And they breed creatures from an indigenous lifeform, which they call dragons, because of their similarity to the mythical creatures of Earth. The colonists build accommodation in cave systems, and in buildings made of stone, to protect themselves and their livestock from the Thread. A “Pass” of the Red Star lasts for 50 years, with Thread falling periodically during this time. It devours any organic matter – plants, animals and humans, and even the carbon-based plastics that the early settlers use.

But when it does, a “mycorrhizoid” spore lifeform crosses space from the Red Star to Pern, and rains down from the sky as threadlike filaments. Its erratic orbit only brings it close to Pern every 250 years. However, they don’t realise until a few years later the hazard caused by a rogue planet, the Red Star, in their solar system. Like stories of medieval knights in battle, there’s lots of emphasis on skins, harpers and bards, winds, wounds, recovery by certain healing salves, and romance.Anne McCaffrey’s “Dragonriders of Pern” series is a science fiction series (but with something of the flavour of a fantasy series) describing the lives of humans and dragons on the planet Pern. Pick me, pick me! Oh please pick me! I basically can’t help shouting at the page, every single time I read about Lessa, F’lar and F’nor and Lord Jaxsom – okay the names are bad- but should we really pass judgment on another planet? These good-hearted kids get chosen to have planet-saving adventures. Some of the most exciting writing in the series concerns the once-a-year festival in which the just-hatched blue, green, gold, and silver dragons choose as their riders and life-long friends, certain young Pernian adolescents. The dragons on Pern, you see, choose their riders, just as nerds like me in junior high school chose dragon books. This is so much more awesome than How To Train Your Dragon, it is more Horse Whisperer, more Cesar Millan Dog Whisperer, except, you know, with dragons. Do these dragons just fly around spitting fire for the betterment of humankind? No, no, my fellow dorky friends, the dragons must have riders! My 10-year-old self rejoices. Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, which includes the breathless, bodice-ripping titles Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon, are all about communicating telepathically with dragons, on a planet called Pern.ĭeadly silver Threads fall from the sky “threatening all Pern with destruction,” and the dragons’ fiery breath is the only thing that can shrivel Thread. Few genres are more fabulously dorky, and in my opinion, therefore more fabulously escapist, than science fiction about communicating telepathically with dragons.

The dragons of pern series in order