums before The White Dragon; The White Dragon incorporates McCaffrey's story "A Time When")
The trilogy was released 1978 in an omnibus edition titled The Dragonriders of Pern by Nelson Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club.. Retrieved 2011-11-14.• Dragonflight was subtitled "Volume I of The Dragonrider of Pern" on its front cover no later than its fourth US printing, June 1974. . Retrieved 2011-11-14.
Harper Hall trilogy These stories take place immediately before and concurrently with those depicted in Dragonquest and The White Dragon. Dragonsong (1976), by Anne McCaffrey Dragonsinger (1977), by Anne McCaffrey Dragondrums (1979), by Anne McCaffrey
The Harper Hall trilogy was released 1984 in an omnibus edition titled The Harper Hall of Pern by Nelson Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club.. Retrieved 2011-11-14. Dragonsong was subtitled "Volume One of The Harper Hall Trilogy" on the front cover of the Bantam Spectra edition, March 1986.. . Retrieved 2011-11-14.
Other fiction by Anne McCaffrey Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1983; both this and Nerilka's Story are set at the end of the Sixth Pass, centuries before the events in Dragonflight – Moreta is often referenced in Dragonflight as a semi-legendary heroic figure of the distant past whom the protagonist seeks to emulate) Nerilka's Story, by Anne McCaffrey (1986) Dragonsdawn, by Anne McCaffrey (1988; first in chronological order, it depicts the colonization of Pern, the First Fall of Thread, the creation of the dragons, and the colonists' move north) "The Impression", by Jody Lynn Nye and Anne McCaffrey (1989; short story original to The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern) The Renegades of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1989) All the Weyrs of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1991) The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, by Anne McCaffrey (1993 collection of five stories, two original; set mostly after Dragonsdawn) "The Survey: P.E.R.N." (originally published in 1993 as "The P.E.R.N. Survey") "The Dolphins' Bell" (originally published in 1993) "The Ford of Red Hanrahan" (original to the collection) "The Second Weyr" (original to the collection) "Rescue Run" (originally published in 1991) The Dolphins of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1994) Red Star Rising, by Anne McCaffrey (1996) (titled Dragonseye for U.S. release; set at the beginning of the Second Pass) The Masterharper of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1998; prequel to Dragonflight and the other works of the Ninth Pass) The Skies of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (2001) A Gift of Dragons, by Anne McCaffrey (2002 collection of four stories, one original) "The Smallest Dragonboy", by Anne McCaffrey (1973; short story previously collected in Get Off the Unicorn) "The Girl Who Heard Dragons", by Anne McCaffrey (1986 fine press book; cover story in The Girl Who Heard Dragons (1994)) "Runner of Pern", by Anne McCaffrey (1998 novella original to Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy; set some time before the events of Dragonflight) "Ever the Twain" (original to the collection; historical setting unclear) "Beyond Between" (2003 short story in Legends II: Short Novels By the Masters of Modern Fantasy; set after the events of Moreta)
"On Dragonwings", an omnibus containing Dragonsdawn, Dragonseye and Moreta, was published in 2003.
Books by Todd McCaffrey or both Since 2003, Anne McCaffrey and her middle child Todd McCaffrey have developed the history immediately before and during the Third Pass, about 500 Turns after landing (AL): Dragon's Kin (2003, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set prior to the Third Pass) Dragonsblood (2005, Todd McCaffrey; set after Dragon Harper and also 400 Turns earlier, a few decades after Dragonsdawn) Dragon's Fire (2006, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set during and after Dragon's Kin) Dragon Harper (December 2007, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set after Dragon's Fire) Dragonheart (November 2008, Todd McCaffrey; set during Dragonsblood) Dragongirl (July 2010, Todd McCaffrey; sequel to Dragonheart and Dragonsblood) Dragon's Time (June 2011, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; sequel to Dragongirl) Sky Dragons (July 2012, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey; sequel to Dragon's Time; published after Anne's death)
Book by Gigi McCaffrey Dragon's Code (2018, Gigi McCaffrey; set during the Ninth Pass)
Unfinished book After the Fall is Over (sequel to The Skies of Pern) – the only work set after the Ninth Pass in "New Era Pern"; the latest in Pern historical order.
Awards "Weyr Search" won the inaugural Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1968 and "Dragonrider" won the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1969 (both were finalists for both awards). Dragonquest, The White Dragon, Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and All the Weyrs of Pern were among the five annual finalists for the best novel Hugo Award. Year Award Category Recipient Result 1968 1967 Nebula Awards Best Novella "Weyr Search" 1968 Hugo Awards Best Novella 1969 1968 Nebula Awards Best Novella "Dragonrider" 1969 Hugo Awards Best Novella 1972 1972 Hugo Awards Best Novel Dragonquest 1972 Locus Awards Best Novel 1978 1978 Locus Awards Best SF Novel Dragonsinger 1979 1979 Hugo Awards Best Novel The White Dragon 1979 Locus Awards Best Novel 1979 Ditmar Awards Best International Fiction 1979 Gandalf Awards Best Book-Length Fantasy 1980 1980 Locus Awards Best SF Novel Dragondrums 1980 Ditmar Awards Best International Fiction 1984 1984 Hugo Awards Best Novel Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern 1984 Locus Awards Best SF Novel 1987 1987 Locus Poll Best All-Time Fantasy Novel Dragonflight 1989 1989 John W. Campbell Memorial Award Best SF Novel Dragonsdawn 1989 Locus Awards Best SF Novel 1992 1992 Hugo Awards Best Novel All the Weyrs of Pern 1992 Locus Awards Best SF Novel 1994 1994 Locus Awards Best Collection The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall 1995 1995 Locus Awards Best Collection The Girl Who Heard Dragons Best SF Novel The Dolphins of Pern 1996 1996 Seiun Awards Best Translated Long Form The Renegades of Pern 2002 2002 Seiun Awards Best Translated Long Form All the Weyrs of Pern
Other works Gamebooks and companion books The Atlas of Pern (1984) by Karen Wynn Fonstad. – authorized "Pernography" including annotated maps; illustrated descriptions of Weyrs, Holds, and Halls; chronologies; and more. Dragonharper (1987), gamebook by Jody Lynn Nye Dragonfire (1988), gamebook by Jody Lynn Nye People of Pern (1988) by Robin Wood and Anne McCaffrey. – portraits and other illustrations The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern (Ballantine Books, 1989) by Jody Lynn Nye with Anne McCaffrey. . Second edition 1997, – Pern geography, society, flora, fauna, etc., including information not in the previously published fiction.
Graphic novel In 1991, Dragonflight, the first Pern book published, was released as a set of three graphic novels by Eclipse Comics of Forestville, California. The story was adapted across all three graphic novels by Brynne Stephens. The first two graphic novels were illustrated by Lela Dowling and Fred Von Tobel, the third by Lela Dowling and Cynthia Martin.
Music of Pern There are two CDs of music relating to the Teaching Ballads and the works of Masterharper Robinton and Menolly.