A Gift of Dragons

Good entry into the World of Pern; vignettes that give the flavor of this great and sustaining series. It would be a good starting book for a young person.

Four charming short stories about Pern. One overlaps with "Renegades of Pern", while the others are more or less free-standing. Two are Impression stories, and one just tells us a bit more about the social structure on Pern. All of them are really quite delightful.

This book is a short collection of four short stories. I enjoyed each of them.

The Smallest Dragonboy I had read before. I enjoyed reading about the boy who wouldn't give up.

The Girl Who Heard Dragons is fascinating as background for how the Holdless were adapting to threadfall on Pern. And of course the title character is interesting. This story also had a tie to the first one.

Runner of Pern also advanced my knowledge of one of Pern's communication systems. No Pony Express for Pern -- they have human runners.

Ever the Twain answers what could happen when a twin is chosen on Search. Where does the other one stand?

It has been years since I read a book based in Pern and this is pushing me to read more.

This is worth owning for the sake of 'Smallest Dragonboy' and 'Runner of Pern'.

This delightful group of stories is a sweet, light read. None of the stories focus on the main characters of the other books, giving the reader that little bit more of an insite into 'average' Pern life.

Four tales of Pern in one illustrated volume: Smallest Dragon Boy; Girl Who Heard Dragons; Runner of Pern; and Ever the Twain.

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 show more 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. show less

Anne McCaffrey is the quintessential writer of fantasy books pertaining to dragons. These books are always wonderful, well written, and perfectly characterized. All of her series are great but the ones that take place on Pern are the best of all. Really great read.