Dragonflight

Early Whelan Cover
Author	Anne McCaffrey
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Dragonriders of Pern
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Publication date	July 1968
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	309 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-345-24776-0
Followed by	Dragonquest

Dragonflight is the first book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926) is an American science fiction author best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive fantasy/science fiction series of novels and short stories primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. ... Some notable science fiction novels, in alphabetical order by title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 334 by Thomas M. Disch An Age by Brian Aldiss The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Ballantine Books, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine, is a major book publisher and is currently owned by Random House. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN redirects here. ... Dragonquest is a novel written by Anne McCaffrey and is part of her Dragonriders of Pern series. ... The Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive fantasy/science fiction series of novels and short stories primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. ... Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926) is an American science fiction author best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. ...

The first segment of Dragonflight was a 1968 Hugo award–winning novella (called Weyr Search) prior to publication of the entire book. The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ... A novella is a narrative work of prose fiction somewhat longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. ...

Plot introduction

Pern is a planet inhabited by humans. The original colonists were reduced to a low level of technology by periodic onslaughts of deadly Thread raining down from the sky. By harnessing the indigenous flying, fire-breathing dragons (with some genetic alteration to make them larger), humanity finally managed to gain the upper hand. The dragons, with their human riders, destroyed the Thread in the skies over Pern before they were able to burrow into the land and breed. However, an unusually long interval between attacks, centuries in duration, has caused the general population to gradually dismiss the threat and withdraw support from the Weyrs where dragons are bred and trained. By the time of this novel, only one Weyr remains (the other five having mysteriously disappeared at the same time in the last quiet interval), maintaining a precarious hand-to-mouth existence. Pern is a fictional planet in the universe created by science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey for her Dragonriders of Pern series of novels. ... Thread is the name of a deadly phenomenon that appears throughout Anne McCaffreys series of science-fiction novels about the fictional planet Pern. ...

Dragons are telepathic; each bonds to a single human being when first hatched. They come in various colors which are generally correlated with their size, blue, green, brown, bronze, and gold queens. Bronzes, as the largest males, are by tradition the only ones who compete to win the queens in their mating flights. Queens, however, are always the largest dragons. As their human counterparts are linked mind-to-mind, they also mate at these times.

Plot summary

Dragonflight chronicles the story of Lessa, the sole survivor of the noble ruling family of Ruatha Hold on the northern continent of Pern. When the rest of her family was killed by a cruel usurper, Fax, she survived by disguising herself as a drudge (a menial servant). Lessa is a fictional character in Anne McCaffreys Dragonriders of Pern series. ... Ruatha Hold is a hold, or dwellingplace, on the fictional planet of Pern in the series of The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. ...

F'lar, wingleader at Benden Weyr and rider of the bronze dragon Mnementh, finds Lessa while Searching for candidates to Impress the Queen egg that is about to hatch. After defeating Fax in single combat (following the rules of the Pernese code duello), F'lar convinces Lessa to give up her birthright as Lord Holder of Ruatha Hold and join him at Benden Weyr. Lessa Impresses the Queen dragonet Ramoth and becomes the Weyrwoman, the new co-leader of the last active Weyr. On Ramoth's first mating flight, Mnementh is the only dragon able to catch her. By Weyr tradition, this makes F'lar the Weyrleader. Benden Weyr was the second Weyr established on Pern, a fictional place Anne McCaffreys Dragonriders of Pern series. ... A code duello is a set of rules for a one-on-one combat, or duel. ... A Weyr (IPA: ) is a collection of dragons and their riders, in Anne McCaffreys fictional world of Pern. ...

Together, Lessa and F'lar warn a dangerously unprepared Pern of the impending Thread reappearance. They revitalize the Weyr and start working closely with the Lord Holders and the Harpers to prevent the deadly rain of Thread from destroying the Pernese civilization.

However, one Weyr by itself is not enough to defend the planet. In a desperate attempt to increase their numbers, a new queen, Prideth, and her rider, Kylara, are sent between times (a recently rediscovered skill), back ten turns, giving Prideth time to mature and have Clutches. However, this is still not enough to stem the tide. Stretched to the breaking point, with riders and dragons injured fighting the last Threadfall, Lessa braves death for herself and her dragon by travelling four hundred turns into the past to bring the five other Weyrs forward to the present. Reinforced, Lessa and F'lar are able to save all of Pern.

INCONTINUNCY- At first, ex-dragonrider Lytol's dragon is said to be green, but in the "dragondex" and other books the dragon was brown. The Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive fantasy/science fiction series of novels and short stories primarily written by Anne McCaffrey. ... Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926) is an American science fiction author best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. ... Dragonquest is a novel written by Anne McCaffrey and is part of her Dragonriders of Pern series. ... The White Dragon is the third book in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... Dragonsong is a novel written by Anne McCaffrey in 1976. ... Written by Anne McCaffrey, Dragonsinger is part of the Harper Hall Trilogy which consists of Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums. ... Dragondrums is a novel written by Anne McCaffrey in 1979. ... Nerilkas Story is a novel by Anne McCaffery about one of the Dragonriders who inhabit the Northern Continent of the world of Pern. ... Dragonsdawn is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... The Renegades of Pern is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... All the Weyrs of Pern is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... The Dolphins of Pern is a fantasy/science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey that was first published in 1994. ... Dragonseye (published in the United Kingdom as Red Star Rising) is a fantasy-science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey that was first published in 1997. ... The Masterharper of Pern is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, first published in 1998. ... The Skies of Pern is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... After the Fall is the (presumed) final book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ... A Gift Of Dragons is a book comprised of four short stories, written by Anne McCaffrey. ... Todd McCaffrey is the youngest son of best selling author Anne McCaffrey. ... Dragons Kin is a 2004 novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series, written by Anne McCaffrey with Todd McCaffrey. ... Dragonsblood is the title of a 2005 fantasy-science fiction novel by Todd McCaffrey, based upon the Dragonriders of Pern universe created by his mother, Anne McCaffrey. ... Dragons Fire is a science fiction novel in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd McCaffrey. ...