In the Hall of the Dragon Harper - DragonSinger: Pern vol. 5
Written: Apr 12 '05 (Updated Aug 06 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The further adventures of Menolly – learn the inner workings of the Harper Hall
Cons: Less excitement than DragonSong
The Bottom Line: If you liked DragonSong, you'll like this... even if you don't get to have a firelizard... harrumph...
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| pearannoyed's Full Review: Dragonsinger Books |
DragonSong, the first of Anne McCaffrey's books that didn't deal specifically with dragons and the operation of the Weyrs, introduced a fiery young heroine named Menolly. Caught in the politics of a patriarchal society, Menolly does what so many in the 'real world' fail to do – she stands up for herself even when it means losing everything. DragonSinger is proof that sometimes when you lose everything, you gain the one thing that is truly important....
The World
The planet Pern is much like Earth, and is, in fact, populated by humans. The humans share the planet with large, telepathic dragons who can chew a stone which enables them to breathe fire. These fire-breathing friends are especially useful in combating Thread—the showers of deadly, parasitic spores which fall into Pern’s atmosphere at regular intervals.
The Story
Caution—As with any review of a book which is part of a series, this review may share some details from prior volumes. It is not my intent to spoil the previous books, but I make no guarantees. You have been warned.
Menolly has had an unhappy life. She has been denied her one true love – music. She has been dismissed as a lazy and worthless girl by her family, and she has lived holdless, with only a fair of wild firelizards as her friends. Having finally arrived at the Harper Hall in the company of the Master Harper himself, Menolly still finds herself quite apprehensive. What if she's not good enough? What if it's true that as a girl she won't really find a place here?
At first it seems maybe she really won't fit in. She is given a room in the dormitory reserved for the daughters of Holders who are sent to the Harper Hall for social refinement. Unfortunately, since Menolly's talent and understanding of music far exceeds that of even the most gifted of her bunkmates, she becomes the object of their scorn and the kind of cruelty that only girls can show to one another. Even Dunca, the woman overseeing the girls' dorm, seems to resent her newest charge.
But there are some moments of deep satisfaction for her as well. First and foremost, she is not only allowed her music, she is required to play and sing and write and make instuments; she is, in fact, pushed to her limits by each of the instructors as they evaluate her abilities. She also finds that, far from being an outcast, the other apprentice harpers respect and even envy her natural talent. One young apprentice in particular – the impish yet golden-voiced Piemur – becomes both companion and confidant. For the first time in her life, Menolly finds herself among friends and equals; now she just has to make it through her first week....
My Thoughts
DragonSinger doesn’t have quite the same level of raw excitement as the first in this trilogy, DragonSong, but is thoroughly entertaining in its own right. While that book was full of suspense and discovery, this one is more about developing an already established character. But for anyone already enamored with Pern's dragons and firelizards – anyone wanting to delve more deeply into Pernese culture – will find this book a delight.
Written in classic McCaffrey style, the sentence structure is often short and perky... but the overarching plot lines can easily confuse someone who isn't paying attention – McCaffrey has an apparent love of minutia. But even with what sometimes seems a tedious level of detail, this book, like the others in this series, is a quick and easy read.
I heartily recommend DragonSinger and the rest of the Harper Hall Trilogy to anyone interested in Dragons, music, or the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Unlike many of the books in the Pern series, this trilogy is specifically written to the younger audience and would be appropriate for readers from 11 or 12 years old and can act as an excellent introduction to the series as a whole.
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For a more complete look at life on Pern, check out this brief overview.
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Books in the Pern collection:
Dragonriders Trilogy
Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
Harper Hall Trilogy
DragonSong
DragonSinger
DragonDrums
Other Pern Novels
Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern
Nerilka’s Story
Dragonsdawn
Renegades of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern
Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
The Dolphins of Pern
Dragonseye (U.S.), Red Star Rising (U.K)
The Masterharper of Pern
The Skies of Pern
Dragon’s Kin (with Todd McCaffrey)
Dragon’s Blood (by Todd McCaffrey—coming Jan. 2005)
Compilations
The Dragonriders of Pern (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon)
On Dragonwings (Dragonsdawn, Dragonseye and Moreta)
A Gift of Dragons (short stories)
Related Works
The Dragonlover’s Guide to Pern (ed. Jody Lynn Nye / Bill Fawcett)
The Atlas of Pern (by Karen Fonstad)
The People of Pern (a ‘portrait gallery’ by artist Robin Wood)
Recommended:
Yes
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pearannoyed
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Member: Amy Padgett
Location: CA Dreamin' ~ TX reality
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