Mary M. Burns
Last Updated on June 7, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 128
Details of the apprentices' lives—rigorous curriculum and teaching methods, food, clothing, and societal relationships—give verisimilitude to [Dragonsinger,] a superbly crafted fantasy in the heroic tradition. Yet these details, essential to the evocation of the setting, are so thoroughly integrated into the story that they complement and extend the action rather than serve merely as a framework. Poetic introductions to each chapter appropriately suggest ancient ballads and sagas, thus supporting the motif of song as the cement of a people and the idea that crafters of song are historians and effectors of change…. Unlike many sequels, this maintains the dramatic tensions of its predecessor….
Mary M. Burns, "Summer Booklist: 'Dragonsinger'," in The Horn Book Magazine (copyright © 1977 by the Horn Book, Inc., Boston), Vol. LIII, No. 3, June, 1977, p. 320.
See eNotes Ad-Free
Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.