A gift of dragons

Format:

Book

Title:

A gift of dragons

Author:

McCaffrey, Anne.

ISBN:

9780345456359

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Ballantine Books, 2002.

Physical Description:

291 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm.

Series title(s):

Dragonriders of Pern.

General Note:

"A Del Rey book"--Title page verso.

Contents:

The smallest dragonboy -- The girl who heard dragons -- Runner of Pern -- Ever the twain.

Summary:

From "New York Times" bestselling author McCaffrey comes a special illustrated gift book edition featuring three beloved Pern stories and a thrilling new Dragonriders tale.

Subject(s):

Dragons -- Fiction.

Pern (Imaginary place) -- Fiction.

Science fiction, American.

Life on other planets -- Fiction.

Space colonies -- Fiction.

Science ficion, American.

Genre:

Electronic Access:

http://www.pernhome.com/aim/anne-mccaffrey

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	McCaffrey, A.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Independence Public Library	SCIENCE FICTION - MCCAFFREY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	YA Fic McCaffrey, A. 2002	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	FANTASY MCCAFFREY	Searching... Unknown

For more than thirty years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to read of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it--and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures.

Now, A Gift of Dragons brings together three beloved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern in a single volume illustrated with beautiful artwork by Tom Kidd. In "The Smallest Dragonboy," Keevan is the youngest dragonrider candidate, determined to impress a dragon when the next clutch of eggs hatches. But what transpires will surprise everyone--Keevan most of all. In "The Girl Who Heard Dragons," a young girl's rare ability to communicate with dragons puts her family in danger and will bring her face to face with her greatest fears--and with her most secret desire. The "Runner of Pern" is a girl named Tenna, who follows family tradition by delivering messages--and who will find her destiny on the mossy traces that runners have used for centuries under the dragon-filled sky. And finally, a very special gift: an exciting new Pern adventure, published here for the first time, fresh from the imagination of Anne McCaffrey.

Author Notes

Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926. She received a degree in Slavonic languages from Radcliffe College. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952.

Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967. She is a well-known author of over 100 books, mostly science fiction, including the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Crystal Singer series, Acorna's Children series, The Twins of Petaybee series, and Barque Cats series. She won numerous awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novella for the short story Weyr Search in 1968 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Dragonrider in 1969. In 2006, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. She died of a stroke on November 21, 2011 at the age of 85.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestseller Anne McCaffrey (The Skies of Pern) collects four tales of Pern in A Gift of Dragons, including a new adventure written especially for this volume, "Ever the Twain." Tom Kidd's illustrations of cuddly dragons and their human companions add extra value. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

McCaffrey's legions of fans will warmly welcome this delightful, handsomely illustrated collection of four stories set on the planet Pern. "The Smallest Dragonboy," a heartwarming tale first published in 1973 in Science Fiction Tales, leads off. It centers on young Keevan, who is desperate to impress a dragon during his first time in the Hatching Ground because then no one in the Weyr will taunt him again for being small. In "The Girl Who Heard Dragons," the only Pern story in a 1994 collection to which it gave its title, Keeven, now K'van, and his dragon, Heth, answer Aramina's call for help in eluding the holdless Thella and her band of renegades, who want to use Aramina's ability to communicate telepathically with dragons. The story is a follow-up to The Renegades of Pern (1989). "Runner of Pern," which debuted in the short-novel anthology Legends (1998), discloses another facet of life on Pern in the romantic story of Tenna, one of the express runners who crisscross the land carrying messages from one settlement to another. With "Ever the Twain," first published here, McCaffrey returns to the Hatching Ground to follow the adventures of the twins Nevu and Nian on their way to impressing dragons. --Sally Estes

Library Journal Review

A dragon-hatching at Ista Weyr provides twin brother and sister Neru and Nian with their first crisis of love and duty in "Ever the Twain," original to this illustrated collection of four Pern stories by McCaffrey. Also included are "The Smallest Dragonboy," about a young boy's fervent desire to bond with a baby dragon; the author's classic "The Girl Who Heard Dragons," the story of a girl with an unusual talent; and "Runner of Pern," a tale involving one of Pern's most important and least glamorous occupations. Tom Kidd's moody, atmospheric illustrations give a visual focus to these tales and help create a work of the imagination that belongs in most libraries. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.