It’s difficult to rate a book like this, set up like an anthology. I really enjoyed some of the episodes, close to how much I enjoyed the Dragonflight trilogy, but some I could have done entirely without. As such, I’ve just sort of thrown my hands in the air and given it the middle rating.

I would suggest reading this book, not straight through as normal, but rather by picking and choosing the characters you wish to follow and reading those episodes only or first. I wish I had done something similar. ( )

The feeling, common to prequels, that a story will not surprise you because you know how things must work out, permeates the weaker stories of The Chronicles of Pern. Will the first Hold be established? Well, uh, yes. Will there be more Weyrs? Of course. McCaffrey has a somewhat annoying tendency to not let things evolve from what we saw in Dragonsdawn to where we started in Dragonflight, but to depict it as happening in a single moment as a single decision. For example, in the story "The Second Weyr," we learn that one guy made the decision about how Weyrleaders and Weyrwomen would be picked, and his rule was followed for the next thousand years exactly as is without any changes. It doesn't feel historically real. Another story is mostly about how someone got across a river in order to set up how Ruatha Hold got its name: dead boring exposition of something I didn't care about. Another story tells the evacuation of the Southern Continent from Dragonsdawn in more detail, and falls victim to the "cozy" problem of later Pern novels; what ought to be a harrowing trip comes across more as a heartwarming story of an old guy rediscovering love. Plus despite being titled "The Dolphins' Bell," I felt like the dolphins were barely a factor!

"The Survey: P.E.R.N.ᶜ" isn't really a story but is kind of neat to read, about the explorers who first discovered and classified Pern. For me, though, the real standout of the whole book, and what made it worth it, was "Rescue Run," about a Fleet ship coming into the Pern system and checking for survivors. The final line of the story is a genuine killer. A great read, Anne McCaffrey at her tough best.

A thrilling look at Pern. Highly recommended.

Travel back to the earliest days of Pernese history in this first-ever Dragonriders of Pern short story collection. Join the original survey team as they explore Pern and decide to recommend it for colonization. Share the terror of the evacuation from the Southern Continent as a flotilla of ships, aided by intelligent, talking dolphins, braves the currents of the Pernese ocean. Learn how the famous Ruatha Hold was founded, and thrill with the dragonriders as they expand into a second, then a third Weyr. And discover a secret lost in time - the rescue of some of the original colonists before the planet was cut off forever.

Building a new life on a distant world, braving the dreaded Thread that falls like silver rain from the sky only to destroy every living thing it touches, flying heroically on the wondrous dragons - The Dragonriders of Pern! ( )

Anne McCaffrey is the quintessential writer of fantasy books pertaining to dragons. These books are always wonderful, well written, and perfectly characterized. All of her series are great but the ones that take place on Pern are the best of all. Usually I do not particularly enjoy short stories but I love all the stories in this book without reservation. ( )

Pern #12 is actually five stories in a single novel form. The stories span many centuries of history and fill some gaps between stories. I've read this one before too, but coming back to was like reintroducing myself to the Pern world again. ( )