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kalinaraSo one of the things that came to my mind when I was reading Dragonsinger was that, as a kid, I'd gone through a phase where I was really into the idea of bards. And I was reminded of one of the book series that I remember enjoying quite a lot as a kid was Mercedes Lackey's Bardic Voices.
And one thing that kept popping into my mind as I read Dragonsinger for the first time in years was how much certain aspects of the first Bardic Voices novel, "the Lark and the Wren", seemed like a direct response to Dragonsinger's flaws. For context, "the Lark and the Wren" was published in 1992.
Both stories involve calm, quiet, pragmatic heroines who are musical prodigies and seeking to establish themselves in what was exclusively a male profession. Both have much older mentor figures that they have romantic feelings for. Both lead characters create their signature songs based on a formative experience, and the song becomes very widely known. I think there are even implications that Alanda, like Pern, might have been some kind of post-Cataclysmic colony planet in the later books of the series, though it doesn't come up in "the Lark and the Wren".
I have no idea if Ms. Lackey wrote this particular novel with Dragonsinger in mind at all, but it would not surprise me in the least if she did. It does mean that I will probably reference Menolly, Robinton, and the first two books of the Harper Hall Trilogy a lot in this review.
Now there's a pretty big elephant in the room which may be a dealbreaker to a lot of people. Bardic Voices is a fantasy setting, but despite that, the series heavily features Roma characters, or Roma-themed characters, who are referred to by the word "Gypsy" throughout the novel. I apologize for using the word there, but I wanted it to be very clear what I meant. Any time that the word comes up in a passage that I quote, I will replace it with "[Roma]".
To be honest with you, I am far too ignorant of the subject to weigh in on whether or not Ms. Lackey has done sufficient research to portray the Roma people with sensitivity. I can only present the book as it's written.
So without further ado, let's start "the Lark and the Wren".
( So let's start with our adolescent lead and her unsupportive homelife, but no flying cats this time )
And one thing that kept popping into my mind as I read Dragonsinger for the first time in years was how much certain aspects of the first Bardic Voices novel, "the Lark and the Wren", seemed like a direct response to Dragonsinger's flaws. For context, "the Lark and the Wren" was published in 1992.
Both stories involve calm, quiet, pragmatic heroines who are musical prodigies and seeking to establish themselves in what was exclusively a male profession. Both have much older mentor figures that they have romantic feelings for. Both lead characters create their signature songs based on a formative experience, and the song becomes very widely known. I think there are even implications that Alanda, like Pern, might have been some kind of post-Cataclysmic colony planet in the later books of the series, though it doesn't come up in "the Lark and the Wren".
I have no idea if Ms. Lackey wrote this particular novel with Dragonsinger in mind at all, but it would not surprise me in the least if she did. It does mean that I will probably reference Menolly, Robinton, and the first two books of the Harper Hall Trilogy a lot in this review.
Now there's a pretty big elephant in the room which may be a dealbreaker to a lot of people. Bardic Voices is a fantasy setting, but despite that, the series heavily features Roma characters, or Roma-themed characters, who are referred to by the word "Gypsy" throughout the novel. I apologize for using the word there, but I wanted it to be very clear what I meant. Any time that the word comes up in a passage that I quote, I will replace it with "[Roma]".
To be honest with you, I am far too ignorant of the subject to weigh in on whether or not Ms. Lackey has done sufficient research to portray the Roma people with sensitivity. I can only present the book as it's written.
So without further ado, let's start "the Lark and the Wren".
( So let's start with our adolescent lead and her unsupportive homelife, but no flying cats this time )