Acorna
science fantasy
Series · science fantasy
Dragonriders of Pern
The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey has 22 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Dragonflight (1968).
- Books
- 22 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:
Dragon's Fire
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Fire - Book 20:
Dragon Harper
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon Harper - Book 21:
Dragon's Time
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Time - Book 22:
Sky Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sky Dragons
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:
Dragon's Fire
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Fire - Book 6:
Dragon Harper
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon Harper - Book 7:
Dragon's Time
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragon's Time - Book 8:
Sky Dragons
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sky Dragons - Book 9:
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern - Book 10:
Nerilka's Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nerilka's Story - Book 11:
The Masterharper of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Masterharper of Pern - Book 12:
Dragonflight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonflight - Book 13:
Dragonquest
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonquest - Book 14:
Dragonsong
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsong - Book 15:
Dragonsinger
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragonsinger - Book 16:
Dragondrums
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dragondrums - Book 17:
The White Dragon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The White Dragon - Book 18:
The Renegades of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Renegades of Pern - Book 19:
All the Weyrs of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Weyrs of Pern - Book 20:
The Dolphins of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Dolphins of Pern - Book 21:
The Skies of Pern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Skies of Pern - Book 22:
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.
How to read this series
Publication order works well as a default, starting with Dragonflight (1968) — it introduces the dragons, the Weyrs, and Threadfall cleanly and is still the most-recommended entry point. Note that the Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums) follows a different protagonist, Menolly, during roughly the same period as Dragonquest, so you can read it either right after Dragonquest or as its own three-book run — it was written partly for younger readers and makes a gentler starting point than Dragonflight if you're reading with a middle-grade audience.
Internal chronological order is a genuinely different, valid path: start with Dragonsdawn (the colony's founding), move through Moreta and Nerilka's Story (a plague centuries later), and only then reach Dragonflight and everything after. Many longtime fans actually prefer this order because it lets Pern's science-fictional backstory land before the fantasy surface. The Todd McCaffrey co-written novels from Dragon's Kin (2003) onward are set earlier in Pern's timeline (the Third Pass) and can be read as a self-contained pocket within the wider series.
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 22 books credited to Anne McCaffrey, either solo or co-written with her son Todd McCaffrey, spanning 1968 to 2012. Todd McCaffrey also wrote several later Pern novels entirely solo (Dragonsblood, Dragonheart, Dragongirl) which are not credited to Anne and aren't included here.
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?
She wrote the first seventeen alone, from Dragonflight (1968) through A Gift of Dragons (2002). From Dragon's Kin (2003) onward she co-wrote new Pern novels with her son Todd McCaffrey, continuing until shortly before her death in 2011; Sky Dragons (2012) was published posthumously from work they had finished together.
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.
If you loved this, shelve these next
Reading order last verified .