Dragonsong

by Anne McCaffrey

Book Overview

Fifteen-year-old Menolly allies with magnificent dragons in the first book in the Harper Hall trilogy, set within science fiction legend Anne McCaffrey's beloved and bestselling Dragonriders of Pern series. For centuries, the world of Pern has faced a destructive force known as Thread. But the number of magnificent dragons who have protected this world and the men and women who ride them are dwindling. As fewer dragons ride the winds and destruction...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689860080
• ISBN13: 9780689860089
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Wilderness survival with a strong emotional hook and dragons!

I adore this book. I’m really partial to stories with dragons and wilderness survival, so it’s a perfect match. It’s a very melancholic book, the characters aren’t happy very often, but it’s a tale of strength and survival and being true to yourself. I really sympathize and believe in Menolly. I do think it's too slow in some parts, though.

This book has no romance with the main character.

I was expecting her to get together with Elgion... And by that I mean that I thought they'd fall in love. The plot even seemed to be building up to do just that, but then when the end came it turned in a hole other direction. From the reviews of the book that comes after this one I gather that Elgion isn't even in that book... And it even sounded like maybe she might fall in love with some other guy. I'm definitely not getting that book, but I don't know if I should keep this one, or get rid of it...

Pern and it's magic dragons

For the child that loves dragons and stories about dragons, only one book series comes to mind that has successfully created an entire complex world of dragons and the people who love them. Anne McCaffrey's dragonriders of Pern series has existed since the 1970s and it is still as popular as ever. Author McCaffrey has written intricate imaginings about Pern and its inhabitants. At once sci-fi and fantasy, she is an adept writer that fully deserves the popularity she has received. For the child that wants an easy introduction into this world, there are two options. They could begin at the very beginning of the series and slowly work their way through all the Pern books. Or, second option, they could start with a book that is both kid-friendly and a wonderful Intro to McCaffrey 101. "Dragonsong" was a book that I personally picked up in sixth grade and loved. It is the perfect way to learn more about the dragons of Pern, their riders, and the people of the planet. McCaffrey is smart. She knows that this book series is so complex that it there is no way in which to begin any plot without a recap of past events. She includes in this tale a map of Pern, a useful character list, and a Forward that deftly explains the history of the planet and its dragons. Then we meet Menolly. Born in a small fishing village, the girl is the most talented musician in the village, but she yearns to become a professional Harper and create music as well as sing/play it. Unfortunately, no woman has ever been a Harper before and her conservatively minded family is determined to squash this dream of Menolly's before she shames them in some way. When life for Menolly becomes too harsh, she escapes into the wide world and takes shelter in a cave. There, she discovers a cache of fire lizards, small cousins of the dragons that protect Pern. By witnessing the birth of nine of these pet sized dragons and tending to them, Menolly acquires nine faithful affectionate companions that will help her as she determines how best to live and survive. I don't think I've adequately conveyed the plot as well as I would have liked. Needless to say, long before Tamora Pierce made her name as the primo Heroines-In-Fantasy genre writer, McCaffrey was writing fantastic stories such as this. Boys reading this book will undoubtedly enjoy it, but I feel that like myself when young, girls will really gravitate towards the reading. Menolly is incredibly talented, but smothered and unappreciated by her family members. The fact that she possesses a brilliance with music and nine tiny dragons makes her special and different and you really want people to turn around and cheer her. When such a thing finally happens in the book, the reader is awash in joy for the character. McCaffrey is so adept that reading this book is just a delight. The only real problem with it comes with an odd backstory about the dragonrider Brekke. Up until that point, the book has mostly been easy to follow

With a Song In Her Heart

Dragonsong is the first novel in the Harper Hall trilogy and the fourth in the Pern series. Harpers are assigned to Holds and Guild Halls to educate the children and to pass on interesting events to the adults. Harpers are much in demand since the return of Thread and Lessa's heroic trip through time to bring forward another five full Weyrs from the past. In this novel, seven turns have passed since Lessa's trip through time. Half-Circle Sea Hold has lost their aged Harper and no one other than Menolly, the Sea Holder's youngest child, can properly sing the deathsong to honor old Petiron as he is put to rest. Yanus is upset that a mere girl should be given this honor, yet he has no choice but to allow it. Moreover, Menolly is the only one available to instruct the children in the Teaching songs. However, Yanus and his wife, Mavi, try to stop Menolly from "tuning", writing new songs. After repeated warnings, Yanus beats her with his belt when she dreamily strums a new tune in front of the children and Mavi piles works on her. When the new harper arrives, Yanus and Mavi try to keep Menolly from his attention, even though the new Harper has asked about the person who wrote the new songs that Petiron had sent to Harper Hall. When Menolly slashs her hand open while gutting packtails and gets slime into the cut, her mother cleans, stitches and bandages the wound and tells Menolly that she will no longer be able to use that hand to play music. The wound becomes poisoned by the slime as well as infected and Menolly spends a few days in pain and delirium. After she recovers, she spends most of her time out of the Hold gathering greens and fruit. One day Menolly is out gathering spiderclaws when she discovers a golden fire lizard trying to move her clutch of eggs away from a unusually high tide, but she keeps dropping them. At first, the little queen tries to drive Menolly away, but Menolly eventually persuades the queen to let her help. By the time the remaining eggs are safe, Threadfall drives Menolly into the small cave with the queen and her eggs and then the eggs begin to hatch. The young fire lizards are hungry and try to scramble out of the cave to catch food, but the falling Thread will kill them, so Menolly desperately feeds them the spiderclaws. By the time that the Threadfall is over, Menolly has impressed nine young fire lizards. This novel is my favorite in the Pern series, although others are almost as enjoyable. There is something fresh and open about the tale, and the songs, that especially appeals to me. Menolly is a talented young woman who belongs with the Harpers, despite her parents thoughts on the matter. Thus, the story is a classic generation gap plot with a final satisfactory resolution. This novel may appeal more to young women than to males, but I passed this novel on to my daughters because I liked it. You don't have to be female to enjoy this story. Menolly is an very likeable young woman who compells

The first novel in the enchanting trilogy about Menolly

"Dragonsong" is the first of Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall of Pern trilogy which focuses on my favorite Pern character, Menolly. In this first story, Menolly is the youngest child and daughter of Yanus, Sea Holder at Half-Cirlce Sea Hold in Benden Hold. Although she displays astounding musical talents, Menolly's father will have none of it. After the death of Petiron, the old Harper, Menolly is allowed to sign only to give the children their teaching songs. But when Elgion, the new Harper, arrives at Half-Circle Sea Hold, Menolly is forbidden to play ever again. Literally adding injury to insult, Menolly sustains a grevious wound to her hand while cleaning fish. But just as it looks at if life could not get any worse for Menolly, a wonderful thing happens. She impresses a clutch of nine fire lizards. In her miniature queen Beauty and the rest of the clutch, Menolly has a chorus of fire lizards who harmonize with her in a most amazing way. Meanwhile, Harper Elgion is having a problem, because he has been ordered by Master Harper Robinton to discover the prodigal talent Petrion has discovered. In his last message the Old Harper had sent two of the loveliest melodies Robinton had ever heard. But clearly none of the young lads at Half-Circle Sea Hold has a whit of musical talent and Yanus makes up some story about a foundling sent back to his own hold. Eventually Robinton himself comes to solve the mystery of the missing musical talent. No hyperbole here, but not since Anne of Green Gables have I come across as enchanting a young girl as Menolly (her name is just perfect too). The similarity is certainly palatable, what with a young woman who is told to deny her talents because she is but a girl. But Menolly has a gift and it is impossible for her not to use it, even if it must be in secret, and what makes her so endearing is that she really has no idea how talented she is, a trait that becomes even more precocious in "Dragonsinger" and "Dragondrums." My only real complaint with Anne McCaffrey's recent novels is that Menolly has been reduced to only a minor supporting character.

The best book I've read

I am 12 and I bought this book for 75 cents at a library used book sale. I bought it because it looked cool and I'm into fantasy; I'd never read a book by Anne McCaffrey before. I started reading it and I couldn't put it down, so I sat there reading it all day until I finished it and loved it so much that I got Dad to take me to buy Dragonsinger straight away because I was so into it that I didn't want to stop. I've finished the trilogy and loved every bit of it. The amazing thing is, I don't really like reading and don't usually unless I have to, but I can't put down one of Anne McCaffrey's books. She's my absolute favorite author!

Absolutely loved it!

Anne McCaffrey was first introduced to me in this book and I LOVED IT! Menolly seems like a real person and I can connect with her. I also enjoyed the way the characters from the Harper Hall of Pern series were in the Dragon Riders series (and vice versa). It totally blew me away that the characters that I enjoyed in one book were written about from another characters point of view. Also, it's hard to understand exactly what's going on if you don't read both series (I didn't even know this until I had. I thought I understood perfectly), so it's sort of like an adventure inside of an adventure (if you know what I mean). Anyway, I would suggest this book to anyone who has any interest what-so-ever in dragons, music, or Anne McCafferey. This is a must read!