Category:About Pern

Geography

Pern bears three continents, four major oceans, and a large number of islands. The largest continent, the Southern, is noted for large areas of grassland and jungle, as well as high tectonic and volcanic activity (probably due to the two moons, although this increases with the coming of the Red Star). The Northern Continent, in contrast, is relatively infertile, composed primarily of ‘shield’ bedrock and is the most tectonically stable landmass on the planet. Not much is known of the small Far Western Continent, as it has never been explored; its existence is known only from orbital satellite surveys and maritime expeditions.

Pern is noted for its high incidence of cave systems, particularly in the Northern Continent. This feature heavily influenced the development of human society on the planet, as humans forced to take shelter in these caves eventually developed an intricate culture associated with cave-dwelling in a feudal society at a medieval to Renaissance level of technology.

Pern is relatively lacking in most major metals. Nonetheless, sufficient deposits of petroleum and metals exist to supply a high-technology agrarian society, though not a high-technology industrial society.

Although Pern has four major oceans, the only ocean of major concern to most inhabitants of Pern is the Southern, which separates the Northern and Southern Continents. Few expeditions have explored the Western and Eastern Oceans to either side of the main continents, and the Ring Sea is known only from satellite observations.

The Southern Ocean is noted for its volatile weather and strong currents, which present a challenge for mariners. At least one tropical cyclone has occurred in the ocean in the course of the books.

History

The original probe sent back reports that were skeptically regarded as being too good to be true. “Good balance of land and water masses,” Liu said. “Usual ice caps, mountains, good plains areas. Parallels Earth in many respects. Initial P.E. for starters, Castor.” ” The P.E.R.N. Survey is a short story of the Dragonriders of Pern series written by Anne McCaffrey and included in the anthology The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall. It was first published in Amazing Stories, September 1993.

Synopsis

In the story, a team of FSP scientists scout a distant planet. Time is too short to resolve some mysteries, but they find it safe for human settlement, with resources to support residents but inadequate for commercial exploitation. Their report is coded P.E.R.N.© meaning Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible, recommended for colonization.

The five planets visited by the Exploration and Evaluation team were:

• I.L.F. (Intelligent Life Forms) — (Presumably) named «Terbo» after the death of their zoologist-chemist in a landslide.
• L.A. (Lethal, Avoid) — Not visited, merely scanned with probes. Subsequently reported to the F.S.P.
• G.O.L.D.I. (Good Only for Large Diversified Interests) — Named «Beldona» after the death of their second pilot and archaeologist. Castor was also injured during the survey, breaking his leg.
• D.E. (Dead End) — Named «Flora Asturias» after the deaths of Sevvie Asturias, their paleontologist-medic, and Flora Neveshan, their zoologist-botanist. Subsequently* reported to the F.S.P.
• P.E.R.N. (Parallel Earth; Resources Negligible)