The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
Parkinson cover of early US editions
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| Author | Anne McCaffrey |
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| Cover artist |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dragonriders of Pern |
| Genre | Science Fiction short story collection |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
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Publication date
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October 1993 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 306 (first US hardcover) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 27814162 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3563.A255 C47 1993 |
| Preceded by | All the Weyrs of Pern |
| Followed by | The Dolphins of Pern |
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall is a 1993 collection of short fiction by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. All five stories are set on the fictional planet Pern; First Fall is one of two collections in the science fiction series Dragonriders of Pern.
The First Fall stories are united by the setting: they span a period from before humans arrived and the first few decades of settlement in the southern continent. Generally the stories are about the relocation and reorganization of the southern colony in response to the "First Pass" of the "Red Star"—an erratic planet that periodically brings a biological menace, in the form of falling thread. The twelfth Dragonriders of Pern book, First Fall shares its early setting only with one previously published book in the series, Dragonsdawn (1988). MacCaffrey places Dragonsdawn and First Fall in a perspective of the ancient history of Pern.
First Fall was published simultaneously in the US and the UK, by Del Rey Books and Bantam UK, each edition with different cover art. As noted below, three of the five stories were previously published, two as small books.
The first and last stories show from FSP perspectives the explanation for Pern's unusual relation to the Federation of Sentient Planets: colonized, but left entirely alone for thousands of years.
In the story, a team of FSP scientists scout a distant planet. Time is too short to resolve some mysteries, but they find it safe for human settlement, with resources to support residents but inadequate for commercial exploitation. Their report is coded P.E.R.N.c meaning Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible, recommended for colonization.
Mariner and former starship captain Jim Tillek organizes and leads the evacuation of "Landing", the original site of the Pern colony where many people still live, most equipment and durable supplies are stored. One purpose is to take refuge from Threadfall in stone caverns of the Northern Continent, but the immediate threat is a local volcanic eruption. Lacking fuel or capacity for air transport, with few big boats, the colony must also use coastal and river craft that are not seaworthy. With the help of dolphin partners, most of the goods and almost all the people are dramatically secured.
"The Dolphins' Bell" provides another perspective on a major episode in Dragonsdawn, part three ("Crossing").
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