Since I was thirteen, people have been recommending The Dragonriders of Pern series to me. I've resisted so long because I knew, I knew, that as soon as I picked it up, I'd become obsessed. And here we are at the start of that, oh no.

Dragonsong begins the story of Menolly, who is a fifteen year old teen girl in love with music. Ever since she was small, she has followed around her community's Harper (think traditional Druid bard) and, at his side, learned all the stories of her people. When her mentor dies, Menolly is heartbroken. That heartbreak is made worse when her parents insist it is high time for her to give up her musical aspirations and "settle down as a proper woman." In her despair, Menolly runs away from home and encounters fire lizards, the ancestral evolutionary root of Pern's dragons. All sadness is forgot when Menolly discovers that fire lizards vibrate in tune to melodies.

According to the Girlfriend, Harper Hall is a good place to start for beginners to the universe. We listened on audiobook, and there was a helpful, quick guide to the broader world to catch me up. I was most impressed by McCaffrey's flexible ability to write different types of stories. Previous series are time-hopping space opera, with an entire civilization in the balance, but Dragonsong never felt unimportant or without stakes for being a more intimate, individual tale. There was a great sense of patriarchy creating its own problems: very "cutting off its own nose to spite its face." Menolly's arrival in more feminist spaces was a satisfying victory. The simple, accessible language belied an engaging storycraft, making Dragonsong a brilliant choice for young YA readers.

I want to read the next one! Also: a fire lizard. Please and thank you.