Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dragonlover’s Guide to Pern | 1989 | Jody Lynn Nye | Buy |
Jody Lynn Nye’s non-fiction work consists of one book: The Dragonlover’s Guide to Pern, published in 1989. Co-written with Anne McCaffrey, this is a companion guide to McCaffrey’s long-running Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. The book provides detailed background information about the world of Pern that goes beyond what the novels cover.
The guide includes maps of Pern’s continents and major locations, illustrations of the planet’s native dragons and firelizards, and explanations of how the Holds, Weyrs, and Crafthalls are organized. It also covers the biology of Pernese dragons, the history of the colonists who settled the planet, and the threat of Thread that drives much of the conflict in the novels. For readers already familiar with the series, the guide fills in gaps and collects scattered worldbuilding details into one place.
Nye’s collaboration with McCaffrey on this book came early in her career and led to a lasting working relationship between the two authors. She would later co-write several Pern novels with McCaffrey, making this reference guide the starting point of one of the most productive partnerships in Nye’s bibliography.