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189th out of 819 books
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Dragonsdawn (Pern: Dragonriders of Pern #9)
The beautiful planet Pern seemed a paradise to its new colonists - until unimaginable terror turned it into hell. Suddenly deadly spores were falling like silver threads from the sky, devouring everything - and everyone - in their path. It began to look as if the colony, cut off from Earth and lacking the resources to combat the menace, was doomed.
Then some of ...more
Then some of ...more
Paperback, 367 pages
Published
August 13th 1989
by Del Rey
(first published August 13th 1988)
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This is one of my all time favorite Pern novels. It tells the story of how people came to Pern to colonize the planet, how the first appearance of Thread almost destroyed them and the measures they took to survive. It is a wonderful story that includes the creation of the Dragons from the fire lizards, some of the top people that locations were named after, and a view of how a lot of the culture and traditions began. I love the science that is included in this book, but I don't think it is so...more
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Lizzy
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those looking for something a little different in their sci-fi.
When the colonists first landed on the untouched, uninhabited world of Pern, they thought they had finally found the place they sought...a tranquil, serene new world that would allow them to create their own civilization, far away from the reaches of war and corruption that scarred their old worlds. As they threw themselves completely into the creation of the new colony, they were unaware that they were about to face an enemy more sinister than they could have anticipated. Several years after th...more
McCaffrey does her best work, I think, when she strikes a balance between sci-fi and fantasy. Or, as they play out in Pern, the technological legacy of the colony and the feudal state it's shaped into by the exigencies of Thread. Moreta's Ride was the first Pern book I read, and it struck that balance beautifully, (view spoiler) This book is great for the protagonists in it, and because it provides the o...more
This was exactly what I needed for my dragon fix. I loved the new take on dragons; seeing them as the product of the genetic engineering--on an alien species, no less!--was quite brilliant. But despite the fact that the dragons didn't make an appearance for a little while, I was still hooked. Even though it's number six in the series, this book is a prequel to the series as a whole, and having not read any of the others--yet--I can safely say, as a newb, this book operates quite well as a stand-...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Considered one of the first in the chronological order of the Dragonriders of Pern series, Dragonsdawn tells the story of humans seeking a new life on a new planet. Pern offers to them an escape from the old politics and issues of their previous universe and system and the opportunity to create a life based around agriculture and autonomy. But issues abound when they land on Pern, not the least of which includes a type of mindless organism that falls like rain, decimating all carbon-based life.
...more
This might be my favorite Pern book. Anne McCaffrey usually gets three stars from me, for what some people call "a good popcorn read"--something you enjoy and don't expect to get anything of value out of. (And I don't care if the plot's not really crafted the way a plot should be--I read "popcorn" to stave off boredom, not to find out what happens.) But this one on my last re-reading rose a little above that line.
Though her usual flaws (ridiculous villains, Specia...more
Though her usual flaws (ridiculous villains, Specia...more
Paul Baker
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Science fiction and fantasy readers, young adults
Shelves:
science-fiction
Spoiler Alert!
Dragonsdawn is a prequel to the entire Dragonriders of Pern saga. In fact, there is only one story which occurs in the timeline before Dragonsdawn and that is the short story, The Survey: P.E.R.N.c, which covers the brief period of time that the Exploration and Evaluation team discovered and conducted their examination of the planet that came to be called Pern. The short story may be found in The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, a collection which includes The Survey: ...more
Dragonsdawn is a prequel to the entire Dragonriders of Pern saga. In fact, there is only one story which occurs in the timeline before Dragonsdawn and that is the short story, The Survey: P.E.R.N.c, which covers the brief period of time that the Exploration and Evaluation team discovered and conducted their examination of the planet that came to be called Pern. The short story may be found in The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, a collection which includes The Survey: ...more
Having recently finished 'The White Dragon', in which the current residents of Pern have just uncovered an area formerly settled in the distant past, this was a good follow-up. I enjoyed learning why and how the first settlers came to Pern, and to get the back-story filled in. I was disappointed in how many great characters got killed off willy-nilly, often so abruptly whacked and forgotten that it made my head spin. I feel like many of the characters set up to be major ones in subsequent boo...more
I need a shelf: currently re-reading. I started the Dragon Heart book by Todd McCaffrey and got sort of re-introduced to Pern. So I thought--you know, I can't remember exactly what happens in the later bits when the Pernese find the colonists's computers and technology resurfaces and might make dragons obsolete. So I thought of rereading the "first" book and then the "last" books, starting with Dragonflight (which is really I think the first book published, and the first Pern...more
I have fond memories of the Pern books growing up. In fact reading the short story, The Smallest Dragonboy, in 6th grade was what first got me reading SF. After finding a box of my old books out in the barn I decided to revisit Pern. I decided to read them in chronological rather than published order and I'm afraid, at least this one, doesn't quite live up to my memories. It's still a decent way to pass some time but it's not a great book. I'm hoping as I move forward and get into the origi...more
As Barry Hughart said, sometimes we all need to go back and relive our childhoods. That's the main reason I read this book.
Let's see: Sean is a jerk. I never really noticed this when I was a kid. Very much a Babies Make Everything Better book. Hard not to think the the Renewable Air Force document and cringe. (If you never participated in Pern fandom this won't make any sense. Just ignore it, you'll be happier not knowing.)
It was interesting to get this look at very...more
Let's see: Sean is a jerk. I never really noticed this when I was a kid. Very much a Babies Make Everything Better book. Hard not to think the the Renewable Air Force document and cringe. (If you never participated in Pern fandom this won't make any sense. Just ignore it, you'll be happier not knowing.)
It was interesting to get this look at very...more
67 out of 100 for 2010
If you like 'Dragon' fantasy, Anne McCaffrey is pretty much the gold standard. Her 'Dragonriders of Pern' is one of the longest running, and certainly the most respected, series in this genre.
Dragonsdawn is not the first novel in the series, but is more a prequel, one that shows Earth settlers landing on Pern, the terrible trouble they face from a naturally occurring spaceborne menace, and how the human settlers use genetic engineering to create dra...more
If you like 'Dragon' fantasy, Anne McCaffrey is pretty much the gold standard. Her 'Dragonriders of Pern' is one of the longest running, and certainly the most respected, series in this genre.
Dragonsdawn is not the first novel in the series, but is more a prequel, one that shows Earth settlers landing on Pern, the terrible trouble they face from a naturally occurring spaceborne menace, and how the human settlers use genetic engineering to create dra...more
Prequel to the original dragonriders trilogy.
The first ship of colonists arrives on Pern, looking for a simple life where they can live off the land and escape the technology-dependent society of Earth.
At first, everything goes smoothly. However, when the voracious, life-consuming "threads" begin to fall, the colonists discover that Pern is not as welcoming as they hoped.
Two children, Sorka Hanrahan and Sean Connell, discover fire lizards, creat...more
The first ship of colonists arrives on Pern, looking for a simple life where they can live off the land and escape the technology-dependent society of Earth.
At first, everything goes smoothly. However, when the voracious, life-consuming "threads" begin to fall, the colonists discover that Pern is not as welcoming as they hoped.
Two children, Sorka Hanrahan and Sean Connell, discover fire lizards, creat...more
I'm a bit disappointed.
Sure, it's a good foundation novel, very scifi, with good solid characters.
But there were some themes that were picked up but never really brought to conclusion (What is the red planet, and why did it destroy everything sent to explore it? Does Thread evolves into something, and if it does, in what? How did Tubberman develop the thread resistant grub? Are the last two questions related?), and it was a bit annoying since they weren't really new themes, but unanswe...more
Sure, it's a good foundation novel, very scifi, with good solid characters.
But there were some themes that were picked up but never really brought to conclusion (What is the red planet, and why did it destroy everything sent to explore it? Does Thread evolves into something, and if it does, in what? How did Tubberman develop the thread resistant grub? Are the last two questions related?), and it was a bit annoying since they weren't really new themes, but unanswe...more
Chronologically, this book is the first of the books about Pern. This book is more science fiction then fantasy fiction in that it deals with the original settlers of Pern. They have come from earth or one of its colonies, most to escape the tramas of post war. They expect to find peace and autonomy in a more primitive world. What they don't expect is the deadly thread that starts falling from the sky in their eigth year on the new world. They gather all their genius and resources to combat...more
• This book is exceedingly fun to read. I flew through it. I don’t think the writing is necessarily terrific, but the story itself is outstanding. I know that this book was written nearly 20 years after she wrote the first book in this universe. This book is the first novel in the chronology. I think when she wrote this she assumed it would be read by people who had read her other Pern stories. I think she alludes to a few things that would take longer to develop in any society. Overall, ...more
My introduction to Anne McCaffrey was The White Dragon, which I thoroughly enjoyed. On the strength of that book, I decided to backtrack and see how a society colonized Pern in the first place. In short, I was fully satisfied.
McCaffrey is adept at mixing drama, romance, fantasy, and in the case of this book, a healthy dose of Sci-fi. Perhaps this is why I found the book more accessible. I’ve never developed a strong interest in fantasy fiction. But with this novel, McCaffrey blends ...more
McCaffrey is adept at mixing drama, romance, fantasy, and in the case of this book, a healthy dose of Sci-fi. Perhaps this is why I found the book more accessible. I’ve never developed a strong interest in fantasy fiction. But with this novel, McCaffrey blends ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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this was the first book i read in this series, before i realized it was part of a series. i have tried since to read others, but have been uninterested in them, because they didn't focus on what i like the most about this book - the whole idea of the colony. the idea of a diverse selection of the best and the brightest people of an overcrowded society breaking off to form their own community - and on a brand new planet! this story takes what i love about the history of the american pioneers a...more
I checked this book out of my public library when I was in junior high. It's one of the earliest books that I can remember having some kind of impact on me because it had a more complex story and imaginative world than I had experienced before. I remember being disappointed with the subsequent books in the series because they didn't follow the characters I'd come to know and love. I'd like to go back and read this one and some of the others to see how my perspective has changed.
(First read this many years ago...re-reading the series with all the recent additions.) My favorite of the Pern books. Does a good job of bridging the gap from the high-tech society capable of space colonization, to the low-tech world of the later books, with a minimum of suspension-of-disbelief required. It can work on its own, but it's a better book if you are familiar with the original Pern series (Dragonflight, etc), which is later chronologically but was written first.
When I read this novel several years ago it was awesome. The development of characters was as fascinating as the space opera romp. This time I was not impressed. What changed? A new edition. In the interest of increasing the ever shrinking bricks and mortar shelfspace and (I presume) to keep the attention of an ADD population who think Mark Twain wrote in "old English", Publisher are gutting past works and passing the readers digest version as an improvement.
What was a great ...more
What was a great ...more
If you like the other books in this series, you'll probably like this one. There's a chance you wouldn't (or the inverse), because where most of the books are pretty much straight-up fantasy with dragons in a medieval society, this book is basically just sci-fi. It would probably stand on its own fairly well without having to read the earlier books, because it's pretty much self-contained. A good popcorn read, but nothing spectacular here.
The first settlers of pern, how it is that man has come to pern, the reason and meaning of many of the names of the places of pern. The expodition of travelers who are transported by giant space ships who become the dawn sisters, their trials of travel, relocation and decimation by the pern thread invasion and the ingenuity and strenght in develping the dragons and training them to fly the skyes and protect pern from the evil thread
"Dragonsdawn" finally tells the story of how people came to be on Pern, and how they gradually integrated themselves into the life of the planet. An interesting prequel to the Dragonriders stories, particularly since it involves the characters that are always spoken of as 'legendary' by their descendents in the later novels. Interesting, but not as captivating and memorable as the later novels, set during the Dragon era.
Anne McCaffrey has been on my To-Read list for some time now.
It took me so long to start as I didn´t want to get sucked into a new world with new places, faces and races while not able to read each and every book RIGHT NOW... a problem one faces when you don´t have the money to buy the books and have to borrow them from the library.
As a friend had the books and I was able to borrow them I finally had all my requirements to start reading in place... So now...
Decisions, d...more
It took me so long to start as I didn´t want to get sucked into a new world with new places, faces and races while not able to read each and every book RIGHT NOW... a problem one faces when you don´t have the money to buy the books and have to borrow them from the library.
As a friend had the books and I was able to borrow them I finally had all my requirements to start reading in place... So now...
Decisions, d...more
This is my favorite in the series. It's a very good science fiction book. This is the story of the beginning of human habitation of Pern. We get details on everything from the colonization to the development of the dragons and the very first dragonriders. It seems that the writing has improved in this novel. The characters are well fleshed out and I wanted to know what happened to them. I cared about their stories. Even the minor characters. All in all, a very enjoyable book.
This book will always have a special place in my heart because it is the book that made me decide to give fantasy a try. I had been reading science fiction, but thought fantasy was silly. I really enjoyed this book and that made me decide to give the other Dragonriders of Pern books a try. After reading those, I realized that a good fantasy novel is just as good as science fiction.
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Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 1:30 p.m., in the hour of the Sheep, year of the Fire Tiger, sun sign Aries with Taurus rising and Leo mid-heaven (which seems to suggest an early interest in the stars).
Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent....more
More about Anne McCaffrey...
Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent....more
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