Menolly's story is told from a shifting viewpoint. McCaffrey presents actions not involving Menolly, such as the search for her along the seacoast by her brother and the new Sea Hold harper, Elgion. This episode highlights the irony and deepens the readers' understanding. The harpers don't care that the singer of such splendid songs is female.

But Menolly has no way of knowing this; her father's obstinacy has delayed Elgion's arrival until after Menolly has fled.

The planet colonized from Earth is a common device in science fiction. It enables writers to show recognizably human persons reacting to totally new conditions. The cultures that evolve may be very different from those the colonists left behind on Earth. Only a few writers, however, have matched McCaffrey's skill in combining these science fiction premises with the motifs of myth and fantasy. Dragons breathe fire in many tales, but...