pern

Pern is a fictional planet in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. It was settled by human colonists from Earth several centuries before the events of the novels. The settlers built a largely feudal society organized around holds, halls, and Weyrs, with craft guilds and the Harper Hall providing culture and literacy. The major political unit is the Hold, overseen by a Lord Holder and his family; dragonriders and Weyrs answer to the Weyrleaders, who govern defense and emergencies across Pern.

Dragons are intelligent, telepathic reptiles that bond with a single human rider for life. They come in color-coded classes, with bronze and brown dragons often serving as senior riders and gold dragons as queens. Riders and dragons communicate mentally, coordinating Thread defense and other duties. Fire-lizards are smaller relatives that can form bonds with humans or dragons.

The primary threat is Thread, a dangerous filamentous organism that falls from the sky when the Red Star passes near Pern. Dragons burn Thread with their fire during Threadfalls, a defensive action that shapes Pern’s history and society. The Red Star’s orbital cycle drives these events and has historically defined emergency response and settlement patterns.

Technology on Pern is broadly pre-industrial, though later narratives introduce remnants of ancient technology and information systems that periodically surface. The series has been influential in science fiction and fantasy, popularizing a world in which humans live alongside intelligent dragons and confront a recurring existential threat through cooperation and courage.