Dragonsinger

Nothing really happens in the book. It feels like a prologue to a story rather than an actual story. Well written, and likeable characters, but when I got to the end I was like ??? did anything actually happen? There was one part that showed a new ability Menolly had and I was very intrigued, but then nothing came of that. It was kind of disappointing, honestly. I would assume it would be explored in the next book, but the next book is about a totally different character. Despite that, I really enjoyed my time reading it. I just wish it was a bit more eventful.

Interesting to find out "Dragonsinger" is the fourth book in Anne McCaffrey's Pern series because I have always thought of it as the middle volume in the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy. In "Dragonsong" we met Menolly, my favorite character in the entire Pern universe. A musical prodigy who has been forbidden by her stern father to sing or play music, Menolly runs away and ends up impressing a clutch of nine fire lizards. But Masterharper Robinton has been searching high and low for her and having found her, brings Menolly to the Harper Hall. In "Dragonsinger" Menolly begins to learn her craft as an apprentice. The Harper Hall is not sure what to make of the island girl and her singing fire lizards, but Menolly is equally astounded by her new world. Menolly is one of the most enchanting heroines in fiction, mainly because the girl has not a clue in the world that she is so talented. After just about every test she is convinced she has failed, convinced that her only friend in the world is Piemur, another one of the young apprentices, and amazed that Robinton takes any interest in her at all. But it is Menolly's encounters with the other Masters, especially Jerint the instrument maker and Domick the composer, that stand out in this tale. Oh, and there is also Journeyman Sebell, who has also taken a special interest in her. "Dragonsinger" is a fitting conclusion to the story begun in "Dragonsong," and since the "next" volume in the trilogy, "Dragondrums," really focuses more on Piemur, this is really the climax to the story of Menolly. McCaffrey's conclusion is extremely satisfying and my only serious complaint about the Pern series after "Dragonsinger" is that Menolly has been reduced to a minor supporting character. One of the nice things about these books is that they are fairly self-contained, you do not have to read all the Pern books in order for them to make sense. I would think young girls who love music would especially enjoy reading these novels.

This book was fantastic! It has the best qualities of a science fiction book, and it has nothing that one could argue with reasonably. The plot is this: Menolly, a young girl, has at last been recognized as a wonderful musician, and is sent immediately to the Harper Hall of Pern. There, she encounters all sorts of surprises, such as that the instrument she picks as the best of a roomful for herself was once the Masterharper's, or that there is so little everyone knows about fire lizards, intelligent flying reptiles of which Menolly has nine. She makes friends in Camo, a dimwitted kitchen assistant who loves her fire lizards, and Piemur, a fellow student. Over the time she spends at the Harper Hall, Menolly grows into a masterful musician, and earns the right to become a Journeyman. This book is good because there is no magic, so it won't offend any church. It has marvelous plot dexterity and, well, rhythm. I would recommend this book for searchers of books beyond Harry Potter, SF lovers, or anyone who enjoys a good read.

This is quite possibly my favorite book from my favorite author. As a teen I read Dragon Song and Dragon Singer and came as close as anyone can to falling in love with a character in a book. Anne puts more real emotions and situations into her science fiction novels than most writers of "reality based" fiction ever could. I do not know how anyone could read this book and not feel that Menolly and Robington and their fire lizards must exist in some plane of existance and that Anne is merely conveying their very real story. If Frank L. Baum declared himself the royal historian of Oz, then Anne to has claimed that position for an equally fantastic, and yet real place; Pern.

I first read this book in the early 1980s when I found it in my elementary school library. This was the only time I have ever been justified by judging a book on it's cover! I devoured the whole series by the age of 12, and though I enjoyed all the books, this one stands as my all time favorite. There is real emotional depth in McCaffery's characters. Unlike a lot of fantasy and SF novels you can really relate to all her characters. Menolly in particular is as "real " a person as you can get in fiction. Her isolation and depression as a result of her neglect are all too common among young women everywhere. It is not fiction that girls are passed by in favor of men still. Her eventual rise out of her depression and acceptance of her own talent was encouraging to me as a creatively stifled young artist. When I had no Petiron or Robinton in my life it gave me hope. It has always been my favorite novel. I strongly recommened it. I am reading it again right now!!