The People of Pern

Pern (Chronological Order)

by Robin Wood, Anne McCaffrey

A book illustrating various characters for the Anne McCaffrey crafted world of Pern

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Art, Dragons, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Reference

151 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. This is a book you will probably cherish. While I cannot say that all of the artist's vision are exactly how I picture the various characters from many of McCaffrey's Pern books, they are often quite close.
What this book really represents though is the enormous devotion that fans of the series have for the characters and stories. This book is a testament to the impact that Pern has had on the lives of the readers who have become so captivated by the rich texture of McCaffrey's century spanning epoch. The artist's work then also exemplifies just how much these stories are about the characters and their lives and emotional connection to the readers. Pern is not about the events that transpire, it's about the people within those events and this book visualizes that more words can describe.

[Kelsey Kumpula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this in the library in the town where my grandparents live, and never anywhere else. I was mesmerized by the paintings, most specifically of F'lar, Lessa, F'nor, and Mirrim, who were all EXACTLY as I pictured them in my mind as I read. Having oil painted myself before, I have enormous appreciation for Robin Wood and just how long it took her to do all these.

As luck would have it, my dad found the book on E-Bay, and not a month goes by when I don't pull it out and look at it.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that these illustrations added anything to my concept of the people of PERN. The drawings and paintings, while beautiful, mostly don't match my mental descriptions so I'm sticking with what is in my head.

[De Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a long-time fan of McCaffrey's writing from junior high and read all of her Pern series and some of her son's continuation.

This collection of character descriptions and drawings/paintings is adequately done despite a lot of filler put into it. I've read about the interactions of these characters multiple times and feel much of that depth is missing in these descriptions.

A lot of the artwork, though well done sketches and oil paintings, miss key elements of many of the main characters or background of the Holds' culture reflected in them. Example is Fandarel in particular which barely shows his chin-rubbing persona and robust blacksmith features.

Plus the majority of them are clearly referenced from celebrities heavily. American Gothic, Bill Murray, and other actors from the 80s can be noticed.

It doesn't come across as a very thoughtful addition, but enjoyable enough.

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a story, but a collection of drawings of the characters in the first several books of the series. Very enjoyable.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informational

[Lyn Sweetapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am totally blown away that everyone looks just like I pictured. Don't miss the back cover where Anne McCaffrey and Robin Wood are enjoying Robinton playing and singing.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a little more than I had planned. While I didn’t always agree with Ms Wood’s interpretation of a character, it was always interesting to see where the inspiration came from. And Ms McCaffrey’s commentary was great as well, offering nuggets of history and teasing details of what was going to happen in future books.

[Tweller83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guess it has been too long since I read the Pern series. I didn't remember half these people and there were at least two typos in the finished book. Somewhat disappointing in the text but the artwork was beautiful. 2.5 stars rounded up.

#femmefantale - Novella; published pre-2000

[MaryD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent artwork. Some characters were exactly as I pictured them, some not so much.

[Mary List · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Loved Robin's portraits & sketches of some of science fiction literature's most beloved characters.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful art book featuring characters in Pern. My favorite series and I totally love this book.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book with additional information from Anne McCaffrey about some of her most beloved characters from the Dragonriders of Pern series.

[Jaye Sudar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!!!

[Patrice Doten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pern has been among my all-time favorite series since age 12. It was a delight to peruse the portraits and read through the bios of so many beloved characters.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best, most clear set of reasons and reflections I’ve ever read. Everything he writes is brilliant.

[Carol D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pern happens to be one of my favorite story worlds, and this beautiful book of Art is fantastic. I was ecstatic to see my library had this one. The artwork is outstandingly gorgeous.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who remember the classic science fantasy novels of Anne McCaffrey (now sadly deceased), this book will be a treasure. A sumptuous, vibrant coffeetable book of McCaffrey’s alien series about the magical world of Pern, here are the various cast and characters given glorious color treatment, each with a small bio on the pages to let the reader know who’s who and what parts they play. This is a treat for McCaffrey fans that may have often wished that her books came with color illustrations. For those who are re-reading her Pern series or coming to them for the very first time, this book is a fine addition to their SF library.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book - the artwork is STUNNING and I love the descriptions given for characters. The one reason this cannot get a full 5 stars from me is that Menolly, my favorite character in the whole series, looks incredibly horsey. How did that happen? She wasn't supposed to be a beauty, but from the book covers she always looked prettier than in this illustration.

I highly recommend it to lovers of Pern. It's a great addition to the series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I was impressed by how close the illustrations were to what I imagined many of the main Pern characters to look like - even the ones that were dissimilar, Robin did a very good job giving them unique character. Each portrait has a great deal of personality showing through

Also, Robin's technique and style are excellent, very pleasing

[Marita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely pictures of Pern characters. It had been so long since I've read these books that I wish there would have been short reminders of what each of them did and in which book. It was fun to read though how this book come about. I would have loved to see more of Pern as well, but as the name says the focus was on people.

[R.S. Kellogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book, full of illustrations of the dragonriders. I enjoyed the Pern books in junior high and high school and it was fun to find this one and enjoy browsing the pictures. My favorite was the portrait of Masterharper Robinton. It was also fun to see the illustrator and Ann McAffey painted into the picture on the back cover.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredible visual addition to the Dragonriders of Pern series. I love that the illustrations were painted/drawn with the corroboration and guidance of Anne McCaffrey herself, making them the most accurate depictions available to us. I only wish it was written more recently and so could include more characters from more books -- I'm hungry for more!

[Amy Ravenel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dude, you can't find this book anymore. My mom found it buried in a dusty "to be deleted" box at the library so I now have a copy. *Beams* Incredible, amazing pictures of all the Pern characters!

[Murrrmaiyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin Wood really captured exactly what I pictured of the characters with her artwork. I loved them so much that when I found out she also drew a Tarot deck I had to have that too, and it's now my favorite deck!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The People of Pern (Hardcover)
by Robin Wood
This book is a great pictures and brief history of the beloved characters and ideals of the pern anthology. Its interesting to see how modern tv affected the artists interpretation of the authors descriptions of the characters.

[K. Chrisbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is awesome to see the characters that I've imagined for years. Most, if not all of them met my expectations. This was a wonderful idea to have a book of the pictures of these characters we've all grown to love so dearly.

[Bobbi Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book and it gave faces to all of the faces and personalities to the characters I had been reading about through out the whole series. I enjoyed it very much! The artwork was perfect from the beginning to the end.

[Leslie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I treasure this book for so many reasons; while I can't say the artist captured the people as I necessarily saw them, it was so close. This put faces to my visions, it is wonderful. A lovely book to have, especially for PERN fans!

[Cassie]

Awusome book! Great addition to any Pern fan's library. In depth biographies of all major characters, each with an illustration of the character.