Dragonsong

By Anne McCaffrey,

Book cover of Dragonsong

Book description

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat.. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas…

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Why read it?

4 authors picked Dragonsong as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved the character of Menolly in this book and series. She is a girl gifted with song in a country where women are not allowed to be professional singers. Despite opposition from her own family, she is invited to the Harper Hall, where she can’t help but excel.

Thanks to a strong mentor, she builds self-confidence and ability. I believe this is something so important for young women in the fictional or real world. Giving someone a hand up doesn’t pull one down. The characters in the Harper Hall series are beautifully written, and any injury to them felt…

From Lyndi's list on fantasy with female underdogs.

Dragonsong is the science fantasy story of an isolated teenage girl who runs away from home when forbidden to pursue her passion for music. She stumbles on a nest of fire lizards—the legendary ancestors of the dragons that keep her world safe—and must stop hiding her identity and use her gifts to aid the dragonriders in their crucial mission. 

This book has the SF/F holy trinity of great plot, characters, and world-building—but what really hooked me was the multi-dimensional female main character that I connected to immediately. I’m a musician and creative thinker, too, so I could see myself in…

From Leanne's list on girls and dragons, or girl dragons.

I remember it distinctly—the day my father brought home Dragonsong for me. I had shown signs of being an avid reader and he thought I might like this book because it had a pretty cover. It did have a startlingly beautiful cover, but it was the story inside that captivated me. The tale of Menolly’s flight away from the stagnation of her family and her survival struck a chord in me, and I imagined myself as Menolly, learning to live life on my own without the support of those around me. And secretly, I always wanted a fire lizard for…

From ML's list on character driven novels.

An Heir of Realms

By Heather Ashle,

Book cover of An Heir of Realms

Heather Ashle Author Of An Heir of Realms

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Why am I passionate about this?

My favorite fantasy novels tend to be rather complex. Winding plotlines, mysteriously interconnected characters, whimsical settings, and intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding combine to create immersive stories that stick in the mind like overworn folklore. Time travel or interworld travel lend additional layers of intrigue and mystery, forcing the inescapable contemplation of a more thrilling, alternate reality. And if it’s all packaged in artful, breathtaking prose that breeds full-color images, audible noises, indelible flavors, nose-crumpling odors, and tangible textures, I will happily lose myself in the pages, truly forgetting about the strictures of everyday life… at least until I get hungry and remember I need to consume more than books to survive.

Heather's book list on adult fantasy that won’t make you grow up too much

What is my book about?

An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction. 

Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to Ride, but her destiny will pit her against her uncle and king, who have scorned her since before her birth. 

In the Exchange, the waystation between realms, Emmelyn fights the G’Ambit, a gambling ring with members more intent on lining their pockets than protecting the realms—or their own lives.

Both…

An Heir of Realms

By Heather Ashle,

What is this book about?

Realm-devouring parasites threaten all existence. The Exchange is desperate to destroy them. But could their radical plans endanger the realms, too?

Soul-sucking parasites are overwhelming the realms.

Rhoswen of Stanburh is of age to train as a Realm Rider—a defender of the realms. Riders and their dragons work together to burn away infiltrating Narxon as they swarm in through tears in a realm’s fabric. But it’s not an easy battle: the mere touch of the smoky, dragon-like adversaries can reduce the lively winged beasts—and their Riders—to ash.

Becoming a Realm Rider is Rhoswen’s dream, but she carries far more responsibility…


This is part of McCaffrey’s beloved Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonsong is set in a seaside hold—a fortified town—and far from the inland holds that rule the land. Menolly, a young woman with a gift for music, aspires to be a harper, but her rigidly conservative parents forbid it. Realizing she will never make her parents or herself happy, she strikes out on her own. In her adventures, she discovers a nest of fire lizards, the miniature, cute, and wild cousins of the majestic dragons. She befriends all nine of them (sort of like adopting a feral cat colony, I'd…

From Carol's list on science fiction stories with pets.

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