Ajay Chowdhury, the inaugural winner of the Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland prize, is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director. His children’s book – Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and adapted into a musical which premiered in San Francisco. 
 
 
The Waiter (Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month), was published in 2021, and is the first in his critically-acclaimed crime series about Detective Kamil Rahman, an ex-policeman from Kolkata who has moved to Brick Lane in London. It is being adapted for television by Moonage Pictures.The Cook (Guardian Top Crime Books of the Year) was published in May 2022 to excellent reviews and deals with the issue of homelessness. The third book in the series – The Detective (Sunday Times Top Crime Books of the Year) – is about government surveillance and AI. The Spy (Longlisted Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing), the fourth book, sees Kamil infiltrate a terrorist cell. The Shadow (A Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month) is the latest book in the series.

Ajay Chowdhury

Andy Day is one of the best-known stars of preschool television. Andy is the star of multiple children's programmes, most notably his Andy's Adventures, which span from dinosaurs, safari, aquatic, and global, and he is excited to be currently filming brand new adventures, which are going to be dinoriffic! Alongside this he is also the star of 'Andy and the Band' which features Andy's real-life pop band Andy and the Odd Socks, who have played hundreds of live shows, and released over three albums. Andy won a BAFTA for his performance in ‘As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe’. Andy is also the author of the bestselling Dino Dad young fiction series, illustrated by Steven Lenton, and his first picture book, Dylan the Dino Boy Saves Christmas, illustrated by Alex Patrick, will be published in October 2025. Instagram: @andyday81 | X: @AndyDayTV

Andy Day

Andre Hue

Andy Webb worked as a reporter for BBC Television for more than 15 years, appearing daily as a front-of-camera reporter, first on BBC News then as a reporter and presenter on primetime shows including the BBC’sWatchdog, before embarking on a career as an award-winning director of documentary films. It was his journalism over a 15-year period which first revealed the truth behind the infamous BBC Panorama interview with Princess Diana and so exposed the greatest scandal in the history of the BBC. Since breaking the story in 2020, Andy Webb has been invited to write on the story for a range of leading publications, including the Times, Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Sunday Telegraph, and has also been interviewed many times on television, radio and podcasts both in the UK and overseas. Andy is married, with four children, and lives in West London.

Andy Webb

Andy Weir built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in California.

Andy Weir

Andy Watt, a graduate of Warwickshire School of Art has spent the last two decades illustrating columns, articles, and editorial pieces for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent. His work has featured in many other magazines in the U.K and USA. He has illustrated several books, worked on advertising campaigns, and created character designs animated on television. 
 
Andy has an irrational fear of restaurants, but has twice eaten in Jamie Oliver's restaurant ‘Fifteen' in Cornwall which he describes as 'very nice’. Thank you Jamie, please don't take offence at my silly drawing.

Andy Watt

Andy Bull

Andy Cave

Andy King is a Lecturer in History at the University of Southampton. Among his many historical interests are the studies of castles, military culture and Anglo-Scottish relations in the late medieval period.

Andy King

ANDY HALL grew up in the shadow of Denali. He is the former editor and publisher of Alaska magazine. He lives in Chugiak, Alaska.

Andy Hall

Andy Lane

Ivo Andric was born in 1892 in Travnik, Bosnia of Croat parents and grew up alongside Orthodox Christians, Moslems and Roman Catholics in Višegrad, the town on the banks of the Drina where his book is set. Until 1941 he served as a Yugoslav diplomat, then, placed under house arrest in Belgrade by the occupying Germans, Andric turned to writing. In 1961 he was awarded the Noble prize for literature. He died in 1975.

Ivo Andric

LJ Andrews is a USA Today bestselling author of fantasy romance. She mystically brings to life worlds of dark Nordic and Viking myths bound by conflicts that bring together impassioned heroes and heroines. In her non-author moments, she is courageously corralling her four children to the myriad of life activities that involves, along with spending time with her favorite hero, her husband. Add two high maintenance dogs and a sassy conure to the mix and that sums it up. She thrives spending time in the Rocky Mountains where she lives in Utah.

LJ Andrews

From the day he was found in a carrier bag on the steps of Guy's Hospital in London, Andy McNab has led an extraordinary life. 
 
As a teenage delinquent, Andy McNab kicked against society. As a young soldier he waged war against the IRA in the streets and fields of South Armagh. As a member of 22 SAS he was at the centre of covert operations for nine years – on five continents. During the Gulf War he commanded Bravo Two Zero, a patrol that, in the words of his commanding officer, 'will remain in regimental history for ever'. Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his military career, McNab was the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he finally left the SAS. 
 
Since then Andy McNab has become one of the world’s best-selling writers, drawing on his insider knowledge and experience. As well as several non-fiction bestsellers including Bravo Two Zero, the biggest selling British work of military history, he is the author of the best-selling Nick Stone and Tom Buckingham thrillers. He has also written a number of books for children. 
 
Besides his writing work, he lectures to security and intelligence agencies in both the USA and UK, works in the film industry advising Hollywood on everything from covert procedure to training civilian actors to act like soldiers. He continues to be a spokesperson and fundraiser for both military and literacy charities.

Andy McNab

Andre Sólo is a researcher, and co-founder and editor-in-chief for Highly Sensitive Refuge. He has co-authored a number of scientific papers and his writing has appeared in Psychology Today, The Huffington Post and Quiet Revolution. He has been interviewed by The Telegraph, Vogue and the BBC. Andre is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Andre Sólo

Andrew Fox

Andre Gide

Andy Neill

Andy Clark is a Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at the University of Sussex, and at Macquarie University, Australia. He is the author of six books including Supersizing the Mind, Natural-Born Cyborgs and Surfing Uncertainty. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the British Academy, and is an occasional Academic Consultant for Google, UK.

Andy Clark

André Gide

Andy Goram

Andy Hixon lives in Sheffield. He works with clay, photography, digital media and animation.

Andy Hixon

Andy Sloan

Andy Riley

Mark Andrew

Veronica Park (VP) Anderson (she/they) is a neurodivergent, queer, feminist millennial writer with a resume that Victor Frankenstein would disown for being “a bit much.” V’s previous job titles include: award-winning community theater actor, professional lecturer on cruise ships, indie film producer, literary agent, and creative project manager; however, “writer” is the title that always fits. 
 
V plays competitive flat track roller derby as “Scarlet Five” #55 and prefers the pivot role, aka “surprise jamming.” Born in Alaska and raised in Oregon, she currently lives with her partner in Upstate NY and has two cats named Skeletor and Bo-Catan.

V.P. Anderson

Peter Andre

Andrew Hood

Andrei Bely

Andrew Cave has been interviewing the world's leading business figures for more than 25 years, writing for The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph from London and New York. His previous books include Billions to Bust - and Back, The Power of Purpose and The Secrets of CEOs.

Andrew Cave

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Anne McCaffrey

In the beginning, before Thread, before the Dragons, before the Holds and the Weyrs and the elite Dragonriders of Pern, was just the great ships gliding through space with nearly six thousand colonists prepared to tackle the mighty task of beginning a new world on a strange planet. 
 
It was a jewel of a planet, with rivers and seas and mountains, and breathable air and growing things. Then came the terror. The strange, unidentifiable circles in the grass suddenly revealed a meaning, and every living thing was at risk. Many died - a horrible and consuming death. All resources, every man, woman and child had to fight the terrible nightmare of Thread. 
 
But a new creature was about to save the planet. From the delicate fire lizards a new life was born - a new symbiosis between man and beast.

Dragonsdawn

(Dragonriders of Pern: 9): discover Pern in this masterful display of storytelling and worldbuilding from one of the most influential SFF writers of all time…

Todd McCaffrey

Kindan is an apprentice harper at the Harper Hall but he is finding the lessons very difficult and although he has his friends, Nonala, Kelsa and Verilan, he also has enemies, such as the bully Vaxoram. Things begin to improve for Kindan when he beats Vaxoram in a duel and Vaxoram becomes first his servant and then gradually his trusted friend. Then Kindan impresses a fire-lizard and becomes the proud owner of the magnicent Valla. At the hatching he meets Koriana, daughter of Lord Holder Bemin of Fort Hold. She also impresses and she and Kindan fall in love, but her parents disapprove and she has to return to Fort Hold. Then a plague begins to spread across Pern, killing nearly everyone infected. Kindan and his friends search the harper records to see if they can find a cure, but all they can find is mention of a similar plague over a hundred Turns past. As the plague gets worse Kindan and Vaxoram are sent to Fort Hold to help tend the sick. Kindan will be reunited with Koriana, but will she be free of the plague, and will he be able to find a cure before more people die?

Dragon Harper

They were misfits, the outcasts, the murderers without Hold or Crafthall. Some were resentful, some sought vengeance, but it was not until Thella, Lady Holder of Telgar, began to weld them together into a terrifying and brilliantly evil clan that they became the Renegades of Pern. it was a time of great turmoil on the planet. The pass of the Red Star had brought a new terrible reign of Threadfall, and in the southern Hold, Toric was carving out an enormous empire for himself from lands as yet uncharted. And as the times of trouble grew, so did the ravages of Thella and her band, turning from theft to murder to vicious and insane revenge. 
 
Jayge Lilcamp, the young and roving trader, was one of the first to fall foul of the renegades, and as he saw what Thella had done to his family and his wagon train he began to seek his own revenge, a revenge which grew into a determination to destroy the most evil woman on Pern.

The Renegades Of Pern

(Dragonriders of Pern: 10): an awe-inspiring epic fantasy from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat.. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
"Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants" - THE TIMES 
"Do yourself a favour and read ANYTHING by this Author, you won't be sorry" -- ***** Reader review 
"A real page turner" -- ***** Reader review 
"Delightful reading, well written, and wonderful characters, and Dragons! Lots of Dragons! Bliss!" -- ***** Reader review 
"A brilliant read" -- ***** Reader review 
******************************************************************************* 
 
A YOUNG GIRL'S DESTINY AWAITS... 
 
Every two hundred years or so, shimmering Threads fall from space, raining death and black ruin on Pern. The great dragons of Pern hurl themselves through the beleagured skies, flaming tongues of fire to destroy deadly Thread and save the Planet. 
 
But it was not Threadfall that made young Menolly unhappy. It was her father who betrayed her ambition to be a Harper, who thwarted her love of music. Menolly had no choice but to run away. 
 
When, suddenly, she came upon a group of fire lizards, wild and smaller relatives of the fire-breathing dragons, she let her music swirl around them and taught nine of them to sing. 
 
Suddenly Menolly was no longer alone -- she was Mistress of Music and Ward of the dazzling fire dragons. 
 
The Dragonriders of Pern series continues in Dragonsinger.

Dragonsong

(Dragonriders of Pern: 4)

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES 
'A delight' -- ***** Reader review 
'Enchanting' -- ***** Reader review 
'Fantastic' -- ***** Reader review 
'I love this book, and read it probably once a year' -- ***** Reader review 
'Anne McCaffrey at her best' -- ***** Reader review 
 
*********************************************************************************** 
Nerilka's Story: we meet Lady Nerilka of Fort Hold in Moreta's time -- a time of legend, of heroic valour, of terrible Threadfall and the Great Plague that devastates both Holders and Dragonfolk. For Lady Nerilka, the tragedy is twofold, for with the death of her mother and her sister, her father's mistress takes possession of the Hold. Angry and betrayed, Nerilka decides to escape and, as Pern seethes in turmoil, she begins her perilous journey to Ruatha, Lord Alessan and an unknown destiny... 
 
The Coelura: When the Lady Caissa is told by her father to enter into an heir-contract with Cavernus Gustin, she is appalled. For although Gustin is genetically sound he is vain, pompous and intellectually inept. But Caissa's father is determined there should be a union - and Caissa cannot work out what his plans in this respect are. The, on a private flight over the forbidden areas of the North, she discovers a stranger who says his name is Murell -- a man surrounded by coelura, the incredible rainbow creatures whose very brilliance threatens their extinction. She learns her father's plans somehow relate to these beasts...and Murell is determined to save them.

Nerilka's Story & The Coelura

(Dragonriders of Pern: 8): two gripping tales in the world-famous Chronicles of Pern from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and omnious threat.. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
"Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants" - THE TIMES 
"Do yourself a favour and read ANYTHING by this Author, you won't be sorry" -- ***** Reader review 
'I couldn't put it down!' -- ***** Reader review 
'A wondrous, spellbinding story!' -- ***** Reader review 
'This lady is the most amazing writer, once I start reading one of her books I'm completely drawn into the story and can't bear to put it down till it's finished' -- ***** Reader review 
 
******************************************************************************************************* 
For two hundred years there had been peace on Pern - but now the signs were ominous. Violent weather storms and erupting volcanos heralded the coming of the second Pass of Thread, when the red planet would rain down its horrifying harvest. No human or dragon or animal or plant was safe from the hideous death inflicted by Thread. 
 
Weyrs and Holds tried to prepare, but they had serious problems. Over the generations much of the old technology had been lost. AIVAS, the giant information bank, was buried under tons of volcanic ash, and valuable and skilled men and women had succumbed to disease and old age, taking with them the knowledge of a great civilization. 
 
They had to prepare as best they could, training the great flights of dragons and ensuring that the Lord Holders did their part by protecting their people in every possible way. Only Lord Chalkin, Holder of Bitra, refused to co-operate, not believing in Threadfall: he would do nothing to protect Bitra or its people. 
 
The Lord Holders and Weyrleaders were of one accord. Chalkin must be impeached and removed from his lands if the planet was to be made safe.

Red Star Rising

More Chronicles Of Pern

(Dragonriders of Pern: 14): a mesmerising epic fantasy from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Pern AL 50: the geneticist Wind Blossom is nearing the end of her long life and is painfully aware that the colonists are running out of the modern technology the settlers brought with them to Pern and that they are forgetting how to use what they do have. Society is beginning to revert to a feudal system and Wind Blossom is concerned that future generations may be hit by an illness they have no tools to fight and that mankind may subsequently be wiped off the face of Pern. 
 
AL 507: Lorana is training to be an animal healer but when she arrives at Benden Weyr she impresses a golden dragon and becomes a dragonrider. However, a deadly and mysterious plague begins to wipe out the dragons, leaving mankind no defence against the deadly Thread which has just begun to fall. Lorana has two firelizards who manage to travel Back in time to Wind Blossom's era. Wind Blossom discovers what is wrong with the dragons and comes up with a cure. She also devises a way to leave clues for Lorana so that she can discover the cure in her time and save the dragons, and thus the future of mankind on Pern.

Dragonsblood

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' -- THE TIMES 
'Brilliantly conceived, written and researched' -- ***** Reader review 
'Never fails to enthral me' -- ***** Reader review 
'BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT' -- ***** Reader review 
'LOVED THIS BOOK - JUST COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN' -- ***** Reader review 
****************************************************************** 
MasterSinger Merelan and Harper Petiron were a brilliant and devoted couple. Merelan was the most outstanding soprano ever heard on Pern and was often the only one who could master Petiron's technically accomplished compositions. When, after a long and difficult birth, Robinton was born to them, it should have been the culmination of a unique partnership. 
 
But Petiron, almost from the first day, had no time for his son, refusing to see the incredible talent the boy possessed, ignoring his achievements and maintaining a strict and disapproving vigilance over him at all times. 
 
Carefully, secretly, the Harper Hall took over, training the greatest talent Pern had ever seen - a talent that was more than just musical - for Robinton was able to talk to the dragons of Pern. 
 
As constant sadness beset his personal life, so a startling career sent him like a meteor through the Holds and Weyrs of Pern until, as MasterHarper, he became part of the great plan to rescue Lessa from the brutal rule of Holder Fax - Lessa, who was to be the saviour of the dragons of Pern.

The Masterharper Of Pern

(Dragonriders of Pern: 15): an outstanding and awe-inspiring epic fantasy from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Some fourteen hundred turns after men first came to Pern rode Moreta, on her great golden dragon, Orlith. It was towards the end of the Pass of the Red Star -- a time when every living creature on Pern was threatened by Threadfall -- when the courage and daring of dragons and their riders was all that kept the planet from extinction. And then, at the height of the battle against Thread, came a new and terrible evil. 
 
Moreta, in one last superhuman endeavour, was to save her people, and become the greatest legend of dragonlore until the end of time.

Moreta - Dragonlady Of Pern

the compelling and moving tale of a Pern legend... from one of the most influential SFF writers of all time

Young Kindan has no expectations other than joining his father in the mines of Camp Natalon on Pern. Mining is fraught with danger, but fortunately the camp has a watch-wher, a creature distantly related to dragons and uniquely suited to specialized work in the dark, cold mineshafts. 
 
Then disaster strikes, leaving Kindan orphaned and the camp without a watch-wher. Grieving, Kindan is taken in by the camp's new Harper and finds a measure of solace in a burgeoning musical talent . . . and in a new friendship with the mysterious Nuella. It is Nuella who assists Kindan when he is selected to hatch and train a new watch-wher, a job that forces him to give up his dream of becoming a Harper; and it is Nuella who helps him give new meaning to his life. 
 
Meanwhile, long-simmering tensions are dividing the camp. As warring factions threaten to explode, Nuella and Kindan begin to discover hidden talents in the watch-wher - talents that could very well save an entire Hold and which show them that even a seemingly impossible dream is never completely out of reach ...

Dragon's Kin

Fantasy

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES 
'Anne McCaffrey has written another moving book that ended with a huge smile on my face. I have not read anything she has written and been disappointed.' -- ***** Reader review 
'Excellent, well what else should I expect from Perm?' -- ***** Reader review 
'Absorbing' -- ***** Reader review 
*********************************************************************************** 
As a small boy, Readis Lilcamp is rescued by the 'shipfish' when he and his uncle Alemi are caught in a sudden squall beyond Paradise River Hold. AIVAS confirms that the big fish are called dolphins, part of the original settlers of Pern. 
 
On Earth they had been partnered with men, having learned to speak intelligible words. Readis, his Uncle Alemi and bronze Gadareth's rider, T'lion of Eastern Hold, are determined to restore the 'doll fins' to their rightful place in the ecology of Pern...and the partnership of men. 
 
Meanwhile, the fight to rid Pern of the terrible nightmare of Thread is still all consuming. While Lord Jaxom, F'lar and his dragonriders struggle to implement AIVAS' instructions, other challenges are issued and answered, including one which threatens young T'lion in the shape of his older brother, a brown rider, who harbours a deep grudge. 
 
And, of course, Readis must win his parents' consent to his association with the 'sea dragons of Pern' - the bottlenose dolphins - for they could be vital to the survival of Pern...

The Dolphins Of Pern

(Dragonriders of Pern: 13): an engrossing and enthralling epic fantasy from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern and discover not only its flora, fauna, population and cultural hierarchy, but the history of an entire civilization. If you like David Eddings, David Gemmell and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
**Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel** 
** Winner of the HOMer Award for Science Fiction** 
**Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novel** 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES 
 
'You have many hours of happy reading ahead.' - ***** Reader Review 
 
'Would certainly recommend to anyone looking for a story to lose yourself in and come out the other end replete.' - ***** Reader Review 
 
******************************************************************** 
 
A science fiction classic from a master of the genre. 
 
When AIVAS -- the Artificial Intelligence Voice Address System -- was first discovered at Landing, the entire planet of Pern was awed at the knowledge it divulged. 
 
All the history of the people of Pern was there. Dragonholders, Lord Holders and Craftmasters crowded into the tiny inner room to learn the secrets of their beginnings. Ana AIVAS had other gifts to offer -- stored information of old crafts that had been forgotten, of medicine, music and technology. 
 
But the greatest promise AIVAS offered was the chance to rid Pern of Thread forever. All the great ones of Pern began the long and arduous task of learning just how to operate the incredible plan. 
 
This was a plan of such daring and epic proportions that both dragons and riders would be put at risk...

All The Weyrs Of Pern

(Dragonriders of Pern: 11): this is where it all began and could be where it all ends… from one of the most influential SFF writers of all time

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES 
'Marvellous. A journey into pure fantasy, just what's needed to escape for a few hours.' -- ***** Reader review 
'Such tension and emotion throughout this book!' -- ***** Reader review 
'Absorbing' -- ***** Reader review 
'Anne McCaffrey has out-done herself yet again' -- ***** Reader review 
'Absolutely fantastic' -- ***** Reader review 
******************************************************************************************* 
 
A new age is dawning on Pern, for since the dragons have changed the orbit of the Red Star, the horrors of Threadfall will soon be a thing of the past. 
 
Yet nothing in Pern stays stable for long. Further dangers are beginning to emerge, however, as those calling themselves the Abominators plot together to destroy all the learning that has been discovered from the records of the Old Ones. 
 
And, on top of this, now comes a fresh and terrible catastrophe - a large cometary fragment is hurtling towards Pern and cannot be deflected. Everyone - dragons, riders, holders and craftsmen - must stand by to perform a giant rescue operation. 
 
As F'lessan, son of Lessa and F'lar, plays his heroic part in the events that follow, he is helped by Tai, his new weyrmate. 
 
Will they be the ones to protect Pern or will it be the dragons who provide the solution to the dangers of the skies?

The Skies Of Pern

a captivating and unmissable epic fantasy from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this. 
 
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' -- THE TIMES 
'Mesmerising and totally unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review 
'Staggeringly good' -- ***** Reader review 
'Another story of Pern I simply couldn't put down' -- ***** Reader review 
'Just brilliant!!!' -- ***** Reader review 
*********************************************************************************** 
 
Here are five gripping episodes of early Pern -- from the very first space survey recommending colonisation, to the last, where the early world, its young dragon culture undetected, is condemned to be isolated in space. 
 
Here is the saga of the mass evacuation from the volcanic southern continent, an entire group of people moved across the dangerous seas, guarded and guided by a flotilla of dolphins. 
 
Here, too, is the story of the creation of Ruatha Hold -- a mammoth undertaking in the early days of Pern. 
 
And here is one of the most fascinating dragon tales ever written by Anne McCaffrey, when Fort Weyr was the only weyr, and when dragonriders and dragons were overcrowded to danger point. As the news broke of three fresh weyrs to be established, a young girl, Torene, came to realize that her dragon could be the next Queen of the newly formed Benden Weyr...

The Chronicles Of Pern: First Fall

(Dragonriders of Pern: 12): five fascinating epic fantasy scenes from one of the most influential fantasy and SF novelists of her generation.

When Fiona, the only surviving member of Lord Holder Bemin's family, Impresses a queen dragon, she doesn't begin to realize the perils and privileges that come with her new role.As she grows into a young woman and her dragon reaches her full growth, Fiona faces not only the possibility of losing her dragon to the sickness that has claimed so many others but also the challenges of becoming a Weyrwoman in her own right. What, she must ask herself, is she willing to give up in order to become a queen rider?And, although the marvellous queen dragon has chosen her, is she really suited to the life of a queen rider? 
 
As the injured dragons at Fort Weyr begin to outnumber those fit to fly against Thread, Weyrleader K'lior comes up with a desperate plan - to send the least injured and the older weyrlings back in time, so that they can grow strong enough to fight Thread in the past and then returnto help the Weyr.But will only twelve older weyrlings and thirty lightly injured riders be enough to save Fort Weyr?Forced to stay behind because her dragon is still too young, Fiona must confront a life-and-death choice.

Dragonheart

Although Lorana cured the dragons' sickness so many died from the disease that there are no longer enough dragons to fight the deadly Thread, and more dragons and their riders die each Threadfall. With their numbers dwindling, Lorana made the decision to fly forward in time in a desperate bid to bring dragons from the future to fight Thread. She knew that jumping so far in time would result in her losing her baby, but without her jump all life on Pern is doomed. 
 
Back at Telgar Weyr Fiona, Kindan and T'mar realise what Lorana has done. They are desperately sad, but two things give them hope. The first is that Fiona is expecting twins, and the second the fact that all the dragonriders are exhausted, a sign that they are Timing it - existing elsewhere in space and time - which gives them hope that Lorana has found a way through time to help them. 
 
Sure enough, led by messages left for them by Lorana, they fly through space to the Dawn Sisters, the ships hanging in space that brought their ancestors to Pern. From there they look down at the beautiful planet and see a previously undiscovered continent - this is where they are Timing it and where they are reunited with Lorana. Now they can increase the number and strength of the dragons before going back to their own time to fight Thread. Although Lorana found she couldn't break time, she has found a way to cheat it.

Dragon's Time

After a vicious plague swept through the world of Pern, there are no longer enough dragons to fight off the current onslaught of Thread, the deadly spore that falls like rain from the skies and devours everything organic in its path. 
 
Pern's last best chance to rebuild the decimated dragon population lies with a group of young dragonriders and their dragons left stranded on an unexplored island. Leadership of these dragons and riders falls to Xhinna, female rider of a blue dragon, who, as the most experienced dragonrider in the new Weyr, must earn the respect of all who follow her, as not everyone is ready to accept a female wingleader. She must solve the problem of how to get sufficient numbers of dragon eggs, although her newfangled ideas, like letting green dragons mate and lay eggs to hatch new dragons, cause uproar. All the while she must protect her people and baby dragons from the predators and, worse, traitors or all hope for Pern will be lost!

Sky Dragons

When Masterharper Zist takes over as Harper for Natalon's coal-mining camp, he takes with him his apprentice, the orphaned, mute Pellar, and Pellar's fire-lizard Chitter. Pellar has become a gifted tracker and Zist gives him his own mission - to find out if the recent thefts of coal are the work of the Shunned, criminals condemned to a life of wandering and hardship. Halla is one of the children of the Shunned. Though innocent of their parents' crimes, these children have inherited their cruel punishment. With no shelter when the lethal Thread falls again they will have no protection against it. Life is even tougher for Halla, all her family are dead and she must fend for herself. Yet Halla is kind and gentle, devoted to helping those more helpless than she, unlike Tenim, a fellow child of the Shunned. Tenim is in league with Tarik, a crooked miner from Camp Natalon, who helps him steal coal in exchange for a cut of the profit. But Tenim soon realizes there is a lot more to be made from firestone, the volatile mineral that enables the dragons of Pern to burn Thread out of the sky. Tenim doesn't care what he has to do, or whom he has to kill, in order to corner the market. Cristov is Tarik's son. Dishonored by his father's greed and treachery, he decides he must make amends somehow... even if it means risking his life by mining the volatile firestone, which blows up at contact with the slightest drop of moisture. 
 
When the last remaining firestone mine explodes in flames, a desperate race begins to find a new deposit of the deadly but essential mineral, for without it there can be no defence against Thread. But Tenim has a murderous plan to turn the tragedy to his own advantage, and only Pellar, Halla and Cristov can stop him - and ensure that there will be a future for all on the world of the Dragonriders.

Dragon's Fire

Shortly after Fiona's return to Fort Weyr, three Turns older and wiser, her queen, Talenth, is infected with the dreaded sickness that has consumed so many of Pern's precious fire-breathing dragons. Talenth's recovery and the recovery of all the other dragons of Pern is delivered by the unflagging efforts of Lorana and Kindan at Benden Weyr - but their one vital clue is only bought with the loss of all the dragons of Telgar Weyr. 
 
Fiona is sent to relieve the distressed weyrfolk of the now-dragonless Weyr. When her queen, Talenth, rises to mate, Fiona finds herself not only Telgar's senior Weyrwoman but in the center of the dilemma that confronts all Pern - how can the one thousand fighting dragons do the job of three thousand? And, if they can't, how long will it be before all of Pern is consumed by Thread?

Dragongirl

‘Pern is where dragon riding was conceived, and fifty years later, Anne McCaffrey’s epic tale remains a masterpiece of adventure, intrigue, and romance!’ Danielle L. Jensen, New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood 
 
‘Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels are truly foundational books. The seeds of every dragonrider story are here, if not of every take on magical bonding. They carried me away as a young reader, and I hope they'll do so for new readers now.’ Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series 
 
Lessa and her golden queen dragon may have given their world a fighting chance against the deadly Thread by bringing several hundred dragons and their riders forward in time, but this has also caused other problems to arise. The Oldtimers, as they are known, are having a difficult time adjusting to their more modern world, and tensions are rising. Worse, Threadfall is becoming more unpredictable, which makes it harder to combat. 
 
Inspired by Lessa’s example, brown dragonrider F’nor hatches a bold plan to cut through these growing tensions by destroying the Thread at its source: the mysterious Red Star. But his quest to go where no man—or dragon—has gone before will risk not only his life, but the heart of a woman who has already lost far more than she can bear. 
 
Don’t miss the original trilogy from Anne McCaffrey’s beloved Dragonriders of Pern series: 
DRAGONFLIGHT • DRAGONQUEST • THE WHITE DRAGON

Dragonquest

(Dragonriders of Pern: 2)

‘The world building opened my eyes to what fantasy could be; the characters introduced me to women in roles of power; and the romances left my young heart aflutter. No series has ever captured my imagination so completely as Pern did.’ Susan Dennard, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands Series 
 
"Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants" - THE TIMES 
 
‘Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books forever changed how readers looked at dragons—not just fearsome beasts to be slain, but bonded warrior partners...books that shaped a generation and more of fantasy writers.’ Cassandra Clare, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author 
 
"Read Dragonflight and you're confronted with McCaffrey the storyteller in her prime..." - SFX 
 
On a beautiful world called Pern, Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a fierce young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. That is, until an ambitious young dragonrider, F’lar, offers her something even greater: the chance to lead Pern at his side by Impressing a golden dragon with whom she will share a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Although there is also her intense relationship with F’lar himself. 
 
But Lessa’s fierceness and courage will be put to the test when an ancient scourge returns to the land: a deadly silver spore that falls from the sky, destroying all it touches. Only dragons can fight this Thread, and there are not enough dragons to protect all of Pern. Lessa and her dragon may hold the key to their world’s salvation . . . but executing her daring plan may be costlier than she ever envisioned. 
 
Don’t miss the original trilogy from Anne McCaffrey’s beloved Dragonriders of Pern series: 
DRAGONFLIGHT • DRAGONQUEST • THE WHITE DRAGON

Dragonflight

(Dragonriders of Pern: 1)

‘Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels are truly foundational books; it’s hard to imagine the modern-day landscape of fantasy and science fiction without them.’ Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series 
 
When Lessa chose a dragon over her birthright, the hold she was to have inherited passed to Lord Jaxom instead. But Jaxom then muddied generations of Pern tradition by impulsively Impressing Ruth, a small, white dragon, as a child. From that moment on, the debate has raged. Is Jaxom now a dragonrider, or a lord holder? All anyone agrees on is that he cannot be both. But perhaps it is all academic anyway, for no one expects Ruth to survive. 
 
But Ruth not only survives, he thrives. With Jaxom on the cusp on adulthood, the thing the pair most desire is to fight Thread side-by-side with the larger dragons. Jaxom knows what his dragon is capable of, and now that he is – mostly – grown, he is determined to buck tradition. Fortunately, a teenage rebellion may be the key to both Pern’s salvation and winning the woman of his dreams. 
 
Don’t miss the original trilogy from Anne McCaffrey’s beloved Dragonriders of Pern series: 
DRAGONFLIGHT • DRAGONQUEST • THE WHITE DRAGON

The White Dragon

(Dragonriders of Pern: 3)

Meg and Mog

Ebb and Flo

Lucy and Tom

Ink and Iron

Topsy and Tim

Tuck and Tina

And Other Lies

Pizza and Taco

Emma and James

Sarah and Duck

Chaos and Flame

The Lost and Found

Jack and Millie

Anders Knutas

Charlie and Lola

From the bestselling novel I'm Travelling Alone, two dynamic characters are born. 
Police investigators Holger Munch and Mia Krüger work together to solve the most complex crimes in Oslo, catching serial killers before they strike again but their personal lives are not simple either. As people, they could not be more different but as they battle their own demons their unlikely pairing make Munch and Krüger the best kind of classic detective duo.

Munch and Krüger

Lizzie and Lucky

George and Flora

Gods and Warriors

Faith, Hope and Glory

Wizards and Robots

Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking, award winning series charts the lives and loves of generations as it takes on race and equality with breathtaking drama and heart wrenching sadness. Set in an alternate reality, where the inferior Noughts live as second class citizens in a world run by Crosses, the four books explore the violent politics of a unstable world, and the ordinary lives caught up in in its terror. Beginning with Noughts and Crosses - and the romance of Seph and Callum - and ending with Double Cross, it is a gripping sequence, and an important, relevant story for our time.

Noughts And Crosses

The Knight and Her Emperor

Swallows And Amazons

Key Words with Peter and Jane

Harry and the Dinosaurs

Peter Rabbit Slide-and-Seek

The Snowman flies again . . . In the middle of winter, a little boy's Snowman and Snowdog come to life and take him on a breathtaking and magical adventure.

Showing results for: ‘Ajay Chowdhury’

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