I just reread this for the first time in 17 years... I love this trilogy so much! It introduced me to the world of Pern and was one of the few things I have ever been able to give back to my Aunt Debbie to repay her for her kindness in introducing me to science-fiction/fantasy, Isaac Asimov, John Bellairs...

Dragonsong serves both as an introduction for young adult readers to the Dragonrider series, an examination of gender roles and tradition in their society (and perhaps in ours), as well as a loving celebration of music and poetry. It is followed by Dragonsinger and Dragondrums.

New readers may take some effort to adjust to McCaffery's Pern dialect and the strange apostrophied names of the male Dragonriders, but this gets easier with time and is an excellent language learning tool. Readers may learn to pick up on implied meanings, for example: the toilet or privy is called "the necessary".

Solid storytelling is made even more memorable by vivid views of the landscape of the planet, the social order and a brief history of Pern, and dazzling descriptions of the fanciful wildlife, including dragons and fire lizards. This story will captivate and delight even the most reluctant reader.