Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
NELSON DOUBLEDAY, INC. (1978), Edition: Book Club Edition
Description
Finally together in one volume, the first three books in the world's most beloved science fiction series, The Dragonriders of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey, one of the great science fiction writers of all time: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon. Those who know these extraordinary tales will be able to re-visit with Lessa, F'lar, Ruth, Lord Jaxon, and all the others. And for those just discovering this magical place, there are incomparable tales of danger, deceit, and daring, just waiting to be explored.
User reviews
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Most fantasy is trite or cliche when it involved dragons to the point of including them in the title. And if you'd like to know who is to blame for this, look no further than Anne McCaffrey.
Just like how much of modern fantasy that involves Dwarfs, Elves, and Quests is basically a lamprey with a
And in this omnibus edition, you'll find the books that started it all, the three original Pern books, which chronicle the tales of the noble Dragonriders and their more noble dragons.
Dragons, in McCaffrey's canon, talk to their riders telepathically, must eat special stones in order to produce fire, and are capable of jumping Between, a limbo place that allows them to emerge in a different place, or even in a different time.
If you've read more modern fantasies involving dragons, and have found yourself wanting, I recommend you pick up this fine collection of books and start reading. After a taste of real dragon-fantasy, you'll almost certainly want to put those other books Between.
Just like how much of modern fantasy that involves Dwarfs, Elves, and Quests is basically a lamprey with a
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typewriter securely affixed to Tolkien's underbelly (ew), any modern fantasy revolving around dragons owes a whole heck of a lot to McCaffrey.And in this omnibus edition, you'll find the books that started it all, the three original Pern books, which chronicle the tales of the noble Dragonriders and their more noble dragons.
Dragons, in McCaffrey's canon, talk to their riders telepathically, must eat special stones in order to produce fire, and are capable of jumping Between, a limbo place that allows them to emerge in a different place, or even in a different time.
If you've read more modern fantasies involving dragons, and have found yourself wanting, I recommend you pick up this fine collection of books and start reading. After a taste of real dragon-fantasy, you'll almost certainly want to put those other books Between.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
The best of her Dragon books are the ones for juniors.
LibraryThing member Karlstar
This is the 'original' Science Fiction Book club 3 in one edition of the first 3 (by publishing order) Pern novels. Of these, I like the first and the third best. The first one, without too much explanation, jumps right into the story. Humans and dragons live on Pern and are periodically invaded by
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'Thread' falling from space, which will devour all life if not burned to death first. How they survive the experience and how humans got to Pern is further explored in books 2 and especially book 3. I like the action and the characters in these books and the scifi/fantasy feel of them. Very well written and very enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stevil2001
Last March, a friend of my mother's gave me the opportunity to look through those books that had belonged to her now-deceased brother and make off with what I wished. He was an sf fan, and almost all of the books were sf ones, including some old Star Trek hardcovers. This is the first of that
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collection of books I have gotten around to reading; it collects the three novels in the original Pern trilogy, Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon. I enjoyed the first-- Lessa is an interesting protagonist, full of contradictions, strong, and sometime too much so. Unfortunately, once time travel entered into the mix, the story became a bit too predictable-- it was all "wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey" in a way that removes all concept of jeopardy or suspense. Dragonquest I found somewhat tedious-- the internal political squabbles of the dragonriders hold little appeal-- but it established my love for Masterharper Robinton. The White Dragon was better, focusing as it did on one boy and his struggles. But while I found the books themselves average, the world McCaffrey has built, centered around aiding the Weyrs and fighting the Threads, yet fallen away from both ideas, fascinates me, perhaps more than the stories themselves, and it was always the reason I wanted to keep on reading. It and Robinton, at least. (originally written January 2008) Show Less
LibraryThing member lindawwilson
Despite the excellent reviews, I did not like this book-could not even bother to finish it. I like some fantasy: Farseer and George RR Martin, but this was too predictable and I did not like the characters enough to care about their planet.
LibraryThing member stunik
McCafferey's adult series includes the characters from the teen series. A good follow-up for those who like Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums.
LibraryThing member coffeesucker
Just a great book - and this collection is a must-have!
LibraryThing member SerenaWalker
In the begging of this book i was all mixed up but with some help from the dragondex was able to follow the story and ended up really enjoying this. I would not suggest this to someone who wants a quick read or to be read along with another book. Other than that i would recommend this to any
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fantasy lover. Show Less
LibraryThing member Hamburgerclan
This is a collection of three novels: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon.
Dragonflight: Dragonflight is a tale of Pern, a distant planet which every 200 years or so is invaded by extraterrestrial spores that the natives call "Threads". Pern is protected by the Dragonriders, men and
--J.
Dragonflight: Dragonflight is a tale of Pern, a distant planet which every 200 years or so is invaded by extraterrestrial spores that the natives call "Threads". Pern is protected by the Dragonriders, men and
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women who control large, winged, fire-breathing beasts. They burn the Threads in mid-air, preventing them from reaching and destroying the planet's vegetation. As the story opens, Pern has been Thread-free for almost 400 years, the Dragonriders have dwindled in numbers and are no longer held in high respect by most of the people. Few pay attention to the old ballads which recount the threat of the Threads and the valiant deeds of Pern's protectors. Even the Dragonriders themselves have gotten lax in respecting the old traditions and their advice and warnings. The dragonman F'lar, however, still believes the old tales and is out on a quest to find a rider for the dragon queen that's about to hatch. He finds Lessa of Ruatha, a lass of royal blood who is hiding from the man who slaughtered her family and conquered their lands. Together the two struggle to restore Pern to some semblance of its former self as the Red Star, which heralds the coming of the Threads, draws ever nearer. How that all works out, of course, is wonderfully written. The characters are interesting and the world and history of Pern is richly developed. (It only makes sense that it has supported a number of sequels.) Oddly enough, however, what struck me most when I started rereading it was parallels to the Christian church in America. Like the dragonriders, the church once held an honored position in the society, but is now seen by many as an anachronism. But the church, too, exists to struggle against a very real threat and has sadly contributed to its own decline. Anyway, the stories soon diverge, and the ending of Dragonflight is far from Biblical. Be that as it may, it is a great read and it's going on my shelf. After all, eventually my girls will be old enough to read it. --J.
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LibraryThing member argusscoopski
This book is one of the first fantasy books I read and I still think it is one of the best.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
Here in one volume are the first two novels--and in my opinion the best three--of McCaffrey's Pern series: Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon. They often wind up on best fantasy lists, though technically they're science fiction about a lost colony of Earth. The dragons were bred from
The characters are memorable and appealing: Lessa, F'nor, F'Lar, Brekke, Jaxom, Robinton--and that includes the dragons such as "The White Dragon"--Ruth. These three books aren't notable for style or for provoking thought, but they're fine, entertaining novels that bear rereading--science fantasy comfort food. I don't feel the later Pern books are as winning, but these three come to a satisfying resolution.
(And McCaffrey has other books I love more in a classical science fiction vein like The Ship Who Sang and Crystal Singer. Almost all her books feature strong romantic elements and strong female protagonists.)
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native dragonettes and bonded to human riders who imprint them at hatching. They were created and maintained to fight an inimical spore that comes from space. The setting has the feel of medieval or Renaissance Europe--with Lord Holders and powerful guild Masters sharing power with the dragon riders. The characters are memorable and appealing: Lessa, F'nor, F'Lar, Brekke, Jaxom, Robinton--and that includes the dragons such as "The White Dragon"--Ruth. These three books aren't notable for style or for provoking thought, but they're fine, entertaining novels that bear rereading--science fantasy comfort food. I don't feel the later Pern books are as winning, but these three come to a satisfying resolution.
(And McCaffrey has other books I love more in a classical science fiction vein like The Ship Who Sang and Crystal Singer. Almost all her books feature strong romantic elements and strong female protagonists.)
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LibraryThing member Ambrosia4
This is an anthology which contains Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon, three amazing books in Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern series which continues on for many more books.
LibraryThing member willowcove
The first books written in the series, and still some of the very best.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
I'll be reviewing this in pieces, as it's an omnibus edition:
Dragonflight:
This was never my favorite of the Pern books, and I can see why. But it's not a bad entry into a classic universe - the plot is solid, the politicking is realistic, and the dragons, while not as fully-developed as they get
I have seen a lot of people report being squicked out by the sex scene - I can say with confidence that when I first read this as an adolescent it went entirely over my head, but now I find it a little more problematic. Not the actual mating flight itself - I can more or less rationalize the empathic bonding making the question of consent moot (...more or less.) It's the explicit statement later that a) they continued to sleep together afterwards and b) "it might as well have been rape." Wait, WHAT? You have magically-obligatory sex once and then she automatically is required to fuck you whenever you want from then on, whether she's interested or not? Yeah, I'm not so cool with that.
So yeah, I have trouble really getting in to this particular book. I'm curious if some of these appalling gender issues get better in the later volumes - I really can't remember. The "strong female characters" don't really make up for their utter lack of sexual agency (or, the contrast, the slut-shaming for the women who actually like and seek out sex. Kylara is nothing more than a running joke in this book.)
Dragonquest:
Dragonquest is less problematic, but mostly because the women are, for the most part, safely on their pedestals. The psychopathic slut Kylara, the virtuous virgin Brekke, the shrewish but loyal Lessa - they're all pretty cardboard, and the men do all of the acting in this one.
That's not to say it's not solid pulp fantasy. There's some excellent worldbuilding and a couple of engaging subplots. It doesn't really go anywhere in particular, but this is essentially book 2 of 5 or 6 in this plot arc, so that's more or less to be expected.
The White Dragon:
It's easy to see why this one was the one that hit the bestseller lists. Engaging main character, absolutely adorable dragon, and some great adventures. The viewpoint shifts are kind of atrocious - they happen without any warning, and are dreadfully confusing in places - but for the most part this is a quick, fun read.
It's a little unfortunate that it's in this omnibus, as the entire Harper Hall trilogy takes place between Dragonquest and The White Dragon (which I had forgotten) so we meet people for the first time here with references to their various adventures that took place in those books, and it doesn't flow all that well.
Dragonflight:
This was never my favorite of the Pern books, and I can see why. But it's not a bad entry into a classic universe - the plot is solid, the politicking is realistic, and the dragons, while not as fully-developed as they get
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later, are still intriguing. It's just hard for me to see past all the shaking and slapping that the male lead does to the female lead, apparently as a routine way of emphasizing his points.I have seen a lot of people report being squicked out by the sex scene - I can say with confidence that when I first read this as an adolescent it went entirely over my head, but now I find it a little more problematic. Not the actual mating flight itself - I can more or less rationalize the empathic bonding making the question of consent moot (...more or less.) It's the explicit statement later that a) they continued to sleep together afterwards and b) "it might as well have been rape." Wait, WHAT? You have magically-obligatory sex once and then she automatically is required to fuck you whenever you want from then on, whether she's interested or not? Yeah, I'm not so cool with that.
So yeah, I have trouble really getting in to this particular book. I'm curious if some of these appalling gender issues get better in the later volumes - I really can't remember. The "strong female characters" don't really make up for their utter lack of sexual agency (or, the contrast, the slut-shaming for the women who actually like and seek out sex. Kylara is nothing more than a running joke in this book.)
Dragonquest:
Dragonquest is less problematic, but mostly because the women are, for the most part, safely on their pedestals. The psychopathic slut Kylara, the virtuous virgin Brekke, the shrewish but loyal Lessa - they're all pretty cardboard, and the men do all of the acting in this one.
That's not to say it's not solid pulp fantasy. There's some excellent worldbuilding and a couple of engaging subplots. It doesn't really go anywhere in particular, but this is essentially book 2 of 5 or 6 in this plot arc, so that's more or less to be expected.
The White Dragon:
It's easy to see why this one was the one that hit the bestseller lists. Engaging main character, absolutely adorable dragon, and some great adventures. The viewpoint shifts are kind of atrocious - they happen without any warning, and are dreadfully confusing in places - but for the most part this is a quick, fun read.
It's a little unfortunate that it's in this omnibus, as the entire Harper Hall trilogy takes place between Dragonquest and The White Dragon (which I had forgotten) so we meet people for the first time here with references to their various adventures that took place in those books, and it doesn't flow all that well.
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LibraryThing member jedisluzer
The best of the Pern books.
LibraryThing member DeniseHawley
Some of the best Fantasy ever written. The first trilogy, Dragonflight, Dragon Quest and The White Dragon, are included in this combined volume and introduce the reader into the world of Pern, a planet beset by destructive natural phenomena and dragons who have symbiotic relationships with humans
Absolutely must read material for any fan of dragons.
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and can help save them from the 'thread', the burning substance that falls from a neighboring planet at times when natural orbit brings it close enough to Pern.Absolutely must read material for any fan of dragons.
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LibraryThing member Perrywilson
I return to this book every few years. The story is fantasy, but the situations are human. On a backdrop of dire danger to the people we watch the characters learn trust – well not all of them, leadership, and love. If you fall in love with this world, there are plenty more books to keep you
If you enjoy fantasy that looks at the social norms and how people react under pressure, you’ll enjoy this book.
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engrossed.If you enjoy fantasy that looks at the social norms and how people react under pressure, you’ll enjoy this book.
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LibraryThing member Jolenemacinjax
Dragonriders of Pern is a great addition to the Pern Series with three stories in one it is even better. I have read Anne McCaffrey's entire Pern series and am always glad when a new story is added to the series. I highly recommend this book and all the others for anyone who loves to read stories
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about adventure, romance, really good heros and very bad villains and just a touch of magic. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mecaza
Love them all :)
LibraryThing member MarysGirl
Comments from the "What are you reading?" thread brought this one back to my attention. It was a favorite of mine in the 70's. A re-read reminded me of the complicated world and character building that appealed to me in the first place, but it also made me wince about a couple of issues. The
The trilogy follows the cultural upheaval as the society faces its limitations in the face of a world-wide crises and begins a renaissance in science and government. During this evolution, I recognize the elements of feminist striving and cultural transformation that appealed to me when I first read it. Forty years ago, I probably enjoyed the strong women. Today, I appreciate the cultural roots of McCaffrey's writing, as well. It still satisfied from a story and character POV.
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characters, descended from scientists and space colonists, have devolved--due to a reoccurring environmental threat--into a vaguely medieval society with rigid classes and oppression of women. It also seems to be a completely white society. I miss the diversity that I see in more modern books and SF media.The trilogy follows the cultural upheaval as the society faces its limitations in the face of a world-wide crises and begins a renaissance in science and government. During this evolution, I recognize the elements of feminist striving and cultural transformation that appealed to me when I first read it. Forty years ago, I probably enjoyed the strong women. Today, I appreciate the cultural roots of McCaffrey's writing, as well. It still satisfied from a story and character POV.
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LibraryThing member phyllis2779
I've read these several times. Purchased on Kindle because I'm not sure if I still have the paper copies. Best fantasy books I know of.
LibraryThing member themulhern
A real page turner with little literary merit. The world building is enthusiastic but hard to accept --- I kept wondering about the digestive needs of the dragons and fire lizards. Do they go between during those crucial digestive moments? It is _way_ less feminist than the Harper Hall trilogy and
The bonding for life and telepathic communication ideas resurface in the Golden Compass and its sequels.
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the dragon sex gets wearing while the jocularity of the good guys really grates. The later books involve so much time travel and unresolved temporal paradox that they require a special kind of suspension of disbelief.The bonding for life and telepathic communication ideas resurface in the Golden Compass and its sequels.
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LibraryThing member JennGauthier
This trilogy has been one of my favorites since I was a child. While some of the writing seems a bit dated to today's reader, Anne McCaffrey has created such a detailed, complex world that it is quite easy to sink into it from the first few pages. As far as the Pern saga goes, this trilogy is by
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far the best of the lot, with the possible exception of the Harper Hall trilogy. Show Less
LibraryThing member pussycatt
Really, I can't go into much detail about these books as I was very young when I read them. Until now I never even thought there were more books after the three included in it! Even now, almost 10 years later , I have an odd attachment to this book. It was a wonderful part of my childhood. It was
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definitely quite an absorbing book and definitely worth a good read through. Show Less
Subjects
Original publication date
1968 (Dragonflight)
1970 (Dragonquest)
1978 (The White Dragon)
Physical description
8.4 inches