Dragonsinger (1977) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Menolly: The youngest, over-tall daughter of Yanus Sea Holder of Half-Circle. Her musical talents are unappreciated by her family, but not by the Masterharper of Pern who has searched every hold for the talented songwriter. She is the only girl apprentice in the Harper Hall, and Robinton's own apprentice. Her 9 fire lizards attract envy and attention. Her fire lizards: Beauty - Gold Queen, Rocky and Diver - bronzes, Lazybones, Mimic and Brownie - browns, Uncle - blue, Auntie One and Auntie Two - greens.
• Masterharper Robinton: Masterharper of Pern, Master of the Harper Craft Hall. One of the biggest political figures on Pern who works closely with the other Craft Master's as well as The Benden Wyer leaders F'lar and Lessa. Impresses bronze fire lizard, Zair.
• Sebell: Journeyman Harper reports to Masterharper Robinton. He is one of Menolly's sponsors in the Harper Hall. Recipient of one of the two fire lizard eggs Menolly found, impresses gold Kimi.
• Piemur: One of the youngest apprentices, taken in early because of his outstanding treble voice. A scamp and prankster, who befriends and attaches himself to Menolly, so he can help feed her fire lizards.
• Silvina: Headwoman of the Harper Hall. Recognizes Menolly's sensitivity and her importance to the Harper Hall. A strict but friendly woman who weilds much power within the Harper Hall.
• Camo: Half-witted kitchen drudge who adores and helps feed Menolly's firelizards - her "pretty small dragons"
• Petiron: The old Harper in Half-Circle Sea Hold who taught Menolly and obliquely told the masterharper of the skills of his student, sending him her songs, but not mentioning that she was a girl. Died at the beginning of Dragonsong. It was later revealed that he was Masterharper Robinton's father and an excellent teacher and composer himself.
• Master Domick: Master of Composition in the Harper Hall know for composing exceedingly difficult music - a musician's musician. Menolly will study with him and he taps her to play in a quartet with Talmor, Sebell and him.
• Brudegan: Journeyman at the Harper Hill. Conducts the choral groups.
• Master Shonagar: Advanced Voice Master of the Harper Hall. Piemur is his special apprentice. Menolly attends vocal lessons with him.
• Master Oldive: Master Healer for the Harper Hall. Has a misshapen back, but is the kindest of souls and helps heal Menolly's injured hand and feet. Also provides salves to oil her firelizards.
• Master Morshal: Grouchy old master of Musical Theory in the Harper Hall, with whom Menolly is very grateful she will not have to study.
• Talmor: Journeyman Harper in the Harper Hall, who plays in the quartet with Sebell, Menolly and Domick
• Benis: A son of Lord Groghe, an egotistic bully who sides with Pona against Menolly. He & Menolly get into a fight while at the Gather.
• Lord Groghe: Lord of Fort Hold - has impressed a young queen firelizard, Merga, about the same age as Menolly's Beauty.
• Dunca: Spiteful cottage-holder for the girls who study music in the Harper Hold. Terrified of Menolly's firelizards. Had designs on Petiron after his wife died, but he asked to be assigned far away in Half-Circle Sea Hold.
• Audiva: One of the girls in Dunca's house who befriends Menolly and actually wants to learn to play music. Daughter is Weaver Craftsman Timareen of Telgar Hold.
• Pona: Grandaughter of Lord Holder of Boll. A jealous girl taking music lessons in the Harper Hall, and flirting with the young lords at Fort Hold. Takes exception to Menolly, who "ranks" her and has genuine talent which Pona lacks. Pona wants to cause trouble for Menolly.
• Briala: One of the female music students staying at Dunca's cot.
• Viderian: A seaholder lad fostered in Lord Groghe's Fort Hold. Escorts Audiva to the Gather comes to her and Menolly's aid when the fight breaks out.

Quotes edit see section history

• “In her mind, out of nowhere, Menolly received an indelible impression of turbulence: savage, ruthless, destructive; a pressure inexorable & deadly; churning masses of slick, sickly grey surfaces that heaved & dipped. Heat as massive as a tidal wave. Fear! Terror! An inarticulate longing!”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Pern: The third planet orbiting Rukbat, a golden G-type star in the Sagittarian Sector. Pern is the third of five planets in the Rukbat system (the Pernese star is also known as Alpha Sagittarius). It has two moons, Belior and Timor (in order of distance). It was settled by a colonists from old Earth. It has two major continents and many habitable islands.
• Fort Weyr: Fort Weyr was the first Weyr to be established. It is located in the mountains of the Southwest peninsula of the Northern Continent. It was founded by Weyrleader Sean Connell and his wife, Sorka Hanrahan-Connell. It was home of the other original 18 Dragons. Fort Weyr’s symbol is a brown diamond with a white fort in the center. Fort Hold, South Boll and Ruatha Holds are all beholden to Fort Weyr.
• Benden Weyr: Is the second of eight (by the end of the 9th pass) Weyrs. Named for one of the Pern colony founder, Admiral Paul Benden. Benden Weyr is located within a double volcanic crater on the east coast of Pern near the Northern Barrier Range. Benden Weyr's symbol is a black Roman numeral II centered on a red diamond.
• Half-Circle Sea Hold: Half-Circle Sea Hold is an isolated sea hold on the western coast of the Nerat Penninsula. It was founded at the end of the Second Interval by a man named Rinir, and construction was still going on when the Third Pass begun. Home of Menolly. It has an enormous cavern, protected by a volcanic overhand, large enough to hold its entire fishing fleet.
• High Reaches Weyr: High Reaches Weyr was the third Weyr to be established. It is the northernmost Weyr on the Northern Continent and it got its name from being located high in the mountain range. It’s symbol is a white outlined mountain range on a blue diamond. High Reaches Hold, Nabol and Tillek Hold’s are all beholden to it.
• Igen Weyr: Igen Weyr was the fourth Weyr to be established. It is located in the southern part of the Central Plains of the Northern Continent. Igen Weyr’s symbol has three sand dunes in the center of a golden diamond. Igen and Keroon Hold’s are beholden to Igen Weyr.
• Ista Weyr: Ista Weyr was the fifth Weyr to be established. Ista Weyr is the southernmost of the ancient Weyrs. Some of its junior dragonriders live in "forest weyrs", dwellings in the forest rather than in the caves. Its symbol is an orange diamond with a volcano in it. Ista Hold and Nerat Hold are beholden to Ista Weyr.
• Telgar Weyr: Telgar Weyr was the sixth Weyr to be established. Telgar Weyr was the last of the ancient Weyrs to be established. It was founded after the mining hold at Telgar began expanding, and established farmland, requiring a full-time Weyr to protect it. Telgar Weyr’s symbol is a white diamond with three branches in the center. Crom Hold and Telgar Hold are beholden to it.
• Southern Weyr: Southern Weyr established in the 9th pass, located on the southern continent. It is located on the far northern tip of the Southern Continent, on approximately the same longitude as Ista, Igen and Telgar Weyrs. It is partly built on cliffs facing the ocean, but most weyrs are located inland, in non-traditional dwellings consisting of a sheltered sand wallow for the dragons and huts for the riders.
• Fort Hold: Fort Hold is located to the West of the Northern Continent, is Pern's oldest Hold. It is the location to which the Pern colonists evacuated upon abandoning the Southern Continent ten Turns (years) after arriving on Pern. Colonists Sallah Telgar and Tarvi Andiyar discovered the cave network. In Pern's early history, the colonists established a College at Fort Hold which evolved into the Harper Hall during the Second Pass. The Masterhealer is located at Fort Hold as well. It is protected by Fort Weyr during Threadfall.
• Ruatha Hold: Ruatha Hold is a Major Hold and the third oldest Hold on Pern. It was established by Colonists Peter "Red" Hanranhan and his wife Mairi, nineteen Turns after the Landing on Pern. The name comes from the Irish "Rua" (red) and "atha" (ford), or "Red's ford" although grammatically translated as "Ford Red". The correct Irish would be Ath Rua. Ruatha. Ruatha is famous for its runnerbeasts (descendants of horses) and Dragonriders. It is protected by Fort Weyr during Threadfall.
• Southern Boll Hold: Southern Boll Hold was the second Northern Hold founded and it occupies the southern end of the Boll peninsula in the West of Pern, south of Fort Hold, with the Hold itself located near the peninsula's tip. Colonist Peter de Courcis established Boll Hold in the seventeenth Turn after Landing. He named it after his wife, the recently-deceased Governor Emily Boll. Boll, a hero of the Nathi War as a planetary governor, led the initial Pern colony with Admiral Paul Benden. It is protected by Fort Weyr during Threadfall.
• Benden Hold: Benden Hold is located in the East Coast of Pern's Northern Continent, with its southern reaches extending to the edge of the Nerat peninsula. The last settlers to leave the Pern's Southern Continent established Benden Turns after the rest of Pern had moved North. They named their Hold after Admiral Paul Benden, a hero of the Nathi War, co-leader of the early colonists with Emily Boll, and original captain of the expedition that brought the colonists from Earth. Benden is best known for its wines. It is protected from Thread by Benden Weyr.
• Bitra Hold: Bitra Hold is located to Benden's northwest. The hold was founded after the end of the First Pass by dissidents from Benden Hold that held a different view of Avril Bitra's actions and place in the history of Pern. Bitra Hold is under the jurisdiction of Benden Weyr. It is protected from Thread by Benden Weyr.
• Lemos Hold: Lemos Hold occupies the mountainous territory to Bitra Hold's west, approaching the center of the Northern Continent. Benden Weyr protects Lemos Hold from Thread. Lemos Hold is most likely named after Bart Lemos, a charterer in the original Pern expedition.
• High Reaches Weyr: High Reaches Hold lies on Pern's Northwest Coast, in the wintry High Reaches Mountains. It is under the protection of High Reaches Weyr.
• Nabol Hold: Nabol Hold is located in the center of Pern's Northern Continent. Nabol Hold's primary industry is mining, and it is often regarded as an unpleasant place by other of Pern's inhabitants. Nabol is also under the protection of High Reaches Weyr. Nabol hold was named after Nabhi Nabol, a charterer in the Pern expedition.
• Tillek Hold: Tillek Hold occupies the Tillek peninsula on the Northern Continent's West Coast, south of High Reaches Hold and west of Fort. Colonist Zi Ongola founded Tillek Hold in the twenty-second Turn after Landing, but the Hold went nameless for at least three Turns until the death of Jim Tillek. Tillek was one of the colony leaders and captain of one of the ships that brought the colonists to Pern. High Reaches Weyr fights Threadfall over Tillek Hold.
• Keroon Hold: Keroon Hold sits in the prairie east of the center of Pern's Northern Continent, south of Bitra and Lemos Holds, west of the Nerat Perninsula. Presumably the Hold was named in honor of Ezra Keroon. Keroon captained one of the colony ships from Earth and served the colony as a scientific advisor. Keroon Hold is known for its livestock, particularly its runnerbeasts, though they are said to be not as good as Ruatha's. Keroon is under the protection of Igen Weyr.
• Ista Weyr: Ista Hold occupies the whole of Ista Island, a large, partly desert island to the Southwest of the Igen Hold coast. The name Ista comes from the initials of the four families that settled there. Due to its temperate climate and low humidity, Ista, like the American Southwest, has served as retirement destination for those suffering from the symptoms of old age. Ista Weyr, on the island, has traditionally been a place for the recuperation of injured dragons and riders. Ista Hold is protected from Threadfall by Ista Weyr.
• Igen Hold: Igen Hold is a largely desert region in the South of Pern's Northern Continent. Although on the eastern half of the continent, Igen Hold has a long western coastline. Most of Igen Hold is protected from Threadfall by Ista Weyr, with parts of the Hold's rural north flown by the nearby Igen Weyr.
• Nerat Hold: Nerat Hold occupies the Nerat Peninsula on Pern's East Coast, south of Benden Hold. It is separated from Keroon Hold to the west by Nerat Bay. With its extensive coastlines on both the ocean and the bay, fish are Nerat Hold's main product. It is under the protection of Ista Weyr.
• Telgar Hold: Telgar Hold is situated at the northern end of the longitudinal center of Pern's Northern Continent. Telgar Hold evolved from the mining facilities founded by Pern contractor Telgar (née Tarvi Andiyar) and named in honor of his wife Sallah Telgar. Most of Telgar Hold is protected by Telgar Weyr, although Igen Weyr flies Thread over the southern portion of the Hold.
• Crom Hold: Crom Hold is located in the low mountains west of Telgar Hold, north of Nabol and Ruatha Holds. The primary industry of Crom Hold is mining, and in the Ninth Pass the Masterminer is located there. A group of miners established Crom Hold near the end of the First Interval; similar to Ista, the hold's name is derived from the first initials of these four. It is protected by the dragons of Telgar Weyr.
• Southern Hold: Southern Hold was the first and largest of the holds on the Southern Continent to be founded in the Ninth Pass.

First Sentence edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Weyr: A Weyr is a collection of dragons, their riders and support staff. It is essentially the home of a dragon.
• Turn: One Pernese year.
• Numbweed: Medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling.
• Klah: Hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
• Impression: The joining of minds of a dragon and his rider-to-be at the moment of the dragon's hatching.
• Hold: Holds are the residences of the bulk of the planet Pern's population.
• Firestone: Firestone is a phosphine bearing rock that both Dragons and fire lizards can chew to produce phosphorous gases which are ignited to burn Thread out of the sky.
• Glow: Lightsource which can be carried in a handbasket.
• Between: An area of nothingness and sensory deprivation between here and there.
• Agenothree: HNO3 (Nitric Acid). Loaded into portable tanks, this chemical was used by thread fighting ground crews to destroy any thread that reached the ground before it could burrow into the soil.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by Dragonsong, and followed by Dragondrums.

Preceded by Dragonsong, and followed by Dragondrums.

Preceded by Dragonsong, and followed by The White Dragon.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Anne McCaffrey (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Subjects edit see section history

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• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( M ) › McCaffrey, Anne
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• Books › Teens › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy

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