Dragonriders of Pern series

## Genre Information

Science Fiction
Colonazation

Low Fantasy
Dragon Riders

 (Series Content Ratings Click on Explicit Ratings for details.)

## About the Series

* **Genres:** Low Fantasy, Dragon Riders, SciFi Colonazation
* **Theme:** What happens centuries after a group of humans colonize a new planet where they encountered problems that
* **Narrative style**: Some books are First person, limited and others are Multiperspectivity.

## Series Description

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 Rukhbat, and when its orbit brings it close enough, Thread rains down on Pern at predictable intervals over about 50 Turns.

## Series Titles

*Source: All of the following information came from wikipedia:Dragonriders of Pern*

### Original trilogy

These stories take place immediately before and during the Ninth Pass, about 2,500 years after landing (AL).

* Dragonflight (The Dragonriders of Pern Book 1) 1968, by Anne McCaffrey
* Dragonquest (The Dragonriders of Pern Book 2) 1970, by Anne McCaffrey.
* The White Dragon (The Dragonriders of Pern Book 3) 1978, by Anne McCaffrey

(1978; although published prior to *Dragondrums*, *The White Dragon* continues the adventures of certain *Harper Hall* 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 omnibus edition titled *The Dragonriders of Pern* by Nelson Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club.
### Harper Hall trilogy

These stories take place immediately prior to and concurrently with those depicted in *Dragonquest* and *The White Dragon*.
This is a YA series, with the first two from Menolly's POV and the 3rd one featuring Piemur's POV. As Menolly's first friend at the Harper Hall, Piemur is very prominent in the first two stories, too.

* Dragonsong (Harper Hall Trilogy Book 1) (1976), by Anne McCaffrey
* Dragonsinger (Harper Hall Book 2) (1977), by Anne McCaffrey
* Dragondrums (Harper Hall Book 3) (1979), by Anne McCaffrey

The Harper Hall trilogy was released 1984 in omnibus edition titled *The Harper Hall of Pern* by Nelson Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club. *Dragonsong* was subtitled "Volume One of The Harper Hall Trilogy" on the front cover of the Bantam Spectra edition, March 1986.

### Other Pern Stories 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 (Pern Book 8), by Anne McCaffrey (1986)
* Dragonsdawn (Pern Book 9), by Anne McCaffrey (1988; first in chronological order, 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*)
* Renegades of Pern (Pern Book 10), by Anne McCaffrey (1989)
* All the Weyrs of Pern (Pern Book 11), by Anne McCaffrey (1991)
* The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (Pern Book 12), 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 (Pern Book 13), by Anne McCaffrey (1994)
* Dragonseye (Pern Book 14) aka *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 (Pern Book 15), by Anne McCaffrey (1998; prequel to *Dragonflight* and the other works of the Ninth Pass)
* The Skies of Pern (Pern Book 16), by Anne McCaffrey (2001)
* A Gift of Dragons (Pern), 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 (Pern Book 17) (2003, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set prior to the Third Pass)
* Dragonsblood (Pern Book 18) (2005, Todd McCaffrey; set after *Dragon Harper* and also 400 Turns earlier, a few decades after *Dragonsdawn*)
* Dragon's Fire (Pern Book 19) (2006, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set during and after *Dragon's Kin*)
* Dragon Harper (Pern Book 20) (December 2007, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; set after *Dragon's Fire* )
* Dragonheart (Pern Book 21) (November 2008, Todd McCaffrey; set during *Dragonsblood*)
* Dragongirl (Pern Book 22) (July 2010, Todd McCaffrey; sequel to *Dragonheart* and *Dragonsblood*)
* Dragon's Time (Pern Book 23) (June 2011, Anne and Todd McCaffrey; sequel to *Dragongirl*)
* Sky Dragons (Pern Book 24) (July 2012, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey; sequel to *Dragon's Time*; published after Anne's passing)

### Books by Gigi McCaffrey

* Dragon's Code (Pern Book 25) (2018, Gigi McCaffrey; set during the Ninth Pass)

### Books in progress

* *After the Fall is Over* (long in progress; sequel to *The Skies of Pern*) – set after the Ninth Pass in "New Era Pern", the latest in Pern historical order. This book will be finished by her children.

## Pern Books in Chronological Order

### Before Landing

The planet Rukbat 3 was surveyed about 200 years before settlement ("Landing").

* *The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall* (1993 collection)
	+ "The Survey: P.E.R.N."

### First Pass

These stories are set before and during the First Pass, from just before settlers landed on Pern until about fifty years afterward (0 to 50 AL).

* *Dragonsdawn* (1988)
	+ "Landing" (0 to 2 AL)
	+ "Thread" (8 AL)
	+ "Crossing" (8 to 9 AL)
* *The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall* (1993 collection)
	+ "The Dolphins' Bell"
	+ "The Ford of Red Hanrahan"
	+ "The Second Weyr"
	+ "Rescue Run"

### First Interval

Just after the First Pass, 58 years after landing.

* *Dragonsblood* (2005, by Todd McCaffrey) – set partly in 58 AL, primarily in 508 AL; see Third Pass

### Second Pass

Just before and during the Second Pass, about 250 years after landing.

* *Red Star Rising* (1996) (called *Dragonseye* for US release)

### Third Pass

Just before and during the Third Pass, about 500 years after landing.

* *Dragon's Kin* (2004, Anne & Todd McCaffrey)
* *Dragon's Fire* (2006, Anne & Todd McCaffrey) – part one during *Dragon's Kin*
* *Dragon Harper* (2007, Anne & Todd McCaffrey)
* *Dragonsblood* (2005, Todd McCaffrey) – most events; see also First Interval
* *Dragonheart* (2008, Todd McCaffrey) – frame during *Dragonsblood*
* *Dragongirl* (2010, Todd McCaffrey)
* *Dragon's Time* (2011, Anne & Todd McCaffrey)
* *Sky Dragons* (2012, Anne & Todd McCaffrey)

### Sixth Pass

Late in the Sixth Pass, about 1550 years after landing.

* *Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern* (1983)
* *Nerilka's Story* (1986) – coincident with *Moreta*
* "Beyond *Between*" – short story in *Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy* (2003)

### Ninth Pass

Just before and during the Ninth Pass, about 2500 years after landing.

* *The Masterharper of Pern* (1998) – set 55 years before the Pass until the first part of *Dragonflight*
* "Runner of Pern" (1998) – novella later collected in *A Gift of Dragons*
* *Dragonflight* (1968) – first novel written, a fix-up of two previously published stories "Weyr Search" and "Dragonrider"
* *Dragonquest* (1970)
* *Dragonsong* (1976) – during *Dragonquest*, closing almost simultaneously
* *Dragonsinger* (1977) – during seven days following *Dragonsong*
* *Dragondrums* (1979) – closing before the end of *The White Dragon*
* "Dragon's Code" (2018, Gigi McCaffrey) – concurrent to *The White Dragon*
* *The White Dragon* (1978) – incorporating the short story *A Time When* (1975)
* "The Impression" (1989) – short story by Jody Lynn Nye and Anne McCaffrey in *The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern*
* "The Smallest Dragonboy" (1973) – short story later collected in *A Gift of Dragons.* It is also found in the anthology "Get Off The Unicorn" published by Del Rey press.
* "The Girl Who Heard Dragons" (1986) – novella later collected in *A Gift of Dragons* – early during *The Renegades of Pern*
* *The Renegades of Pern* (1989)
* *All the Weyrs of Pern* (1991)
* *The Dolphins of Pern* (1994) – during and immediately after *All the Weyrs of Pern*
* *The Skies of Pern* (2001)
* *After the Fall is Over* (in progress since 2011) – set after the Ninth Pass in "New Era Pern"

### Undatable

One short story cannot be dated even approximately. Some readers have inferred that it takes place during the Second or Third Pass.

* "Ever the Twain" (2002) – original to the collection *A Gift of Dragons*

## World Building

### Setting

Set in the Federated Sentient Planets Universe

### SciFi / Fantasy Elements

The Sci Fi elements do not make an appearance until late in the series

### World

Rukbat (also known as Alpha Sagittarius) is a golden, G-type star in the Sagittarian sector around which Pern and the Red Star orbit. Rukbat has five planets and an Oort Cloud in orbit around it, with Pern in the third position out from the primary. The first planet in the system has a close orbit and is referred to as a tiny black cinder ("Rescue Run"). The remaining complement of planetary bodies is unknown, although at least two are heavy-weight ("The P.E.R.N. Survey").

Pern is the 3rd planet of the Rukbat system in the Sagittarian sector. Its name comes directly from the acronym it was given by the Exploration and Evaluation Corps (EEC) team that first mapped it; Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible. It was colonized by 6000 people lead by Admiral Paul Benden and Governor Emily Boll.

## References

1. ↑ wikipedia:Dragonriders of Pern
2. ↑ Federated Sentient Planets universe Wikipedia
3. ↑ Pern wiki
4. ↑ Pern wiki