An air of pleasant anticipation hung so thickly over the Halls, Holds,and Weyrs of Pern that it had affected even the businesslike ways ofMoreta, the Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr, where her dragon, Queen Orlith,would soon clutch.
Then without warning, a runnerbeast fell ill. Soon myriads of holders,craftsmen, and dragonriders were dying; and the mysterious ailment hadspread to all but the most inaccessible holds. Pern was in mortaldanger. For, if dragonriders did not rise to char Thread, the parasitewould devour any and all organic life it encountered.
The future of the planet rested in the hands of Moreta and the otherdedicated, selfless Pernese leaders. But of all their problems, the mostdifficult to overcome was time...
"Anne McCaffrey, with her dragons, says something very valuable aboutthe interplay of humans and the world around them."
MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY, AUTHOR OF THE MISTS OFAVALON
"The story moves with compelling speed and power; involving at least abaker's dozen of well-drawn characters... a well-told tale in theclassic pattern."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
"Fine heroine, an absorbing story and an abundance of dragons.Recommended."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
"Not since St. George set off on his quest has there been such a flapover dragons."
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
Cover art by Michael Whelan
