Dragondrums (1979)

I really liked Piemur, so I enjoyed this book. I fear to revisit these books, though. I suspect they're not as good as memory makes them. ( )

Harper Hall trilogy #3 ( )

Dragondrums takes Piemur, a secondary character in Dragonsinger, into the spotlight. He's a plucky rascal (and fits that type a little too neatly - he's awfully predictable) who goes on a number of adult-sanctioned adventures that lead him to some of his own.

I don't find Piemur nearly as relatable a character as Menolly, so while his adventures are entertaining, Dragondrums never quite pulls me in. It's not bad at all, but not the finale I had ever expected to the trilogy. ( )

This is the last book in The Harper Hall Trilogy and is quite different than the first two. The first two books were focused on Menolly, a very musically talented girl from a fisher family whose wildest dream is fulfilled when she comes to Harper Hall to be trained as a Harper. (Think mix of bard, teacher, diplomat.) She brings with her firelizards, the precursors and miniatures of the mighty sentient fighting dragons of Pern who partner with humans to fight "thread," an inimical alien life form that periodically threatens the planet. This "firelizard" young adult trilogy parallels more or less the events of the Dragonrider trilogy, which was (mostly) written first. Although my introduction to this series as a young teen was actually Dragonsong, the first in this trilogy, and I loved it, and Menolly. So I found it disconcerting when the focus on this book was Piermur, who is a minor character in the other books, and Menolly in turn became a minor character in this one. I found that disappointing, and I just can't count this as the favorite the first two books were, but this is still from the time that McCaffrey's Pern was charming and surprising, and certainly is a good read in its own right. ( )

The last in the Harper Hall trilogy, this book is focused on Piemur, not Menoly. For this reason, I've heard it said that it shouldn't really be part of a trilogy, but if you read the three books together as the "Harper Hall Trilogy" and not the "Menoly Trilogy" then you're okay. The point of this set of three is to give you a glimpse into the lives of the most important people on Pern, to see major events through their eyes, and... of course... to get the chance to spend more time with our favorite Masterharper.

McCaffrey's books of Pern are always easy to find yourself lost in, not because there are lengthy descriptions of beauty or deep discussions, but because of the way they represent life in general. It's easy to follow along in the lives of the characters, experience what they do, and feel what they feel. You get caught up in everything because it is all something you can believe in. ( )