Dragonsinger

Lore & Background

The novel begins within hours of the final events of Dragonsong, rounding out Menolly's coming of age. Menolly arrives at Harper Hall to find herself the center of unwanted attention and conflict, not the least of which are about her nine fire lizards. As the Hall's first female apprentice, the Masters are divided on whether or not she is worth training, causing Menolly to be greeted with various degrees of ambivalence. Due to her gender, she is not allowed to share a dormitory with her fellow all-male apprentices and must be housed with the female students, most of whom are 'rank-happy', few of whom are serious musicians and most of whom shun Menolly as an outsider. Conversely, because she dorms with the students, many of the apprentices reject her, claiming she is not truly one of them, leaving Menolly confused as to her true place in Harper Hall.

In spite of these challenges, Menolly excels at all aspects of her training, becoming Masterharper Robinton's personal apprentice while continuing to compose original tunes. She also becomes helpful to the Dragonriders by teaching them what she knows about fire-lizards, and presents Masterharper Robinton and his Journeyman Sebell with fire-lizards of their own. One night Menolly is woken by her frantic fire-lizards, who show her a terrifying vision of a Dragonrider and his dragon falling from the sky. It is later revealed that the telepathic Dragons actually witnessed this event halfway across the world and transmitted the image to the fire-lizards, who in turn showed Menolly. The incident confirms suspicions that fire-lizards share a telepathic link with dragons and that they may have other undiscovered gifts. By the end of her first week, all the Masters agree that Menolly has essentially completed her apprenticeship under her Hold's Harper Petiron long before she came to the Harper Hall. Much to her surprise, Menolly is promoted to Journeyman.

Reader's Guide

Dragonsinger is significant as the second book in the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy, which, along with the original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy, contributed to Anne McCaffrey receiving the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1999 for her lifetime contribution in writing for teens. The novel placed ninth for the annual Locus Award for Best Novel. It continues the story of Menolly, a female protagonist navigating gender-based obstacles in a traditionally male-dominated institution, and expands the lore of fire-lizards and their telepathic connection to dragons. The book's focus on music, apprenticeship, and personal growth within a science fiction setting helped solidify the Pern series as a landmark in young adult literature.

Did You Know?

• Dragonsinger is the fourth book in the Dragonriders of Pern series and the second in the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy.
• The novel was published by Atheneum Books in 1977 with a new publisher, editor, and target audience (young adults) compared to earlier Pern books.
• Menolly is promoted to Journeyman by the end of her first week at Harper Hall.
• The American Library Association cited the two early Pern trilogies when McCaffrey received the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1999.