Dragonsdawn (Dragonriders of Pern Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Anne McCaffrey (Author), Michael Whelan (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Readers who for two decades have been following the fortunes of the dragonriders and other inhabitants of the planet Pern will welcome the latest volume, chronicling the early years. It stands very much on its own, however; knowing about the later history of the planet only adds enjoyment. After 15 years of cold sleep, 6000 colonists land on Pern, seeking a simpler existence, escaping the aftermath of interstellar war and an overly technical society. The colony prospers until the consuming Threada force that destroys all life it comes in contact withmakes its first appearance. A brilliant bio-engineer attempts to develop a biological weapon to save them, a much larger version of a native life form many of the colonists have adopted as pets: dragonets with the ability to teleport and breathe flame after eating phosphoric rock. The book ends with the first successful result of that experiment. Many richly developed characters people the novel, among them two youngsters, Sorka Hanrahan and Sean Connell, who grow up to become two of the first dragonriders. One hopes McCaffrey, who most recently has been writing in the mainstream ( The Lady ), is beginning a new Pern cycle in which she will tell, in answer to many other questions, whatever happened to the intelligent dolphins that came with the humans to Pern. Major ad/promo; author tour
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
When the deadly silver "threadfall" from an orbiting comet threatens to destroy the thriving human colony on the otherwise hospitable planet Pern, scientists and genetic engineers undertake a bold and risky experiment to change the tiny native winged reptiles called fire lizards into allies for mutual survival. While fans of the "Dragonriders of Pern" novels will particularly enjoy the revelations in this prequel to the series, newcomers will find McCaffrey's latest an accessible introduction to the world of Pern. Recommended. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (August 13, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345362861
• ISBN-13: 978-0345362865
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,162 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 9 in The Dragonriders of Pern Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dawn of an Era, the Birth of a World..., July 24, 2000

By	Rita (Portugal) - See all my reviews

When one goes through countless reviews, some good, others bad, you stop to think if anyone ever reads these and if you are just saying what others have said. You know what I have come to think? I don't care. I just have to write something to praise the books I am reviewing... like this one.

I read this book after I read Dragonflight. I know it is not how the series should be read but I could not find Dragonquest and I needed, urged for a Pern book. So I decided to read Dragonsdawn. And I made no mistake. I loved this book. It has so much in such a wonderful way. You can actually believe that this may happen... fiction is no longer fiction. It all seems to plausible. And it's wonderful.

You are faced with the Coloners from Earth in search of a world to colonize. They have come to the Rukbat System and found the third planet to be ihabitable. They named it Pern. And so it all begins. What they did not know was that Pern, for calmer and more beautiful it may seem, hides a dangerous and deadly secret. The threat of the Threads, brought by the Red Star, catches the coloners unware, unexpectedly. And from then on it is a race to protect the survivor's lives from certain death. You witness in this book the birth of the Dragonriders, and the beginning of the amazing relationship with the dragons. From the delicate fire-lizards there comes the dragons of Pern... to fight Thread, to breathe fire, to protect humans. And you can't keep yourself from suffering in the harsh times, bellowing in joy with the fight of this danger, and shedding a tear when the multi-faceted eye of a dragon crosses your own eyes...

If you love Dragonriders of Pern... Dragonsdawn will surely amaze you. Though if you want to keep the many mysteries of your world away from your knowledge, then you should not read this book. But then you'd miss a great book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My First Love, April 22, 2000

By	ALD (Texas) - See all my reviews

This book is excellent! I absolutely fell in love with Dragonsdawn. I had not heard of Anne McCaffery until a few years ago when I randomly picked up her book. I am obessed with imagination, but always disapointed when I realize that it can NEVER be real. Yet, when I read Dragonsdawn, it let an "impossible" myth that dominated my fantasy become a reality. Not by some magic or undefinable subtance, but by a "logic" by science that doesn't seem incrediable. As for the charaters, I was enchanted by the young, red-headed Sorka and the free spirited, son of the Roaming folk Sean. And I fell in love with the loyal dragonet/firelizards. To me the greatest test of a book is weather I want to read another book about the same place and people. I loved this beginning hope of Pern, trashed by disater and conspiracy only to find another way to hope again, so much that it took me a whole year to read anymore about Pern. Afraid that the sequels whould distroy the greatness built by the one book. I highly recommend this book, an ultimate beginning.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Pern Storyline, June 22, 2000

By	Mike "dragonhound" (MO, USA) - See all my reviews

Dragonsdawn is one of a line of books centered around the original trilogy based on Pern. Anne McCaffrey does a good job explaining the origins of humans on Pern, and what many of the "missing" capabilities that their ancestors miss so much actually are. Although this is the most science-fictiony of her Pern books, it by no means gets mired in the details. The book is much more character and plot oriented than technology oriented. Although many things are explained in this book, there are still some mysteries to keep the readers guessing.