Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Pern

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!
Pern

Parallel Earth Resources Negligible. That’s the name and the acronym for the planet Anne McCaffrey created. It rivals Middle Earth as my favourite fantasy setting. The dragons and their riders fight a recurring menace from the sky – thread. This thread devours anything alive – and is a fantastic villain. Pern’s society is incredibly complex - and its history is fascinating. If I could live in a book for a while, this is the world I would choose. Dragons. Fire lizards. Telepathic communication. Love it!

Would you like to be a dragon rider?

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've come across this author, but haven't read her work yet.

Dragon riding sounds interesting.

S. L. Hennessy said...

NO WAY! I didn't think anyone would write about Pern but me haha! Guess you have as awesome taste as I do. Terrific post :)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

A great post, No I haven't read any of her works, sometimes we here don't get all the books from other countries as I'm sure it's the same with you.

Yvonne.

Rosalind Adam said...

Her name sounds very familiar to me. I suspect she's one of my son's favourites. He loves this type of fantasy novel, or at least he did when he was a single lad without a family. I'm not sure he gets the time anymore which is a shame.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I love, love, love this whole series. I've even read some of the books more than once! gasp!

Old Kitty said...

Yes I would!! :-)

Take care
x

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sounds like a great book. I'll have to check it out.

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - she's one of my favourites! I've read all of her many books - most of them more than once!

SL - that's awesome!!! :) Pern rocks!

Yvonne - yes - unfortunately we all miss out on some great books that way!

Rosalind - her writing is really popular with fantasy lovers! We all go through family times when reading for pleasure is tough! Hope he can find time!

Lynda - me too! I'd like to read the whole series again in order - which I've never done. So good!

Old Kitty - wouldn't it be amazing? I'd love it!

Natalie - there's a whole incredible series. Great stuff! :)

Laura S. said...

I would definitely be a dragon rider if I could!! Too bad dragons missed the memo about Noah's Ark. *sigh*

Glynis Peters said...

I had never read fantasy and a friend recommended Anne McCaffrey's books. I loved them, she hooked me right into her world.

Not sure if I am cut out to be a dragon rider though.

Julie Dao said...

This sounds amazing! Middle Earth is still my favorite place, but I may have to take a trip to PERN :)

A said...

Oh yes I would LOVE to ride a dragon :-)

Laurel Garver said...

Ah, Pern. I gobbled up those stories when I was in college, and a few years after as well. What I loved most in her world-building is how she built unique cultures for each of the Weyrs, based on their climate. Oh, and the fostering and apprentice system was kinda cool too.

Having a telepathic bond with an animal sounds cool, though I would have preferred having some fire lizards and being in a guild. It's a bit less dangerous than fighting thread.

Shelley Sly said...

I'm always amazed when authors can come up with such convincing, fully fleshed fantasy settings. This book's setting sounds awesome!

Unknown said...

I agree with the other commenters, the amount of brain power that goes into creating such worlds is amazing.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I think she passed away very recently, didn't she? Like late last year...so sad.I've heard her books are fantastic.

Lynn Proctor said...

i don't think i would survive a dragon ride--but a have a fearless grand-daughter that would be so there

Anonymous said...

I was wondering what pern was. Now I know.

Michelle 4 Laughs said...

Loved her first handful of books, then the characters got rather shallow. She shorted them on the details and wimped out on the conflict.

Jemi Fraser said...

Laura - love it! Maybe scientists can figure out a way to get them back! :)

Glynis - McCaffrey is a great introduction to fantasy! I think you could handle a gold :)

Julie - I love middle earth too - but Pern is an incredible world - I think you'd like it!

Agnes - me too! Awesome :)

Laurel - yes! McCaffrey's world building is incredible! Such detail and thought - it's a very real world to me :)

Shelley - the setting is so integral, there couldn't be a story without it. So well done!

Clarissa - agreed. She's created an incredibly detailed world that could easily exist!

Elizabeth - she did. I was so sad when I heard that. Her son is continuing the stories with her blessing, but I'll miss her touch.

Lynn - I was much more fearless when I was younger, but for a gold dragon, I'd conquer just about anything!

Susanne - I love the acronym and the reason behind the colonization of Pern. Such details!

Michelle - I still love the world, but I definitely have my favourites from her earlier books! :)

Mary said...

Dragonsinger was my first real introduction to SciFi/Fantasy and I checked that book out so many times from the library! Pern and the dragonriders and the Thread--so creative and so enjoyable.

Jemi Fraser said...

Mary - Dragonsinger was the first McCaffrey book I read too!! She was such an imaginative author! :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I LOVED this series! I remember picking up The White Dragon as a new paperback when I was 13 and I fell in love. It sparked in me the desire to be an author.

Maybe one day we'll see a movie?

Jemi Fraser said...

Diane - I think the technology is good enough now to do a movie justice. Maybe we should get Peter Jackson and his fine crew working on that! :)

Jack said...

Reading your blog, my list of "To read books," is growing 8-D Which is always good. I've now added this one, it sounds sooo good!

Aw, the Red Headed League and The Hound of the Baskervilles were so good! I enjoyed both immensely!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jack - sorry!! :) Not really - there are so many great books out there, it's impossible not to share! :)

Red Headed League! Couldn't remember the last word... :)

Leslie S. Rose said...

Gotta read it. Gotta. Love me some dragons, and if you say it rivals Middle Earth. Holy cow.

Jemi Fraser said...

Leslie - it really does! The world is fully realized! I totally believe in it - could live in it :)

Yvonne Osborne said...

Ahhhh No.
But I'd like a ride on a Harley some day!

Jemi Fraser said...

Yvonne - come on! If you'd ride a Harley, a dragon would be a piece of cake! :)

klahanie said...

Hi Jemi,
I shall have to check out "Pern". And when you mention "Middle Earth", evidently, Tolkien stayed quite a bit in the town I live in England. Indeed, the locals were apparently part of his inspiration for Middle Earth. And having met a lot of locals, I can understand why! :)
And before my um comment starts to 'dragon', I'm outta' here......

Jemi Fraser said...

Gary - You have hobbits? Or maybe an orc or two... :)

I adore both middle earth and pern - 2 fully realized worlds so real you feel you need only open the door properly to enter! :)

I wonder how Penny would like to ride on a dragon?

Beth Zimmerman said...

Another one I'd never heard of. Where are you finding these books?

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - teehee! My reading tastes are all over the place! I like a lot of different genres. This one I just happened upon in the library one day! :)