The Story of Menolly

Anne McCaffrey (an American author, settled in Ireland) was a prolific SF/Fantasy writer, probably whose greatest creation was PERN (I don't really know what the acronym stands for, but the E stands for: Earth-like), a planet far, far away from Earth.  The most interesting thing about this planet are these super-cute little critters, called fire lizards that kept appearing and disappearing, in the time of the first settlers. 

Well, 2500 years later, an early experiment of those first settlers, which was to create large versions of those fire lizards using genetic manipulation, had become brilliantly successful, and there were a dozen encampments in which there were teams of these dragons, as they were called, and where, with their riders ("dragonriders") they lived in caves, actually systems of caves, called Weyrs.  The dragons were trained to destroy a menace that fell from the skies, thread, which would destroy the plants on the ground, and burn the skin of humans and animals on contact. 

The isolated human population on PERN developed their own music and literature, and the lore of thread-fighting was taught to children in the form of songs, which were taught to them by Harpers, musical talents, who—in addition to harps—could also specialize in guitars, drums, violins, flutes, and so on.  The culture had regressed to a sort of Renaissance stage.

That's the setting.  The story I read centered around Menolly, a girl born to a family of fishermen, but who loved to sing, more than she liked to fish. 

Actually, she was the daughter of the chief of the fisher-hold.  (The society was organized in 'holds', essentially villages located in enlarged caves, to be protected from the deadly Thread, and the hold leader was called the Holder.)  Understandably, she was a special favorite of the Harper assigned to the hold, and she served as his assistant, until he tragically died.

With no harper to take her side, Menolly was seriously marginalized, and she ran away, and hid in the little caves along the shore.   She could make little reed pipes, and started playing little tunes to entertain berself.  Soon she was surrounded by the most beautiful little creatures, flying all around her, all jewel-like colors, who seemed to just love Menolly's music!

Meanwhile, all the leadership, outside Menolly's hold, that is, had gotten interested in acquiring the little fire lizards.  People would hunt along the shores, until they found a clutch of fire- lizard eggs, and keep them dry and warm, until they hatched.  The hatching would get attached to the first person it sees, and aggressively demand food, which it would eat, and fall asleep.  That person would now own that little creature. 

One of their most amazing abilities was to teleport.  They could disappear from one place, and reappear at another place.  It was called "going between", and it was found that the enormous dragons could also do that.  In addition, the fire lizard could convey to their owners their feelings, telepathically.

Mennoly's crew of fire lizards told her they were hungry, and she went out and got them some fish, and in this way, she made them hers.  At night they slept all around her in her cave.

One night, when it was raining heavily, they woke her up, and conveyed that the clutch of eggs laid by the gold fire-lizard (Beauty, if I remember right) was being threatened by rising water-level.   Menolly brings them into the warm cave, to the great satisfaction of Beauty, and when they hatch, they're all beholden to Menolly.

Finally, she teaches them to sing with her!  I thought that was a nice touch.  (Anne mcCaffrey used to be an opera singer.)

Eventually, dragonriders, searching the coastline for fire-lizard eggs discover Menolly.  (An APB for the daughter of the fisher holder had been sent out by the replacement harper for their hold, and the dragonrider quickly concluded that Menolly was this missing girl.

Once Menolly is taken out to the Weyr, and was introduced to the Masterharper, and was requested to play for them the little tunes she had made up, her talent was establised, and she was admitted to the Harper Hall, the headquarters of the harpers, where the harper college was located.

Pretty soon, anyone who wanted a firelizard could get one, through Menolly's kind offices.  In addition, messages could be sent, via fire lizards, by attaching a note to its leg, and instructing it to go to such- and- such a place or person.  If the critter could recognize where it was supposed to go, it would. 

I loved this book to pieces!

I should record that the actual title of the book is Dragonsinger.

Kay