Dragonsdawn

Lore & Background

The planet Pern seemed a paradise to its new colonists; seeking to return to an agrarian-based simpler way of life, Admiral Paul Benden, Governor Emily Boll and the rest of the colonists had selected Pern as a place to leave their recent wars and troubles behind. Shortly after arriving on the planet, however, a new threat appeared, in the form of lethal spore named Thread. With time running out and the colony's destruction imminent, geneticist Kitti Ping Yung and her granddaughter Wind Blossom set out to bio-engineer Pernese lifeforms that appear to instinctively react to the Thread – the dragonets that colonists have adopted as pets. In order to ensure the survival of the newly designed species, as well as reduce the possible threat they may have to the colonists by going rogue, they are created with an ability to bond with humans. By the end of the book, Sorka Hanrahan and Sean Connell and a few other young colonists become the first of the dragonriders.

Reader's Guide

Dragonsdawn is significant as the novel that retroactively grounds the Dragonriders of Pern series in science fiction, explaining the genetic engineering behind the dragons and the threat of Thread. While earlier books in the series were primarily fantasy in origin, this entry clarifies the scientific basis for the dragons' abilities and their bond with humans. The book placed third for the annual, juried John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel published in the USA and seventh for the annual Locus Award for Best Novel. Its publication in 1988 by Del Rey in the United States and Bantam in the United Kingdom, with varying subtitles, helped solidify the series' place in the science fiction canon by providing a foundational origin story for the Pern colony and its dragonriders.

Did You Know?

• Dragonsdawn is the ninth book in the Dragonriders of Pern series but chronologically takes place before any of the other books.
• UK editions have had various subtitles: 'Dragonsdawn: The First Chronicles of the Colony of Pern' (Bantam, 1988) and 'Dragonsdawn: The Earliest Legend of Pern' (Corgi, 1995).
• The novel placed third for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and seventh for the Locus Award for Best Novel.
• Geneticist Kitti Ping Yung and her granddaughter Wind Blossom bio-engineer Pernese lifeforms to instinctively react to the lethal spore Thread.