A Gift of Dragons - Tapa dura

For more than thirty years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to read of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it - and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures. A Gift Of Dragons brings together three well-loved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern in a single volume illustrated with beautiful artwork by Tom Kid. In 'The Smallest Dragonboy', Keevan is the youngest dragonrider candidate, determined to impress a dragon when the next clutch of eggs hatches. But what transpires will surprise everyone - Keevan most of all. In 'The Girl Who Heard Dragons', a young girl's rare ability to communicate with dragons puts her family in danger and will bring her face-to-face with her greatest fear - and her most secret desire. The 'Runner of Pern' is a girl named Tenna, who follows family tradition by delivering messages - and who will find her destiny on the mossy traces that runners have used for centuries under dragon-filled skies. And finally, a very special gift; an exciting new Pern adventure fresh from the imagination of Anne McCaffrey.

Anne McCaffrey is one of the world's leading science-fiction writers, and has won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Born and raised in the US, although of Irish extraction, she now lives permanently in Ireland, in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, where, as well as writing, she breeds horses. She has recently been awarded the Margaret A. Edwards' Lifetime Achievement Literary Award. She is the creator of the Dragons of Pern series, currently being filmed for TV.