In a society reeling with "future shock," and in which the comforts of small towns, "best friends," and the extended family common a century ago have given way to an increasingly mobile and fragmented way of life, Americans find themselves engaged in a search for closeness and lasting intimacy. A side-effect of this is that America has become a nation of petowners; the population of pets is greater than the human population.

In her Pern books, McCaffrey creates the ideal friend in her firelizards and, particularly, in her dragons. The dragons are enormous and beautiful creatures of intelligence and great common sense that share a complete, symbiotic bond of empathy with their rider, and with that rider only. Smaller and less intelligent, firelizards share the same empathic bonding to one person. They are a complete, instant antidote to isolation and loneliness.

McCaffrey is also one of...