Dragonsong is the first book of a trilogy about young musicians. Its sequel, Dragonsinger, tells the story of Menolly's apprenticeship at Harper Hall. The third book, Dragondrums, shows the difficult first year of a younger drummer apprentice, Piemur, whose impulsive ways continually lead him into trouble.

The adult dragonrider trilogy, Dragonflight (1968), Dragonquest (1971), and The White Dragon (1978), complements the Harper Hall set. These novels focus upon the lives of dragonriders rather than those of musicians. The dragonriders' mobilization against the longabsent threat of Thread provides stirring action in Dragonflight, the first book of the series. F'nor's dangerous journey to Thread's source on the Red Star dominates Dragonquest. The White Dragon brings together almost all the characters from the other books, as social and technological change coincides with discoveries about the planet's history.

The adult novels are more complex in plot and theme than the Harper Hall books...