<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, one of science fiction fandom’s longest-running and most beloved series of novels, tells the story of the inhabitants of the planet Pern, a world in the Rukbat star system (also known as Alpha Sagitarii), settled by colonists from Earth more than 2,000 years in the past. The colonists came to Pern hoping to build a utopian civilization, but were nearly wiped out by a sudden and unexpected threat from the stars. The appearance of the Red Star, a celestial object in an elliptical orbit around Rukbat, signaled the onset of a shower of deadly mycorrhizoid spores that consumed any organic matter it came into contact with. The first pass of the Red Star nearly destroyed the human colony on Pern. Since the spores—named Thread by the colonists for their appearance—multiplied rapidly upon contact with soil, the colonists determined that their only hope was to find a way to destroy the spores while still in the air.

This led to a crash program of genetic modification to a native flying reptile, resulting in the first Pernese dragons. A dragon could breathe fire by chewing a substance called firestone, and possessed the ability to instinctively teleport across vast distances by passing through an alternate dimension known simply as between. Humans learned to form telepathic bonds with dragon hatchlings in a process called impression, and the dragonriders were born.

Pernese society throughout most of the series is medieval in nature, built upon three basic organizations: the Hold, the Hall, and the Weyr. Holds are human settlements that are led by lords and ladies and are primarily agrarian. Halls are analogous to medieval guilds, and represent the society’s artisans and craftspeople. The Weyrs are the breeding grounds and strongholds of the dragonriders, and are supported by tithes supplied from neighboring Holds. Unlike true feudalism, Pernese society is less stratified and more respectful of individual equality, though the Weyrs have at times faced considerable resentment for the heavy tithes they require in the long 200-Turn Intervals that last between Passes.

The Dragonriders of Pern comprises nineteen novels at present, and has a thriving, dedicated fan community. In recent years, author Anne McCaffrey has co-written a number of books with her son Todd, who appears poised to continue the series for some time into the future.