High Reaches Hold, Lord Holder Bargen
Nabol Hold, Lords Holder Fax, Meron, Deckter
Tillek Hold, Lord Holder Oterel
Keroon Hold, Lord Holder Corman
Parts of Upper Igen Southern Telgar Hold
Ista Hold, Lord Holder Warbret
Igen Hold, Lord Holder Laudey
Nerat Hold, Lords Holder Vincet and Begamon
Telgar Hold, Lord Holder Larad
Crom Hold, Lord Holder Nessel
Southern Hold, Holder Toric
Crafter Rank/Craft
Andemon Masterfarmer
Arnor Craftmaster, scrivenor
Baldor Weyrharper
Belesdan Mastertanner
Bendarek Craftmaster, woodsmith
Benelek Journeyman machinesmith
Briaret Masterherder
Brudegan Journeyman harper
Chad Harper
Domick Craftmaster, composer
Elgin Harper
Facenden Craftmaster, smith
Fandarel Mastersmith
Idarolan Masterfisher
Jerint Craftmaster, instruments
Ligand Journeyman tanner
Menolly Journeyman harper
Morshall Craftmaster, theory
Nicat Masterminer
Oharan Weyrharper
Oldive Maslerhealer
Palim Journeyman baker
Petiron Harper
Piemur Apprentice/journeyman
Robinton Masterharper
Sebell Journeyman/Masterharper
Sharra Journeyman healer
Shonegar Craftmaster, voice
Sograny Masterherder
Tagetarl Journeyman harper .
Talmor Journeyman harper
Terry Craftmaster, smith
Timareen Craftmaster, weaver
Wansor Craftmaster, glassmith
Yanis Craftmaster
Zurg Masterweaver
Location
Nerat Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Ista Weyr
Igen Hold
Lemos Hold
Smith Hall
Keroon Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Telgar Weyr
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Half-Circle Sea Hold
Smithcraft Hall, Telgar Hold
Tillek Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Fort Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Crom Hold
Benden Weyr
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Smithhall
Half-Circle Sea Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Fort Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Southern Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Keroon Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Harpercraft Hall, Fort Hold
Smithcraft Hall, Telgar Hold
Telgar Hold
Smithcraft Hall, Telgar Hold
Half-Circle Sea Hold
Southern Boll Hold
SOME TERMS OF INTEREST
Agenothree: a common chemical on Pern, HNO3.
Between: an area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there.
Black rock: analagous to coal.
Day Sisters: a trio of stars visible from Pern.
Dawn Sisters: an alternate name for Day Sisters.
Deadglow: a numskull, stupid. Derived from glow.
Fellis: a flowering tree.
Fellis juice: a juice made from the fruit of the fellis tree; a soporific.
Fire-stone: a phosphine-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame.
Glow: a light-source which can be carried in a handbasket.
High Reaches: mountains on the northern continent of Pern (see map).
Hold: a place where the common people live; originally they were cut into the mountains and hillsides.
Impression: the joining of minds of a dragon and his rider-to-be at the moment of the dragon's Hatching.
Intervaclass="underline" the period of time between Passes, generally 200 Turns.
Klah: a hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
Looks to: is Impressed by.
Long Intervaclass="underline" a period of time, generally twice the length of an interval, in which no Thread falls and Dragonmen decrease in number. The last Long Interval is thought to herald the end of Threads.
Month: four sevendays.
Numbweed: a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling; used as an anesthetic.
Oldtimer: a member of one of the five Weyrs which Lessa brought forward four hundred Turns in time. Used as a derogative way to refer to one who has moved to Southern Weyr.
Pass: a period of time during which the Red Star is close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
Pern: third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.
Red Star (sic): Pern's stepsister planet. It has an erratic orbit.
Rukbat: a yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.
Sevenday: the equivalent of a week on Pern.
Thread: (mycorrhizoid) spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter.
Turn: a Pernese year.
Watchwher: a nocturnal reptile distantly related to dragonkind.
Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders, weyr: a dragon's den.
Weyrsinger: the Harper for the dragonriders, usually himself a dragonrider.
Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an Ostrich.
Withies: water plants resembling the reeds of Earth.
About the Author
Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures. Before her success as a writer, she was involved in theater. She directed the American premiere of Carl Orff's Ludus de Nato Infante Mirificus,in which she also played a witch. Her first novel, Restoree,was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in science fiction novels in the '50s and early '60s. Ms. McCaffrey is best known, however, for her handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly in her tales of the Talents and the sixteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern. She is the winner of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Margaret Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ms. McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland. Visit the author online at www.annemccaffrey.org
Acknowledgments
The longer I writen the Pern series the more unusual the circumstances become and the more I need the help of special friends and even more special experts in various fields. In this book, my cry for astronomical help went out again to Dr. Steven M. Beard and Elizabeth Kerner. Necessity required me to add a Cosmic Impact Consultant in the person of Scott Manley of Armagh Observatory, which I also visited to see telescopes and to learn how to arrange for a cosmic impact on exactly the site required, with digital embellishments and proper readouts. I also had the pleasure of dining at the Armagh home of Dr. Bill and Mrs. Nancy Napier and meeting some of their colleagues for a lovely April evening.
Marilyn and Harry Aim-and the exceptional oceanographical help of P. Burr Loomis-provided me with splendid maps and diagrams so that I would know where I was on Pern.
I owe a particular debt to Georgeanne Kennedy who rallied me to keep to the "real" story line when I had a tendency to go off on tangents because there are so many people on Pern. Thanks also to Lea Day, Elizabeth Kerner and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough who kindly read original draft material and gave me invaluable support. Last but scarcely least is my appreciation for my editors, Shelly Shapiro and Diane Pearson, who helped me refine this latest adventure on Pern. I am deeply grateful for their input.
I would also like to thank http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000 for their excellent updates on what is happening in and about this world.
Music played while writing:
Jerry Goldsmith-The Ghost & the Darknessand other sf theme music
Percy Grainger-Piano for Four Hands(2 volumes)
Elgar-Enigma Variations
James Galway-various CDs
Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony Inspector MorseCD
Janis Ian-various CDs
Manuel Barrueco plays Lennon & McCartney
Tania Opland and Mike Freeman-Masterharperand other CDs