Anne McCaffrey
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The Harper Hall of Pern
by
Anne McCaffrey
This trilogy by McCaffrey complements her initial
series, The Dragonriders of Pern. In fact, the first two books of this
trilogy were written before The White Dragon, the final book of the Dragonriders
trilogy. Harper Hall is also a considerably shorter series, geared more
towards the young adult market. However, this should not dissuade anyone who has
enjoyed earlier works of McCaffrey. These three stories add a lot of background
information, providing additional details that help to broaden the reader’s
understanding of Pern. They are also interesting because McCaffrey writes them
from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on the dragonriders and the
Weyrs, she presents ongoing events through the eyes of those in the Harper Hall.
The craft of Harper is loosely based on the ancient Celtic concept of the harper
as a respected member of the community, responsible for teaching and
communication, as well as traditional entertainment. This also allows McCaffrey
to use her considerable musical background to good advantage.
Although this trilogy is no longer available as
one complete volume, each of the novels has been published individually and they
are still in print.
Anne McCaffrey
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Dragonsong
by Anne McCaffrey 
Menolly is a young girl, full of music.
Unfortunately for her, Half-Circle Sea Hold is a fiercely traditional hold. Her
father, Sea Holder Yanus, believes the craft of Harper is for males only. Her
mother, Mavi, believes that everyone should be productive, and Menolly’s music
doesn’t fit those qualifications. Her only ally has been Petiron, the Hold’s
old Harper, who encouraged Menolly’s composing and playing, even going so far
as to send a message to MasterHarper Robinton. But, since Petiron’s passing,
she has been forbidden to so much as whistle a bar of one of her tunes. As her
loneliness and frustration grows, Menolly finally takes desperate steps.
Independent and quick thinking, Menolly sets out
on an adventure that involves discovering fire lizards and surviving Threadfall
on her own. Unaware that many people are actively searching for her, her path
eventually leads her to Benden Weyr and fulfillment far beyond her dreams. As
with McCaffrey’s other Pern novels, many familiar characters reappear, but
this time the dragonriders are not the main focus of the story. Although some
may find this story to be somewhat predictable, I found it interesting to see
Pern from a completely different perspective.
Anne McCaffrey
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Dragonsinger
by Anne McCaffrey 
The second volume of The Harper Hall
trilogy continues the story of Menolly, the sea holder’s daughter. Rescued
from Thread, taken to Benden Weyr and subsequently whisked away to the Harper
Hall, Menolly hardly has time to comprehend the changes she now faces. She
encounters prejudice and envy, and learns that even the Harper Hall can be less
than idyllic. But, she also makes some good and important friends, and finds
some surprising allies. As a lowly apprentice, Menolly discovers there is more
to life as a harper than she ever dared to dream.
McCaffrey condenses a lot of action into a short
time frame, since this story spans just seven days in Menolly’s life. This was
a quick, light read — definitely geared towards the young adult audience. It
was interesting, but possibly not up to McCaffrey’s usual standards. The plot
line is a simple one of a young girl coming to grips with new situations and
responsibilities and is one that many younger people can relate to.
Anne McCaffrey
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Dragondrums
by Anne McCaffrey 
McCaffrey returns a third time to the Harper Hall,
this time to concentrate on the antics of Menolly’s young friend Piemur.
Introduced in the previous volume, Piemur is younger than most of the harper
apprentices, but has been taken in because of the quality of his singing voice.
Piemur is quite a conniver, using his age and small size to great advantage.
Although prone to mischief, he is intelligent and is capable of discretion when
necessary.
When Piemur’s voice begins to change, right
before the most important singing role of his young life, he fears that this
loss will mean the end of his career in the Harper Hall. Fortunately for Piemur,
his other abilities have not gone unnoticed. Personally enlisted by MasterHarper
Robinton, Piemur begins a series of adventures that will ultimately lead him to
the Southern Continent.
This is another well-done novel by McCaffrey.
While not as complex as some of McCaffrey’s other works, it is enjoyable and
is interwoven with familiar characters from earlier stories. Dragondrums
provides some additional background details, which are helpful when reading The
White Dragon, the last volume of the Dragonriders trilogy. This is a
good companion piece, but it also stands on its own merits.
Anne McCaffrey
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