DragonRiders of Pern
Anne McCaffrey
Dragonflight
After ten long turns, Lessa was ready to come out of hiding, to reclaim her birthright...and to Impress the young dragon queen and become Weyrwoman of Benden.
Suddenly the deadly silver Thread once again threatened all Pern with destruction. But the mighty telepathic dragons that for centuries had defended Pern were now few in number, not nearly enough to protect the planet in its hour of greatest peril. So Lessa hatched a daring and dangerous scheme: Rally support from people who had long ago ceased to exist...
Dragonquest
Another Turn, and the deadly silver Threads began falling again. So the bold dragonriders took to the air once more and their magnificent flying dragons swirled and swooped, belching flames that destroyed the shimmering strands before they reached the ground.
But F'lar knew he had to find a better way to protect his beloved Pern, and he had to find it before the rebellious Oldtimers could breed any more dissent...before his brother F'nor would be foolhardy enough to launch another suicide mission...and before those dratted fire-lizards could stir up any more trouble!
The White Dragon
A close bond existed between young Lord Jaxom and his white dragon, Ruth. Everyone on Pern thought Ruth was a runt that would never amount to anything. But Jaxom trained his dragon to fly, and to destroy the deadly Threads that fell from the sky.
Undoubtedly one of the best dragon series ever written, Anne McCaffrey's DragonRiders of Pern series paved the way for modern day dragon stories. Her characters are vivid and creative, her world unique and interesting, and her dragons vibrantly crafted.
Out of these first three novels, The White Dragon is my favorite. What can I say, I have a soft spot for the underdog! Ruth is probably my favorite dragon character of all time (followed by Lessa's Ramoth). Jaxom is pretty awesome too - but let's face it, the dragon makes the Rider.
To explain the awesomeness that is this series, I own over fifty of Anne's books. Twenty three of them are the DragonRiders series (though the first three are still the best.) And nobody but me is allowed to touch them. Yes. I'm that protective.
Still uncertain?
I'd choose these over any other dragon book offered to me. Take that, Paolini.
~Nicole