“[Anne] McCaffrey here adds yet another dimension to her colorful and vivid saga by focusing on the attractive dolphins and their highly believable society.”—Publishers Weekly
When the first humans came to settle the planet Pern, they did not come alone: intelligence-enhanced dolphins also crossed the stars to colonize Pern’s oceans while their human partners settled the vast continents. But then disaster struck. The deadly silver spores called Thread fell like rain from the sky, and as the human colonists’ dreams of a new, idyllic life shattered into a desperate struggle for survival, the dolphins were forgotten.
Now, centuries later, as the dragonriders of Pern prepare to complete the momentous task of ridding their world of Thread forever, T’lion, a young bronze rider, and his friend Readis, son of the Lord Holder of Paradise River Hold, make contact with the legendary “shipfish.” And as the dragonriders grapple with the end of an era, T’lion, Readis, and the dolphins face the start of a new one: reviving the bond between land- and ocean-dwellers—and resurrecting the dreams of the first colonists of Pern.
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"It reached five stars for me in the middle with Readis - I actually kind of wish it had focused on Readis and not so much on Toric's schemes again. They're getting old. XD But even the Readis thing was resolved way too neatly. I wish the scene where the Tillek talks to his parents had been included, but oh well."
— Emma (4 out of 5 stars)
" Dearly love how the world just keeps unfolding. "
— Susan, 2/19/2014" I love everything McCaffrey has written, but I didn't think this one was up to her usual standard. "
— Riki, 2/10/2014" Anne McCaffrey has written an absolutely wonderful fantasy series. Her Pern novels are beautifully written and very enjoyable individually or as a whole. "
— Hazel, 1/22/2014" I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It fills in some of the stories mentioned in other books in the Pern series. "
— Melissa, 1/21/2014" Really rather good! Love the books after Avis was found just as much as the earlier ones "
— Mathis, 1/20/2014" DOLPHINS! YYYYYEEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
— Paul, 1/19/2014" Talking dolphins and dragons! Score! "
— Laurie, 1/19/2014" I didn't like this as much as the others -- I wanted dragons, and couldn't care less about dolphins. "
— Nikki, 1/9/2014" I want to re-read this. I read a few pern books as a teenager and always felt that the plot had so much potential but the writing style was lacking. I wonder if I'd feel the same way now. "
— Rose, 12/31/2013" I need some light, happy reading after that infuriating BS pseudo-psychology book I just finished. "
— Celena, 12/25/2013" I really enjoyed this one. The dolphins add a new dimension to the Pern stories. I wish they could have been reintroduced earlier. However, I love what they bring to the series. "
— Angie, 12/21/2013" Enjoyable, but it seemed to me to be one of the more lightweight of the Pern books--maybe because I "read" it as an audio book during my commute. "
— Doc, 11/2/2013" I love this one - Readis is so cool, and T'lion, too. I loved getting to know them better, and the dolphins as well. Again, great peeks at the "leads" from the backside. "
— Lisa, 10/31/2013" Not one of her best. "
— Gabrielle, 10/19/2013" I especially loved this book in the series. It focused on more than just the dragonriders themselves but the communities found on Pern and their experiences with the dolphin pods. Unfortunately I was expecting more at the end but perhaps that is another book? "
— Michael, 6/1/2013" Listened to this book on tape. The worst book on tape voicing I've EVER heard! The story was enough to carry me through. That says a lot for the writing. "
— Desi, 3/7/2013" Another reread, another for the "I love origin stories" shelf. Overall, though, only mediocre. "
— Hallie, 12/10/2012" 15th Pern story in publication order. "
— Janis, 11/22/2012" A few more loose ends tied up. Reasonably enjoyable. "
— Kirsa, 10/15/2012" one of the more enjoyable in the series "
— Ron, 9/30/2012" I think I once attempted to read this book before. It suffers from the usual post-core-series volumes in having a familiar plot, a young person who pioneers a forgotten function of dealing with dolphins. This time I enjoyed the book well enough. "
— Victoria, 3/2/2012" The story itself was, 'eh,' but the audiobook was adorable. "
— Becca, 4/8/2011" This book was ok, but just a repeat of other books in the series like Dragon Song. Nothing new. "
— Keith, 4/5/2011" I did not like this book at all. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the many other Pern books I've read. "
— Debbie, 3/4/2011" Listened to this book on tape. The worst book on tape voicing I've EVER heard! The story was enough to carry me through. That says a lot for the writing. "
— Desi, 2/24/2011" I think I once attempted to read this book before. It suffers from the usual post-core-series volumes in having a familiar plot, a young person who pioneers a forgotten function of dealing with dolphins. This time I enjoyed the book well enough. "
— Victoria, 1/30/2011" I really enjoyed this one. The dolphins add a new dimension to the Pern stories. I wish they could have been reintroduced earlier. However, I love what they bring to the series. "
— Angie, 1/29/2011" It's been a lot of years since I read a Pern novel - I listened to this in audio book version. I was NOT impressed with the reader; I've never experienced such a slow reader. But I'm not sure I would have given this book any more stores even without the poor reader. "
— Jennie, 11/20/2010" Enjoyable, but it seemed to me to be one of the more lightweight of the Pern books--maybe because I "read" it as an audio book during my commute. "
— Doc, 8/2/2010" I think this is the last Pern book that I read, as it felt like they were starting to go downhill. The dolphins are nice but it's starting to get a little cheesy and expectable. "
— Erin, 8/1/2010" I'm dong marathon reviewing and running out of energy so I'll leave just the following phrases until some time in the future when I'll be able to write more: <br/>- follow your dream <br/>- remember the stories <br/>- believe. "
— penny, 3/9/2010" A view of Pern from the water. "
— Amy, 1/29/2010Anne McCaffrey (1926–2011), one of the world’s most popular authors, was best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. She was the first woman to win the two top prizes for science fiction writing, the Hugo and Nebula awards. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and was named a Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Grand Master. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1926, McCaffrey relocated to Ireland in the 1970s, where she lived in a house of her own design, named Dragonhold-Underhill.
Tanya Eby is a novelist and an audiobook narrator who has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards and been nominated for the Audie Award. She has a BA degree in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.