Even if you’re an adult, this story is captivating and not only reminds us of the struggles we went through as children, but perhaps the struggles we go through daily to accept and love ourselves. All her life, Menolly has longed to learn the ancient. 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. It was a tender story of a youth who goes against society trying to fit in. Journey to the wonder-filled world of Pern in the first volume of Anne McCaffrey’s best-selling Harper Hall Trilogy. The whole book was a touching tale of acceptance and compassion. Finding a community that accepts her for who she inspires Menolly to both accept and love herself. Menolly’s fate exist directly against her family’s opinions of gender roles and so she finds more solace away from her family. It reminds me of the situation in The Left Hand of Darkness when Genly wonders why no one invented airplanes or other flying vehicles and Estraven responds that how can one dream of flying when they’ve never seen anything that could fly.

The treatment that Menolly endures in her home reminds me of people’s inability to dream and imagine a different life. Menolly is denied her true calling, a harper, because she is a girl. Dragonsong is an enchanting novel about a young girl ostracized from her home and her journey of understanding and self-acceptance. The world of the novel is filled with beautiful coastlines, majestic dragons and sprightly fire lizards. I haven’t read fantasy novels for quite some time and reading Dragonsong make me nostalgic for my childhood when I read Tamora Pierce. It was such a lovely change of pace to go back to a fantasy book.

Dragonsong mccaffrey