The Harper Hall of Pern
by Anne McCaffrey
Harper Hall Trilogy (Collections and Selections — Omnibus 1-3), Dragonriders of Pern: Publication Order (Omnibus editions — Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums)
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A young girl allies with nine tiny dragons and finds her voice in the fantastical Harper Hall trilogy, set within the world of science fiction legend Anne McCaffrey's beloved and bestselling Dragonriders of Pern series! For centuries, the world of Pern has faced a destructive force known as Thread. But now the number of magnificent dragons who have protected this world and the men and women who ride them are dwindling. As destruction falls from the sky, Menolly has only one dream: to sing, show more play, and weave the music that comes to her so easily--she wishes to become a Harper. But despite her great talents, her father believes that a young girl is unworthy of such a respected position and forbids her to pursue her dreams. So Menolly runs away, taking shelter in a cave by the sea. Miraculously, she happens upon nine fire lizards that could possibly save her world...and change her life forever. This paperback boxed set contains the entire Harper Hall trilogy: Dragonsong Dragonsinger Dragondrums show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Dragonsinger, the first in the Harper Hall trilogy included here, was the first book I ever read by Anne McCaffrey. Though these books are usually classified as young adult, I think it is good for teens and adults. Menolly longs to be a harper, but her stern father suppresses her gift. Until, she is given the chance to stufy at the renownded Harper Hall. This is her journey. Wonderful books!
Absolutely loved this trilogy as a teenager, and love it still today. I have read and re-read these books over and over through the years, and I can always get lost in this story. I really connect and empathize with Menolly (and wish that I had a fire-lizard of my own!) Her love and passion for music really struck a chord (pun intended!) with me, and I enjoyed seeing a close-up of this different facet of life on Pern.
Finished up the Harper Hall trilogy with Dragondrums in this collection. It is most noticeable for reintroducing dragon sex, an activity that was absent from the Dragonsong and Dragonsinger books. It generally continues the poor writing of its predecessors but the world building is just as good.
These three books are my 2nd favorite after the original Dragonrider trilogy. In theory these books are about the Harpers ,those who aid the dragonriders, but it really is more about the history and background of Pern. Well written, easy to read, still enjoyable.
This entire series is absolutely delightful! While less epic in scope than the Dragonriders of Pern novels themselves, the individuals' stories in the Harper Hall made this my favorite McCaffrey series on the first reading. McCaffrey's work is nigh well on par with Tolkien's, although it is less well organized.
The best of her Dragon books IMO are these earlier ones for juniors, because they don't have the heavy romance vibes of the other ones, which I do not care for.
The second trilogy of Pern and perhaps even better than the first. These three stories; Dragonsinger, Dragonsong and Dragondrums, tell the story of much of Pern's musical culture and brings the world to colourful life.
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Author Information
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Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926. She received a degree in Slavonic languages from Radcliffe College. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952. Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967. She is a well-known show more author of over 100 books, mostly science fiction, including the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Crystal Singer series, Acorna's Children series, The Twins of Petaybee series, and Barque Cats series. She won numerous awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novella for the short story Weyr Search in 1968 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Dragonrider in 1969. In 2006, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. She died of a stroke on November 21, 2011 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Series
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Is contained in
Contains
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1979 (omnibus) (omnibus)
- People/Characters
- Piemur; Menolly; Sharra [Pern]; Masterharper Robinton; Lord Gorghe; Sebell
- Important places
- Harper Craft Hall, Pern; Southern (continent of Pern); Benden Weyr, Pern
- First words
- Dragondrums: The rumble-thud-boom of the big drums answering a message from the east roused Piemur.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Dragondrums: "I wish I had a drum big enough to tell the whole world how happy I am!"
- Disambiguation notice
- Omnibus edition of the Harper Hall Trilogy: Dragonsong; Dragonsinger; and Dragondrums.
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- Popularity
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- Reviews
- 16
- Rating
- (4.35)
- Languages
- Danish, English, French, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 10