The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall (Dragonriders of Pern Series #12) by Anne McCaffrey

From the Publisher

Let the queen of dragons herself take you back to the earliest days of Pernese history as Anne McCaffrey brings to life events that shaped one of the most popular worlds in all of science fiction, in this first-ever Pern short-story collection.


From the Hardcover edition.

Publishers Weekly

A quarter century after Dragonflight , the novel that introduced the vastly popular dragon planet of Pern, McCaffrey details the difficult yet exhilarating early years of the Pernese settlers in five highly readable tales. Trouble starts early when the original landing site is threatened by volcanic action, forcing the human settlers to ring ``The Dolphin's Bell'' in a plea for help from the intelligent sea mammals who migrated with them from Earth. Then there is the First Fall of the devastating Thread which leads colonists to the security of Rua Atha (Ruatha Hold) in ``The Ford of Red Hanarahan,'' while ``The Second Weyr'' recounts the creation of two new Weyrs to accommodate the growing population of dragons and riders who are essential to the colony's survival. The book begins and ends with the human federation, with the initial survey of Pern and, in the odd final tale called ``Rescue Run,'' with the story of how the planet was abandoned when a small Federation expedition, responding to a distress message sent by Pern during the First Fall, finds only 11 colonists led by a madman. Told of the Thread and convinced that these are the only survivors, the rescuers recommend that Pern and the entire system be interdicted. This collection will provide some answers long awaited by avid Pern fans. (Nov.)

Library Journal

From the initial reports of the survey team that discovers Rukbat's third planet (``The Survey: P.E.R.N.'') to the official banning of the planet to space travel (``Rescue Run''), these five original stories by the author of the popular Pern series offer a glimpse into the early history of the world of ``thread'' and Dragonriders. McCaffrey's unadorned prose allows characters and plot to take center stage. Anticipate a demand for this title. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/93.

BookList

With the five pieces in this first Pern short story collection, McCaffrey offers a delightful fillip for her legion of fans eager to learn everything there is to know about the planet Pern and its inhabitants. Here, we accompany the original survey team, which labels the planet P.E.R.N. (parallel Earth, resources negligible) suitable for colonization. We also experience the desperate, dolphin-assisted exodus by sea from the Southern Continent in the face of volcanic eruptions; the founding of the fabled Ruatha Hold under the leadership of Red Hanrahan; and the establishment of Benden Weyr to ease the crowding at Fort's Weyr as well as the selection of its Weyrleader. The concluding story, "Rescue Run," which originally appeared in "Analog", is a curious sidepiece set some 50 years after the original colonists reported a successful landing; it involves the rescue of a handful of the original settlers and the interdiction of Pern's system--effectively cutting it off from the rest of humanity. The writing is vintage McCaffrey, and readers will appreciate the filling in of gaps in Pernese history; a timeline covering the first 20 years is included.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents