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Pern (Chronological Order)
Nerilka's Story & The Coelura
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780552128179
A deadly epidemic was sweeping across Pern. Everyone, holder and dragonrider alike, pitched in to help -- except Nerilka's father, who refused to share Fort Hold's bounty with the other Holds. So, ashamed of her family and determined to do her part, Nerilka packed up medicines and supplies and sneaked off to aid her people.
A deadly epidemic was sweeping across Pern. Everyone, holder and dragonrider alike, pitched in to help -- except Nerilka's father, who refused to share Fort Hold's bounty with the other Holds. So, ashamed of her family and determined to do her part, Nerilka packed up medicines and supplies and sneaked off to aid her people.
Her quest to help wherever she was most needed led her finally to RuathaHold, where Lord Alessan was frantically preparing the precious serumneeded for mass inoculations against the dread plague.
Nerilka had long ago abandoned the hope of marriage and a home of her own. Now she found happiness in being useful and appreciated -- first the Healers and then Alessan made very clear that they were grateful for her help.
She had no idea that her new path would change the course of her life forever!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
52 people are currently reading
891 people want to read
About the author
Anne McCaffrey
478 books7,766 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 30, 2024
This is an odd collection of two unrelated short pieces. 'Nerilka's Story' is part of the Pern dragon rider series, set at the same time as 'Moreta, Dragon Lady of Pern'. I read the latter years ago and didn't like it so I passed it on and have no desire to get another copy. The present story is a mixed bag, starting off strong but fizzling out. Interestingly, it is told in the first person, which I don't recall being used in this series before.
Nerilka is a daughter of Tolocamp, Lord Holder of Fort Hold. She is one of a large family (nineteen children) of handsome boys and plain girls, and has made herself useful, learning herbal lore and nursing from her mother. The story starts when her parents and four of her younger sisters, set off for a Gather at Ruatha Hold. Nerilka is upset at being excluded from the visit because she had been fostered with Suriana, late wife of Alessan, the Lord Holder of Ruatha, and would like to see the place she never had a chance to visit while Suriana, her best friend, was alive. Her mother, far from being sympathetic, gives her a list of grotty jobs to do, such as supervising the bathing of the drudges and clearing the tunnel snake traps. She threatens her with "disciplinary action" by her father.
Tolocamp has had all the children educated in drummer codes, the way news is transmitted by members of the harper craft, so she already knows about a strange cat rescued by seaholders at Keroon. Over the next few days, nothing happens apart from Master Capiam of the Healers being summoned to Igen to treat patients afflicted by a mysterious disease. Then a drum message comes through from Capiam ordering quarantine. Nerilka's elder brother is rather ineffectually in charge, but she manages all the domestic side including checking their supplies of food and herbs. The store caves are packed due to her parents' hoarding, though in the past she and her sisters have often smuggled food to the needy. Next day, drum messages tell of further outbreaks and appeals for medical assistance. Capiam is ill and Desdra, one of his journeymen, organises the other healers. Nerilka offers her the use of the hold's supplies. Then Tolocamp returns, given a lift with a dragon rider and breaking quarantine. He doesn't tell anyone what has happened to Nerilka's mother and the sisters who accompanied their parents to Ruatha, but orders that his mistress and her family, including the children he has with her, be fetched. A drum message later announces the deaths of Nerilka's mother and sisters.
Nerilka helps carry supplies to the healers and learns that her father has set up an internment camp to imprison anyone travelling to the hold, including harpers and healers. Capiam is on the mend and researching a cure in old records. When Nerilka returns, she has to pacify the cook who is upset that Tolocamp's mistress is throwing her weight around saying she is now in charge and making unreasonable demands. Nerilka stays out of her way, brewing cough syrup and soup for Desdra. The first glimmer of hope comes with a vaccination developed by Capiam, but the situation in the hold comes to a head when Tolocamp denies medical supplies to the healers in his internment camp.
I liked that Nerilka was a competent and determined character who volunteers her skills to tend the sick and later manages to reach Ruatha. Where the story disappoints a little is in the morphing into a one-sided romance and her transformation into a housewife. I had thought, given her skills, that she might have found a home in the healer crafthall, but perhaps the author avoided that as being a parallel to the harper hall story of Menolly although Nerilka is in a more privileged position than Menolly and it wouldn't have been too similar.
The lot of drudges continues to concern me. It's not clear why a whole class of lowly servants exists who share the same characteristics. When Nerilka poses as one to leave the hold for the last time, she "slumped my shoulders, lowered my head, canted my knees at each other for a more awkward gait, and pretended to be weighed down by my burdens, scuffing my feet in the dust." She also advises Capiam, accompanying her with medical supplies, to walk slowly as that is in character. And "drudges were always attempting to ignore what they were supposed to be doing in favour of any activity that appeared more interesting". Not surprising if they are stuck with the scutwork.
One point where the story possibly suffers is by not being quite standalone. Certain questions are raised but never answered, such as why Capiam never said much about Suriana's riding accident. I do also find the use of "rider beast" or similar rather silly: in this story, there are references to mare and foal so why not just call them horses and be done with?
'The Coelura ' is set in a space travelling society where the wealthy spend time hunting and dressing fashionably. Caissa is the body heir of Minister Baythan in a society where short term contracts to produce such an heir are the norm. High Lady Cinna, Caissa's womb-mother, has an outstanding clause in the contract with Baythan concerning the Coelura, a species which spins cloth that changes colours according to the wearer's emotions. Caissa finally meets a man she is keen to contract with through her investigation into what her father is working on.
I preferred the Pern tale but wish it had been a bit less domestic by the end and not involved Nerilka being some sort of consolation prize. Moreta is seen in passing and is a cardboard cutout Mary Sue. I also think it ridiculous that she and her borrowed dragon are lost - as they were already using the dragon ability to time travel why couldn't they have rested somewhere and recovered, avoiding the need to deliver vaccines when overstretched? Altogether I would rate this a 3 star read.
Nerilka is a daughter of Tolocamp, Lord Holder of Fort Hold. She is one of a large family (nineteen children) of handsome boys and plain girls, and has made herself useful, learning herbal lore and nursing from her mother. The story starts when her parents and four of her younger sisters, set off for a Gather at Ruatha Hold. Nerilka is upset at being excluded from the visit because she had been fostered with Suriana, late wife of Alessan, the Lord Holder of Ruatha, and would like to see the place she never had a chance to visit while Suriana, her best friend, was alive. Her mother, far from being sympathetic, gives her a list of grotty jobs to do, such as supervising the bathing of the drudges and clearing the tunnel snake traps. She threatens her with "disciplinary action" by her father.
Tolocamp has had all the children educated in drummer codes, the way news is transmitted by members of the harper craft, so she already knows about a strange cat rescued by seaholders at Keroon. Over the next few days, nothing happens apart from Master Capiam of the Healers being summoned to Igen to treat patients afflicted by a mysterious disease. Then a drum message comes through from Capiam ordering quarantine. Nerilka's elder brother is rather ineffectually in charge, but she manages all the domestic side including checking their supplies of food and herbs. The store caves are packed due to her parents' hoarding, though in the past she and her sisters have often smuggled food to the needy. Next day, drum messages tell of further outbreaks and appeals for medical assistance. Capiam is ill and Desdra, one of his journeymen, organises the other healers. Nerilka offers her the use of the hold's supplies. Then Tolocamp returns, given a lift with a dragon rider and breaking quarantine. He doesn't tell anyone what has happened to Nerilka's mother and the sisters who accompanied their parents to Ruatha, but orders that his mistress and her family, including the children he has with her, be fetched. A drum message later announces the deaths of Nerilka's mother and sisters.
Nerilka helps carry supplies to the healers and learns that her father has set up an internment camp to imprison anyone travelling to the hold, including harpers and healers. Capiam is on the mend and researching a cure in old records. When Nerilka returns, she has to pacify the cook who is upset that Tolocamp's mistress is throwing her weight around saying she is now in charge and making unreasonable demands. Nerilka stays out of her way, brewing cough syrup and soup for Desdra. The first glimmer of hope comes with a vaccination developed by Capiam, but the situation in the hold comes to a head when Tolocamp denies medical supplies to the healers in his internment camp.
I liked that Nerilka was a competent and determined character who volunteers her skills to tend the sick and later manages to reach Ruatha. Where the story disappoints a little is in the morphing into a one-sided romance and her transformation into a housewife. I had thought, given her skills, that she might have found a home in the healer crafthall, but perhaps the author avoided that as being a parallel to the harper hall story of Menolly although Nerilka is in a more privileged position than Menolly and it wouldn't have been too similar.
The lot of drudges continues to concern me. It's not clear why a whole class of lowly servants exists who share the same characteristics. When Nerilka poses as one to leave the hold for the last time, she "slumped my shoulders, lowered my head, canted my knees at each other for a more awkward gait, and pretended to be weighed down by my burdens, scuffing my feet in the dust." She also advises Capiam, accompanying her with medical supplies, to walk slowly as that is in character. And "drudges were always attempting to ignore what they were supposed to be doing in favour of any activity that appeared more interesting". Not surprising if they are stuck with the scutwork.
One point where the story possibly suffers is by not being quite standalone. Certain questions are raised but never answered, such as why Capiam never said much about Suriana's riding accident. I do also find the use of "rider beast" or similar rather silly: in this story, there are references to mare and foal so why not just call them horses and be done with?
'The Coelura ' is set in a space travelling society where the wealthy spend time hunting and dressing fashionably. Caissa is the body heir of Minister Baythan in a society where short term contracts to produce such an heir are the norm. High Lady Cinna, Caissa's womb-mother, has an outstanding clause in the contract with Baythan concerning the Coelura, a species which spins cloth that changes colours according to the wearer's emotions. Caissa finally meets a man she is keen to contract with through her investigation into what her father is working on.
I preferred the Pern tale but wish it had been a bit less domestic by the end and not involved Nerilka being some sort of consolation prize. Moreta is seen in passing and is a cardboard cutout Mary Sue. I also think it ridiculous that she and her borrowed dragon are lost - as they were already using the dragon ability to time travel why couldn't they have rested somewhere and recovered, avoiding the need to deliver vaccines when overstretched? Altogether I would rate this a 3 star read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2022
Nerilkas’s Story (176 pages)
Nerilka is a minor character in the novel Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. This is her story, running parallel to the story told in the main book. Same as Moreta, I read this once in the late 80s or 90s and it was not a favourite. I recommend reading Nerilka after Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, as it really feels like a companion novel and will make a lot more sense like that.
Nerilka tells her story in the first person and at the beginning is at times a fairly unemotional omnipresent narrator, as McCaffrey moves over the main points of the know plot from Moreta‘s book quite quickly. Some dialogue is even taken verbatim from that book, seen from a different point of view and narrator. By Chapter 6, around a third into this novel (novelette?) we finally start to cover more new ground.
Fairly simple, mostly a re-hash, too unemotional. It was ok, but if you are reading this series you can safely give this a pass. You won‘t miss much.
+*+*+
Pern Re-read
I started a re-read of the series in 2020/2021 and plan to read all the available main novels that I have not read yet.
I am deleting, as I progress through the series, mostly in publication order. I am not too fussed about the order for the rereads, so I will diverge where it seems practical…
Publication Order — main novels / next
* 1989 - The Renegades of Pern
* 1991 - All The Weyrs of Pern
* 1994 - The Dolphins of Pern
* 1998 - The Masterharper of Pern
* 2001 - The Skies of Pern
* 2003 - Dragon’s Kin
* 2005 - Dragonsblood
* 2006 - Dragon’s Fire
* 2007 - Dragon Harper
* 2008 - Dragonheart
* 2010 - Dragongirl
* 2011 - Dragon’s Time
* 2012 - Sky Dragons
+*+*+
The Coelura
This novelette is not related to the Dragonriders of Pern. No idea why it was combined with Nerilka‘s Story. I read the start, skimmed a little and read the ending. Not interested at the moment. Maybe I‘ll read it properly another time.
Nerilka is a minor character in the novel Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. This is her story, running parallel to the story told in the main book. Same as Moreta, I read this once in the late 80s or 90s and it was not a favourite. I recommend reading Nerilka after Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, as it really feels like a companion novel and will make a lot more sense like that.
Nerilka tells her story in the first person and at the beginning is at times a fairly unemotional omnipresent narrator, as McCaffrey moves over the main points of the know plot from Moreta‘s book quite quickly. Some dialogue is even taken verbatim from that book, seen from a different point of view and narrator. By Chapter 6, around a third into this novel (novelette?) we finally start to cover more new ground.
Fairly simple, mostly a re-hash, too unemotional. It was ok, but if you are reading this series you can safely give this a pass. You won‘t miss much.
+*+*+
Pern Re-read
I started a re-read of the series in 2020/2021 and plan to read all the available main novels that I have not read yet.
I am deleting, as I progress through the series, mostly in publication order. I am not too fussed about the order for the rereads, so I will diverge where it seems practical…
Publication Order — main novels / next
* 1989 - The Renegades of Pern
* 1991 - All The Weyrs of Pern
* 1994 - The Dolphins of Pern
* 1998 - The Masterharper of Pern
* 2001 - The Skies of Pern
* 2003 - Dragon’s Kin
* 2005 - Dragonsblood
* 2006 - Dragon’s Fire
* 2007 - Dragon Harper
* 2008 - Dragonheart
* 2010 - Dragongirl
* 2011 - Dragon’s Time
* 2012 - Sky Dragons
+*+*+
The Coelura
This novelette is not related to the Dragonriders of Pern. No idea why it was combined with Nerilka‘s Story. I read the start, skimmed a little and read the ending. Not interested at the moment. Maybe I‘ll read it properly another time.
June 16, 2011
Nerilka is one of my all-time favourite characters in the world of Pern. Unlike Moreta (a character who is much more famous and has a much bigger book written about her) it is Nerilka who triumphes the most. She shows amazing courage and determination leaving her home and setting out to do what she can to help.
She is not pretty, has no friends and essentially no family. She encounters ridicule and scorn from those who know who she is and question her motives.
She is not pretty, has no friends and essentially no family. She encounters ridicule and scorn from those who know who she is and question her motives.
October 6, 2010
Nerilka's story was a bit disappointing, especially since Moreta was so amazing.
And I don't understand putting together two stories that have nothing to do with one another.
The Coelura is not a Pern story, is completely unrelated scifi, and not even good scifi at that; the story is confusing, and as many other non-Pern stories by Anne McCaffrey, is slow and difficult to read.
And I don't understand putting together two stories that have nothing to do with one another.
The Coelura is not a Pern story, is completely unrelated scifi, and not even good scifi at that; the story is confusing, and as many other non-Pern stories by Anne McCaffrey, is slow and difficult to read.
Read
January 31, 2020I really liked Nerilka, I thought she was a great character but somehow I can't make myself finish this book, just because of the way it's written I think, I've only got about halfway through. I feel almost guilty because I really wanted to like it and I've always wanted to read something by Anne McCaffrey (my twin read a lot of her books). I actually found this book in an office I had shared with a friend and it was going to be thrown as the department was having a 'clean out'. I still want to return it to her but maybe it was left there on purpose?
June 25, 2023
I enjoyed reading Nerilka's Story as it is a companion story to Moreta, a different POV and also told in the first person, which again I enjoyed.
I didn't read The Coelura as it's not related to Pern!
I didn't read The Coelura as it's not related to Pern!
September 21, 2015
Weaves in and out of Moreta's story. The Coelura (1983) is an unrelated short story.
July 2, 2025
I have recently found a couple McCaffrey paperback second hand and I just couldn't have resisted some of those old sci-fi covers (I guess this one is a bit more of a fantasy and this cover is tame, wait until I get to some of the other ones). Anne McCaffrey was a favourite of mine in high school and although I now can see a lot of issues in her work, as a sentimental read those books work pretty well for me.
All of this is to say, don't take this as any sort of recommendation, I do suspect that most of my friends wouldn't like this. There is some misogyny, some eugenics, the politics are sometimes questionable, the heteronormativity is dire (although the queer possibilities are marvelous!) and most of her books have consent issues as well. Just a fair warning, if I were to analyse those it would take up the whole of my review and I don't want to do that, so just keep that in mind.
There are some spoilers ahead. This is a very short story so it's hard to talk about it without mentioning anything of import and I doubt many people care about having this story spoiled anyway...
Nerilka is/was one of my favourite stories from Pern. Mostly because the MC is just so damn likeable. Nerilka's father is a somewhat of a Walder Frey, although he does have only... 21 children, if I'm counting correctly, not really caring about most of them. There are no dragon's in Nerilka's future, or really much of interest at all. That is until a plague brakes out. This is my first time reading this story after the pandemic and I have to say that I kept wishing that it lean a little more into that, giving us more details, although what there was wasn't obviously inaccurate.
The writing in general does leave a lot to be desired. There are bones and flashes of a really good story that are never fully realised. I'm especially talking about Nerilka's grief from Suriana (honestly their relationship is so gay, I can't even) and her longing for Ruatha which at first was equated with Suriana and escaping her own family and them becoming almost a symbol of hope. Also, as I'm one for messy relationships, I was kind of into the fact that Nerilka loved Alessan because Suriana loved him and wanted him because of that. To be honest, I kind of wish McCaffrey leaned into that as well, if you come up with shit like that you should properly own it. Also, in my headcannon, if Nerilka and Suriana were lovers as well, it would come full circle from Alessan's side as well. (Sorry not sorry for this.)
To be completely honest, I have a soft spot for marriage of convenience so I did dig the relationship between Alessan and Nerilka, but at the same time I can't help but think that Nerilka deserves better. Thinking about it, I don't necessarily mean that the story should have been changed, but I do wish the accents were different and some of the things dropped or diminished (like the stepmother).
It was my first time reading Coelura and... I mean, I had fun, but I'm not so impressed with it either. It is set in entirely different universe on a planet full of dangerous predators (some of the descriptions of that did make me really intrigued), but the story was a bit half-baked to me. The romance was inta-lovey, the eugenics of the world were A LOT and although it seemed like the story might be about the evils of capitalism, the solution to that was kind of... not a solution? Even the MC is skeptical that it would work.
So yeah, this was fun. Would I recommend it? No. I'm looking toward reading more McCaffrey though. It makes me consider writing some queer dragonriders of Pern fanfiction 😂
All of this is to say, don't take this as any sort of recommendation, I do suspect that most of my friends wouldn't like this. There is some misogyny, some eugenics, the politics are sometimes questionable, the heteronormativity is dire (although the queer possibilities are marvelous!) and most of her books have consent issues as well. Just a fair warning, if I were to analyse those it would take up the whole of my review and I don't want to do that, so just keep that in mind.
There are some spoilers ahead. This is a very short story so it's hard to talk about it without mentioning anything of import and I doubt many people care about having this story spoiled anyway...
Nerilka is/was one of my favourite stories from Pern. Mostly because the MC is just so damn likeable. Nerilka's father is a somewhat of a Walder Frey, although he does have only... 21 children, if I'm counting correctly, not really caring about most of them. There are no dragon's in Nerilka's future, or really much of interest at all. That is until a plague brakes out. This is my first time reading this story after the pandemic and I have to say that I kept wishing that it lean a little more into that, giving us more details, although what there was wasn't obviously inaccurate.
The writing in general does leave a lot to be desired. There are bones and flashes of a really good story that are never fully realised. I'm especially talking about Nerilka's grief from Suriana (honestly their relationship is so gay, I can't even) and her longing for Ruatha which at first was equated with Suriana and escaping her own family and them becoming almost a symbol of hope. Also, as I'm one for messy relationships, I was kind of into the fact that Nerilka loved Alessan because Suriana loved him and wanted him because of that. To be honest, I kind of wish McCaffrey leaned into that as well, if you come up with shit like that you should properly own it. Also, in my headcannon, if Nerilka and Suriana were lovers as well, it would come full circle from Alessan's side as well. (Sorry not sorry for this.)
To be completely honest, I have a soft spot for marriage of convenience so I did dig the relationship between Alessan and Nerilka, but at the same time I can't help but think that Nerilka deserves better. Thinking about it, I don't necessarily mean that the story should have been changed, but I do wish the accents were different and some of the things dropped or diminished (like the stepmother).
It was my first time reading Coelura and... I mean, I had fun, but I'm not so impressed with it either. It is set in entirely different universe on a planet full of dangerous predators (some of the descriptions of that did make me really intrigued), but the story was a bit half-baked to me. The romance was inta-lovey, the eugenics of the world were A LOT and although it seemed like the story might be about the evils of capitalism, the solution to that was kind of... not a solution? Even the MC is skeptical that it would work.
So yeah, this was fun. Would I recommend it? No. I'm looking toward reading more McCaffrey though. It makes me consider writing some queer dragonriders of Pern fanfiction 😂
July 7, 2024
The book is two novellas put together, one is a Pern story the other is not.
Nerilka's story is set in the time of Lady Moreta. A great plague is devastating Pern. The whole planet does not know how to stop it.
Nerilka is the daughter of Lord Holder, who turns her back on her life in an upper-class family. Her father leaves her sister and mother to die and defies the edict to travel. He returns home and sets up his mistress as his new wife. He also stops anyone in his lands from helping the sick. Nerilka is grief-stricken and disgusted in turns. She runs away from her hold, disguises herself as a common healer and goes to Ruatha hold and Lord Alessan. Her future is uncertain but, she must survive and help everyone she can to survive.
I enjoyed this story, taught, with a feisty heroine who turns homely at the end as if every woman's role is to become a wife. However, this is the first Pern novel with a female heroine who is neither a dragon rider nor a master harper. I liked it because it showed what life on Pern is like for the farming folk and what happens if you have a bad holder.
I didn't enjoy The Coelura as much. Lady Caissa lives in a society where marriages are contracts. As time goes by people benefit from unions. Lady Caissa's father is making a financial and political alliance. She is not keen as she escapes only to crash land on a forbidden island and meet a stranger called Murrell. He has a special bond with a life form called Corelura, an intelligent rainbow species which can create fabulous clothing from your thoughts. Murrell wants to protect them from profiteers like Lady Cassia's father. She offers to help and a political thriller crossed with a romance ensues. The ending is a bit trite but it is light fun and perfect for the happily ever after crowd.
This book is great for fans of Pern, dragons, fantasy and strong young female heroines. I would love to keep the whole set on a shelf in my motorhome but alas no room. It is an excellent fantasy series.
Nerilka's story is set in the time of Lady Moreta. A great plague is devastating Pern. The whole planet does not know how to stop it.
Nerilka is the daughter of Lord Holder, who turns her back on her life in an upper-class family. Her father leaves her sister and mother to die and defies the edict to travel. He returns home and sets up his mistress as his new wife. He also stops anyone in his lands from helping the sick. Nerilka is grief-stricken and disgusted in turns. She runs away from her hold, disguises herself as a common healer and goes to Ruatha hold and Lord Alessan. Her future is uncertain but, she must survive and help everyone she can to survive.
I enjoyed this story, taught, with a feisty heroine who turns homely at the end as if every woman's role is to become a wife. However, this is the first Pern novel with a female heroine who is neither a dragon rider nor a master harper. I liked it because it showed what life on Pern is like for the farming folk and what happens if you have a bad holder.
I didn't enjoy The Coelura as much. Lady Caissa lives in a society where marriages are contracts. As time goes by people benefit from unions. Lady Caissa's father is making a financial and political alliance. She is not keen as she escapes only to crash land on a forbidden island and meet a stranger called Murrell. He has a special bond with a life form called Corelura, an intelligent rainbow species which can create fabulous clothing from your thoughts. Murrell wants to protect them from profiteers like Lady Cassia's father. She offers to help and a political thriller crossed with a romance ensues. The ending is a bit trite but it is light fun and perfect for the happily ever after crowd.
This book is great for fans of Pern, dragons, fantasy and strong young female heroines. I would love to keep the whole set on a shelf in my motorhome but alas no room. It is an excellent fantasy series.
September 15, 2021
I think Nerilka is a very underated story and, after reading it, I think she is up there with my favourite Pern characters.
I know that each character brings something different to a story, but Nerilka, rather than being an outgoing, dragon riding heroine, is that rarer breed - someone who spends their life being overlooked, and only really appreciated by the very discerning, but who continues, day by day, doing all that she can to make the lives of all about her better.
Although the story takes place in conjunction with Moreta, I didn't find it boring, or repetitious, as Nerilka tells her story from the viewpoint of being Hold bred, daughter to a Hold Lord, and so trained well in all things domestic, whereas Moreta strikes me as someone who always was a free spirit, even before Impressing.
I was a little sad that, because she loved Alessan, she put up with being third best in his life, but, being as practical as she was, I guess that was still a better choice, than ending up as a drudge for a stepmother several years younger than herself!
Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story.
I haven't read The Coelura this time, as I'm sticking to my Pern stories right now, and that is a short story from another series.
So, following the chronological list of Pern, I go on to my all time favourite character, The Master Harper of Pern!
I know that each character brings something different to a story, but Nerilka, rather than being an outgoing, dragon riding heroine, is that rarer breed - someone who spends their life being overlooked, and only really appreciated by the very discerning, but who continues, day by day, doing all that she can to make the lives of all about her better.
Although the story takes place in conjunction with Moreta, I didn't find it boring, or repetitious, as Nerilka tells her story from the viewpoint of being Hold bred, daughter to a Hold Lord, and so trained well in all things domestic, whereas Moreta strikes me as someone who always was a free spirit, even before Impressing.
I was a little sad that, because she loved Alessan, she put up with being third best in his life, but, being as practical as she was, I guess that was still a better choice, than ending up as a drudge for a stepmother several years younger than herself!
Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story.
I haven't read The Coelura this time, as I'm sticking to my Pern stories right now, and that is a short story from another series.
So, following the chronological list of Pern, I go on to my all time favourite character, The Master Harper of Pern!
July 24, 2023
Anne McCaffrey writes about Pern, an imaginary planet that is populated by humans and dragons. I am reading all her books in sequence.
Nerilka's Story is a novella and is the companion to Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, a more significant novel about a terrible disease which is devastating Pern. Nerilka is initially portrayed as a fairly insignificant daughter of a great lord; someone who is in the shadows. However, through her own perseverance, she escapes her father's influence and travels to Ruatha, a different part of Pern, where she begins to make a significant contribution to the community. Over time, this contribution increases and, despite being a plain looking and unassuming young woman, she eventually finds her own happiness in her new home.
I liked Nerilka's Story. It was less exciting than Moreta and many of the other Pern novels. However, what I did appreciate was how Anne McCaffrey draws out Nerilka's personality as she grows in stature while facing and overcoming the innumerable hurdles and challenges before her.
The Coelura is a stand-alone short story which is totally unrelated to the Pern novels. It was okay as far as sci-fi goes, but I question why it was included in the same edition as Nerilka.
Nerilka's Story is a novella and is the companion to Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, a more significant novel about a terrible disease which is devastating Pern. Nerilka is initially portrayed as a fairly insignificant daughter of a great lord; someone who is in the shadows. However, through her own perseverance, she escapes her father's influence and travels to Ruatha, a different part of Pern, where she begins to make a significant contribution to the community. Over time, this contribution increases and, despite being a plain looking and unassuming young woman, she eventually finds her own happiness in her new home.
I liked Nerilka's Story. It was less exciting than Moreta and many of the other Pern novels. However, what I did appreciate was how Anne McCaffrey draws out Nerilka's personality as she grows in stature while facing and overcoming the innumerable hurdles and challenges before her.
The Coelura is a stand-alone short story which is totally unrelated to the Pern novels. It was okay as far as sci-fi goes, but I question why it was included in the same edition as Nerilka.
May 19, 2020
Nelrika’s story is a parallel story to the Moreta one - in a novella. Nelrika is a practical Lord Holder’s daughter - but her father does not realise how much she does to keep it going, including collecting herbs.
When the plague starts she gets frustrated by her father’s selfish attitude about not letting any of their stores to help others despite the fact that they have so much that some is just being eaten by the tunnel snakes. She leaves the hold and it takes weeks for her father to notice. She helps in the camp that has the harpers and healers her father won’t allow into the hold area. She then manages to get to the badly hit Ruatha hold where her foster sister married to the Lord Holder but died in an accident. She always wanted to go there and uses her skills to help to sort the hold out.
The Coelura is a piece of cloth that is sentient and reflects the moods of its wearer and will rearrange itself into any style you want. It was so popular it was nearly killed by over production and selling. This is about what happens when a diplomat to the world where it was created tries to fulfil a promise to get some, and how his body heir feels about it.
When the plague starts she gets frustrated by her father’s selfish attitude about not letting any of their stores to help others despite the fact that they have so much that some is just being eaten by the tunnel snakes. She leaves the hold and it takes weeks for her father to notice. She helps in the camp that has the harpers and healers her father won’t allow into the hold area. She then manages to get to the badly hit Ruatha hold where her foster sister married to the Lord Holder but died in an accident. She always wanted to go there and uses her skills to help to sort the hold out.
The Coelura is a piece of cloth that is sentient and reflects the moods of its wearer and will rearrange itself into any style you want. It was so popular it was nearly killed by over production and selling. This is about what happens when a diplomat to the world where it was created tries to fulfil a promise to get some, and how his body heir feels about it.
January 16, 2023
'Nerilka's Story' is the companion to 'Moreta', telling of the spread of the Flu from a different point of view. Determined to be of help, even though her Father forbids it, Nerilka leaves her place and moves into the refugee camp, tending the sick, burying the dead and making herself invaluable, until she ends up at Ruatha. She's there to comfort Allessan as Moreta makes her final ride, and ends up making a deal with him in order to get the Hold back on its feet.
It's a nice story - not my favourite in the Pern canon, but entertaining enough. It's weird reading about Pern in the first person thought, which maybe why it seems a little odd, but I liked Rill enough to want her to succeed.
'The Coelura' is a stand alone novella unrelated to Pern. It's a weird little take, but kind of follows the same line as Nerilka. A high-born daughter rebels against her father and discovers something amazing on their home world. I personally don't wish to where clothing that can broadcast my inner emotions, but I enjoyed reading it nonethless.
It's a nice story - not my favourite in the Pern canon, but entertaining enough. It's weird reading about Pern in the first person thought, which maybe why it seems a little odd, but I liked Rill enough to want her to succeed.
'The Coelura' is a stand alone novella unrelated to Pern. It's a weird little take, but kind of follows the same line as Nerilka. A high-born daughter rebels against her father and discovers something amazing on their home world. I personally don't wish to where clothing that can broadcast my inner emotions, but I enjoyed reading it nonethless.
July 17, 2018
I enjoyed this book and really like the fact that Anne McCaffrey often tells the same story but from a different character viewpoint or world. She does this with the first story Nerilka's Story and it really helps to flesh the whole world out as well as giving us a different view on the World's events. I rated this book three stars because, although I enjoyed it, it didn't really continue the story very much and also I couldn't connect with the characters as easily as I can do in a much longer novel.
The Coelura was interesting and I think I enjoyed that more than Nerilka's Story. I loved the idea of the Coelura shaping as clothes around your body and reflecting your mood. This was a fun little sidestep book to the continuing Pern novels.
The Coelura was interesting and I think I enjoyed that more than Nerilka's Story. I loved the idea of the Coelura shaping as clothes around your body and reflecting your mood. This was a fun little sidestep book to the continuing Pern novels.
August 3, 2021
I’ve always loved this little novella (turns out it was published in hardback with the gorgeous Steve Weston cover which I’ve just purchased second hand). Reading again seems very appropriate at this COVID time. Nerilka’s father breaking quarantine is quite on point but there seems to be a very high vaccination rate that we are nowhere near reaching here in Australia! No Byron Bay anti vaxxers on Pern thankfully.
Nerilka has a small role in Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern which is fleshed out here. She’s competent and under valued at home in Fort Hold and finally breaks free of her oppressive father to make a like for herself at Ruatha Hold. Some parts haven’t aged well, like the drudges, but Nerilka herself still shines as a pragmatic, hardworking, intelligent heroine who deserves her HEA.
Nerilka has a small role in Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern which is fleshed out here. She’s competent and under valued at home in Fort Hold and finally breaks free of her oppressive father to make a like for herself at Ruatha Hold. Some parts haven’t aged well, like the drudges, but Nerilka herself still shines as a pragmatic, hardworking, intelligent heroine who deserves her HEA.
February 5, 2023
Nerilka's Story
Unlike the other Pern stories this one is told from the perspective of Nerilka, a character who was mentioned a few times in the book 'Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern' and generally covers the same time period and events.
It is an inspiring and fascinating story with wonderful characterisation and a deeply emotional ending.
Another Pern gem and worth a 4.5 rating.
The Coelura
I was expecting this to be a Pern story, however, it is completely unrelated and is a rather strange story, both in subject matter and in the style it is written which while readable failed to capture my interest.
I would only give a 3.5 rating.
Unlike the other Pern stories this one is told from the perspective of Nerilka, a character who was mentioned a few times in the book 'Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern' and generally covers the same time period and events.
It is an inspiring and fascinating story with wonderful characterisation and a deeply emotional ending.
Another Pern gem and worth a 4.5 rating.
The Coelura
I was expecting this to be a Pern story, however, it is completely unrelated and is a rather strange story, both in subject matter and in the style it is written which while readable failed to capture my interest.
I would only give a 3.5 rating.
December 5, 2024
This was two books in one, and the star rating should really be 2.5 for Nerilka’s Story and 3.5 for the Coelura
Nerilka’s story was disappointing. There was a lot of overlap with Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and not enough extra detail. Also, i was just so disappointed, but I held Nerilka Ended up in a marriage with someone who didn’t really love her.
The Coelura was interesting and I quite liked it, but I wanted it to be a lot longer and have a lot more elaboration of the world. I also don’t really know why it is combined with Nerilka’s Story, because it’s not from the same universe as the Pern books.
Nerilka’s story was disappointing. There was a lot of overlap with Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern and not enough extra detail. Also, i was just so disappointed, but I held Nerilka Ended up in a marriage with someone who didn’t really love her.
The Coelura was interesting and I quite liked it, but I wanted it to be a lot longer and have a lot more elaboration of the world. I also don’t really know why it is combined with Nerilka’s Story, because it’s not from the same universe as the Pern books.
December 5, 2025
I read an awful lot of Anne McCaffrey as a teenager and young adult. I saw this on the shelf in the library when walking past, so picked it up. I read all the Pern books up to a certain point, and even have an atlas of the planet somewhere. So, I had read Nerilka’s Story at some point, but in this book it is combined with a longish short story about a totally different place. I don’t know if the author wrote more about the universe of the Coelura. Nerilka’s story is more a novella than a full book, and is a companion to Moreta’s Ride, happening in the same time and telling of the same events from a different perspective. Moreta’s Ride made young me cry. Nerilka’s Story did not.
June 12, 2018
Nerilka's story is good. Written in a different style from her usual as it's voiced by one of the characters who appear in "Moreta - weyrwoman of Pern". It becomes an interesting and illuminating view of one person's adjustment to loss.
The Coelura is a very different story, and not connected with Pern. You cannot fault the breadth of imagination that has gone into this, nor the observations of the desperately formal society the story is (mainly) set in.
The Coelura is a very different story, and not connected with Pern. You cannot fault the breadth of imagination that has gone into this, nor the observations of the desperately formal society the story is (mainly) set in.
July 31, 2025
It was just okay, the first novella was better than the second. The first one was pretty good up until a very weird and forced sexual interaction between a distraught lord and a loyal nurse. The second one was just okay, I don't think it had to do with the fantasy world the first novella wrote about.
As much as I enjoy the look and feel of these old fantasy/sci-fi books, I have to be honest in my rating of the quality of the books I read.
2.5/5
As much as I enjoy the look and feel of these old fantasy/sci-fi books, I have to be honest in my rating of the quality of the books I read.
2.5/5
December 16, 2021
Anne McCaffrey is very clever at taking a peripheral character from a previous and writing a story about them. Not one of her best stories , but good enough to keep you turning the pages. Written in the 1980's, after Moreta Dragon Lady of Pern, they has a touch of deja vu of 2021.
I did not start The Coelura after reading Nerilka's Story. But all I can say about it is Weird!!
I did not start The Coelura after reading Nerilka's Story. But all I can say about it is Weird!!
May 4, 2017
Fairly unexceptional. The first story concerned a young woman escaping her home during a time of plague and was moderately enjoyable. The second was science fiction, and tedious. Donating straight back to the charity shop.
July 6, 2022
Good pair of shorter stories
A look at one of Pern's legends from another viewpoint paired with one of Anne McCaffrey's other science fiction forays - an entertaining tale of a planet with a very interesting lifeform
A look at one of Pern's legends from another viewpoint paired with one of Anne McCaffrey's other science fiction forays - an entertaining tale of a planet with a very interesting lifeform
January 10, 2023
It has been sometime since I visited Pern but Nerilka’s Story sucked me right back in. Very enjoyable!
The Coelura took me to an unfamiliar universe and demonstrated Anne McCaffrey’s depth as an author. Worth a read.
The Coelura took me to an unfamiliar universe and demonstrated Anne McCaffrey’s depth as an author. Worth a read.
Currently reading
March 2, 2024it’s a short reread
I have to read it in the sequence for Nerilka’s story, but the Coelura being in there annoys me. It’s a different world, and although I love the story and the concept, it’s not the Pern that I am suspending my reality to be in.
I have to read it in the sequence for Nerilka’s story, but the Coelura being in there annoys me. It’s a different world, and although I love the story and the concept, it’s not the Pern that I am suspending my reality to be in.
March 26, 2024
The first Pern story was more enjoyable for me than the second more sci fi story. I did finish both but I am glad that the second was the shorter tale.
If you are a fan of Pern then definitely worth a read.
If you are a fan of Pern then definitely worth a read.
January 29, 2018
Not too impressed, got bored and skipped most of it, story wasn't same as what I expected.
October 10, 2019
😎💝❣ I think that Anne McCaffrey is the best in all things dragon❣❣❣❣💗
December 17, 2020
2,5
Nerilka's Story - 3*
The Coelura - 2*
Nerilka's Story - 3*
The Coelura - 2*
February 24, 2021
A very good, enjoyable, easy read. My two complaints were the stock characters and unrealistic emotions/reactions to things. But enjoyable and I'm sure I'll read them again.
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