Originally published in serialized form beginning in July
1968, Dragonflight was collected and
released as a novel in 1969. Shortly after a sequel, Dragonquest, was published in May 1971. These novels make up two
thirds of the first Dragonriders of Pern
trilogy which was concluded with The
White Dragon. Before McCaffrey went on to complete her first trilogy, she
wrote two thirds of a second trilogy, called the Harper Hall trilogy of which Dragonsong is the first volume and was
published in March 1976. The last book in the Harper Hall trilogy was published
after the release of The White Dragon.
The first trilogy is clearly targeted at adult readers due to the inclusion of
themes that deal with gender politics and sexuality. They also have a few
violent scenes (McCaffrey is good at writing knife fights) thought by today’s
standards, those wouldn’t be out of place in a young adult novel. The second
trilogy is targeted at a young audience and it shows in the story. It’s odd
that both trilogies are entangled so during their initial publication. I do not
see the benefit of this aside from the fact that McCaffrey had an offer for a
particular book and she went ahead and wrote it without finishing her first
trilogy. That in itself is fine, but it causes a bit of a problem for readers
who are new to the series and are trying to read the Dragonriders of Pern in
the “correct” order. That’s actually simple to do if you’re not interested in
reader the young adult novels of the series. Just skip them and move on ahead
to The White Dragon.
I didn’t want to do that. I’m curious as to how the young
adult Pern novel stands up. I’m also curious as to how its story fits in with
that of Dragonquest. As it turns out,
it doesn’t have much of an impact at all but it does provide an opportunity for
the reader to enjoy scenes from Dragonquest
from a different point of view. Two of those stories include Brekke’s healing
process after the loss of her gold dragon and the hatching of Ruth and his
impression to Jaxom. It’s nice to have the new perspective on those events but
it only works if you’ve read Dragonquest.
I’m certain that readers who aren’t familiar with the overall setting of Pern
have no bearing to help them appreciate the second perspective. In other words,
those events don’t have any meaning for readers unfamiliar with them because they’re
taken out of context.
The type of story told in Dragonsong is very different from the first two Pern novels. If you
continue to compare Dragonsong with Dragonflight and Dragonquest while reading, you likely won’t enjoy this book much.
Yet Dragonsong has plenty of good
stuff to offer, particularly to young female readers. The story’s basic theme
is that due to the fixed gender roles of Pern, Menolly is denied the freedom to
pursue her dream. Her father specifically forbids it but her mother supports
her father’s decision and likewise, the rest of the village is in passive
agreement of it. I say passive because they do not specifically try to stop
Menolly from pursuing her dreams and her passion for music but they do nothing
to encourage her. As the story progresses Menolly is given opportunities to
continue developing her talents in music as well as a way to escape from the
confines (both physical and mental) of her village. Her arrival at Benden Weyr
makes it look like a very progressive place in comparison to Holds and small
villages. That’s kind of strange considering just how odd and constricting
gender roles have been presented in the previous two novels, at Benden and
elsewhere on Pern.
Dragonsong is
essentially a young woman’s power fantasy. Menolly is good at everything and
she’s the main character in a story that is concerned, primarily, with showing
the reader just how perfect she is. Of course, for it to have any meaning and
emotional importance for the reader, her dreams are heavily discouraged in the
first third of the novel. The rest though, is all about Menolly excelling at
every challenge and task that bars her way. I have nothing against such a
novel. In fact, I think it’s an important novel due to its theme and focuses on
a female lead, even in today’s market. The problem is that as an adult male, I
appreciate the book more than I like it.
I quite enjoyed that we get to see the role of a Harper
in action. We get to see the importance of Harpering in Pernese society. We’ve
been aware of the existence of Harpers since the very first novel and we know
that they’re entrusted with the job of sharing knowledge and history through
songs and poems. Teaching ballads play an important role in the education of
children as well as the continuing education of entire Holds. That makes sense
considering the type feudal-like society that inhabits Pern. Why then would
Menolly’s father be so opposed to the idea that she could become a Harper?
Simple, Pern isn’t a planet of equal opportunity, especially not in small Holds
where every able bodied person is expected to pull their weight in the
development of local economy. In Half-Circle Sea Hold that’s fishery.
There are things about the novel I simply don’t like.
Fire lizards are not replacements for dragons.
The focus is too small. I liked the large canvas that
McCaffrey used in the first two novels. There is a planet wide scope and I
liked it. Dragonsong also has a
predictable story and it doesn’t offer any surprises. I think that’s due to the
target audience more than anything else. It’s a simple and straightforward
story. Still, young readers are capable of understanding beyond what adults
think young readers can manage. The book doesn’t pander to the reader but it
doesn’t challenge them either.
The prologue does a good job setting up the location of
Pern and the threat of Thread. It’s a nice, succinct introduction to Pern and
it’s pretty essential in establishing the planet as something wondrous, different
and often dangerous. It’s really big deal that Menolly runs away from home
because being caught outside during threadfall usually results in death.
Menolly is very talented and skilled. She also has the strength of will to make
her own choices and deal with the consequences. When she’s living in the cave
with fire lizards, she doesn’t whine and complain without end about her
predicament. She’s well aware that she is there of her own volition and she
makes the best of it. The problem I have with Menolly is that she’s too good at
everything. She’s amazing at everything she does and I can’t help but read her
for what she really is: a Mary Sue. It’s distracting. Menolly doesn’t just have
a couple fire lizards, she has NINE.
The reason I found the book to be a little on the boring
side is that Menolly’s journey is completely predictable. The novel starts by
telling us just how great she is and it continues to do so while also offering
up Menolly’s ignorance at her own self-worth. It’s completely believable for a
talented teen not to know just how gifted she is but to present it as the main
theme of the novel give the book an underwhelming feeling since it’s painfully
obvious to the reader that she is quite talented. At the same time, it’s for
that very same reason this book probably works really well for young adults.
Discovering that Menolly has self-worth can likely help young readers realize
that they too, have self-worth. I think I’m just out of the targeted audience
for this one. I appreciate it more than I like it.
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