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Menolly flees her home, because she is not permitted to make music there, and is taken by the Masterharper himself to Harpershall, where she learns that only her own self-doubt stands in her way.

From the Publisher

There are dragons all over Anne McCaffrey's house. Some she's bought, but many have been made for her by adoring fans and given to her as gifts. I don't make dragons, of course. But whenever circumstances allow, I do try to bring her American bacon, something she can't get easily in Ireland, and something which she has taught all her friends there to love, as well! I remember the first time I went to visit her, when she was still living in her old, much smaller but very homey, house. My husband and I arrived at the doorstep, and she immediately began bustling about, frying up some of the bacon we'd brought and sharing a lovely late breakfast with us before sending us off to the hotel for a nap. She made us dinner that night, too--the one and only time in my life that I've actually liked shrimp cocktail. Maybe that's because if you squint your eyes and look sideways, shrimp are kind of dragonlike, and I was eating them in the right company!
                        --Shelly Shapiro, Executive Editor

From the Inside Flap

The Bookcassette® format is a special recording technique developed as a means of condensing the full, unabridged audio text of a book to record it on fewer tapes. In order to listen to these tapes, you will need a cassette player with balance control to adjust left/right speaker output. Special adaptors to allow these tapes to be played on any cassette player are available through the publisher or some US retail electronics stores.

A Deadly Epidemic was Sweeping across Pern! Everyone, holder and dragonrider alike, pitched in to help-except Nerilka's father, who refused to share Fort Hold's bounty with the other Holds. So, ashamed of her family and determined to do her part, Nerilka packed up medicines and supplies and sneaked off to aid her people. Her quest to help wherever she was most needed led her finally to Ruatha Hold, where Lord Alessan was frantically preparing the precious serum needed for mass inoculations against the dread plague. Nerilka had long ago abandoned the hope of marriage and a home of her own. Now she found happiness in being useful and appreciated-first the Healers and then Alessan made very clear that they were grateful for her help. She had no idea that her new path would change the course of her life forever!

For use in schools and libraries only. Deadly spores threaten the human colony of Pern unless the colonists, with help from geneticist Kitti Ping, can develop fire-breathing dragons to combat the menace.

Led by Masterharper Robinton and F'lar and Lessa, the people of Pern excavate the ancient remains of the planet's original settlement and uncover the colonists' voice-activated artificial intelligence system. Reissue.

Amazon.com Review

When the volcanoes rumble and the powerful storms begin brewing on Pern, it means one thing: Thread. For 257 years Pern has been free of the life-destroying Thread, but now the Red Star has reappeared in the sky and soon the deadly Threadfall will follow. In the holds and weyrs across the land, the genetically-engineered dragons of Pern and their human riders begin feverishly training to combat the Thread, for only dragon fire can destroy the silvery invaders. But, incredibly, one Lord Holder refuses to believe the Thread will fall again, and he may endanger the entire planet.

From School Library Journal

YA. While not as good as the first "Dragonriders" novels, this 11th in the series comes closer than most of the more recent Pern books. It has been more than 250 years since the first Thread fall, but everything seems to indicate the imminent approach of the Red Star. The Dragonriders have been practicing and passing down knowledge for over two centuries to be prepared, but there are skeptics unwilling to believe. The worst of the lot is Lord Holder, Chalkin of Bitra, a greedy, self-centered, abusive leader. He refuses to take any action to prepare, threatening the survival of the planet, because all must work together to overcome Thread. Interesting, fleshed-out characters combined with a well-written story makes for a very good read. While this entry can stand alone, it is best read along with the other Pern novels, especially Dragonflight (1978) and Dragonquest (1979, both Ballantine).?John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Beloved bestseller McCaffrey has joined forces with her son, Todd, to produce another delightful entry in the Pern series, which began with Dragonflight in 1968. The action here centers on Camp Natalon, the site of a coal mine. Now that the surface seams of coal have begun to run dry on Pern, it's imperative to start extracting coal from deep underground, despite the increased danger. Some of the miners rely on the expertise of the watch-whers, smaller versions of dragons, to help keep them safe in the mines. As Kindan, blind Nuella and master harper Zist puzzle out the lore, habits and abilities of these nocturnal creatures, they find out more about the watch-whers (and themselves) than they thought possible. Fans who have become comfortable with McCaffrey's smooth trademark style over the years will notice no seams-which bodes well for any solo novels her coauthor, the heir apparent, may contribute to the Dragonriders saga.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The latest Pern novel is something of a family affair, with the creator of one of sf's most splendid and longest-lived sagas collaborating with her son on the latest installment. The story takes place during an unexplored period in the history of Pern, before the coming of the Thread. The watch-whers are already playing a prominent role, however, keeping watch at night at the holds and weyrs and helping in the mines. The protagonists are Kindin and Nuella, young people living in a mining camp. A cave-in wipes out Kindin's father and brothers as well as the old watch-wher, and Kindin moves in with camp Harper. There he learns the skills of being a Harper, including discretion and mediation. Eventually, he and Nuella learn the secret of how watch-whers see in the dark, and about their communication with dragons, which opens a wholly new range of capabilities for the dragon-riders. What with sound narrative technique, above-average characterization, and several of the Pern fans favorite ongoing saga themes, the new book is a guaranteed pleaser as well as a harbinger that Pern, an enduring monument for two generations of sf readers so far, will continue after its originator's departure. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly

The McCaffreys' second fire-breathing collaboration (after 2003's Dragon's Kin) again proves why these fabled dragons still cast a spell. Pellar, a mute Apprentice Harper; Halla, a homeless girl; and Cristov, a miner's son, learn invaluable life lessons as the planet Pern prepares for the return of the deadly Red Star and its annihilating "Thread," which can only be destroyed by firestone-fueled dragonfire. But mining firestone is dangerous work, often carried out by children of disenfranchised criminals called the Shunned. Accompanied by his new fire-lizard Chitter, Pellar joins Masterharper Zist in a search for Moran, a missing Journeyman Harper who's involved with the Shunned. Pellar finds his fate intertwined with Halla, but his tangle with Tenim, a ruthless thief, almost keeps them apart. Their friend Cristov learns about the Shunned firsthand after a terrible mine explosion. Fortunately, events lead to dragon-riding wish fulfillment and a remarkable discovery. While it allegorizes the risks of mining fossil fuels and the horrors of slave labor, this coming-of-age fantasy offers suitable dragon play for all ages. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–The McCaffreys return to Pern. The story is set in the same time period as Dragon's Kin (Del Rey, 2003), the second Interval after landing, but has a different focus. The colonists are preparing for the next 50-year pass of the Red Star and the start of Thread, a mindless killer that falls from the skies destroying all organic material in its path. To combat this threat, the dragons must chew firestone to burn Thread from the sky. However, the mining of the firestone is difficult–any drop of moisture makes it explode, and it has killed countless dragons and miners. The other problem is what to do with the Shunned. They are holders who have committed crimes that have banished them from the holds but with Thread coming, they will die if they are holdless. The story is brought to life by a mute harper's apprentice, Pellar, and a miner's son, Cristov, who take it upon themselves to save the Shunned and the dragonriders alike. This novel reintroduces readers to well-known characters such as Kindan and Master Zist and introduces new characters and concepts of the world of Pern. A companion volume, it also stands on its own.–June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

For millions of readers the world over, the name Pern is magical, conjuring up grand vistas of a distant planet whose blue skies are patrolled by brave dragons and their noble riders, a paradise threatened by the periodic fall of deadly Thread. But not all dangers descend from the skies. Now, in their third collaboration, Anne McCaffrey and her son, Todd McCaffrey, spin a tale of a mysterious illness that may succeed in doing what centuries of Threadfall could not: kill every last human on Pern.Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa’s defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram–a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship.Meanwhile, in nearby Fort Hold, a clutch of fire-lizard eggs is about to hatch, and Lord Bemin’s beautiful young daughter, Koriana, is determined to Impress one of the delightful creatures. At the hatching, Kindan Impresses a fire-lizard of his own . . . and wins the heart of Koriana. But Lord Bemin mistrusts harpers and will not hear of a match between his daughter and the low-born Kindan.Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly. Arising suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the contagion decimates hold after hold, paying no heed to distinctions of birth. In this feverish crucible, friendship and love will be tested to the breaking point and beyond. For with Threadfall scant years away, the Dragonriders dare not expose themselves to infection, and it will fall to Kindan and his fellow apprentices to bravely search for a cure and save humanity. The price of failure is unthinkable. But the price of success may be even harder to bear.

MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master's spell....In "New York Times" bestselling author Karen Marie Moning's stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin's battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest--and most erotically charged--adventure of her life. He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister's murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted "sidhe-"seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac's every thought--and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust. As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V'lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister's diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac's greatest enemy delivers a final challenge.... It's an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth--about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons...and about the world she thought she knew.

From Publishers Weekly

A miscarriage of justice, in Mayer's unconvincing view, occurred in the Oklahoma town of Ada when two young men, Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, were accused of the 1984 rape and murder of Denice Haraway, a newly married 24-year-old grocery clerk, for which they were sentenced to death although no body was found. The men repudiated their confessions, which were extracted by allegedly coercive police officers, claiming that they were recounting dreams. In suspenseful style, journalist-novelist Mayer recreates in minute detail the investigation and trial along with character and actions of those concerned with the casevictim, the accused, families, witnesses, authorities and outraged townspeople. Haraway's body has now been found, and the two men on death row await a new trial before a court of appeals. Photos not seen by PW. 25,000 first printing.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is a focused glimpse of the criminal justice system, a journalistic study of the disappearance of a young woman in Ada, Oklahoma, and the subsequent arrest and trial of two men suspected of kidnapping, raping, and murdering her. A jury convicted the two men without any eye witnesses, and without a body, a murder weapon, or the implicated vehicle. Mayer looks inside the various elements of the systemlaw enforcement, the work of the district attorneys and defense lawyers, and the responsibilities of the judge and the juryand reveals how this system, and an obsessed and overly zealous public, can lead to injustice. Mayer does an excellent job depicting all sides of the story thoroughly and objectively. The reader is left with an eerie, frightening view of our criminal justice system, which still holds these two men on Death Row.Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svces., Wondervu, Col.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.