Book Review: Dragonsinger

The second book in Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy, Dragonsinger, chronicles Menolly's eventful first week as a harper apprentice.

Menolly and her nine fire lizards have come to stay at their new home, the Harper Hall. Initially she is put in the small cottage with the other girls--paying customers--but most of the girls make life miserable for Menolly because of their envy. It doesn't help that the cotholder Dunca hates the sight of Menolly and fears her fire lizards. When a message to Menolly about her classes is withheld by Dunca, Menolly is given a room of her own within the male-dominated Harper Hall and becomes Masterharper Robinton's apprentice.

After a few initial trials and tribulations, Menolly is befriended by the mischievious young boy Piemur and Master Robinton's journeyman, Sebell. Piemur's clear soprano voice earned him a place as an apprentice harper at an unusually young age, and he proves a true friend to Menolly (and not just because he wants a fire lizard of his own someday).

Book Review: Dragonsong

This book is a longtime favorite of mine, and for quite awhile I was not aware that it was actually part of a trilogy. It can be read alone, but works fairly well with the other two books also.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsong is about a girl named Menolly who lives in Half-Circle Sea Hold on the planet known as Pern. Menolly's one true joy in life is music. She has talent, and was singled out and taught by the Hold's harper Petiron. In this society, songs are used to teach Pern's history and school the children, among many other things. After Petiron's death, Menolly is the only one able to sing and play properly, and must take over schooling the children until the new Harper arrives. However, her strict, tradition-abiding father, Yanus, is the Sea Holder, and anything musical is considered "harper's business" and therefore a man's job. (Traditionally, only men can become harpers.)

After an unfortunate accident and the increasing unfairness of her parents in denying her music, Menolly leaves the Hold-- a daring and dangerous thing to do, because of something known as Thread. When a wayward red star passes close enough to Pern, it drops deadly spores that eat through anything living. Metal and rock are the only things that stop Thread, so one must have shelter during Threadfall. The inhabitants of Pern have come up with a way to combat Thread: huge dragonlike creatures are ridden by specially chosen human beings--dragonriders--and together, they char Thread into ash midair. Menolly's leaving her Hold and living without shelter is dangerous, but she finds a cave in time. Inside the cave, a clutch of fire lizards (similar to dragons, but much smaller) are about to hatch, and from there, all her adventures begin...

Book Review: The Complete Robot

A collection of all the robot stories by Isaac Asimov, The Complete Robot includes the stories found in I, Robot as well as in other works. (Also included are stories not found anywhere else.) The collection was refreshing and entertaining, and each short story worked individually because of the strong ideas portrayed within each one. Some of my favorites were "Robbie," "Sally," and "Light Verse." Included in the end is Bicentennial Man, a quick-read version of The Positronic Man, though not as skillfully written. The beginning stories can be read in no particular order, though the last several are about Susan Calvin and should be read in order for the full effect. Overall: excellent!

when is Gandalf coming over?

This hobbit-house would make an amazing playhouse for kids.

http://communionblog.wordpress.com/2007/05/12/welcome-to-the-hobbit-house/

Book Review: The Positronic Man

This book by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg is actually what the movie Bicentennial Man was based off of. (However, the movie takes it in a different direction.) The Positronic Man is the story of a robot named Andrew who embarks on a 200-year quest to "become human." Throughout his two hundred years, he discovers what it means to be human and aspires to become one himself.

Book Review: The Outlaws of Sherwood

Robin McKinley's take on the classic story of Robin Hood is an exciting and unusual read. I'm most familiar with the Disney version of events, and while I was aware that Robin Hood was not really a fox, the ending was somewhat disappointing. (You mean there are consequences at the end of robbing the rich to feed the poor?) It was still an enjoyable book, however, and I will definitely be reading it again.

Book Review: Dragon and Liberator

The sixth and final book in the Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn finally wraps everything up neatly-- and excitingly! Who is friend? Who is foe? The answers may surprise you...