| Dragonsinger | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Anne McCaffrey |
| Cover artist | Fred Marcellino (US) Colin Saxton (UK) and others[lower-alpha 1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dragonriders of Pern, Harper Hall Trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Science Fiction, Young adult novels |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books |
| Publication date | February 1977 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 264 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-689-30570-2 |
| OCLC Number | 2425288 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.M122834 Dp |
| Preceded by | Dragonsong |
| Followed by | The White Dragon |
Dragonsinger is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1977, it was the fourth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.[1]
As the sequel to Dragonsong, it was the second book in the Harper Hall of Pern trilogy, with a new publisher, editor, and target audience (young adults). The original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy was completed after publication of the first two Harper Hall books.
Contents |
The novel follows Menolly, now apprenticed into the Harper Hall, a type of music conservatory for harpers (minstrels/educators) and other music professionals, as she begins her musical training to become a harper herself one day. The story begins within hours of the final events of Dragonsong, rounding out the tale of Menolly's coming of age.
Menolly finds life in the Harper Hall challenging. Although she is glad to be accepted as a musician and encouraged to play and write music, she must at first live with a group of paying female students who are catty in the extreme. She also finds herself torn between master musicians who have conflicting emphases and who want her to specialize in their techniques. The situation is complicated by her nine fire lizards, small dragon-like creatures whose properties are still being explored at the time of the story; while some members of the Pern communities want her help in learning what fire lizards can do, many of her teachers in the Harper Hall see them as a nuisance and a distraction that will keep her from developing her musical gifts. Over time she finds her place as a musician within the harper system and is sped through the apprenticeship system in near-record time.
Seven Pern books including Dragonsinger were published before The Atlas of Pern (1984), a companion book produced by Karen Wynn Fonstad in consultation with McCaffrey. Their geographical settings from peninsulas to stables are illustrated by maps and other drawings and their chronologies are explicitly presented in the Atlas.
The American Library Association in 1999 cited the two early Pern trilogies (Dragonriders and Harper Hall), along with The Ship Who Sang, when McCaffrey received the annual Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "lifetime contribution in writing for teens".[2]
Dragonsinger placed ninth for the annual Locus Award for Best Novel.[3]
Dragonsinger publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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