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This article is about the series of novels by Anne and Todd McCaffrey. For other uses, see Dragon Rider.

The Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive fantasy/science fiction series of novels and short stories primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926) is an American Science fiction Author best known for her Dragonriders Since 2004, McCaffrey's son Todd McCaffrey has also published Pern novels, both in collaboration with Anne and on his own. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Todd J McCaffrey (b April 27 1956 as Todd Johnson is the youngest son of author Anne McCaffrey. As of July 2006, the series consists of 18 novels or novellas and several short stories, most of which have been collected in two volumes. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

The earlier novels in the series have a clear fantasy slant to them (low levels of technology, fire-breathing dragons, feudal societies), although McCaffrey herself prefers to describe them as science fiction and stresses the scientific rationales behind the world she has created. In more recent novels, the series moves toward more overt science fiction as the colonists rediscover their links to the past and develop much higher levels of technology.

Contents

Overview

Life inside of the major tree called Pern as presented in the novels resembles a pre-industrial society with lords, holds, harpers (musicians, entertainers, and teachers), and dragons, with the occasional examples of higher technology (like flamethrowers, telegraph, chemical fertilizers, and powerful microscopes and telescopes). Pern is a Fictional Planet in the universe created by Science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey for her Dragonriders of Pern Pre-industrial society refers to specific social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution

Pernese people are described as belonging to four basic groups: Weyrfolk (including Dragonriders) who live in the Weyrs, the Holders who live in the Holds (cities, towns and farms), the crafters who live in Crafthalls (or are assigned to work their crafts in certain Holds), and the Holdless who have no permanent home (including traders, displaced Holders, and brigands).

One of the main threats to Pernese civilization in the series is Thread, which is described as a mycorrhizoid spore that periodically rains down on the planet due to the orbit of the Red Star. Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffrey 's series of science-fiction novels about the fictional Planet Pern. A mycorrhiza (Greek for fungus roots coined by Frank 1885 typically seen in the plural forms mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic (occasionally The Red Star is set out to be a rogue planet in the Rukbat system. Alpha Sagittarii (α Sgr / α Sagittarii is a Star in the Constellation of Sagittarius. System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek systēma is a set of interacting or interdependent Entities, real or abstract The Red Star, characterized as a "Sedna-class inner Oort cloud object", has a 250 Turn (or Pernese year) elliptic orbit around its sun. TemplateInfobox Planet.--> 90377 Sedna (ˈsɛdnə) is a Trans-Neptunian In Astrodynamics or Celestial mechanics an elliptic orbit is a Kepler orbit with the eccentricity greater than 0 and less than 1 Thread can reach the planet Pern for about 50 Turns while the Red Star is at perihelion. Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffrey 's series of science-fiction novels about the fictional Planet Pern. Pern is a Fictional Planet in the universe created by Science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey for her Dragonriders of Pern In Celestial mechanics, an apsis, plural apsides (ˈæpsɨdɪːz is the point of greatest or least distance of the Elliptical orbit of an object from Thread is described in this series as an agent that consumes organic material at a voracious rate, including crops, animals, and any humans in its path.

The Pernese use intelligent firebreathing dragons and their riders to fight Thread. The Dragons of Pern are a Fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the Science fiction world Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffrey 's series of science-fiction novels about the fictional Planet Pern. The riders have a telepathic bond with their dragons, formed by Impression at the dragon's hatching. Later books deal with the initial colonization of Pern and the creation of the dragons through genetic manipulation. The lengthy (over two millennia) time period covered by the series as a whole allows room for new stories and characters, explored by each new novel released by the authors.

List of books

The series has 19 books and counting and, while characters drop in and out of the stories, the major players are repeated in most of them in smaller or lesser roles. This is partly because some of the books feature overlapping momframes, describing the same events from different viewpoints.

Furthermore, McCaffrey has published novels set in several different periods of Pern's history, some centuries apart. When reading for the first time it is generally recommended to go in the order the novels were written, as the details change slightly over time. On repeat reads, a chronological order may be preferred. A list of the Pern books in chronological order is here.

Original trilogy

Later collected in an omnibus edition. These stories take place immediately before and during the Ninth Pass.

Harper Hall trilogy

Later collected in an omnibus edition. Dragonflight is the first book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Dragonquest is a novel written by Anne McCaffrey and is part of her Dragonriders of Pern series The White Dragon is a 1978 Fantasy Novel by Anne McCaffrey. It is the third book in the Dragonriders of Pern series These stories take place immediately prior to and concurrently with those depicted in The White Dragon.

Other novels and anthologies

Books written by Anne and Todd McCaffrey

Gamebooks and companion books

Awards

Weyr Search won a Hugo Award and Dragonrider won a Nebula Award. Dragonflight is the first book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction Dragonquest, The White Dragon, Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and All the Weyrs of Pern were all nominated for Hugos. Moreta Dragonlady of Pern is a 1983 Fantasy Novel by Anne McCaffrey set in the near-legendary past of Pern. All the Weyrs of Pern is a Science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey

Graphic novel

In 1991 Dragonflight, the first Pern book published, was released as a set of three graphic novels by Eclipse Books of Forestville, CA. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A Forestville is a Census-designated place (CDP in Sonoma County, California, United States. The first two graphic novels were illustrated by Lela Dowling and Fred Von Tobel, the third was by Lela Dowling and Cynthia Martin. Lela Dowling is a graphic artist who draws Fantasy and Science fictional characters The story was adapted by Brynne Stevens.

Music of Pern

There is an 18 track CD of music relating to the important Teaching Ballads and the work of Masterharper Robinton, made in 1998 by Anglo-Alaskan duo Tania Opland and Mike Freeman in collaboration with Anne McCaffrey at her request. "The Masterharper of Pern" project began as an idea to include written music in the book of the same name, printed on the inner faces of the cover. The Masterharper of Pern is a Science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, first published in 1998 By the time the composers had written and auditioned the early drafts at the author's table it was clear that making the songs a reality to their creator's satisfaction was finally possible. The CD project was completed some eighteen months later and released to the approval of the author and most fans of the series. A second CD pertaining mainly to the work of Pern's other favourite harper, Menolly, is currently in production and due for release mid 2008. There are nine completed tracks as of March 2008. Progress updates can be found on www. annemccaffrey. org or www. opland-freeman. com

Television and movies

There have been several efforts to bring Pern to television and the "big screen. "

The first effort for a Dragonriders of Pern movie was by Alliance Atlantis. Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc (formerly traded as TSX:AAC was a Toronto -based media company that operated primarily as a Specialty service While Alliance Atlantis produced concept art, their development efforts failed and they eventually sold their rights.

Games

There have been several games released based on the Pern series.

In 1983 Mayfair Games created a board game featuring cards with Pern characters and locations. Mayfair Games is a publisher of board and Roleplaying games in the United States and United Kingdom. This game is now rare and valuable to Pern collectors.

In 1983, Epyx released an action-strategy game for the Atari 800 and Commodore 64 in which the player could battle Thread and engage in diplomacy on Pern. Epyx Inc was a Video game developer and publisher in the late 1970s and entire 1980s The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992

In 2001 a video game Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern was created by Ubisoft Entertainment for the PC and Dreamcast. Ubisoft Entertainment (formerly Ubi Soft) ( is a French computer and Video game publisher and developer with headquarters in The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. This game follows a dragonrider as he Searches for girls to be candidates for Impressing a new young gold dragon and battles the "bad guys" on an adventure across Pern.

Pernese Worldview and Society

General

In the Pern series, McCaffrey attempts to portray a society caught between its attempt to build a utopian dream and a grim and inescapable reality, which from the start forced exceptionally hard choices. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the The creation of the Dragons such that they were bound to aid humanity was certainly morally questionable — but they were also created to preserve human lives, and no other solution existed. Pragmatism can forgive many things, and this reality is one oft-learned on Pern, where proclaimed utopian traditions fall against the reality of simple day-to-day survival.

McCaffrey does allow a more utopian and progressive outlook to win out in the end, though the future of this society could be considered somewhat in doubt. Before the Ninth Pass, however, Pernese society was largely static, and many of its functions and features are open to review as an interesting case of a utopia trying to survive in conditions where it cannot. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the

Another repeated theme is the preservation of ideas and the generation of myths. On Pern, knowledge and cultural practices regarding Thread must persist for 200-year Intervals (see below) — a period of time nearly as long as the United States has existed — without the immediate presence of the organism to prompt remembrance. In that time, facts can become legends and societal practices can appear to be meaningless tradition. As McCaffrey herself asks to open the first story "Weyr Search" (see below): "When is a legend legend? Why is a myth a myth? How old and disused must a fact be for it to be relegated to the category: Fairy tale?"

Social considerations

Pernese society exhibits the usual organizational characteristics of feudalism, but shows a certain specific leaning towards utopianism which is worthy of some review to understand the series' context. Dragonflight is the first book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the The social structure on Pern is strictly divided between Hold, Hall, and Weyr, respectively comparable to the medieval triune of Nobility, Guild, and Church. The Pernese themselves consider this structure an ideal organization meant to avoid the violence and excess of their Terran ancestors. One remarkable feature of Pernese society is its stability, having lasted approximately 2,500 years with little change.

The agrarian idealism of Pern, however, is marred by the constant reality of Thread. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffrey 's series of science-fiction novels about the fictional Planet Pern. Fighting Thread requires a considerable concentration of social resources. Suspending disbelief and focusing on the necessary supply of material to the Weyrs to sustain the dragons, and the populations (a Weyr, exceeding two thousand persons, compares to some medieval cities) leads one to conclude that a principal part of the available agricultural and industrial productions of the planet would be devoted to this quasi-war effort during the Pass, and a considerable fraction during the Interval.

Within the Weyrs, there is a highly efficient and well run system. It is run by a Weyrleader and Weyrwoman, and has a very large number of support staff.

A constant repetition of Passes and Intervals leads to the tantalizing prospect that Pernese outlook in general may be cyclical rather than progressive; this similarity with Egypt under the Pharaohs would explain the long duration and rigidity of Pernese culture. Social cycle theories are one of the earliest Social theories in Sociology. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. However, it has thus been speculated by some fans that the end of Thread and rapid technological progress at the end of the Ninth pass would result in severe social disruption. McCaffrey's later novels of Pern tend to explore the growing rift between traditionalism and modernism. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Social change is portrayed as both desired and despised. The destruction of Thread, a goal sought after by the Dragonriders and the peoples of Pern, forces a radical rethinking of the role of dragons in a post-Thread world.

Religious considerations

Pern created an interesting example in that it is an agrarian society portrayed without organized religion. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos However, the latest short story, "Beyond Between," introduced the concept of an afterlife. AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between

In her introduction to The Girl Who Heard Dragons (1994), Anne McCaffrey described an encounter with a girl who tried to argue that there was no way a successful colony could have been established on Pern without religion. Anne’s exact words at this point were, “I told her in very certain tones and terms that Pern was my world, and I could do with it what I wanted. I wanted it not to have religion, considering the crimes committed in the name of one deity or other. ” Ten years later, in a 2004 interview with Lynne Jamneck for writers-world. com, she described the thoughts that led her to write "Beyond Between. " “I also don't have organized religion on Pern. I figured - since there were four holy wars going on at the time of writing - that religion was one problem Pern didn't need. However, if one listens to childhood teachings, God is everywhere so there should be no question in any mind that he is also on Pern. Thus, there is a heaven to which worthy souls go. So, without mentioning any denomination of organized religion, I figured that both Moreta and Leri deserved respite after their trials. . . and that's where ‘Beyond Between’ is. ”

Economic considerations

The Dragons are portrayed as very large creatures; the largest described in the series, the gold queen dragon Ramoth, was described as being about forty-five feet (as large as the largest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found) or meters (as large as a jet plane-- dragon size is an ongoing debate among fans) in length. The Dragons of Pern are a Fictional race created by Anne McCaffrey as an integral part of the Science fiction world In Anne McCaffrey 's fictional Dragonriders of Pern books Ramoth is a dragon who was Impressed by Benden Weyrwoman Lessa. Tyrannosaurus ( or, meaning 'tyrant lizard' is a Genus of Theropod Dinosaur. She would be the largest flying being, and among the largest predators, ever known. The massive amount of food which must be consumed by several thousand such creatures is staggering, particularly at the height of a Pass, when they fly against Thread at close intervals. The area of grazing land required to support nearly 3,000 dragons each consuming three to four cattle (or herdbeast) a week has been compared to the whole Mississippi basin with a sustainable herd.

The economic strain on an agrarian society by the dragons would thus be nearly unsustainable, and can only grow worse when the requirements of the sedentary and usually luxuriously-sustained Weyrfolk are included. However, Pern has been able to meet this strain during each Pass successfully, though the Ninth Pass saw considerable discontent, and a full record of all passes has not yet been provided.

During the second Long Interval (a time when the Red Star failed to pass close enough to the planet to bring the incursion of Thread) before the Ninth Pass, however, unpopularity with the only remaining inhabited Weyr, Benden Weyr, had grown to such a point that the Holders were willing to risk combat on highly disadvantageous terms to end the tithe of materials which traditionally supported the Weyrs. Benden Weyr is the second of eight (by the end of the 9th pass Weyrs on the planet of Pern in Anne McCaffrey 's Dragonriders of Pern fantasy novel A tithe (from Old English teogoþa "tenth" is a one-tenth part of something paid as a (usually voluntary contribution or as a Tax or levy This is a further suggestion of the general strain and potential unpopularity of the severe burden inflicted by the Weyrs, a burden that ultimately remains entirely necessary until the end of the Ninth Pass.

The Pernese economy, based upon the Mark, appears to be a command economy. A planned economy or directed economy is an Economic system in which the Government or Workers' councils manages the Economy. The Mark is made of wood, a fiat currency, and has no inherent value; prices across Pern are fixed by a yearly meeting of Traders, Craftmasters, and Lord Holders. The terms fiat currency and fiat money relate to types of currency or Money whose usefulness results not from any intrinsic value or guarantee that it can be A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is Barter is common practice on Pern. Barter is a type of Trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged

Characters

Main article: Characters in Dragonriders of Pern

Fandom

Pern fandom consists of a large variety of fan communities. Characters in the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy novels by Anne McCaffrey. The largest part of fandom is made up by clubs that allow their members to 'play' Pern by creating original characters within the setting of Anne McCaffrey's world. To avoid conflicts with Pern canon and trademarks, each club typically chooses a particular location and timeline as a unique setting different from Anne McCaffrey's established history of Pern. Most commonly, clubs are named for the main Weyr chosen as playing location.

Historically, the first clubs started out publishing printed fanzines containing fanfiction and artwork. A fanzine (see also Zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre for the pleasure With the advent of the internet, clubs using online technology such as roleplay via chat or email (PBeM) became popular. Play-by-mail games are Games of any type played through postal Mail or e-mail. Text-based online virtual reality games, primarily MUSH and MUCK variants such as PernMUSH, have modeled Pern since the early 1990s. PernMUSH (also called NorCon or NC) is an online Role-playing game which is based on Anne McCaffery's world of Pern. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 In the mid '90s, stringent rules were placed on the creation of new clubs and the governance of existing clubs. For example, no new fan-created MU* games were allowed while the game rights were licenced to Ubisoft for the development of the Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern computer game (released in 2001). Ubisoft Entertainment (formerly Ubi Soft) ( is a French computer and Video game publisher and developer with headquarters in

In November 2004, Anne McCaffrey relaxed her fandom rules significantly and allowed Pernese fanfiction to be posted freely throughout the Internet. Soon after, fanfiction sites such as FanFiction.Net started offering the opportunity to post and read fanfiction based on Anne McCaffrey's works. } FanFictionNet (often abbreviated as FFNet or FFN) is an automated Fan fiction archive site The relaxing of the rules also resulted in the appearance of message board-based games as another popular club type. Fan sites no longer require approval and are not bound to the formerly strict canon rules, resulting in fan clubs testing out alternatives such as new dragon colors or off-Pern scenarios.

From 2000 until 2005, Anne McCaffrey's website offered a popular discussion forum and chat (The Kitchen Table) for fans to interact with each other and with the author. After its discontinuation in January 2005, several fan-organized discussion forums have taken its place as an outlet for fan activity.

Offline, the largest Pern fan gathering is WeyrFest, held yearly at Dragon*Con since 1992. Dragon Con (also Dragon*Con) is a North America multigenre convention, held annually in Atlanta Georgia. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Over the last few years, Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey were frequent attendees at WeyrFest, offering fans a chance to meet the authors in person.

Notes

  1. ^ "Creative Split Sank Pern", Sci Fi Wire, April 5, 2001. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes  
  2. ^ Kit, Borys. "'Pern' booked for big-screen flight", The Hollywood Reporter, May 25, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes  

External links

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