Anne McCaffrey books in order
American-Irish novelist
- Lived
- 1926–2011
- Country
- Ireland
- Books
- 113
- Series
- 10
Anne McCaffrey published 95 novels, 7 novellas, 4 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 5 other books, beginning with Restoree (1967). The 10 series include Dragonriders of Pern (25 books, starting with Dragonflight), The Talents Universe (8 books, starting with The Rowan) and Acorna (7 books, starting with Acorna: The Unicorn Girl). The best-known is Dragonflight (1968).
Updated September 2026
Dragonriders of Pern books in order (25)Series page
Reading order: 1 Dragonflight (1968) · 2 Dragonquest (1971) · 3 The White Dragon (1978) · 4 Dragonsong (1976) · 5 Dragonsinger (1977) · 6 Dragondrums (1979) · 7 Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern (1983) · 8 Nerilka's Story (1985) · 9 Dragonsdawn (1988) · 10 The Renegades of Pern (1989) · … all 25 below
- 1.
Dragonflight (Jul 1968)
- 2.
Dragonquest (May 1971)
- 3.
The White Dragon (Jun 1978)
- 4.
Dragonsong (Jan 1976)
- 5.
Dragonsinger (Feb 1977)
- 6.
Dragondrums (Feb 1979)
- 7.
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern (Oct 1983)
- 8.
Nerilka's Story (May 1985)
- 9.
Dragonsdawn (Oct 1988), also published as The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
- 10.
The Renegades of Pern (Oct 1989)
- 11.
All the Weyrs of Pern (Sep 1991), also published as Dragonseye
- 12.
The Dolphins of Pern (Sep 1994)
- 13.
Red Star Rising
- 14.
The Masterharper of Pern (Jan 1998)
- 15.
The Skies of Pern (Apr 2001)
- 16.
Dragon's Kin (Nov 2003)
- 17.
Dragon's Fire (Jul 2006)
- 18.
Dragon Harper (Dec 2007)
- 19.
Dragon's Time (Jun 2011)
- 20.
Sky Dragons (2012)
- 21.
Dragonsblood
- 22.
Dragonheart
- 23.
Dragongirl (2010)
- 24.
Dragon's Code
A Gift of Dragons (2002)
The Talents Universe books in order (8)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Rowan (1990) · 2 Damia's Children (1993) · 3 Lyon's Pride (1994) · 4 The Tower and the Hive (1999) · To Ride Pegasus (1973) · Pegasus in Flight (1990) · Damia (1991) · Pegasus in Space (2000)
- 1.
The Rowan (Aug 1990)
- 2.
Damia's Children (1993)
- 3.
Lyon's Pride (1994)
- 4.
The Tower and the Hive (1999)
To Ride Pegasus (Aug 1973)
Pegasus in Flight (Dec 1990)
Damia (1991)
Pegasus in Space (2000)
Acorna books in order (7)Series page
Reading order: 1 Acorna: The Unicorn Girl (1998) · 2 Acorna's Quest (1998) · 3 Acorna's People (1999) · 4 Acorna's World (2000) · 5 Acorna's Search (2001) · 6 Acorna's Rebels (2003) · 7 Acorna's Triumph (2004)
- 1.
Acorna: The Unicorn Girl (Jul 1998)
- 2.
Acorna's Quest (1998)
- 3.
Acorna's People (1999)
- 4.
Acorna's World (2000)
- 5.
Acorna's Search (2001)
- 6.
Acorna's Rebels (2003)
- 7.
Acorna's Triumph (2004)
The Ship Who ... books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Ship Who Sang (1969) · 2 The Ship Who Searched (1992) · 3 The City Who Fought (1993) · 4 The Ship Who Won (1994)
- 1.
The Ship Who Sang (1969), also published as PartnerShip
- 2.
The Ship Who Searched (1992), with Mercedes Lackey
- 3.
The City Who Fought (1993)
- 4.
The Ship Who Won (1994)
Catteni books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 Freedom's Landing (1995) · 2 Freedom's Choice (1997) · 3 Freedom's Challenge (1998) · 4 Freedom's Ransom (2002)
- 1.
Freedom's Landing (1995)
- 2.
Freedom's Choice (1997)
- 3.
Freedom's Challenge (1998)
- 4.
Freedom's Ransom (2002)
Crystal Singer books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Crystal Singer (1982) · 2 Killashandra (1986) · 3 Crystal Line (1992)
- 1.
Crystal Singer (Feb 1982)
- 2.
Killashandra (1986)
- 3.
Crystal Line (Nov 1992)
Planet Pirates books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Sassinak (1990) · 2 The Death of Sleep (1990) · 3 Generation Warriors (1991)
- 1.
Sassinak (Mar 1990), with Elizabeth Moon
- 2.
The Death of Sleep (Jul 1990)
- 3.
Generation Warriors (Mar 1991), with Elizabeth Moon
Petaybee books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Powers That Be (1993) · 2 Power Lines (1994) · 3 Power Play (1995)
- 1.
Powers That Be (Jul 1993)
- 2.
Power Lines (Jun 1994)
- 3.
Power Play (Apr 1995)
The Twins of Petaybee books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Changelings (2005) · 2 Maelstrom (2006) · 3 Deluge (2008)
- 1.
Changelings (2005)
- 2.
Maelstrom (2006)
- 3.
Deluge (2008)
Acorna's Children books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 First Warning (2005) · 2 Second Wave (2006) · 3 Third Watch (2007)
- 1.
First Warning (2005)
- 2.
Second Wave (2006)
- 3.
Third Watch (2007)
Where to start with Anne McCaffrey
Start here
Dragonflight
Anne McCaffrey's most-read book and the first of the 25 Dragonriders of Pern books.
Highest rated
Dragonsong
Rated 4.3 out of 5 by 31 readers.
Shortest way in
The Ship Who Sang
One of the most-read, at about 248 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Restoree (Sep 1967)
Decision at Doona (Apr 1969)
Ring of Fear (1971)
Demon Kind (1973)
Omega (1973)
The Kilternan Legacy (1976)
The Mark of Merlin (1977)
Dinosaur Planet (1978)
The Harper Hall of Pern (1979)
Survivors (1984)
The Mystery of Ireta (1984)
Alchemy and Academe: A Collection of Original Stories Concerning Themselves with Transmutations, Mental and Elemental, Alchemical and Academic (1985)
Stitch in Snow (1985)
The Year of the Lucy (1986)
Nerilka's Story and the Coelura (1987)
The Coelura (1987)
The Lady (1987)
The Carradyne Touch (1988)
Pegasus in Flight and to Ride Pegasus (1990)
Rescue Run (1991)
The Zenna Henderson Collection (1991)
Crisis on Doona (1992)
Three Women (1992)
The Dolphins' Bell (1993)
Treaty at Doona (1994)
Treaty Planet (1994)
Black Horses for the King (1996)
The Book of Freedoms (1998)
Nimisha's Ship (Dec 1998)
The Dragonriders of Pern (1999)
On Dragonwings (2003)
The Ship Who Saved the Worlds (2003)
Doona (2004)
Catacombs (2010)
Novellas in order
A Time When (1975)
A Diversity of Dragons (1996)
Exchange of Gifts (2002)
No One Noticed the Cat (2004)
If Wishes Were Horses (2006)
Dragonholder (2011)
Short story collections in order
Get Off the Unicorn (1977)
The Girl Who Heard Dragons (May 1994)
Legends II (2003), with George R. R. Martin and Neil Gaiman
Non-fiction in order
Cooking Out of This Wrld (1973)
Serve It Forth (1996)
Other books in order
Continuum 2 (1974)
Storyteller (1985)
Dragonflight Graphic Novel (1993)
Anne McCaffrey Pern Collection (2002)
Dragonriders' Dawn (2006)
About Anne McCaffrey
Anne 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 and the first to win a Nebula Award. Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Anne McCaffrey FAQ
- How many books has Anne McCaffrey written?
- Anne McCaffrey published 95 novels, 7 novellas, 4 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 5 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Anne McCaffrey's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Dragonriders of Pern with Dragonflight, The Talents Universe with The Rowan and Acorna with Acorna: The Unicorn Girl. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Anne McCaffrey's last book?
- Sky Dragons (2012).
- What is Anne McCaffrey's most famous book?
- Dragonflight (1968) is Anne McCaffrey's most widely read book.
- Are Anne McCaffrey's books connected?
- 63 books belong to 10 series (Dragonriders of Pern, The Talents Universe, Acorna and The Ship Who ...); the other 50 books stand alone.
Authors like Anne McCaffrey
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Octavia E. Butler
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Philip K. Dick
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Stephen King
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Ursula K. Le Guin
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C. S. Lewis
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.