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Pern #11.5
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
Here are five gripping episodes of early Pern -- from the very first space survey recommending colonisation, to the last, where the early world, its young dragon culture undetected, is condemned to be isolated in space.
Here is the saga of the mass evacuation from the volcanic southern continent, an entire group of people moved across the dangerous seas, guarded and guided by a flotilla of dolphins. Here, too, is the story of the creation of Ruatha Hold -- a mammoth undertaking in the early days of Pern.
And here is one of the most fascinating dragon tales ever written by Anne McCaffrey, when Fort Weyr was the only weyr, and when dragonriders and dragons were overcrowded to danger point. As the news broke of three fresh weyrs to be established, a young girl, Torene, came to realize that her dragon could be the next Queen of the newly formed Benden Weyr.
Here is the saga of the mass evacuation from the volcanic southern continent, an entire group of people moved across the dangerous seas, guarded and guided by a flotilla of dolphins. Here, too, is the story of the creation of Ruatha Hold -- a mammoth undertaking in the early days of Pern.
And here is one of the most fascinating dragon tales ever written by Anne McCaffrey, when Fort Weyr was the only weyr, and when dragonriders and dragons were overcrowded to danger point. As the news broke of three fresh weyrs to be established, a young girl, Torene, came to realize that her dragon could be the next Queen of the newly formed Benden Weyr.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
653 people are currently reading
4920 people want to read
About the author
Anne McCaffrey
472 books7,718 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
May 19, 2011
It was when I read this collection of stories right on the heels of re-reading Dragonsdawn that I started to understand how much Anne McCaffrey loves logistics.
Seriously. She loves to give her characters a huge urgent practical problem, and then set the most practical among them to solving it. Whether it's dramatic or not. She wants to tell you all about how they dug the caves with rock-cutters to make Holds and Weyrs and they had to make the cutters last as long as they could, how they made hypocaust systems using underground heat, how they did this big push to move everything to the northern continent and there was all this vital materiel they had to move and they labeled it in different colors according to its priority, and the dolphins helped carry the smallest packages, how oxen that were reluctant to ford a swollen stream could be pushed along by a dragon flying behind them at exactly the right angle... etc, etc, etc...
I know it might sound like I'm criticizing, but I'm not. I re-read a whole lot of McCaffrey's books recently when my mom gave me a bunch of books she didn't want anymore, and this was the one aspect of them that I fell in love with on the re-read. It's something I wouldn't have appreciated as a teen, which is when I originally read her stuff. But now I live in the country in a place where we do a lot of stuff for ourselves (no stone-cutters, but, y'know, chainsaws and stuff) and I am finally understanding physical logistics. The focus you snap into when a real necessity presents itself ("OK, we have to make this work, how do we do it?"), and the joy of seeing it done right.
So, I like that. I'm not always crazy about the way she handles characters (the Chosen and the Not--but she doesn't do this as much when she's busy doing logistics, anyhow!) but I sure do like the logistics.
Seriously. She loves to give her characters a huge urgent practical problem, and then set the most practical among them to solving it. Whether it's dramatic or not. She wants to tell you all about how they dug the caves with rock-cutters to make Holds and Weyrs and they had to make the cutters last as long as they could, how they made hypocaust systems using underground heat, how they did this big push to move everything to the northern continent and there was all this vital materiel they had to move and they labeled it in different colors according to its priority, and the dolphins helped carry the smallest packages, how oxen that were reluctant to ford a swollen stream could be pushed along by a dragon flying behind them at exactly the right angle... etc, etc, etc...
I know it might sound like I'm criticizing, but I'm not. I re-read a whole lot of McCaffrey's books recently when my mom gave me a bunch of books she didn't want anymore, and this was the one aspect of them that I fell in love with on the re-read. It's something I wouldn't have appreciated as a teen, which is when I originally read her stuff. But now I live in the country in a place where we do a lot of stuff for ourselves (no stone-cutters, but, y'know, chainsaws and stuff) and I am finally understanding physical logistics. The focus you snap into when a real necessity presents itself ("OK, we have to make this work, how do we do it?"), and the joy of seeing it done right.
So, I like that. I'm not always crazy about the way she handles characters (the Chosen and the Not--but she doesn't do this as much when she's busy doing logistics, anyhow!) but I sure do like the logistics.
September 17, 2022
Books like this remind me of Belle's Magical World, the third entry in Disney's Beauty and the Beast trilogy.
However, that was never among my favorite House of Mouse productions, so, that isn't a good thing.
While each story in this collection was entertaining, I would have preferred an entire novel instead.
However, that was never among my favorite House of Mouse productions, so, that isn't a good thing.
While each story in this collection was entertaining, I would have preferred an entire novel instead.
April 2, 2020
Discovered this in my reading pile... big surprise! I have been reading Anne MaCaffrey since I was a teen and I re-read many of my favourite Pern books over and over again. Eventually I lost interest and never got back into the series.
After a little research I figured it out—at some point in 2019 I apparently decided to fill my gaps in this series in chronological order. So I seem to have gotten this as a start. After a little further research it turns out that McCaffrey herself suggested to read her books in publication order. But here we are...
This is a collection of five short stories/novelettes, „gripping episodes of early Pern.“
The P.E.R.N. Survey
We start of with a survey mission from space...
„Barring some unforeseen factor discovered in the analyses of soil, vegetation and biological samples, they were all three quite willing to let Castor initial it P.E.R.N. – parallel Earth, resources negligible.“
I would have liked to stay with them longer, to find out what becomes of them...
The Dolphins’ Bell
Early days with the dolphins of Pern. Vulcanic eruption, flight and the favourite word of this episode is „pyroclastic“-something-or-other. Master and Commander meets Dante‘s Peak, with dolphins... (not really).
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
A new Hold is founded... Lots of horses. The river crossing is mildly entertaining. The least interesting story of this collection.
The Second Weyr
Finally, a proper story about dragonriders.
“She was close enough at a roughly thousand-foot altitude to notice the churning of the water beneath where schools of every fish that thrived in Pern’s seas had gathered to feast on drowning Thread.“
Now that is more exciting than the previous stories!
Rescue Run
Maybe the colonists will get rescued? You and me know differently. Or do we? Not bad.
So, all together this story collection was ok. Nothing spectacular, however for fans it casts a light on the early colonists on Pern, how they got there, their abandonment of the Southern continent, beginnings in their new homes further North...
I‘ll have a look at the series in publication order. Maybe I will pick up one of the newer books.
After a little research I figured it out—at some point in 2019 I apparently decided to fill my gaps in this series in chronological order. So I seem to have gotten this as a start. After a little further research it turns out that McCaffrey herself suggested to read her books in publication order. But here we are...
This is a collection of five short stories/novelettes, „gripping episodes of early Pern.“
The P.E.R.N. Survey
We start of with a survey mission from space...
„Barring some unforeseen factor discovered in the analyses of soil, vegetation and biological samples, they were all three quite willing to let Castor initial it P.E.R.N. – parallel Earth, resources negligible.“
I would have liked to stay with them longer, to find out what becomes of them...
The Dolphins’ Bell
Early days with the dolphins of Pern. Vulcanic eruption, flight and the favourite word of this episode is „pyroclastic“-something-or-other. Master and Commander meets Dante‘s Peak, with dolphins... (not really).
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
A new Hold is founded... Lots of horses. The river crossing is mildly entertaining. The least interesting story of this collection.
The Second Weyr
Finally, a proper story about dragonriders.
“She was close enough at a roughly thousand-foot altitude to notice the churning of the water beneath where schools of every fish that thrived in Pern’s seas had gathered to feast on drowning Thread.“
Now that is more exciting than the previous stories!
Rescue Run
Maybe the colonists will get rescued? You and me know differently. Or do we? Not bad.
So, all together this story collection was ok. Nothing spectacular, however for fans it casts a light on the early colonists on Pern, how they got there, their abandonment of the Southern continent, beginnings in their new homes further North...
I‘ll have a look at the series in publication order. Maybe I will pick up one of the newer books.
April 28, 2022
This is not one story in chronological order but does fill in some blanks for the first settlers of Pern. This is a Pern short story collection, with five stories of different times for the Pern settlers. Again, great character development and pace. I am glad I had read the Dragonriders series and other Pern books before reading this. It was like having an anchor or post to swing from.
McCaffrey at her usual brilliance.
.
McCaffrey at her usual brilliance.
.
March 8, 2019
4.5 Stars
The Survey: P.E.R.N. - ★★★★
The Dolphin's Bell - ★★★★★
The Ford of Red Hanrahan - ★★★★★
The Second Weyr - ★★★★★
Rescue Run - ★★★★
The Survey: P.E.R.N. - ★★★★
The Dolphin's Bell - ★★★★★
The Ford of Red Hanrahan - ★★★★★
The Second Weyr - ★★★★★
Rescue Run - ★★★★
December 7, 2023
3 1/2 Stars
A series of short stories that continue the events from the first colonization of Pern. Two of the stories were heavy on the Sci-fi, the others were the concerning the new dragons and Dragonriders. Again, Sci-Fi baffles me at times so I did not enjoy them as much as the others. Still, finding out about prior questions I had was satisfying, and those answers all laid in the Sci-Fi entries.
I told myself I was going to take a break from Pern for awhile-Bah! Not happening. I already ordered the next book in line for me.
A series of short stories that continue the events from the first colonization of Pern. Two of the stories were heavy on the Sci-fi, the others were the concerning the new dragons and Dragonriders. Again, Sci-Fi baffles me at times so I did not enjoy them as much as the others. Still, finding out about prior questions I had was satisfying, and those answers all laid in the Sci-Fi entries.
I told myself I was going to take a break from Pern for awhile-Bah! Not happening. I already ordered the next book in line for me.
February 9, 2022
A very nice collection of short stories that expand on the early days of settlement of the plant Pern. Great read. Very recommended
September 6, 2015
I am not entirely sure how I got on this streak of nostalgic re-reads, but of course I had to re-read this after Dragonsdawn.
As a kid, I loooooooved Torene/Mihall's story. I used to check this out from the library and re-read it all the time. (It didn't entirely hold up, I suppose. I think maybe I was better at filling in the blanks as a kid. I wanted more this time. Loved the Sean/Sorka glimpses!)
I don't think I liked the second and third story much, judging by my lack of memory of them! (They were fine on re-read, but still not remarkable to me.) The first and last are really interesting bookends. I liked the glimpses of the rest of the universe.
And this is just interesting in general. I do love getting to see how so much of Pern became what it was.
A very good nostalgia re-read.
As a kid, I loooooooved Torene/Mihall's story. I used to check this out from the library and re-read it all the time. (It didn't entirely hold up, I suppose. I think maybe I was better at filling in the blanks as a kid. I wanted more this time. Loved the Sean/Sorka glimpses!)
I don't think I liked the second and third story much, judging by my lack of memory of them! (They were fine on re-read, but still not remarkable to me.) The first and last are really interesting bookends. I liked the glimpses of the rest of the universe.
And this is just interesting in general. I do love getting to see how so much of Pern became what it was.
A very good nostalgia re-read.
January 19, 2016
12th Pern story in publication order. Short stories.
September 15, 2008
Unlike many other creators of alternate worlds, Anne McCaffery continues to mine fresh ore from the soil of her imagined reality. Her storytelling is good, too.
June 2, 2018
While I suspect I read this years ago - or at least some of it, as at times it felt like a re-read - mostly it was long enough ago that I did not remember the stories.
This book has five stories, sequentially placed in the Pern saga that McCaffrey so magnificently gifted us with in the 1970's -1980's. These were years in which 'fantasy' and 'science-fiction' were generally thought of as interchangeable and in which strong female authors and characters were hardly the norm. I feel the historic context is very important when reading this book which was written in the 90's at the hight of the fandom; it is totally unsuited for someone who is not very familiar with the original Pern books and longing for more.
Dragonflight, published in 1968 was the first in the Pern series. It was ground breaking for it's time and was based on two novellas which won McCaffrey the Hugo and nebula awards. She was, I believe the first woman to do so. When I first read it there was very little fantasy or sci-fi by women for women. It was a writing era where men were REAL men, women were REAL women (with huge busts and yearning for the real men...) and small green creatures from Alpha Centauri were REAL small green...... oops.. sorryDouglas Adams got carried away there.
So, pardon the small rant, but Pern was amazing for its time, it spawned fan clubs, devoted followers of the author and the genera and ultimately more than twenty novels and associated stories. Anne stopped writing eventually, but her son Todd keeps up the Pern tradition.
What I am trying to work my way around to explaining is why I only gave this one two stars. The stories were ok, but not inspiring, not the I-can't-put-you-down experience I had with the early novels.
Set hundreds of years before the first novel, these five stories explain how the colonists came to abandon the Southern continent where they first settled, how the holds and wyers were established and named and how come no one from Earth never came to check on the Pern settlement. And that is what it reads like; history laboriously written to 'explain' to clamoring fans who wanted more and wanted to know 'how it happened'. Personally, I never needed to know, not everything needs to be explained to the last molecule, a story can be just a story, without having to know all the history of an event.
This first story (The P.E.R.N. survey) was about the ship who first found the planet, it is a pretty nothing sort of story, instantly forgettable and I really don't see why it was written. The only reason a publisher ever looked at it, I am sure, is because it was part of the Pern franchise.
The second story ( The Dolphin's Bell) was set after the first threads fell and a volcano erupted, ok if you like sailing stories, it kind of follows on from The Dolphins of Pern, you see more of the Dolphineers. The characters never really take off, the romance is cumbersome and has no conclusion but it is not the worst story I ever read.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan, set some years after the last one, is not a bad yarn in it's own right. Nothing special,but a small group of settlers breaking away on their own, kind of a nice story. No dynamic tension, but not bad.
The Second Weyr, is probably the best story in the book for me; it tells the story of Torene and the establishment of Benden Weyr, it is the first one where I actually felt like the author was fully engaged in the story and characters. Not as vivid as some of McCaffrey's early characters, not groundbreaking or distinctive, but still quite enjoyable to read.
The last one, I am pretty sure I read before, I don't think I much cared for it then either. About forty years after fist thread-fall, a spaceship picks up a rescue beacon and comes to check it out. Finding an isolated pocket on less than a dozen survivors ruled by a madman. The trained, experienced, commanding officer then proceeds to make a long line of ridiculous, idiotic choices and decisions culminating in a conclusion that the planet is abandoned. A five year old has a better command of logic than this story does. I read it through, but my main emotive connection to it was wanting to hit the commander over the head to see if there were actually any brains inside.
So, a collection of stories, fine for fans, best suited for the uncritical and probably not much fun for anyone who has not read any other Pern books.
This book has five stories, sequentially placed in the Pern saga that McCaffrey so magnificently gifted us with in the 1970's -1980's. These were years in which 'fantasy' and 'science-fiction' were generally thought of as interchangeable and in which strong female authors and characters were hardly the norm. I feel the historic context is very important when reading this book which was written in the 90's at the hight of the fandom; it is totally unsuited for someone who is not very familiar with the original Pern books and longing for more.
Dragonflight, published in 1968 was the first in the Pern series. It was ground breaking for it's time and was based on two novellas which won McCaffrey the Hugo and nebula awards. She was, I believe the first woman to do so. When I first read it there was very little fantasy or sci-fi by women for women. It was a writing era where men were REAL men, women were REAL women (with huge busts and yearning for the real men...) and small green creatures from Alpha Centauri were REAL small green...... oops.. sorryDouglas Adams got carried away there.
So, pardon the small rant, but Pern was amazing for its time, it spawned fan clubs, devoted followers of the author and the genera and ultimately more than twenty novels and associated stories. Anne stopped writing eventually, but her son Todd keeps up the Pern tradition.
What I am trying to work my way around to explaining is why I only gave this one two stars. The stories were ok, but not inspiring, not the I-can't-put-you-down experience I had with the early novels.
Set hundreds of years before the first novel, these five stories explain how the colonists came to abandon the Southern continent where they first settled, how the holds and wyers were established and named and how come no one from Earth never came to check on the Pern settlement. And that is what it reads like; history laboriously written to 'explain' to clamoring fans who wanted more and wanted to know 'how it happened'. Personally, I never needed to know, not everything needs to be explained to the last molecule, a story can be just a story, without having to know all the history of an event.
This first story (The P.E.R.N. survey) was about the ship who first found the planet, it is a pretty nothing sort of story, instantly forgettable and I really don't see why it was written. The only reason a publisher ever looked at it, I am sure, is because it was part of the Pern franchise.
The second story ( The Dolphin's Bell) was set after the first threads fell and a volcano erupted, ok if you like sailing stories, it kind of follows on from The Dolphins of Pern, you see more of the Dolphineers. The characters never really take off, the romance is cumbersome and has no conclusion but it is not the worst story I ever read.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan, set some years after the last one, is not a bad yarn in it's own right. Nothing special,but a small group of settlers breaking away on their own, kind of a nice story. No dynamic tension, but not bad.
The Second Weyr, is probably the best story in the book for me; it tells the story of Torene and the establishment of Benden Weyr, it is the first one where I actually felt like the author was fully engaged in the story and characters. Not as vivid as some of McCaffrey's early characters, not groundbreaking or distinctive, but still quite enjoyable to read.
The last one, I am pretty sure I read before, I don't think I much cared for it then either. About forty years after fist thread-fall, a spaceship picks up a rescue beacon and comes to check it out. Finding an isolated pocket on less than a dozen survivors ruled by a madman. The trained, experienced, commanding officer then proceeds to make a long line of ridiculous, idiotic choices and decisions culminating in a conclusion that the planet is abandoned. A five year old has a better command of logic than this story does. I read it through, but my main emotive connection to it was wanting to hit the commander over the head to see if there were actually any brains inside.
So, a collection of stories, fine for fans, best suited for the uncritical and probably not much fun for anyone who has not read any other Pern books.
February 1, 2015
Five short stories in the Pern science fiction / fantasy series and revolving around dragons and their riders fighting for the survival of their colony.
Chronology
"The Survey: P.E.R.N." (0.5)
"The Dolphins' Bell" (1.1)
"The Ford of Red Hanrahan (1.2)
"The Second Weyr" (1.3)
"Rescue Run" (1.4)
The Stories
"The Survey: P.E.R.N." is useful for explaining where the name for the planet came from and was very clever of McCaffrey. It makes me wonder how many other words have evolved from acronyms. It's also a fascinating account of how the danger the colonists will face was missed — even in books, people suffer from the accountants! McCaffrey also was a horrible tease, giving me just a taste of what might be causing Thread.
"The Dolphins' Bell" recounts the dolphins', dolphineers', and sailors' perspectives on the evacuation of Landing when Garben is getting ready to blow. I loved the interaction of the dolphins with their human counterparts! They love this new game the humans thought up for them.
"The Ford of Red Hanrahan" is about the establishment of Ruatha Hold and includes the origin of its name as well as the truth behind that "front door". An event that's discussed in here triggers the start of the fostering system and the basis for the Harper Hall.
There are 500 dragonriders now with Sorka and Sean as the weyrleaders at Fort.
"The Second Weyr" occurs 28 years after their landing and sees the establishment of Benden Weyr and how dragonriders are sorted out. It also sees the tradition of how a weyrleader is chosen established. It's fascinating to read of how they plan this weyr out and decide what will go where. Although, I felt McCaffrey spent too much time on Torene's whining on about wanting to grab that bit of land for the weyr. This story sets up the tithing process as well.
"Rescue Run" is in answer to Ted Tubberman's beacon and exploration and experimentation discovers the source of Thread. But it's that nasty Stev Kimmer and his "family's" beliefs that will leave the rest of the colonists abandoned.
It doesn't sound as if the spaceships of this time period are all that sophisticated if they have to be so careful about lining up their shuttle with the ship or be left behind. They certainly did a lousy job of exploring the planet. I mean, hullo, if the Kimmer "family" has been reduced to a pre-tech lifestyle, how would young Benden expect to get radio signals from any survivors? Nor can I believe that Benden and crew could possibly not consider the possibility that Kimmer and company are smuggling more aboard on their persons. I mean, duhhh. A fascinating story with one aspect of the ending that pleased me (eek!) but it primarily left me annoyed.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a golden yellow sky with purple cliffs and a purple and orange dragon mixed with futuristic stonecutters and flying suits. A blend of Pern's past and its future.
The title is about the early records of the events that shaped the future of Pern and its stranded colonists, The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall.
Chronology
"The Survey: P.E.R.N." (0.5)
"The Dolphins' Bell" (1.1)
"The Ford of Red Hanrahan (1.2)
"The Second Weyr" (1.3)
"Rescue Run" (1.4)
The Stories
"The Survey: P.E.R.N." is useful for explaining where the name for the planet came from and was very clever of McCaffrey. It makes me wonder how many other words have evolved from acronyms. It's also a fascinating account of how the danger the colonists will face was missed — even in books, people suffer from the accountants! McCaffrey also was a horrible tease, giving me just a taste of what might be causing Thread.
"The Dolphins' Bell" recounts the dolphins', dolphineers', and sailors' perspectives on the evacuation of Landing when Garben is getting ready to blow. I loved the interaction of the dolphins with their human counterparts! They love this new game the humans thought up for them.
"The Ford of Red Hanrahan" is about the establishment of Ruatha Hold and includes the origin of its name as well as the truth behind that "front door". An event that's discussed in here triggers the start of the fostering system and the basis for the Harper Hall.
There are 500 dragonriders now with Sorka and Sean as the weyrleaders at Fort.
"The Second Weyr" occurs 28 years after their landing and sees the establishment of Benden Weyr and how dragonriders are sorted out. It also sees the tradition of how a weyrleader is chosen established. It's fascinating to read of how they plan this weyr out and decide what will go where. Although, I felt McCaffrey spent too much time on Torene's whining on about wanting to grab that bit of land for the weyr. This story sets up the tithing process as well.
"Rescue Run" is in answer to Ted Tubberman's beacon and exploration and experimentation discovers the source of Thread. But it's that nasty Stev Kimmer and his "family's" beliefs that will leave the rest of the colonists abandoned.
It doesn't sound as if the spaceships of this time period are all that sophisticated if they have to be so careful about lining up their shuttle with the ship or be left behind. They certainly did a lousy job of exploring the planet. I mean, hullo, if the Kimmer "family" has been reduced to a pre-tech lifestyle, how would young Benden expect to get radio signals from any survivors? Nor can I believe that Benden and crew could possibly not consider the possibility that Kimmer and company are smuggling more aboard on their persons. I mean, duhhh. A fascinating story with one aspect of the ending that pleased me (eek!) but it primarily left me annoyed.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a golden yellow sky with purple cliffs and a purple and orange dragon mixed with futuristic stonecutters and flying suits. A blend of Pern's past and its future.
The title is about the early records of the events that shaped the future of Pern and its stranded colonists, The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall.
April 9, 2019
Taken as a whole, this isn't the best of the books in this series. However, it does fill in some gaps in the story nicely. The first story is about the actual discovery of the planet - given the designation P.E.R.N. Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible. We get to see a bit of Avril Bitra's ancestor who was part of the discovery & exploration team. The second story is focused around the makeshift flotilla of ships, tugs, sailboats, and even rafts that left Landing at the explosion of Mt. Garben, and the crossing to Paradise River, to Key Largo, before crossing to the North to the new Fort Hold. The third story regards Red Hanrahan and his settling of the newest hold, Ruatha. The fourth story shows a mature Sorka and Sean and their realization that Fort Weyr can no longer hold the 500 plus dragons that now call it home, and must be split. In this story we also get to see their son, Mihall, as he has become a fully-fledged Dragonrider in his own right. The 5th and final story in this compilation shows us the small rescue crew, come some 45 years after Ted Tubberman sent out that rescue beacon, to see if there are any survivors on this planet. They discover a small group who've been forgotten and abandoned in the rush to get North to safety from Thread, and nearly discover the blossoming Pernese society that now occupies the North.
December 12, 2022
Yeah, I think three stars is a good rating for it.
It’s a fun little collection of novelas that fill in some of the background of Pernese history, like what the EEC report acronyms mean, what happened to the homing beacon, and how multiple weyrs got established. It was a fun read but the quality wasn’t that great. I am not sure if the editor just fell asleep or if the transition to the electronic medium just did not go well, but there were tons of typos. The other weird thing is that in the first book Avril’s grandmother was on the EEC team and brought back a ruby and private notes for her family with the implication being that she was secretive and, well, a terrible, manipulative person like her granddaughter was. But in the short story she certainly wasn’t, she seemed to be a person that cared about her teammates and her job. So that was a bit odd and a bit incongruous.
It’s a fun little collection of novelas that fill in some of the background of Pernese history, like what the EEC report acronyms mean, what happened to the homing beacon, and how multiple weyrs got established. It was a fun read but the quality wasn’t that great. I am not sure if the editor just fell asleep or if the transition to the electronic medium just did not go well, but there were tons of typos. The other weird thing is that in the first book Avril’s grandmother was on the EEC team and brought back a ruby and private notes for her family with the implication being that she was secretive and, well, a terrible, manipulative person like her granddaughter was. But in the short story she certainly wasn’t, she seemed to be a person that cared about her teammates and her job. So that was a bit odd and a bit incongruous.
December 21, 2007
I really enjoy the Dragonriders of Pern books. Some of the later books get into some homosexual references, which I don't enjoy reading about. It is a side element and not a main plot line. But because of this I would caution the young reader from getting into this series, until they can clearly think through this issue.
November 18, 2015
Overall, I liked the stories that focused on space rather than the dragonriders. The collection gives backstory and some additional information on the first and second generations on Pern.
The dragonrider stories are becoming so repetitive at this point.
PERN-C: Background as to how the planet got the name of Pern. Surveys by the first scientists from space.
Dolphin's Bell: The evacuation of the Southern continent. The dolphins, who have been genetically enhanced and can communicate with humans, help with the transport of items across the water. There is a Threadfall and the colonists adapt to the danger out in an open area. A romance develops between two characters, which complements the evacuation.
The Fort of Red Hanrahan: Sorka's family travels to an uninhabited location for a new Fort. Other forts and cave areas are overcrowding at this point with the population growth. It read kind of like a western during the travel portion, as the family has to ford rivers and journey across the land. The new fort ends up named Fort Ruatha.
The Second Weyr: As with the previous story, the population has grown, and the weyr is overcrowded. The dragonriders discuss new weyr locations and who should be queens and weyrleaders. At the end, Benden Weyr is established. There is one steamy sex scene in this, which as is typical of the Pern stories, is kind of strange and rapey.
Rescue Run: A spaceship exploring in the area gets a distress signal from Pern. The crew goes down to investigate and finds a group of Pernese, who swear there are no other survivors, and want to be taken back to the ship.
Rescue Run was my favorite, as there was some space involved, as well as an actual conflict. It's kind of funny at this point that the bad guy is so easily disposed of in every Pern story, but then it's a hallmark of the series now.
The Second Weyr bored me. I'm kind of over the dragonriders sitting around and talking for hours, without much happening. And then they all agree so wholeheartedly to a decision, and are just so chipper and cheery!
Since these are stories focused on the early days, there are no Harpers or any of the most popular Pern characters.
The dragonrider stories are becoming so repetitive at this point.
PERN-C: Background as to how the planet got the name of Pern. Surveys by the first scientists from space.
Dolphin's Bell: The evacuation of the Southern continent. The dolphins, who have been genetically enhanced and can communicate with humans, help with the transport of items across the water. There is a Threadfall and the colonists adapt to the danger out in an open area. A romance develops between two characters, which complements the evacuation.
The Fort of Red Hanrahan: Sorka's family travels to an uninhabited location for a new Fort. Other forts and cave areas are overcrowding at this point with the population growth. It read kind of like a western during the travel portion, as the family has to ford rivers and journey across the land. The new fort ends up named Fort Ruatha.
The Second Weyr: As with the previous story, the population has grown, and the weyr is overcrowded. The dragonriders discuss new weyr locations and who should be queens and weyrleaders. At the end, Benden Weyr is established. There is one steamy sex scene in this, which as is typical of the Pern stories, is kind of strange and rapey.
Rescue Run: A spaceship exploring in the area gets a distress signal from Pern. The crew goes down to investigate and finds a group of Pernese, who swear there are no other survivors, and want to be taken back to the ship.
Rescue Run was my favorite, as there was some space involved, as well as an actual conflict. It's kind of funny at this point that the bad guy is so easily disposed of in every Pern story, but then it's a hallmark of the series now.
The Second Weyr bored me. I'm kind of over the dragonriders sitting around and talking for hours, without much happening. And then they all agree so wholeheartedly to a decision, and are just so chipper and cheery!
Since these are stories focused on the early days, there are no Harpers or any of the most popular Pern characters.
September 15, 2017
I love and reread regularly the story of the founding of the second weyr, and the founding of Red Hanrahan's hold. The other three short stories are interesting enough the first time, but I've never felt compelled to read them again, since. Not that I didn't enjoy them, because I did, absolutely -- just they weren't the characters I loved the most.
Update 9/14/2017:
Reread start to finish for the first time in years, immediately following Dragonsdawn, and while the first story (about the survey of the planet) felt pretty forgettable and bland, I have to admit that I enjoyed all the rest of the stories in addition to my two favorites mentioned above. More than I remembered having enjoyed them previously! Though, I forgot that there was a Benden relative in that Rescue Run story.
Update 9/14/2017:
Reread start to finish for the first time in years, immediately following Dragonsdawn, and while the first story (about the survey of the planet) felt pretty forgettable and bland, I have to admit that I enjoyed all the rest of the stories in addition to my two favorites mentioned above. More than I remembered having enjoyed them previously! Though, I forgot that there was a Benden relative in that Rescue Run story.
November 1, 2017
This includes the following short stories:
The Survey: P.E.R.N. (superscript c, don't know how to type it...)
The Dolphin's Bell
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
The Second Weyr
Rescue Run
While this wasn't my favorite Pern book since I think McCaffrey needs a book length space to develop her characters, I did enjoy it. My favorites were the ones that included Sean and Sorka, who were already well developed characters, so they were The Ford of Red Hanrahan and The Second Weyr. The Dolphin's Bell was a bit tedious, except when the dolphins leaped into the story. They are always fun to read!
I'm glad I could get this from the library since I don't want to buy a copy.
The Survey: P.E.R.N. (superscript c, don't know how to type it...)
The Dolphin's Bell
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
The Second Weyr
Rescue Run
While this wasn't my favorite Pern book since I think McCaffrey needs a book length space to develop her characters, I did enjoy it. My favorites were the ones that included Sean and Sorka, who were already well developed characters, so they were The Ford of Red Hanrahan and The Second Weyr. The Dolphin's Bell was a bit tedious, except when the dolphins leaped into the story. They are always fun to read!
I'm glad I could get this from the library since I don't want to buy a copy.
July 8, 2018
Such a good book and such an amazing series! I loved reading the little episodes from all over Pern. I was a little confused by the timing of the last one as it didn't really explain where it fell on the timeline, but it was still really interesting altogether! I'm so excited to learn more about the dolphins as this was the first I had read about them! I can't believe how much thought and effort McCaffrey put into this series. What an incredible writer and person. I'm so happy there are so many of these books. They're always a pleasure to find.
September 28, 2022
It's been a while since I first read this and, having read it straight after 'Dragonsdawn', it feels a lot more like a continuation of the story rather than 5 random episodes. Strangely, I do remember the first story dealing with the first survey of Pern, as being longer and more involved, when in actual fact this is the weakest story of the lot. The other four stories are great, bringing McCaffrey's brilliant blend of romance, adventure, thrills and suspense. They fill in some of the gaps between 'Dragonsdawn' and the rest of the series, showing how the Weyr and Hold system became established, and highlight how helpful the Dolphins brought to the planet can be.
The last story I've always had a love/hate relationship with - it's a great story, but somehow you just want to shake Ross Benden and his crew for being so easily led to believe their are no survivors. Yes, I know this would mean there was no Pern, but somehow it leaves it bitter taste in the mouth that Kimmer gets one over on the 'civilised' rescuers (even if it isn't for long).
Overall, a great read and highly recommended.
The last story I've always had a love/hate relationship with - it's a great story, but somehow you just want to shake Ross Benden and his crew for being so easily led to believe their are no survivors. Yes, I know this would mean there was no Pern, but somehow it leaves it bitter taste in the mouth that Kimmer gets one over on the 'civilised' rescuers (even if it isn't for long).
Overall, a great read and highly recommended.
March 15, 2025
I'm doing a chronological read along with my partner, and maybe I'm doing them a disservice because I've already read some of the books in publication order and they haven't (and it is suggested to read in publication order). I just felt like I really wanted to do this chronologically. It'll be fine, probably.
We're using this list: https://www.howtoread.me/dragonriders...
Reading complete 2/17/22: "The Survey: P. E. R. N. c"
Honestly, I was a little scared to go back and read these. (Well, it is the first time for this particular short story, but you know what I mean.) The last time I read an Anne McCaffrey book I think was around 2003-ish. That's pre-goodreads for me. There was no reason to be scared though. This story is just how I remember Anne McCaffrey to be. And I still don't understand all the science stuff. Ha! But I love that she tries to explain it, and the characters and their interactions were interesting to me.
Insert Dragonsdawn - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading complete 7/21/2022: "The Dolphins' Bell"
This story seems to be just expanding on what happened previously with the exit from Landing and the dolphins in Dragonsdawn. I will say it has been a different experience reading the events from the other side. I think I just took the destruction from the storm in stride while reading Dragonsdawn because I was more interested in the what was going on with the dragons, but the frustration of the crew is really coming through, and the dolphins are so cute. I found it interesting that the bell came back into play in the end, but not as I expected it would.
It does seem weird to me that Jim keeps trying to compare their current situations to Old Earth mostly European history from the 1900's. It's pretty random and that's gotta be how far in the past for them? Thousands of years? Also, just how husky is Theo's voice? Just kidding! Good for them. They're a sweet couple. I am noticing that Anne McCaffrey may have a thing for much older men, though.
Reading complete 8/10/2022: "The Ford of Red Hanrahan"
Mmmm, I have some ethical concerns with setting up lordships for a select few. For coming from an advanced society, you'd think they'd know how that will end. Jim apparently knows a lot about old Earth ancient history. He'll tell you.
Also, doesn't it feel like most people barely give a shit about Alianne, and only care about the gold dragon. Everyone seemed so callous to me concerning that.
And poor Sorka couldn't even get a single word in, despite being directly asked a question. Not one single word.
There's also this part where Paul and Red are so congratulatory of themselves for including multiple ethnicities in the move that seemed questionable to me. I mean, diversity is good obviously but the dialogue gave me the bad cringe. It actually made me think of how in "The Dolphins' Bell" when Ika adapted coolie hats to protect people from the fall, they were all saying, "Yay, you! You found an ethnic solution! Isn't it great that we have ethnic people in our group!" I think what I'm trying to say is that there's a big show for how diverse the cast is, but it's really only tokenism since the main characters are still all white.
Not my favorite.
Reading complete 9/3/2022: "The Second Weyr"
This story is freaking Sean propaganda. He's so perfect and always makes correct decisions. He - all by himself - created everything dragonrider related. Sounds like a cult. Especially when he's talking about how sexy Torene is and calling Sorka "Woman" and making her get him a towel. Get your own towel! And don't discuss the figures of your charges! You nasty!
And we've got more "charming" sexual harassment in this one, this time from F'mar.
I do love all the excitement of starting the new weyrs though and Torene really is awesome. She knows what she wants and is going for it. Though, I don't know why there's all this pretense of choosing by lottery and the first random queen to go into heat. I felt that diminished Torene's authority because now she is Weyrwoman by random chance as opposed to because she is a great leader. Everyone knows Alaranth is going into heat next anyway, so just say Torene is going to be Weyrwoman.
The queen's flight was very intense and well written as well. The psychic connection between Torene and Alaranth is a thing of beauty, and when Alaranth is caught it feels really surprising. Alternatively, the human sex part of it was not as enjoyable. There was this big to-do about how difficult it was because Torene was a virgin. Also, how did they end up in a private spot when they were previously out watching the dragons? Yea, I just needed more from that. They were really sweet at the end though.
Reading complete 10/15/2022: "Rescue Run"
This was 100% not what I was expecting the last story to be. And not necessarily in a bad way. It was such a surprising premise and was so intense between Kimmer's politically strained incestuous commune and will they find the other settlers and will they die in space?! The end did fall flat for me as it rushed to wrap up the story though. Welp, The end.
Next:
Dragonseye - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
We're using this list: https://www.howtoread.me/dragonriders...
Reading complete 2/17/22: "The Survey: P. E. R. N. c"
Honestly, I was a little scared to go back and read these. (Well, it is the first time for this particular short story, but you know what I mean.) The last time I read an Anne McCaffrey book I think was around 2003-ish. That's pre-goodreads for me. There was no reason to be scared though. This story is just how I remember Anne McCaffrey to be. And I still don't understand all the science stuff. Ha! But I love that she tries to explain it, and the characters and their interactions were interesting to me.
Insert Dragonsdawn - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading complete 7/21/2022: "The Dolphins' Bell"
This story seems to be just expanding on what happened previously with the exit from Landing and the dolphins in Dragonsdawn. I will say it has been a different experience reading the events from the other side. I think I just took the destruction from the storm in stride while reading Dragonsdawn because I was more interested in the what was going on with the dragons, but the frustration of the crew is really coming through, and the dolphins are so cute. I found it interesting that the bell came back into play in the end, but not as I expected it would.
It does seem weird to me that Jim keeps trying to compare their current situations to Old Earth mostly European history from the 1900's. It's pretty random and that's gotta be how far in the past for them? Thousands of years? Also, just how husky is Theo's voice? Just kidding! Good for them. They're a sweet couple. I am noticing that Anne McCaffrey may have a thing for much older men, though.
Reading complete 8/10/2022: "The Ford of Red Hanrahan"
Mmmm, I have some ethical concerns with setting up lordships for a select few. For coming from an advanced society, you'd think they'd know how that will end. Jim apparently knows a lot about old Earth ancient history. He'll tell you.
Also, doesn't it feel like most people barely give a shit about Alianne, and only care about the gold dragon. Everyone seemed so callous to me concerning that.
And poor Sorka couldn't even get a single word in, despite being directly asked a question. Not one single word.
There's also this part where Paul and Red are so congratulatory of themselves for including multiple ethnicities in the move that seemed questionable to me. I mean, diversity is good obviously but the dialogue gave me the bad cringe. It actually made me think of how in "The Dolphins' Bell" when Ika adapted coolie hats to protect people from the fall, they were all saying, "Yay, you! You found an ethnic solution! Isn't it great that we have ethnic people in our group!" I think what I'm trying to say is that there's a big show for how diverse the cast is, but it's really only tokenism since the main characters are still all white.
Not my favorite.
Reading complete 9/3/2022: "The Second Weyr"
This story is freaking Sean propaganda. He's so perfect and always makes correct decisions. He - all by himself - created everything dragonrider related. Sounds like a cult. Especially when he's talking about how sexy Torene is and calling Sorka "Woman" and making her get him a towel. Get your own towel! And don't discuss the figures of your charges! You nasty!
And we've got more "charming" sexual harassment in this one, this time from F'mar.
I do love all the excitement of starting the new weyrs though and Torene really is awesome. She knows what she wants and is going for it. Though, I don't know why there's all this pretense of choosing by lottery and the first random queen to go into heat. I felt that diminished Torene's authority because now she is Weyrwoman by random chance as opposed to because she is a great leader. Everyone knows Alaranth is going into heat next anyway, so just say Torene is going to be Weyrwoman.
The queen's flight was very intense and well written as well. The psychic connection between Torene and Alaranth is a thing of beauty, and when Alaranth is caught it feels really surprising. Alternatively, the human sex part of it was not as enjoyable. There was this big to-do about how difficult it was because Torene was a virgin. Also, how did they end up in a private spot when they were previously out watching the dragons? Yea, I just needed more from that. They were really sweet at the end though.
Reading complete 10/15/2022: "Rescue Run"
This was 100% not what I was expecting the last story to be. And not necessarily in a bad way. It was such a surprising premise and was so intense between Kimmer's politically strained incestuous commune and will they find the other settlers and will they die in space?! The end did fall flat for me as it rushed to wrap up the story though. Welp, The end.
Next:
Dragonseye - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 22, 2022
Anne McCaffrey was the first adult fantasy I ever read. I was a precocious third grader with a voracious reading habit and a library card, and after seeing the cover of The White Dragon, I checked it out. I loved it. It was the kind of book that required a dictionary, and that felt exciting and new. It was about grownups doing grownup things, which made it fascinating. That, plus there were some demure hints of the sexy sexy, which made it even more fascinating. Grownups doing grownup things, eh?
I read as much of her Pern stuff as I could get my hands on as a kid. I know I've read this collection of stories before, back in the haze of childhood. The second, filled with human/dolphin partnership on an alien world? It feels familiar, as a story you last read four decades ago might.
But...sigh. This particular book is just not, well, not all that great. Characters feel spottily developed, plot logic is semi-cohesive, the prose feels a little clumsy, and the narratives seem mostly designed to push fan-buttons on those who were already immersed in the series. Which, now, in middle age, I am not. The stories just don't stand well on their own.
Wish I'd liked this more. Ah well. The memories are still fond. A two point four.
I read as much of her Pern stuff as I could get my hands on as a kid. I know I've read this collection of stories before, back in the haze of childhood. The second, filled with human/dolphin partnership on an alien world? It feels familiar, as a story you last read four decades ago might.
But...sigh. This particular book is just not, well, not all that great. Characters feel spottily developed, plot logic is semi-cohesive, the prose feels a little clumsy, and the narratives seem mostly designed to push fan-buttons on those who were already immersed in the series. Which, now, in middle age, I am not. The stories just don't stand well on their own.
Wish I'd liked this more. Ah well. The memories are still fond. A two point four.
March 1, 2024
February 22, 2024 reread thoughts:
There are some issues I have with the stories of Pern, but when I simply suspend disbelief and allow the author to have it her way, and remember that it's fiction, I love these stories as much as ever. They are always human stories. Except for the dragons, of course, though it's their human, sometimes childlike, and sometimes incredibly wise, personalities that keep me coming back. I think it's the relationships and the politics of these stories that continue to appeal to me. They're stories in which innately good, though somewhat ordinary, imperfect people are inspired by circumstances and love for their fellows to do heroic things that they themselves didn't realize they could.
February 29, 2020:
This is a collection of longer short stories.
The Survey: P.E.R.N.
This first story in the collection takes place about 200 years prior to the colonization of the planet Pern and covers the brief survey of the planet by a team that is too small because it's already suffered casualties. The team of three people, after a brief visit and a superficial survey of the planet, makes the determination of whether the planet is safe for colonization, even though there are many unanswered questions. I find this first story a bit dry, in fact it reads a little like how I imagine a planetary survey would, but it explains a lot about why people might colonize Pern to begin with, and provides some background for the book, Dragonsdawn.
The Dolphin's Bell
This story, which occurs within the later timeframe of Dragonsdawn, introduces the Dolphins of Pern, which have a whole book written about them later in the series. Jim Tillek, one of the captains of the original three spaceships that brought colonists to Pern, is a sailing enthusiast. He brought his sailing ship, The Southern Cross, to Pern in a disassembled state, and assembled it there, where he loves to sail the open seas in it. There are also a number of dolphins who were brought to Pern in cold sleep, and wakened on arrival. They are dolphins who can communicate with humans, and who work with human partners.
When disaster strikes the colony, Jim Tillek as well as the dolphins and their human partners are called on to help out, and they all make heroic efforts. This story covers that, and I find it heartening and delightful, as well as a great prequel to the later book about the dolphins.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
This story takes place after the book Dragonsdawn, in fact a lapse of about eight years has passed, and the colonists have mostly moved from the southern to northern continent, where they have established Fort Hold and Fort Weyr, which are both now quite crowded. Red Hanrahan is the veterinarian father of Sorka Hanrahan Connel .
Red has put up for a long time with the need to centralize the population of Pern in order to survive against Thread, by crowding his large family and breeding horses into Fort Hold along with thousands of others. Now he has found a place of his own to settle, about two to three days' journey away, and he undertakes that journey during a break from Threadfall. But there's a river now swollen with rain, which he and his large party need to cross before the pattern of Threadfall catches up with them. Along the way, Red contemplates what name to give his new hold. This story gets quite intense, with the need to get across that river, and a report of tragedy. The colonists have been through hell during the past several years, and the idea that one family will finally get to claim its stake of land and live as they always intended is compelling to say the least.
The Second Weyr
Just as Fort Hold has become crowded with people who would rather be farming their own land, Fort Weyr is now overcrowded with dragons and riders, after breeding for years in order to have enough dragons and riders to protect more of Pern from Thread. Now it's time to expand to other Weyrs. But who will lead the new Weyrs? This is a romance, but it's a McCaffrey Pern romance, which means it involves dragons.
Rescue Run
It's been about 50 years since Thread first fell on the Pern colonists, and that pesky homing beacon, which few besides Ted Tubberman wanted to send off to the Federated Sentient Planets for help, has been received but ignored until a ship, the Amherst, is in the sector studying the unusual Oort Cloud in the Rukbat system. The orange flag on the system captures the notice of Ross Benden, who happens to be a nephew of Admiral Paul Bendon, one of the colony leaders and a former war hero. Lieutenant Bendon is sent as leader of a landing party that will check whether there are survivors. I won't go into much detail about this story, but it's by far the most dramatic in this collection, and marks the reappearance of one of the villans of Dragonsdawn.
There are some issues I have with the stories of Pern, but when I simply suspend disbelief and allow the author to have it her way, and remember that it's fiction, I love these stories as much as ever. They are always human stories. Except for the dragons, of course, though it's their human, sometimes childlike, and sometimes incredibly wise, personalities that keep me coming back. I think it's the relationships and the politics of these stories that continue to appeal to me. They're stories in which innately good, though somewhat ordinary, imperfect people are inspired by circumstances and love for their fellows to do heroic things that they themselves didn't realize they could.
February 29, 2020:
This is a collection of longer short stories.
The Survey: P.E.R.N.
This first story in the collection takes place about 200 years prior to the colonization of the planet Pern and covers the brief survey of the planet by a team that is too small because it's already suffered casualties. The team of three people, after a brief visit and a superficial survey of the planet, makes the determination of whether the planet is safe for colonization, even though there are many unanswered questions. I find this first story a bit dry, in fact it reads a little like how I imagine a planetary survey would, but it explains a lot about why people might colonize Pern to begin with, and provides some background for the book, Dragonsdawn.
The Dolphin's Bell
This story, which occurs within the later timeframe of Dragonsdawn, introduces the Dolphins of Pern, which have a whole book written about them later in the series. Jim Tillek, one of the captains of the original three spaceships that brought colonists to Pern, is a sailing enthusiast. He brought his sailing ship, The Southern Cross, to Pern in a disassembled state, and assembled it there, where he loves to sail the open seas in it. There are also a number of dolphins who were brought to Pern in cold sleep, and wakened on arrival. They are dolphins who can communicate with humans, and who work with human partners.
When disaster strikes the colony, Jim Tillek as well as the dolphins and their human partners are called on to help out, and they all make heroic efforts. This story covers that, and I find it heartening and delightful, as well as a great prequel to the later book about the dolphins.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan
This story takes place after the book Dragonsdawn, in fact a lapse of about eight years has passed, and the colonists have mostly moved from the southern to northern continent, where they have established Fort Hold and Fort Weyr, which are both now quite crowded. Red Hanrahan is the veterinarian father of Sorka Hanrahan Connel .
Red has put up for a long time with the need to centralize the population of Pern in order to survive against Thread, by crowding his large family and breeding horses into Fort Hold along with thousands of others. Now he has found a place of his own to settle, about two to three days' journey away, and he undertakes that journey during a break from Threadfall. But there's a river now swollen with rain, which he and his large party need to cross before the pattern of Threadfall catches up with them. Along the way, Red contemplates what name to give his new hold. This story gets quite intense, with the need to get across that river, and a report of tragedy. The colonists have been through hell during the past several years, and the idea that one family will finally get to claim its stake of land and live as they always intended is compelling to say the least.
The Second Weyr
Just as Fort Hold has become crowded with people who would rather be farming their own land, Fort Weyr is now overcrowded with dragons and riders, after breeding for years in order to have enough dragons and riders to protect more of Pern from Thread. Now it's time to expand to other Weyrs. But who will lead the new Weyrs? This is a romance, but it's a McCaffrey Pern romance, which means it involves dragons.
Rescue Run
It's been about 50 years since Thread first fell on the Pern colonists, and that pesky homing beacon, which few besides Ted Tubberman wanted to send off to the Federated Sentient Planets for help, has been received but ignored until a ship, the Amherst, is in the sector studying the unusual Oort Cloud in the Rukbat system. The orange flag on the system captures the notice of Ross Benden, who happens to be a nephew of Admiral Paul Bendon, one of the colony leaders and a former war hero. Lieutenant Bendon is sent as leader of a landing party that will check whether there are survivors. I won't go into much detail about this story, but it's by far the most dramatic in this collection, and marks the reappearance of one of the villans of Dragonsdawn.
August 11, 2008
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall is actually a collection of 5 short stories that take place around the time of Dragonsdawn.
The Survey: P.E.R.N - This is the shortest story of the collection and it deals with the original surveyors who were mapping that part of the galaxy and recommended Pern for colonization.
The Dolphin's Bell - This story takes place concurrently with the end of Dragonsdawn, but from the perspective of the dolphins and their caretakers. It was interesting to see the story from a different perspective and to experience what the colonists had to go through as they braved the treacherous ocean voyage to the northern continent. The story centers around Jim Tillek (of the later Tillek Hold), his love of the sea and his growing love for a courageous young woman named Theo.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan - After the colonists had settled in the Northern Continent at Fort Hold, there was plenty of room for their greatly diminished numbers in the cavernous space. However, after some time, space is getting tight and there are those who are ready to venture forth and create new holds. One of them is Red Hanrahan, whom readers will recognize from Dragonsdawn (as a character and as Sorka's father). He journeys quite a distance from Fort Hold and founds what will become known as Ruatha Hold. This story was quite interesting because it addressed the history of the plague that took so many lives in Moreta's time and how the colonists started fostering their children out to live with other families.
The Second Weyr - Sean and Sorka have done a wonderful job training all of the other dragonriders and are the best weyrleaders that any dragonrider could hope for, but Fort Weyr just doesn't have enough space for them all! Torene, with her maturing queen, has dreams of settling a new weyr and has even found the perfect location, but is afraid to say anything to Sean. When Sean makes the surprise announcement that the dragonriders will be expanding into not just one weyr - but three! Torene is thrilled. She dreams of becoming new weyrwoman at one of the weyrs and waits in eager anticipation to see who will fly her queen in her first mating flight, for they will become the new leaders of the newly named Benden Weyr.
Rescue Run - When Lieutenant Ross Benden's ship comes upon a distress signal around the Rukbat system, he cannot help but think of his uncle, who set off 50 years previously to colonize a planet there. He cannot believe that his uncle, hero of so many battles, would have panicked and set off a signal for help, not 7 years after starting colonization. Still, he is duty bound to explore the area and see if there are any survivors. The biologist on board is fascinated by the organisms that seem to come from the Oort cloud circling so close to the planet. A small team leaves the ship to take a shuttle down to Pern and are surprised to encounter a small band of survivors: Stev Kimmer (whom readers will recognize from Dragonsdawn as being one of Avril's group) and Kenjo & Ito Fusaiyuki's (whom readers will also recognize as being the pilot in Dragonsdawn) children. They insist that there are no other survivors and, though Benden does a sweep of the area, he has no other choice but to believe that his uncle is gone, killed in the Thread attack and leave with the few survivors that remain. This story was interesting because it explains why no one else has ever gone to Pern and why that area of space is simply avoided.
The Survey: P.E.R.N - This is the shortest story of the collection and it deals with the original surveyors who were mapping that part of the galaxy and recommended Pern for colonization.
The Dolphin's Bell - This story takes place concurrently with the end of Dragonsdawn, but from the perspective of the dolphins and their caretakers. It was interesting to see the story from a different perspective and to experience what the colonists had to go through as they braved the treacherous ocean voyage to the northern continent. The story centers around Jim Tillek (of the later Tillek Hold), his love of the sea and his growing love for a courageous young woman named Theo.
The Ford of Red Hanrahan - After the colonists had settled in the Northern Continent at Fort Hold, there was plenty of room for their greatly diminished numbers in the cavernous space. However, after some time, space is getting tight and there are those who are ready to venture forth and create new holds. One of them is Red Hanrahan, whom readers will recognize from Dragonsdawn (as a character and as Sorka's father). He journeys quite a distance from Fort Hold and founds what will become known as Ruatha Hold. This story was quite interesting because it addressed the history of the plague that took so many lives in Moreta's time and how the colonists started fostering their children out to live with other families.
The Second Weyr - Sean and Sorka have done a wonderful job training all of the other dragonriders and are the best weyrleaders that any dragonrider could hope for, but Fort Weyr just doesn't have enough space for them all! Torene, with her maturing queen, has dreams of settling a new weyr and has even found the perfect location, but is afraid to say anything to Sean. When Sean makes the surprise announcement that the dragonriders will be expanding into not just one weyr - but three! Torene is thrilled. She dreams of becoming new weyrwoman at one of the weyrs and waits in eager anticipation to see who will fly her queen in her first mating flight, for they will become the new leaders of the newly named Benden Weyr.
Rescue Run - When Lieutenant Ross Benden's ship comes upon a distress signal around the Rukbat system, he cannot help but think of his uncle, who set off 50 years previously to colonize a planet there. He cannot believe that his uncle, hero of so many battles, would have panicked and set off a signal for help, not 7 years after starting colonization. Still, he is duty bound to explore the area and see if there are any survivors. The biologist on board is fascinated by the organisms that seem to come from the Oort cloud circling so close to the planet. A small team leaves the ship to take a shuttle down to Pern and are surprised to encounter a small band of survivors: Stev Kimmer (whom readers will recognize from Dragonsdawn as being one of Avril's group) and Kenjo & Ito Fusaiyuki's (whom readers will also recognize as being the pilot in Dragonsdawn) children. They insist that there are no other survivors and, though Benden does a sweep of the area, he has no other choice but to believe that his uncle is gone, killed in the Thread attack and leave with the few survivors that remain. This story was interesting because it explains why no one else has ever gone to Pern and why that area of space is simply avoided.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2018
Another fantastic book. This book contains several stories. It begins with the Survey team that discovers the planet, Pern. They mark this planet as habitable. It goes through what they discover on Pern and that it is much like the older Earth from their histories.
Then the story moves into the landing party and how they begin to move onto their new planet. It delves into the first Thread as it falls onto them killing many and destroying so much. You learn more about the dragonets and how they are used to create the Dragons that will protect them all from Thread. Then there is the active volcanoes which require the settlement to evacuate their current location in search of new areas of Pern to populate.
You learn of the first Hold that is created. Then as people settle into their lives, they want to yearn to spread out so that they are not as contained and crowded. You glimpse into the history of the new Holds that are created and how and who took the reins to go out and create these.
You get to witness the very first hatching of dragons and impressions. As they grow and get stronger they seem to be useless; not what they were created for. Then there emerges a leader who teaches them and makes them strong. He teaches them to fight as a unit. They learn to fly and fight thread and become useful. They become what they were created to be, The Dragonriders of Pern.
The stories are exciting. You are seeing the history of Pern and how it began and how it transformed into what you read later. Again, I would not recommend reading in the chronological order that I am reading these books in if you have never read the Pern series. I am really glad I am reading it like this after having read the series several times prior. I am enjoying these early histories more than I did when I read in the suggested order. However, as a new reader of Pern, reading in the suggested order is highly recommended.
This is such a fantastic world. It spawned my absolute love of dragons so long ago. I would highly recommend this series to any dragon and fantasy lover.
Then the story moves into the landing party and how they begin to move onto their new planet. It delves into the first Thread as it falls onto them killing many and destroying so much. You learn more about the dragonets and how they are used to create the Dragons that will protect them all from Thread. Then there is the active volcanoes which require the settlement to evacuate their current location in search of new areas of Pern to populate.
You learn of the first Hold that is created. Then as people settle into their lives, they want to yearn to spread out so that they are not as contained and crowded. You glimpse into the history of the new Holds that are created and how and who took the reins to go out and create these.
You get to witness the very first hatching of dragons and impressions. As they grow and get stronger they seem to be useless; not what they were created for. Then there emerges a leader who teaches them and makes them strong. He teaches them to fight as a unit. They learn to fly and fight thread and become useful. They become what they were created to be, The Dragonriders of Pern.
The stories are exciting. You are seeing the history of Pern and how it began and how it transformed into what you read later. Again, I would not recommend reading in the chronological order that I am reading these books in if you have never read the Pern series. I am really glad I am reading it like this after having read the series several times prior. I am enjoying these early histories more than I did when I read in the suggested order. However, as a new reader of Pern, reading in the suggested order is highly recommended.
This is such a fantastic world. It spawned my absolute love of dragons so long ago. I would highly recommend this series to any dragon and fantasy lover.
November 16, 2021
Not bad, some stories better than others.
So there are five short stories contained in here, though a couple of them are quite long. They range from way before the landing at Pern to a few decades after.
The first is the initial Pern survey and though it is mildly interesting there is not much here for the casual fan.
The second I think was probably taken from the initial draft of Dragonsdawn. This tells the story of the ship evacuation of Landing to the Northern continent that was just referenced in the main book. It's not bad but I did find myself skim reading it more often than not as you know exactly how it turns out.
The third story is great. It tells the story of the founding of a new holding and is set almost a decade after the end of Dragonsdawn with a lot of familiar characters. We learn it has not all been plain sailing after the founding of the dragon riders and there is a lot of pressure for housing and privacy. I really enjoyed this one.
The fourth is also great and tells the story of the founding of Benden Weyr. Again lots of familiar characters but there is also a new generation of dragon riders who have grown up with the new structure. The Pern from the main novels is more pronounced here and though it deals with a lot of the same themes as the previous it's still a good read.
The final story deals with the aftermath of the rescue signal that was sent in the Dragonsdawn. Again not so interesting for the casual fan though it does explain why Pern has seemingly been forgotten by humans elsewhere.
A bit of a mixed bag though I think the third and fourth stories are great to round out the previous book.
Please see this and other reviews at https://barrysbloodybooks.home.blog/
So there are five short stories contained in here, though a couple of them are quite long. They range from way before the landing at Pern to a few decades after.
The first is the initial Pern survey and though it is mildly interesting there is not much here for the casual fan.
The second I think was probably taken from the initial draft of Dragonsdawn. This tells the story of the ship evacuation of Landing to the Northern continent that was just referenced in the main book. It's not bad but I did find myself skim reading it more often than not as you know exactly how it turns out.
The third story is great. It tells the story of the founding of a new holding and is set almost a decade after the end of Dragonsdawn with a lot of familiar characters. We learn it has not all been plain sailing after the founding of the dragon riders and there is a lot of pressure for housing and privacy. I really enjoyed this one.
The fourth is also great and tells the story of the founding of Benden Weyr. Again lots of familiar characters but there is also a new generation of dragon riders who have grown up with the new structure. The Pern from the main novels is more pronounced here and though it deals with a lot of the same themes as the previous it's still a good read.
The final story deals with the aftermath of the rescue signal that was sent in the Dragonsdawn. Again not so interesting for the casual fan though it does explain why Pern has seemingly been forgotten by humans elsewhere.
A bit of a mixed bag though I think the third and fourth stories are great to round out the previous book.
Please see this and other reviews at https://barrysbloodybooks.home.blog/
November 25, 2012
As this is another book of short stories, I will do a review of each story.
1. THE SURVEY: P.E.R.N. (2 stars)
This is the story of the survey team that first evaluated the planet
now known as Pern for human colonization. It explains how such a
major threat (thread) was missed. Not bad. Not good either.
2. THE DOLPHIN'S BELL (1 star)
This was over 40 pages of an incredibly slow moving and boring story. It chronicles the sea voyage to move people and supplies from the southern continent to the north to escape the volcanic eruption. This voyage is aided by talking dolphins.
3. THE FORD OF RED HANRAHAN (5 stars)
This was a longer short story telling of a group of settlers headed by Red Hanrahan leaving Fort Hold to establish a Hold of their own. There is a river and a difficult to locate ford involved, as well as some contact with dragons and dragonriders. I adored this story.
4. THE SECOND WEYR (5 stars)
Fort Weyr has full to the rafters and beyond. The dragons have bred true and now new weyrs need to be established to accommodate them all. This story tells how that came to be, how weyrleaders and weyrwomen are chosen, as well as the second weyr being established.
5. RESCUE RUN (3 stars)
Remember Ted Tubberman, the cowardly moron from Dragonsdawn that send out the distress beacon? This is the story of that beacon being found and the rescue mission to save the "only survivors" left on Pern.
1. THE SURVEY: P.E.R.N. (2 stars)
This is the story of the survey team that first evaluated the planet
now known as Pern for human colonization. It explains how such a
major threat (thread) was missed. Not bad. Not good either.
2. THE DOLPHIN'S BELL (1 star)
This was over 40 pages of an incredibly slow moving and boring story. It chronicles the sea voyage to move people and supplies from the southern continent to the north to escape the volcanic eruption. This voyage is aided by talking dolphins.
3. THE FORD OF RED HANRAHAN (5 stars)
This was a longer short story telling of a group of settlers headed by Red Hanrahan leaving Fort Hold to establish a Hold of their own. There is a river and a difficult to locate ford involved, as well as some contact with dragons and dragonriders. I adored this story.
4. THE SECOND WEYR (5 stars)
Fort Weyr has full to the rafters and beyond. The dragons have bred true and now new weyrs need to be established to accommodate them all. This story tells how that came to be, how weyrleaders and weyrwomen are chosen, as well as the second weyr being established.
5. RESCUE RUN (3 stars)
Remember Ted Tubberman, the cowardly moron from Dragonsdawn that send out the distress beacon? This is the story of that beacon being found and the rescue mission to save the "only survivors" left on Pern.
June 18, 2018
These five short stories that fill in the gaps of the early Pern years. The first story is the original survey team who came to Pern and declared it a planet worthy of settlement. Another story deals with the evacuation of Landing after the volcanic eruptions. Then there are stories about how the new settlements and weyrs are chosen in the North. The final story is about the rescue of a few settlers that didn't make it to the North but had been stuck in the south without dragon help during threadfall. I am not sure you would get much out of these stories if you weren't familiar with the overall story of Pern.
February 20, 2016
So after the elegant wrap up to the series this book came out. Not a single story, but a series of short stories. All of the stories in this book take place prior to the original start of the series and involve things like why Dragon Riders have their names contracted, How Ruatha Hold got its name, as well as an actual rescue attempt by the civilized part of the galaxy.
A nice read, fun and worth taking a look at.
A nice read, fun and worth taking a look at.
May 17, 2018
A collection of short stories/novellas that expand on the early history of Pern. Some of the history is fun and a great display of McCaffrey's verdant imagination but a couple of the stories are overly long and not particularly interesting. This was a reread. I hadn't read it since first buying it years ago. It's not a bad book by any means but it will not retain a place in my permanent library.
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