Shed a little light on the true majesty of dragons!

Anne McCaffrey's 'DragonFlight' completely goes against anything you ever thought you knew about dragons.

If you're like me, you've grown up thinking of dragons as large, stupid, fire-breathing creatures, whom knights are to slay for pride towards their kingdom. Anne McCaffrey decided this was stupid. How could a tiny knight even think of defeating a huge dragon? Why would they kill the dragon in the first place? And for what reason would a dragon kidnap the beautiful princess of the kingdom? HOW would it?

And so, this intelligent author has decided to rearrange the world of dragons.

Welcome to Pern. A land where humans and dragons (as well as fire-lizards) co-exist in relative harmony. About four hundred 'Turns' (a Pernese year) ago, the Red Star, somewhat like a moon or sun to the planet, began dropping silver Threads upon the entire planet. Once these suckers hit the ground, they burrowed underneath and multiplied rapidly, completely devouring the vegetation.

The new colonists to the planet were appaled, so they did something about it. Barely surviving the cold winters with a severe drop of food, the intelligent colonists created a new being - the 'dragon'. These dragons, after munching on some firestone, could spit out fire, which could sear the Threads before they ever touched ground.

Dragons are impressed, meaning that, upon hatching, a dragon baby will march straight up to a nearby human, and create a telepathic link. The dragons don't just pick the first human they find - they find one that best matches their dragonish personalities. Thus, many people must gather around at hatching (they all hatch at once) - about two humans per egg.

Dragons come in all kinds of colors. The blue dragons are male, and the 'packhorses' of the dragons. Powerful and tough, they usually do a bunch of work. This doesn't mean they aren't worthy of being respected, of course.

The green dragons are female, but impressed by male humans. They're more agile than the blues, but not as strong. They cannot reproduce, as firestone hinders this ability.

The brown dragons are held a little higher in rank than the greens and blues, and a brown dragon just might - although it's rare - rise up and mate with a queen dragon.

The bronze dragons are the strongest males, and usually will attempt to mate with the queen come her mating flight. They are usually the largest of all dragons.

The queen dragon is the only dragon who can lay eggs, and, of course, is the most rare. She is gold all over, and doesn't usually fight the Threads.

Dragons can, of course, fly and shoot fire, but they can also go between places to get from one place to another instantly. Simply by transfering the image of a place to the dragon telepathically, and then telling the dragon to go, will get you there. Between is freezing cold, but you'll pop out in about two seconds.

Surprised that a 15-year old can take such close details? Heh. Anyway, here's where our story begins...

It had been four hundred Turns since the Threads last fell, and the Holds were grudgingly still paying the Weyr their dues.

Jora's queen Nemorth had laid a golden queen egg, and the Search was on to find a female to impress the egg. The Search came to Ruatha Hold, where young Lyssa worked day after day. After angering and defeating the Hold's leader, Fax, F'lar was able to bring Lyssa back to the Weyr - grudgingly, as she felt she was best capable of controlling the Hold.

Come mating day, Lyssa did get the young dragon, Ramorth. And it was only a few Turns after that the Threads began to fall.

The dragonriders of the one weyr - compared to five four hundred turns ago - fought hard, but there were too many Threads, and not enough riders. Lyssa had to do something.

And she did.

She learned that dragons can't only move from place to place, but from time to time too. How did Lyssa use this to her advantage? What are the risks involved? Will her little plan work in time to save all of present Pern from Thread destruction? Read the book... and find out.