Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
Del Rey (1994), 336 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:Travel back to the earliest days of Pernese history in this first-ever Dragonriders of Pern short-story collection! Join the original survey team as they explore Pern and decide to recommend it for colonization. Share the terror of the evacuation from the Southern Continent as a flotilla of ships, aided by intelligent, talking dolphins, braves the dreadful currents of the Pernest ocean. Learn how the famous Ruatha Hold was founded, and thrill with the dragonriders as they expand into a second, then a third Weyr. And discover a secret lost in time: the rescue of some of the original colonists before the planet was cut off forever! Building a new life on a distant world, braving the dreaded Thread that falls like silver rain from the sky only to destroy every living thing it touches, flying heroically on the wondrous dragons: The Dragonriders of Pern!.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member shadowseer
This is the first Pern book I read, and the one that made me fall in love with the world. That love has continued to grow, not diminish.
LibraryThing member cedargrove
Dolphins, Dragons, Holds and backstory...
From a writer's perspective, one needs to understand where one's characters, and the history of the world in which they live, are coming from, and knowing how long it can take to create or visualise this backstory when the world is new and alien, and its
That is as may be and all to the good, but please do so in a way that is as engaging and affirming as the novels themselves. Show the reader what is happening, do not just tidy up the notes you made as backstory and publish them, telling us, lecture style, what happened when the volcanos errupted, or the old holds filled to overflowing meaning that new must be established.
If I were not as involved in the life stories of the dragons of this world, then First Fall might well have killed the series of books for me... but because I am, I ploughed through, filling in the gaps in description and engagement with my own experience of Pern; with what I know, and feel and believe. The one good thing to come out of reading this, I'm now more interested in reading of the Dolphins of Pern - which just happens to be the next book in this series.
From a writer's perspective, one needs to understand where one's characters, and the history of the world in which they live, are coming from, and knowing how long it can take to create or visualise this backstory when the world is new and alien, and its
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people as unusual as the world itself, I understand that this is an investment of a great many hours. So, perhaps a writer can be forgiven for wanting to share these snippets of backstory with a loyal readership, no?That is as may be and all to the good, but please do so in a way that is as engaging and affirming as the novels themselves. Show the reader what is happening, do not just tidy up the notes you made as backstory and publish them, telling us, lecture style, what happened when the volcanos errupted, or the old holds filled to overflowing meaning that new must be established.
If I were not as involved in the life stories of the dragons of this world, then First Fall might well have killed the series of books for me... but because I am, I ploughed through, filling in the gaps in description and engagement with my own experience of Pern; with what I know, and feel and believe. The one good thing to come out of reading this, I'm now more interested in reading of the Dolphins of Pern - which just happens to be the next book in this series.
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LibraryThing member DragonFreak
This is a very interesting book. The author combined five short stories that are totally different together in one book. Overall I give this a 2 1/2 stars, but I will go ahead and rate them indvidually.
The first short story Survey P.E.R.N. C, I can't rate it. It doesn't have a plot, problem, or
The second book The Dolphins Bell. Next to dragons, dolphins are my favorite animal. I enjoyed this one very much with the human as it always is with good descriptions of dolphins. This is a 3 star one.
The third book is The Ford of Red Hanrahan. It explains a lot about the most famous Hold in Pern. But not much happened, so I rated this one 2 1/2 stars.
The fourth book The Second Weyr is my favorite short story by far. It was very entertaining, but be warned, there is a very reavealing and sensual part in here that may not be suitable for some people. I rated this 3 1/2 stars.
The fourth book is Rescue Run. I admit that at page 10 of the 80 pages, I knew I wasn't going to like it that much, and on page 20, I just wanted it to end. It got slightly better, but than went back to worse. I rated this 1 start.
And all of the rates together of all five book minus the first equals my total rating on 2 1/2 stars. It actually may be more, but the method I choose seemed the most fair to rate it.
The first short story Survey P.E.R.N. C, I can't rate it. It doesn't have a plot, problem, or
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solution, it just told me in under 20 pages the origins of the name Pern. So I can't rate it. It's not a 0, but it's unratable.The second book The Dolphins Bell. Next to dragons, dolphins are my favorite animal. I enjoyed this one very much with the human as it always is with good descriptions of dolphins. This is a 3 star one.
The third book is The Ford of Red Hanrahan. It explains a lot about the most famous Hold in Pern. But not much happened, so I rated this one 2 1/2 stars.
The fourth book The Second Weyr is my favorite short story by far. It was very entertaining, but be warned, there is a very reavealing and sensual part in here that may not be suitable for some people. I rated this 3 1/2 stars.
The fourth book is Rescue Run. I admit that at page 10 of the 80 pages, I knew I wasn't going to like it that much, and on page 20, I just wanted it to end. It got slightly better, but than went back to worse. I rated this 1 start.
And all of the rates together of all five book minus the first equals my total rating on 2 1/2 stars. It actually may be more, but the method I choose seemed the most fair to rate it.
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LibraryThing member eleanorigby
Interesting world, good writing.
LibraryThing member macjest
Continuing on with my re-read of the beginning, this book is a collection of short stories that document the early days. This includes the original survey team, and the expansion of the dragonriders.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I was asking myself why I didn't read this when it was first published because I read everything McCaffrey wrote. Then I remembered that when this book was first issued I was back in school after almost 20 years absence and I wasn't reading anything non-school related. I did, in fact, come across
As the title indicates the book takes place during the time of the First Fall of thread although the first installment actually deals with the initial survey of the planet and the last takes place just after the first fall is finished. The Dolphins' Bell tells the story of the exodus from the South Continent when it was determined that Thread could not be defended there. The Ford of Red Hanrahan takes place some years later when Red Hanrahan moves from Fort Hold to a new location which he calls Ruatha. The Second Weyr takes place a little later when the original weyr at Fort becomes too crowded and it is decided to establish new weyrs. The final story, Rescue Run, takes place when an interstellar ship comes close to the Rukbat system and notices the flag that indicates a distress signal was received over 40 years earlier. The ship sends a small cruiser to investigate and they find 11 people who swear they are the only ones who survived.
As always, an enjoyable read.
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one of these stories, The Dolphins' Bell, in a second-hand book store a few years ago but didn't realize it was part of a larger work. So, I'm pleased to fill in another part of the Pern story. As the title indicates the book takes place during the time of the First Fall of thread although the first installment actually deals with the initial survey of the planet and the last takes place just after the first fall is finished. The Dolphins' Bell tells the story of the exodus from the South Continent when it was determined that Thread could not be defended there. The Ford of Red Hanrahan takes place some years later when Red Hanrahan moves from Fort Hold to a new location which he calls Ruatha. The Second Weyr takes place a little later when the original weyr at Fort becomes too crowded and it is decided to establish new weyrs. The final story, Rescue Run, takes place when an interstellar ship comes close to the Rukbat system and notices the flag that indicates a distress signal was received over 40 years earlier. The ship sends a small cruiser to investigate and they find 11 people who swear they are the only ones who survived.
As always, an enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member jamespurcell
Some gaps filled nicely with this anthology.
LibraryThing member humouress
I liked this book of short stories of Pern, which fill in the details of events implied in the novels of the dragons of Pern. It's a good book for fans and those who have read some of the novels, especially the ones at the beginning of the Pernese time-line, but (though it could be read as a
This is a good mix of short stories, both fantasy and sci-fi, covering the discovery and naming of Pern by a space survey ship; the Second Crossing, when colonists found the southern continent too dangerous to inhabit, and still had remnants of old-Earth technology to help them cross to the north; the stories of the founding of new holds and weyrs (you see what I mean when I say it helps to have some background knowledge), and a final story when a relative of one of the founding colonists visits from space.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of Pern.
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stand-alone book) a first-timer to the world of Pern would miss those references which make it a richer experience for people who have read other books. Though it is (necessarily) less dragon-centric than most of the novels, I liked the tone of the book, and (unusually, for me at least) found it well balanced for a short story collection, with all the stories being very satisfying. Usually in a collection, I find one or two stories I hate, one or two that are outstanding, and the others fall in the middle; but I liked all of these.This is a good mix of short stories, both fantasy and sci-fi, covering the discovery and naming of Pern by a space survey ship; the Second Crossing, when colonists found the southern continent too dangerous to inhabit, and still had remnants of old-Earth technology to help them cross to the north; the stories of the founding of new holds and weyrs (you see what I mean when I say it helps to have some background knowledge), and a final story when a relative of one of the founding colonists visits from space.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of Pern.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
The feeling, common to prequels, that a story will not surprise you because you know how things must work out, permeates the weaker stories of The Chronicles of Pern. Will the first Hold be established? Well, uh, yes. Will there be more Weyrs? Of course. McCaffrey has a somewhat annoying tendency
"The Survey: P.E.R.N.ᶜ" isn't really a story but is kind of neat to read, about the explorers who first discovered and classified Pern. For me, though, the real standout of the whole book, and what made it worth it, was "Rescue Run," about a Fleet ship coming into the Pern system and checking for survivors. The final line of the story is a genuine killer. A great read, Anne McCaffrey at her tough best.
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to not let things evolve from what we saw in Dragonsdawn to where we started in Dragonflight, but to depict it as happening in a single moment as a single decision. For example, in the story "The Second Weyr," we learn that one guy made the decision about how Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen would be picked, and his rule was followed for the next thousand years exactly as is without any changes. It doesn't feel historically real. Another story is mostly about how someone got across a river in order to set up how Ruatha Hold got its name: dead boring exposition of something I didn't care about. Another story tells the evacuation of the Southern Continent from Dragonsdawn in more detail, and falls victim to the "cozy" problem of later Pern novels; what ought to be a harrowing trip comes across more as a heartwarming story of an old guy rediscovering love. Plus despite being titled "The Dolphins' Bell," I felt like the dolphins were barely a factor!"The Survey: P.E.R.N.ᶜ" isn't really a story but is kind of neat to read, about the explorers who first discovered and classified Pern. For me, though, the real standout of the whole book, and what made it worth it, was "Rescue Run," about a Fleet ship coming into the Pern system and checking for survivors. The final line of the story is a genuine killer. A great read, Anne McCaffrey at her tough best.
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Subjects
Awards
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (Winner — 1996)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1993-11
Physical description
336 p.; 4.22 inches
ISBN
0345368991 / 9780345368997