THE DOLPHINS OF PERN

When Masterfisher Alemi took young Readis out to catch redfins for the evening feast, neither of them realized it heralded a new chapter in the history of Pern. For when a sudden black squall blew up, their mast splintered and broke and their boat capsized. It was the shipfish who saved them, swooping up from the deep, holding them firm above the water, guiding them back to land, and above all speaking to them. Alemi, called to the all-encompassing power of AIVAS, learned that the shipfish were dolphins - brought to Pern with the early colonists to help and guide man through the oceans of the new planet. Now all the old Dolphin lore had to be rediscovered . . .

Science Fiction Book Club winner "Book of the Year" award in 1994.