DragonflightDragonflight
Score Classic
What it's about
To the nobles of Benden Weyr, Lessa is just a ragged kitchen girl, serving the men who betrayed her father and took his lands. But when she bonds with a queen dragon, she gains the power to reclaim her birthright, just as her world is threatened for the first time in centuries by Thread, a deadly substance that falls from the sky.
Why it's worth reading
It's the classic that launched Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, one of the most beloved science fantasy series.
You'll love it if you liked
The Hobbit
Eragon
A Wizard of EarthseaGood to know
It's science fiction dressed as fantasy. It's the first of many Pern books.
By the numbers
- Readers17 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics44 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #204 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #590 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2050 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
If you like this, read next
Ender's Game
Dune
The Lord of the Rings
Hyperion
The Dispossessed
FoundationExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Dragonflight worth reading?
Yes. It's the classic that launched Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, one of the most beloved science fantasy series. It ranks #2,050 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dragonflight about?
To the nobles of Benden Weyr, Lessa is just a ragged kitchen girl, serving the men who betrayed her father and took his lands. But when she bonds with a queen dragon, she gains the power to reclaim her birthright, just as her world is threatened for the first time in centuries by Thread, a deadly substance that falls from the sky.
How long does it take to read Dragonflight?
About 9 hours (356 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dragonflight?
If you liked it, try The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Eragon by Christopher Paolini or A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.