Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an Ostrich.

Withies: water plants resembling the reeds of Earth.

About the Author

Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures. Before her success as a writer, she was involved in theater. She directed the American premiere of Carl Orff's Ludus de Nato Infante Mirificus,in which she also played a witch. Her first novel, Restoree,was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in science fiction novels in the '50s and early '60s. Ms. McCaffrey is best known, however, for her handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly in her tales of the Talents and the sixteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern. She is the winner of the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Margaret Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland. Visit the author online at www.annemccaffrey.org

Acknowledgments

The longer I writen the Pern series the more unusual the circumstances become and the more I need the help of special friends and even more special experts in various fields. In this book, my cry for astronomical help went out again to Dr. Steven M. Beard and Elizabeth Kerner. Necessity required me to add a Cosmic Impact Consultant in the person of Scott Manley of Armagh Observatory, which I also visited to see telescopes and to learn how to arrange for a cosmic impact on exactly the site required, with digital embellishments and proper readouts. I also had the pleasure of dining at the Armagh home of Dr. Bill and Mrs. Nancy Napier and meeting some of their colleagues for a lovely April evening.

Marilyn and Harry Aim-and the exceptional oceanographical help of P. Burr Loomis-provided me with splendid maps and diagrams so that I would know where I was on Pern.

I owe a particular debt to Georgeanne Kennedy who rallied me to keep to the "real" story line when I had a tendency to go off on tangents because there are so many people on Pern. Thanks also to Lea Day, Elizabeth Kerner and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough who kindly read original draft material and gave me invaluable support. Last but scarcely least is my appreciation for my editors, Shelly Shapiro and Diane Pearson, who helped me refine this latest adventure on Pern. I am deeply grateful for their input.

I would also like to thank http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000 for their excellent updates on what is happening in and about this world.

Music played while writing:

Jerry Goldsmith-The Ghost & the Darknessand other sf theme music

Percy Grainger-Piano for Four Hands(2 volumes)

Elgar-Enigma Variations

James Galway-various CDs

Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony Inspector MorseCD

Janis Ian-various CDs

Manuel Barrueco plays Lennon & McCartney

Tania Opland and Mike Freeman-Masterharperand other CDs