The Harper Hall Trilogy

by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonsong
I don’t think it is possible to be a lover of fantasy and not dream of owning a pet dragon. I think it just runs in our blood. DRAGONSONG fueled my love of dragons as a child. The main character, Menolly, lives in a fishing village of sorts and loves music. Though it isn’t entirely proper the local musician teaches her. When the fellow dies, her chance of her doing anything with her musical abilities diminishes. An injury restricts her even further and she comes to accept the fact that she is destined to gut fish for the rest of her life until she happens to meet fire lizards, miniature dragons of sorts. Not only does Menolly have a memorable character but the fire lizards are unique in their own way as well.

When I first read DRAGONSONG, the idea of fire lizards drew me in. The adventure Menolly has throughout this book isn’t groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination. It is the story of a talented artist denied their dream because they are the wrong something, in this case, because she is female. Now that I am older I find new depth to her strong willed character who is also obedient. I am not one who thinks everyone should roll over and never fight for what they want to do, but I enjoy reading books where the character does what is necessary of them at the time but still manages to find a way to live their dream if the opportunity arises. This book, though the main character is female, is a great read for anyone who loves the fantasy genre, especially someone who loves dragons.

Dragonsinger
This is the second installment in THE HARPER HALL TRILOGY by Anne McCaffrey. My mother introduced me to DRAGONSINGER when I was young and it still remains one of my favorite novels. In some ways I actually like this book more than the first, DRAGONSONG. The story starts with Menolly arriving at Harper Hall to be the first female apprentice to Masterharper Robinton. There are other females at the hall and because Menolly is personally apprentices to the Masterharper, a lot of people are displeased with her and jealous of her position. Not to mention the fact that she has a brood of fire dragons following her around. These complications and her own fears show more development in her character.

Menolly is a character who is unaware of her own amazingness. She never thinks she does well enough and is always pushing herself to do more and be better. I love that about her and the fact that she is not a whiney character who is always lamenting her situation. She doesn’t take anything for granted; in fact there are times you wonder why she doesn’t notice more about what is going on in her life. You want her to be proud of herself. The other characters in the book are also so lively and lovable. Menolly’s friend Piemur is a good guy who is always looking out for her and is trying to teach her the ropes. He has quite a few opportunities to take advantage of her but is the faithful friend I wish I had growing up.

Dragondrums
This is the final book in THE HARPER HALL TRILOGY. It is told from Piemur's point of view. In DRAGONDRUMS Piemur has a problem, his voice is changing and can no longer sing in the choir until it stops cracking. He doesn't want to leave Harper Hall and decides to make himself useful in other ways. He learned how to send messages using the drums. He is then taken on under Masterharper Robinton to act as an apprentice, of sorts. As he is traveling around Pern he picks up on various information and running errands.

When I first started reading DRAGONDRUMS I was concerned because I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it because it wasn't Menolly. Piemur seemed more flighty to me and not as grounded. Through the book he makes some decisions that I don't necessarily approve of, neither do some of the other characters, but I really did grow attached to him. I also liked the fact that I got to learn more about some of the other characters through their interaction with Piemur. By the end of the book I was as attached to Piemur as I was to Menooly but it is something to keep in mind when you read it.

The HARPER HALL TRIOLOGY will always be some of my favorite books. I hope that anyone who loves music and dragons has the opportunity to read this book. It made me wish I was more musically inclined, not to mention the fact that I wanted half a dozen fire lizards of my own.