Dungeon Crawler Carl
LitRPG / science fantasy
Series · science fantasy
Dragonriders of Pern
The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey has 26 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Dragonflight (1968).
- Books
- 26 books
- First published
- 1968
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Dragonflight (1968) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Dragonflight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonflight - Book 2:
Dragonquest
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonquest - Book 3:
Dragonsong
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsong - Book 4:
Dragonsinger
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsinger - Book 5:
The White Dragon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The White Dragon - Book 6:
Dragondrums
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragondrums - Book 7:
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern - Book 8:
Nerilka's Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nerilka's Story - Book 9:
Dragonsdawn
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsdawn - Book 10:
The Renegades of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Renegades of Pern - Book 11:
All the Weyrs of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Weyrs of Pern - Book 12:
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall - Book 13:
The Dolphins of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Dolphins of Pern - Book 14:
Dragonseye
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonseye - Book 15:
The Masterharper of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Masterharper of Pern - Book 16:
The Skies of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Skies of Pern - Book 17:
A Gift of Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Gift of Dragons - Book 18:
Dragon's Kin
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Kin - Book 19:
Dragonsblood
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsblood - Book 20:
Dragon's Fire
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Fire - Book 21:
Dragon Harper
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon Harper - Book 22:
Dragonheart
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonheart - Book 23:
Dragongirl
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragongirl - Book 24:
Dragon's Time
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Time - Book 25:
Sky Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sky Dragons - Book 26:
Dragon's Code
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Code
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.
- Book 1:
Dragonsdawn
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsdawn - Book 2:
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall - Book 3:
Dragonseye
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonseye - Book 4:
Dragon's Kin
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Kin - Book 5:
Dragonsblood
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsblood - Book 6:
Dragon's Fire
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Fire - Book 7:
Dragon Harper
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon Harper - Book 8:
Dragonheart
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonheart - Book 9:
Dragongirl
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragongirl - Book 10:
Dragon's Time
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Time - Book 11:
Sky Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sky Dragons - Book 12:
Dragon's Code
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Code - Book 13:
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern - Book 14:
Nerilka's Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nerilka's Story - Book 15:
The Masterharper of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Masterharper of Pern - Book 16:
Dragonflight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonflight - Book 17:
Dragonquest
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonquest - Book 18:
Dragonsong
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsong - Book 19:
Dragonsinger
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsinger - Book 20:
Dragondrums
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragondrums - Book 21:
The White Dragon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The White Dragon - Book 22:
The Renegades of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Renegades of Pern - Book 23:
All the Weyrs of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Weyrs of Pern - Book 24:
The Dolphins of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Dolphins of Pern - Book 25:
The Skies of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Skies of Pern - Book 26:
A Gift of Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Gift of Dragons
About the Dragonriders of Pern series
On the planet Pern, humans bond telepathically with giant, fire-breathing dragons and ride them into the sky to combat Thread — a mycorrhizoid spore that falls like corrosive rain from a wandering neighbor planet every couple of centuries, devouring anything organic it touches. Anne McCaffrey began the series in 1968 with Dragonflight, and it became one of the foundational works of science fantasy: colonists from a lost Earth expedition, generations removed from their technological origins, now live in a feudal society of Weyrs, Holds and Halls, genuinely believing dragons and Threadfall are simply how their world works, while the reader is let in on the science-fictional truth underneath the fantasy trappings.
The series ranges freely across Pern's internal timeline rather than telling one continuous story — Dragonsdawn covers the original colony ship's arrival, the Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums) follows a gifted young singer named Menolly during the same period as Dragonquest, and Moreta jumps back centuries to a plague crisis that becomes Pernese legend by the time of the main dragonrider novels. McCaffrey wrote the core of the series alone through 2001; her son Todd McCaffrey then began co-writing new Pern novels with her, continuing the series into the 2010s and beyond her death in 2011. Its themes of ecological survival, found family, and women claiming authority in a rigidly gendered society were unusually progressive for the fantasy shelves of the late 1960s and helped make McCaffrey the first woman to win a Hugo and a Nebula Award.
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Dragonriders of Pern books in?
Publication order starting with Dragonflight (1968) is the standard recommendation. Readers who prefer the story's internal chronology instead start with Dragonsdawn, which covers the original colonists' arrival centuries before Dragonflight is set.
How many Dragonriders of Pern books are there?
This site tracks 26 books in the continuous Pern timeline, spanning 1968 to 2018: 17 by Anne McCaffrey alone, five co-written with her son Todd McCaffrey, two more (Dragonsblood, Dragonheart) written solely by Todd, one (Dragongirl) crediting both Todd and Anne, and one (Dragon's Code) written solely by Anne's daughter Gigi McCaffrey after Anne's death.
Do I need to read the Harper Hall trilogy separately from the main series?
No — Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums are full Pern novels set during the same period as Dragonquest, following a young singer named Menolly. They can be read as their own mini-trilogy or interspersed with the main sequence.
Did Anne McCaffrey write all the Pern books?
No. She wrote the first seventeen alone, from Dragonflight (1968) through A Gift of Dragons (2002), then co-wrote five more with her son Todd McCaffrey through Sky Dragons (2012), published shortly after her November 2011 death. Todd also wrote two Pern novels entirely solo (Dragonsblood, Dragonheart), and Anne's daughter Gigi McCaffrey wrote one more (Dragon's Code, 2018) after both her mother's and (in this book's case) without Todd's co-credit.
What's the difference between Dragonseye and Red Star Rising?
They're the same book — Dragonseye is the US title and Red Star Rising the UK title for McCaffrey's 1996 novel.
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