Dragonriders of Pern Books in Order
There are 30 Dragonriders of Pern books, published between 1968 and 2018. The first book is Dragonflight (1968) and the newest is Dragon's Code (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 30
- Published
- 1968–2018
- Confirmed
- 30 of 30 titles
- Pages on record
- 8,677 in 23 of 30 books
- Reading time
- 145–217 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,677 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 23 of 30 titles with a page count on record.
Dragonriders of Pern is a science fiction and fantasy sequence set on Pern, an imagined world, with dragons, space colonies and life on other planets among the recorded subjects. Anne McCaffrey is credited on 28 of the 30 books in the listing, which runs from Dragonflight (1968) to Dragon's Code (2018); two titles carry other credits. Early entries include Dragonquest (1971), Dragonsong (1976), Dragonsinger (1977) and The White Dragon (1978), with Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern (1983) and Dragonsdawn (1988) following. The listing is marked likely complete.
How many Dragonriders of Pern books are there?
Dragonriders of Pern has 30 books, released between 1968 and 2018.
Dragonriders of Pern Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 30 Dragonriders of Pern books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11968–4/4
- 21971–4/4
- 31976–3/4
- 419772883/4
- 519773203/4
- 619784644/4
- 719792563/4
- 819833594/4
- 91986–3/4
- 1019883844/4
- 111989–3/4
- 1219893404/4
- 1319914484/4
- 141993–3/4
- 1519933204/4
- 1619943844/4
- 1719964164/4
- 1819984324/4
- 1920014804/4
- 2020022913/4
- 2120032924/4
- 222003–3/4
- 2320054804/4
- 2420063844/4
- 2520072984/4
- 2620085444/4
- 2720104804/4
- 2820113214/4
- 2920113444/4
- 3020183524/4
Dragonriders of Pern Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Dragonsdawn comes first and The Impression comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 30 books below run in that in-universe sequence.
- 10Dragonsdawn1988 · 384 pages · confirmed 4/419883844/4
- 15The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall1993 · 320 pages · confirmed 4/419933204/4
- 14The Dolphins' Bell1993 · confirmed 3/41993–3/4
- 23Dragonsblood2005 · 480 pages · confirmed 4/420054804/4
- 17Red Star Rising / Dragonseye1996 · 416 pages · confirmed 4/419964164/4
- 21Dragon's Kin2003 · 292 pages · confirmed 4/420032924/4
- 24Dragon's Fire2006 · 384 pages · confirmed 4/420063844/4
- 25Dragon Harper2007 · 298 pages · confirmed 4/420072984/4
- 26Dragonheart2008 · 544 pages · confirmed 4/420085444/4
- 27Dragon Girl2010 · 480 pages · confirmed 4/420104804/4
- 28Dragon's Time2011 · 321 pages · confirmed 4/420113214/4
- 29Sky Dragons2011 · 344 pages · confirmed 4/420113444/4
- 8Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern1983 · 359 pages · confirmed 4/419833594/4
- 22Beyond Between2003 · confirmed 3/42003–3/4
- 9Nerilka's Story1986 · confirmed 3/41986–3/4
- 18The Masterharper of Pern1998 · 432 pages · confirmed 4/419984324/4
- 1Dragonflight1968 · confirmed 4/41968–4/4
- 2Dragonquest1971 · confirmed 4/41971–4/4
- 3Dragonsong1976 · confirmed 3/41976–3/4
- 4Dragonsinger1977 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/419772883/4
- 7Dragondrums1979 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/419792563/4
- 30Dragon's Code2018 · 352 pages · confirmed 4/420183524/4
- 5The Smallest Dragonboy1977 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/419773203/4
- 6The White Dragon1978 · 464 pages · confirmed 4/419784644/4
- 20A Gift of Dragons2002 · 291 pages · confirmed 3/420022913/4
- 12The Renegades of Pern1989 · 340 pages · confirmed 4/419893404/4
- 13All the Weyrs of Pern1991 · 448 pages · confirmed 4/419914484/4
- 16The Dolphins of Pern1994 · 384 pages · confirmed 4/419943844/4
- 19The Skies of Pern2001 · 480 pages · confirmed 4/420014804/4
- 11The Impression1989 · confirmed 3/41989–3/4
Do you have to read Dragonriders of Pern books in order?
You should read the Dragonriders of Pern books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Dragonriders of Pern book also stands alone.
Where to start with Dragonriders of Pern
Start with Dragonflight (1968), the earliest published title. In the chronological order, Dragonsdawn comes first.
What is the newest Dragonriders of Pern book?
Dragon's Code (2018) is the newest Dragonriders of Pern book released so far.
Is there a new Dragonriders of Pern book coming?
No next Dragonriders of Pern book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Dragonriders of Pern has won
Wikidata records 4 awards and 8 nominations for Dragonriders of Pern. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Margaret Edwards Award1999Wonfor Dragonflight
- Balrog Awards1980Wonfor Dragondrums
- Ditmar Award1979Wonfor The White Dragon
- Gandalf Award1979Wonfor The White Dragon
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1995Shortlistedfor The Dolphins of Pern
- Locus Award for Best Collection1994Shortlistedfor The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
- Hugo Award for Best Novel1992Shortlistedfor All the Weyrs of Pern
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1992Shortlistedfor All the Weyrs of Pern
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1990Shortlistedfor The Renegades of Pern
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1989Shortlistedfor Dragonsdawn
- Hugo Award for Best Novel1984Shortlistedfor Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1984Shortlistedfor Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Dragonriders of Pern at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Dragonriders of Pern title on record dates from 2018, 8 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Dragonriders of Pern books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 8,677 pages across the 23 of 30 books with a recorded length, a median of 359 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Dragonriders of Pern books, 8 of 30, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 21 of the 30 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
- Attribution
- Of the 30 titles, 28 are credited to Anne McCaffrey and 1 to Gigi McCaffrey. One title carries no credit.
What the Dragonriders of Pern books are about
25 of the 30 Dragonriders of Pern books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: pern (imaginary place) is tagged on 23 of 25. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Pern (Imaginary place) 23 of 25 books
- Dragons 21 of 25 books
- Life on other planets 20 of 25 books
- Science fiction 18 of 25 books
- Space colonies 18 of 25 books
- Fantasy 8 of 25 books
- Fantasy, epic 5 of 25 books
- Pern 4 of 25 books
- Science fiction, action & adventure 3 of 25 books
- Dolphins 2 of 25 books