The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall

Anne McCaffery, God can you just imagine what it would have been like to grow up as her Child?? And What talent and Imagination, In my own way I have grown up with her I read my first Pern Novel back when I was 16 or so!! And it has been such a fantastical ride!! And now her son Todd is writing as well. Thank You Ms. McCaffery for the stories you crafted and have left for us to pass on, Rest in Peace Dear Lady!! :-( J

Dragonriders of Pern is a great series and a story from this book adds so much to the world of Pern.

The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall is actually a collection of 5 short stories that take place around the time of Dragonsdawn. They are: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 reader is offered tantalizing glimpses of a bigger story behind the tension of the survey crew, but, at only 18 pages, this story doesn't allow a lot of time for any detail.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 the famous 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 justly named Benden Weyr after their beloved leader who passed on. I have to say that this was my favorite story of the bunch, I just love to read about the dragonriders! 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 are

Ok, I'm a HUGE Pern fan, and I've read all the books! This one, though, is really interesting, for it has the tales of the ancients in it, like Weyrwoman Torene and her queen Alaranth. The building of the 2nd Weyr, Benden Weyr, is by far the best story in the book, for it tells of some of the secrets that you might have always wondered in the back of your head. Like, why do the dragonriders slur their names? Who came up with the tradition of "whichever bronze flies the senior queen gets the Weyrleadership"? How did the dragonriders get to move to the East Coast, and why did they? and so on and so on. The story is really about the life of a queenrider, an exceptional queenrider, after she Impresses-its also a love story-and I love the dragon-romance! So sweet! (lol) IT IS A MUST READ FOR ALL PERN FANS! :OD

I have been reading Pern books for well over 5 yrs. I am hooked on this series and enjoy every book I read by Anne McCaffrey. This book however is only for those, like me who enjoy learning every aspect of this world. If you are starting to read this series there is a list on Mrs. McCaffrey's web page you should fallow. It lists the books the way they were written and introduce you to the series properly.

If I had to pick a book that was the best value buy of any ofthe books I've read (trust me, there's plenty of these) this bookwould have to be it. And no, I'm not an advertisement- I just know when to appreciate a good book! This has tales from widely different eras of Pern, Anne McCaffrey's fictional (well so I'm told, but it seems real) world. That's what makes it good as an introductory book! Not the least the fact that you can read it again, and again, and. . . my copy has almost fallen apart, I've read it too often! Flippancy aside, if you don't mind being taken to another world, if you don't mind being touched inside, if you don't mind getting addicted . . . . THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! And I guarantee it!