"Dragonsong" is written by Anne McCaffrey.
I'd stayed away from these books for years, partly because of the overhyping in my circles, but also partly because of some of the weirder things people associated with the series. Finally tried it. Glad I did.
As always, there may be spoilers behind the cut.
I knew this book wouldn't take long to read. I didn't expect it to go THIS fast, and in looking back I'm not sure what it is about the story - pretty low on action - that kept me racing through it, devouring the pages and unable to get myself to do anything else from beginning to end except sleep, and that only because my eyes were too heavy to continue.
The story is a pretty simple and basic one, well-trod territory where a young person has special gifts which no one around them understands and which make them an outcast among their own mostly-good-intentioned but stuck-in-their-ways people. But it's tried and true for a reason - its a warming tale for anyone who's ever felt that way, who's felt that some special aspect of themselves wasn't really appreciated, and of course the second-hand triumph when the character is ultimately recognized and finds their place.
I've never read any Pern before, and some of what was going on was a bit of a mystery to me - if it remains so at the end of this trilogy I may have to look into other arcs in that world to learn more of the history and culture of the world.
But this book was lovely. Menolly (whose name I, probably intentionally, kept misreading as Melody) is a musician of the highest order, but she's not allowed to embrace her talent. I found her so sympathetic and kind and relate-able that, in hindsight, I assume she's the main reason I devoured this book so rapidly. The other characters were fun and interesting in their own right, but she was the driving focus, to the point that even though she felt a little Mary Sue-ish, it was handled so well that I didn't *care*
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