• The Chronicles of Pern

  • First Fall
  • By: Anne McCaffrey
  • Narrated by: Meredith MacRae
  • Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,165 ratings)

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The Chronicles of Pern  By  cover art

The Chronicles of Pern

By: Anne McCaffrey
Narrated by: Meredith MacRae
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Publisher's summary

Travel back to the earliest days of Pernese history in this first-ever Dragonriders of Pern short story collection. Join the original survey team as they explore Pern and decide to recommend it for colonization. Share the terror of the evacuation from the Southern Continent as a flotilla of ships, aided by intelligent, talking dolphins, braves the currents of the Pernese ocean. Learn how the famous Ruatha Hold was founded, and thrill with the dragonriders as they expand into a second, then a third Weyr. And discover a secret lost in time - the rescue of some of the original colonists before the planet was cut off forever.

Building a new life on a distant world, braving the dreaded Thread that falls like silver rain from the sky only to destroy every living thing it touches, flying heroically on the wondrous dragons - The Dragonriders of Pern!

Anne McCaffrey suggests The Chronicles of Pern should be followed by The Dolphins of Pern.

©1993 Anne McCaffrey (P)2002 Fantastic Audio, an Imprint of American Audio Literature

Featured Article: 16 of the Best Fantasy Authors Ever


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What listeners say about The Chronicles of Pern

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It filled in some gaps but...

I know that the stories were cobbled together from Individual stories rather than being written is one book but it still seemed kind of clunky. The narrator was very uninspired and had very little voice differentiation for the most part and was boring to listen to. I am glad to have the information in the additional tidbits of back story but this entire presentation was not up to what I expect from Ann McCaffrey's work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Intrigue

This book is a great book for the science fiction enthusiasts of all ages. Enjoyed it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic post earth series!!!!

Loved it!! Highly recommend this older series for all the new scifi readers. McCaffrey is truly an artist painting worlds with words in your mind!!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Back-stories part 2. A Pern fan must-read

What made the experience of listening to The Chronicles of Pern the most enjoyable?

Short stories filling in details of the past.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Chronicles of Pern?

The story of Red Hannrahan.

Have you listened to any of Meredith MacRae’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I may have. The voice is familiar.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is short stories, so listening in parts was easy.

Any additional comments?

Read / listen after reading Dragonsdawn. An essential duo for true Pern fans.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

American english as a 2nd language

Ms MacRae did NOT do a decent reading of this wonderful book. I seriously wonder if she even read it to herself first. Waste of my money.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stories that Fill in Pern's Stories

What did you love best about The Chronicles of Pern?

So many thoughts and questions I had as I read (listened to) the other Pern books have been answered in these stories. I wish I had read (listened) to this just after the first Pern book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Dragons...their dry wit and devotion to their riders make them special!

What three words best describe Meredith MacRae’s performance?

monotone....expressionless....the same for all characters

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Back-Stories of Early Pern

Any additional comments?

This is a great read or listen!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, but disappointing performance by Narrator

I enjoy anything Anne McCaffrey writes (and the stories her children have contributed), but unlike previous Narrators, this one’s reading was just that…reading. I’m used to some character being shown, like an accent, or deepening the male voices. This was a disappointing performance.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable stories, poor narrator pronunciation

stories are great continuation of elements from Dragonsdawn. Narrator butchered many words and should look into a phonetic dictionary

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, Poor reading

I loved the story but the narrator seems to struggle with some word pronunciations. I would recommend, though.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not an impressive narration

For PERN enthusiasts these stories filled in a few interesting gaps and were quite enjoyable. Used to creative professional actors narrating other PERN novels I was very disappointed in this one. The narration was flat and dull taking away from the drama and humor written into the text.

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