The grim specter of sickness looms over the Weyrs of Pern, felling
fire-lizards and posing a potentially devastating threat to their dragon
cousins, Pern's sole defense against the deadly phenomenon that is
Thread. Fiona, the youngest and only surviving daughter of Lord Bemin,
is just coming of age, and about to assume the duties of a Weyrwoman,
when word spreads that dragons have indeed begun succumbing to the new
contagion. With the next season of Threadfall quickly approaching, and
the already diminished ranks of the dragons once more under siege, every
Weyr across Pern is in crisis mode. It is hardly the time for disturbing
distractions--such as the strange voice Fiona suddenly hears in her mind
at the darkest and most urgent moments.
Circumstances and the mood of the weyrfolk worsen when advance patrols
relay the dreaded news that black dust--the unmistakable herald of
falling Thread--has been sighted. As more dragons sicken and die,
leaving only a new generation of weyrlings too young to succeed them,
Weyrleader B'Nik and queen rider Lorana arrive from Benden Weyr to comb
Fort Weyr's archives in a desperate search for clues from the past that
may hold the solution to the plague.
But could the actual past itself prove the pathway to salvation for
Pern's stricken dragons and the entire imperiled planet? Guided by a
mysterious ally from a wholly unexpected place, and trusting in the
unique dragon gift for transcending time, Fiona will join a risky
expedition with far-reaching consequences for both Pern's future and her
personal destiny.
