First published 2008
A deadly plague strikes the dragons of Pern, spreading rapidly through the Weyrs. Young dragonrider Lorana watches helplessly as dragons fall sick and die, including her own beloved Arith. With Threadfall approaching in mere days, Pern faces catastrophe without its dragon defenders. Lorana discovers clues in an ancient song that points to knowledge from five centuries past, when Kitti Ping and Wind Blossom first created dragons from fire-lizards. In that distant era, the aging geneticist Wind Blossom fears that fire-lizard diseases might someday threaten their larger cousins. She uncovers evidence proving her worst predictions will come true, but lacks resources to act on her discovery. Separated by hundreds of years, both women fight the same enemy. Lorana must recover lost colonial technology while Wind Blossom struggles to preserve crucial knowledge for future generations. Time runs short as the plague spreads and Thread prepares to fall on a defenseless world.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, time-travel
Setting: Pern
Period: 5th Century, Present Day
538 pages · Hardcover · Del Rey
Content warnings: death