Have you ever heard of the Dragonriders of Pern series? If not, you are seriously missing out. I adored the Pern series as a kid - I have lots of great summer memories associated with trying to track down as many as possible at my local library. I read whatever I could find, in any order. And it still made beautiful sense.

They’re not children’s books, or young adult - just straight up fantasy. And I’m very picky about fantasy. So that should tell you something!

This particular book I found while roaming the aisles at the actual Book Outlet store. It’s a short story collection, that based on the title I assumed was all about Pern. But it’s actually a mix - the first story is set in Pern, but the rest are totally unique.

I had never read any of McCaffrey’s other books, so it was really great to see a snapshot of her non-Pern works. Some stories were straight up sci-fi, but some were much more reality based. And just a warning - there is a real tearjerker in there!

Story quality was fantastic - engaging characters, well developed settings and plot arcs. She truly was a master. I really need to explore more of her other titles!