Part of Pern
First published 1997
F'lar and Lessa lead Benden Weyr's dragonriders in their endless battle against Thread, the deadly spores that fall from space to devour everything they touch. For generations, riders have mounted their telepathic dragons to burn Thread from the skies before it reaches Pern's surface. The work never ends, and the threat never dies. But when Masterharper Robinton joins the Weyrleaders in excavating the original colonists' settlement, they uncover something extraordinary: a functioning artificial intelligence from the first settlers. The computer reveals shocking news. Thread can be eliminated completely. For the first time in centuries, the dragonriders face the possibility of ending their eternal war. The ancient technology offers hope that Pern might finally be free from the periodic devastation that has shaped their entire civilization.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, fantasy, space-opera, epic-fantasy
Vibes: action-packed, epic, hopeful, thought-provoking, world-building-heavy
Tropes: chosen-one, discovery-of-lost-knowledge, found-family, war-against-nature
Setting: Pern, Benden Weyr
404 pages · Paperback · Del Rey
Content warnings: violence, war