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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jan 1998, 430 pages
Paperback:
Jan 1999, 422 pages
Robinton is a prodigy from birth and enjoys a special rapport with the telepathic dragons. But it is a time when Thread has not been a threat for centuries, the harpers have fallen into disfavor, and one despotic man is plotting to take over Pern.
Pern: a beautiful world colonized by humans, terrorized by the
deadly spores called Thread, and defended by magnificent flying dragons. Anne McCaffrey's
bestselling tales of this planet have yielded a multitude of unforgettable characters. And
now, after years of urging by devoted readers, one of the most popular denizens of Pern
takes center stage in a novel that chronicles his extraordinary life.
Along with the dragonriders, perhaps none are so revered on Pern as the harpers, whose
songs record history, warn of the coming of Thread, and prepare Pern's people for the
future. And no one is more influential than the Masterharper of Pern. The son of renowned
composer Petiron and gifted singer Merelan, Robinton is a prodigy from birth and enjoys a
special rapport with the telepathic dragons. But it is a time when Thread has not been a
threat for centuries, the harpers have fallen into disfavor, and one despotic man is
plotting to take over Pern. In this climate of unrest, Robinton will come into his own . .
. driven by his belief in music, in the dragons, and in the salvation of his beloved Pern.
Chapter One
His parents were busy packing for their trip to Nerat, so Robinton had been told to go
outside and play. He always missed his mother, but it would be nice to stay with Kubisa
and Lina, where he could sing and play his pipe or his drum without worrying about
annoying his father. Now it was his turn to hop-it without smudging the chalk lines on the
flags, and his attention was utterly focused on the movement of his feet--until Libby made
him miss the longest hop by suddenly pointing skyward in astonishment.
"Oh, look, Robie!" she cried.
"That's not fair..."
His complaint died as he realized that the dragons soaring above were coming closer to
the Harper Hall, rather than the Hold, where they usually landed. Half a wing of
dragons--six of them. As they swept closer, backwinging, their hind legs stretching
downward to land in the Harper Hall quadrangle, Robie, Libby, and Lexey...
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