Dragonsdawn (Dragonriders of Pern Series) (U)

The planet Pern seemed a paradise to its new colonists -- until terror turned it into hell. Deadly spores were falling like silver threads from the sky, devouring everything in their path.Publishers WeeklyReaders who for two decades have been following the fortunes of the dragonriders and other inhabitants of the planet Pern will welcome the latest volume, chronicling the early years. It stands very much on its own, however; knowing about the later history of the planet only adds enjoyment. After 15 years of cold sleep, 6000 colonists land on Pern, seeking a simpler existence, escaping the aftermath of interstellar war and an overly technical society. The colony prospers until the consuming Threada force that destroys all life it comes in contact withmakes its first appearance. A brilliant bio-engineer attempts to develop a biological weapon to save them, a much larger version of a native life form many of the colonists have adopted as pets: dragonets with the ability to teleport and breathe flame after eating phosphoric rock. The book ends with the first successful result of that experiment. Many richly developed characters people the novel, among them two youngsters, Sorka Hanrahan and Sean Connell, who grow up to become two of the first dragonriders. One hopes McCaffrey, who most recently has been writing in the mainstream ( The Lady ), is beginning a new Pern cycle in which she will tell, in answer to many other questions, whatever happened to the intelligent dolphins that came with the humans to Pern. Major ad/promo; author tour ( Nov .)