The Renegades of Pern
As long as the people of Pern could remember, the Holds had protected them from Thread, the deadly silver strands that fell from the sky and ravaged the land. In exchange for sanctuary in the huge stone fortresses, the people tithed to their Lord Holders, who in turn supported the Weyrs, whose dragons were Pern's greatest weapon against Thread.
But not everyone on Pern was part of that system of mutual care and protection, particularly those who had been rendered holdless as punishment for wrongdoing. And there were some, like Jayge's trader clan, who simply preferred the freedom of the roads to the security of a hold. Others, like Aramina's family, had lost their holds through injustice and cruelty. For all the holdless, life was a constant struggle for survival.
Then, from the ranks of the criminals and the disaffected, rose a band of renegades, led by the Lady Thella. No one was safe from Thella's depredations, and now her quarry was Aramina, reputed to have a telepathic link with dragons. But when Thella mistakenly vented her rage on Jayge's family, she made a dangerous mistake. For Jayge was bent on revenge...and he would never let her have the girl who heard dragons!
About the Pern Series
Books in series order
- 1.Dragonflight(1968)
- 2.Dragonquest(1971)
- 3.Dragonsong(1976)
- 4.Dragonsinger(1977)
- 5.Get Off the Unicorn(1977)
- 6.The White Dragon(1978)
- 7.Dragondrums(1979)
- 8.Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern(1983)
- 9.Nerilka's Story(1984)
- 10.Dragonsdawn(1988)
- 11.The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern(1989)
- 12.The Renegades of Pern(1989)
- 13.All The Weyrs of Pern(1991)
- 14.The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall(1993)
- 15.The Girl Who Heard Dragons(1996)
- 16.Dragonseye(1996)
- 17.The Masterharper of Pern(1998)
- 18.Legends(1999)
- 19.The Skies of Pern(2001)
- 20.A Gift of Dragons(2002)
- 21.Dragon's Kin(2003)
- 22.Legends II: Dragon, Sword, and King(2004)
- 23.Dragonsblood(2005)
- 24.Dragon's Fire(2006)
- 25.Dragon Harper(2007)
- 26.Dragonheart(2008)
- 27.Dragongirl(2010)
- 28.Dragon's Time(2011)
- 29.Sky Dragons(2012)
Reading age: 11+ years
This series should be read in order.
This fantasy series tells the story of inhabitants of Pern, a pristine and beautiful planet colonised when earth became too polluted and overcrowded. The suitability of the planet is marred by periodic attacks from space by the destructive Thread, a space-borne spore that destroys organic substances – and hence, humans - on contact. The settlers discover that a native life form, the fire-lizard, has developed adaptations against Thread.
The first book in the series starts when the society is well-established, and focuses on the character Lessa, who is working disguised as a kitchen girl, but is on the brink of reclaiming her stolen birthright. Everything changes, however, when she meets a queen dragon. They develop a strong bond which provides vital protection when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread. Dragons and their Riders once regularly protected the planet from Thread, but there are very few of them left these days. Now Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...
Note: The books in this series, also known as 'Dragonriders of Pern', are listed in order of publication. For a list of the books in chronological order, please refer to the series website.