Continues the story of Pern. A sudden squall blows up and capsizes Alemi and Readis's boat. The shipfish save them by holding the ship above water, guiding them and speaking to them. The shipfish are dolphins and Readis longs to work with them and be Pern's first dolphineer.

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this.

'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants' - THE TIMES
'Anne McCaffrey has written another moving book that ended with a huge smile on my face. I have not read anything she has written and been disappointed.' -- ***** Reader review
'Excellent, well what else should I expect from Perm?' -- ***** Reader review
'Absorbing' -- ***** Reader review
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As a small boy, Readis Lilcamp is rescued by the 'shipfish' when he and his uncle Alemi are caught in a sudden squall beyond Paradise River Hold. AIVAS confirms that the big fish are called dolphins, part of the original settlers of Pern.

On Earth they had been partnered with men, having learned to speak intelligible words. Readis, his Uncle Alemi and bronze Gadareth's rider, T'lion of Eastern Hold, are determined to restore the 'doll fins' to their rightful place in the ecology of Pern...and the partnership of men.

Meanwhile, the fight to rid Pern of the terrible nightmare of Thread is still all consuming. While Lord Jaxom, F'lar and his dragonriders struggle to implement AIVAS' instructions, other challenges are issued and answered, including one which threatens young T'lion in the shape of his older brother, a brown rider, who harbours a deep grudge.

And, of course, Readis must win his parents' consent to his association with the 'sea dragons of Pern' - the bottlenose dolphins - for they could be vital to the survival of Pern...