Dragonsong: Harper Hall Trilogy, Volume 1

By: Anne McCaffrey

Narrated by: Sally Darling

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Journey to the wonder-filled world of Pern in the first volume of Anne McCaffrey's best-selling Harper Hall Trilogy. Dragonsong is the spellbinding tale of Menolly of Half Circle Hold, a brave young girl who flees her seaside village and discovers the legendary fire lizards of Pern.

All her life, Menolly has longed to learn the ancient secrets of the Harpers, the master musicians of Harper Hall. When her stern father denies her the chance to make her dream come true, Menolly runs away from home. Hiding in a cave by the sea, she finds nine magical fire lizards who join her on a breathtaking journey to Harper Hall.

Anne McCaffrey's enchanting tales of Pern, with all their colorful dragons and fantastic characters, have won her millions of fans around the world. The winner of the Hugo and Nebula Award, she is one of the best-loved writers in all of fantasy literature.

Don't miss the other books in the Harper Hall Trilogy.

©1976 Anne McCaffrey (P)1992 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"McCaffrey uses great imaginative powers in constructing her intricate and intriguing story." ( Booklist)
"Menolly's independent, resolute character, the fascinating dragon lore, and a certain poetic quality of style all combine to create an original fantasy...akin to the work of Ursula LeGuin." ( Horn Book)

Great read

I enjoyed listening to Ms. Darling's voice. While I read (and loved) the books decades ago, and have my own pronunciations on some of the names, that disagreement did not detract or distract from my enjoyment of the performance. My only real complaint is that some of the chapter breaks are too abrupt - sometimes there is a second or two of silence, before "Chapter [X]. [Relevant quote]", and sometimes the last word of a chapter is said and it IMMEDIATELY goes into the next chapter (with appropriate notation - just no pause whatsoever). Irritating, but hardly a dealbreaker.
As to the story itself, it's best if one is already familiar with the Pern books, but there's a good summary/overview as the prologue.

Great Story.. Not A Fan Of Narrator

I love this story and have since the first time I read it in middle school but this Narrator says many of the characters names differently than I have heard them before, including other Pern Audio books.

The narration is perfect for a nostalgic listen

Sally Darling does an excellent job reading this little series. I prefer single-voice performances and hers captures the characters and emotions just how I imagine them. I read these books in middle-school and this audio edition captures perfectly the feeling of getting cozy for a bed-time story read by my mom.

The story is great too. I've never read other work by McCaffrey, but these are some of my favorite young-adult fantasy books out there. The characters are real and you really care about them as they heroically face all the troubles the world throws their way. On top of that; the stories have enough suspense, political intrigue, interesting peripheral characters, etc. to keep listeners of any age interested.

favorite book

This book is my absolute favorite. I have read it three or four times over the years, and never tire of it, because it mirrors my own experience growing up and then coming into my own.

A classic tale, classically told

I have very fond memories of this novel from my childhood, and I was excited at the chance to introduce it to my 5-year old daughter. I felt (or hoped) that my daughter would appreciate this series as much as I did when I first read it in the first grade. The narrator is expressive and tells the story very evocatively. My daughter has become almost too engrossed in the story (she did not like how Menolly was treated by her mom and dad). Additionally, I found myself once again engrossed in the story myself...I looked forward to listening to it as much as my daughter. I highly recommend this novel to all.

curious

I would love to know weather or not Menolly parents was ever proud of her becoming a Harper Anne never mentioned them again after Dragon Singer

The beginning of a fantastic series

Pern is my favorite fictional world. One which I passed on to my daughter's. Being different and female is still a struggle but with stubborn tenacity and calm determination, you can reach whatever heights you arrive for. Menolly is a great example of how dreams can come true even if there seems so much stacked against you. Anne McCaffery has been my heroine for 40 years. I even received an email from her at one of the lowest times in my life that really played a large part of my getting through it. Even though she's gone now, she left us many gifts. This series is my favorite of Pern. It reflects and explains a lot of the undercurrents in the other Pern books and gives more depth to the Harpers. Read all three and you won't ever regret it.

Family friendly

A good dragon, other world, allegory about a young girl needing a better life. I recommend it for families to read together!

Simply awesome!

I absolotely love this book. It's one of my favourites and it's also a great intro to Pern. This was the first Anne Mccaffrey book I ever read and I've been hooked ever since.

Absolutely wonderful!!

This was my intro to Anne McCaffrey back during my first marriage, I will be a lifelong fan of hers!!!