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Dragonbards #1
Nightpool
As the Dark Raiders invade Tirror, the singing dragon, guardian of Tirror, awakens from her slumber and struggles to reach Tebriel, the only human who can restore peace in the land
250 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1985
13 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
62 books515 followersShirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of over 40 books, including 24 novels for adults, the Dragonbards Trilogy and more for young adults, and many books for children. She is best known for her Joe Grey cat mystery series, consisting of 21 novels, the last of which was published when she was over 90. Now retired, she enjoys hearing from readers who write to her at her website www.srmurphy.com, where the reading order of the books in that series can be found.
Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
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Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 2, 2012
The first novel I remember ever finishing on my own. A great fantasy world that opened my mind to the entire genre for the rest of my life.
April 29, 2013
I first read this book when I was in 7th grade and was just starting to get into fantasy books. At the time I was not in the habit of keeping a list of books that I read, so a few years later, when I started, I could not remember the name of this book. I wanted to get a copy of the trilogy but since this was in the dinosaur age, before the time of Google and so on, I didn't have any luck. Over the last almost 20 years I have thought of this book often, and I have searched for it but to no avail. All I could remember is that there was a dragon, and a boy who lost his kingdom, and otters that took care of him before he met a dragon. Searched and seached and searched. Finally, I told my husband about this and he of course, found it within 10 minutes. I just finished re-reading it and I am just so happy. There was a lot I had forgotten, and it was such a pleasure to relearn everything. I am not so sure that adults reading it for the first time would get as much out of it, but kids around 11-14 would be perfect. I love all the talking animals, they are fantastic. I think this is also the first book that really instilled in me a wonder and love for dragons. I am going to be reading this to my kids one day!
October 28, 2014
I own the third book in this series, so when I saw this library actually HAD the first two, I thought it was high time to figure out what happens BEFORE mine. Not that I've read the one I own, yet. Which is probably better, since I didn't have a ton of spoilers. Hm. I liked all the talking animals, and the otter society especially, but the story kept feeling very flat. In the end, it almost made me angry that the bad guys are bad just because that's what they ARE (well, I've seen it done better, at any rate), and the good guy was born/destined to defeat them with the help of a dragon he bonds before he's even really met her. Not much depth in anyone's motivations. The one dude he's really mad at for killing his father gets nearly NO backstory, which was odd, and the fight at the end was similarly disappointing. He just sorta wakes up one day, after having succumbed to the enemy's lies, and decides he won't stand for it anymore. No trigger. No REASON. Just bam, he wakes up. I'll read the second one in the hopes that it gets better, but I'm not expecting a whole lot out of the series. Neutral.
February 7, 2011
Sadly, this didn't hold up quite so well to adult reading as some of the other blasts from the past I've been going through lately. It's the world-building that's the sticking point for me; both the talking animals who act more or less like humans and the unquestioned belief in the divine right of kings evoke eyebrow-raising, if not outright eye-rolling.
What saves it is the writing, which is lyrical and graceful leaning almost towards archaic in genre terms--if I didn't have the copyright page to refer to, I would have pinned date of publication on the 50s or 60s, not 80s. The years Teb lives with the otters came alive just as well as they did during my original middle-school read. I can almost smell the ocean.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the plotline with Teb's mother, which I hadn't remembered clearly. I was expecting another woman in a refrigerator; instead I got something quite different, and unusual for the genre. If I pick up the latter two books in the trilogy, it will be largely to see how the author continues to develop that.
What saves it is the writing, which is lyrical and graceful leaning almost towards archaic in genre terms--if I didn't have the copyright page to refer to, I would have pinned date of publication on the 50s or 60s, not 80s. The years Teb lives with the otters came alive just as well as they did during my original middle-school read. I can almost smell the ocean.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the plotline with Teb's mother, which I hadn't remembered clearly. I was expecting another woman in a refrigerator; instead I got something quite different, and unusual for the genre. If I pick up the latter two books in the trilogy, it will be largely to see how the author continues to develop that.
November 29, 2018
Really liked this YA book. I've been in the mood for dragons lately and this came up as a rec that I had never heard of. Glad I did! The series is hard to find, though. I had to request the sequels from Interlibrary Loan because not a single library in my county has a copy.
June 26, 2025
Something about older young adult books is just so fun and cozy lately. This book really has it all: a prince and princess fighting to reclaim their kingdom, singing dragons, and sassy talking otters.
The writing is nice, if sometimes repetitive. The descriptions of the sea and islands and caves and rocky crags are fantastic. I have trouble imagining landscapes, but they were clear and vivid in my head as I read.
Teb is the typical fantasy boy adventurer main character. Nothing super noteworthy about him. I liked his struggle near the end when dealing with the darkness in his own thoughts and how he overcomes them . Cliche, but charming.
My biggest gripe is during a stretch in the middle when Teb has lost all of his memories. I don't care for amnesia as a plot device, and it was a bit annoying every time he'd start to remember something just to let it slip away again and again. Hence, the docked star in my rating.
I plan to continue reading the trilogy to see where the story goes from here. I hope Teb's sister gets a bigger role as the plot thickens.
The writing is nice, if sometimes repetitive. The descriptions of the sea and islands and caves and rocky crags are fantastic. I have trouble imagining landscapes, but they were clear and vivid in my head as I read.
Teb is the typical fantasy boy adventurer main character. Nothing super noteworthy about him. I liked his struggle near the end when dealing with the darkness in his own thoughts and how he overcomes them . Cliche, but charming.
My biggest gripe is during a stretch in the middle when Teb has lost all of his memories. I don't care for amnesia as a plot device, and it was a bit annoying every time he'd start to remember something just to let it slip away again and again. Hence, the docked star in my rating.
I plan to continue reading the trilogy to see where the story goes from here. I hope Teb's sister gets a bigger role as the plot thickens.
November 12, 2017
This is a wonderful novel, by a little known author with a terrific level of talent. An evil, and dark power has flexed its muscles over the land of Tirror. The king of Auric is killed, but his son, Prince Tebriel manages to escape. He is protected by the animals that used to once co-exist peacefully with humans. The animals can no longer hide him however, from the dark forces that have inhabited Tirror, or from his destiny. Teb will look to the dragons who rule the skies.
This was a very quick read for me as it was tremendously enjoyable. I was moved by the author's description, and imagination. She develops an beautiful story that held my attention from beginning to end.
This was a very quick read for me as it was tremendously enjoyable. I was moved by the author's description, and imagination. She develops an beautiful story that held my attention from beginning to end.
September 6, 2017
I remember reading this book many times as a child, so rereading it was like revisiting a childhood playground. This book is the reason otters were my favorite animal, and why I always wanted to be a bard for Halloween.
It has probably been more than a decade and a half since I read it, and I still enjoyed it, though not in the same way as I did when I was a child. This time, part of the enjoyment was remembering how I read it as a child, and what it meant to me then.
It has probably been more than a decade and a half since I read it, and I still enjoyed it, though not in the same way as I did when I was a child. This time, part of the enjoyment was remembering how I read it as a child, and what it meant to me then.
February 5, 2018
C. fiction, fantasy, YA
October 13, 2025
has a good sense of whimsy & depth. the protagonist is bland, though.
November 25, 2017
Tirror was once peaceful- people and speaking animals lived in harmony and peace. Then the dark forces came, and ruined everything. Once peaceful people became warlike, and trusted subjects turned against their rulers.
One such vassal, Sivich, murdered Everard, king of Auric , took over his kingdom and enslaved his children, 12-year-old Tebriel and 14-year-old Camery. Thanks to loyal friends, Teb was able to escape from Sivich's cruelty. He hid first among the speaking foxes (friends from his youth) and then among the otters of Nightpool, where he recovered from major injuries.
Dawncloud awakens from a long hibernation in a muddy slew. She needs to find a mate, and hopes she is not in fact the last singing dragon on Tirror. While she searches for a male to quicken her eggs, she senses another potential answer to a different need: a dragon bard. Dragons and bards, once paired, have the power to awaken sleeping souls and to drive out the darkness. Quazelzeg, lord of the dark forces on Tirror, thought he'd murdered every last bard and dragon. Dawncloud is determined to bring forth her new lives and then find bards for them all- Tirror's freedom depends on it.
Teb's long convalescence gives him time to regain his lost memory and ponder why he's considered important. What does his mysterious birthmark mean? Why does singing come so easily to him, and what is his connection to the singing dragons?
His mother Meriden, missing and presumed dead since before Sivich betrayed his father, told him and Camery stories of Tirror's past, filled with singing dragons, talking animals and peace beyond measure.
I enjoyed this tale, part 1 of a trilogy. Teb has to regain his memories and then find out who is is and who he is meant to be. Dawncloud has a family to bring to life and a mission to fulfill once she does. I enjoyed watching their separate stories come together and can't wait to see what happens next.
One such vassal, Sivich, murdered Everard, king of Auric , took over his kingdom and enslaved his children, 12-year-old Tebriel and 14-year-old Camery. Thanks to loyal friends, Teb was able to escape from Sivich's cruelty. He hid first among the speaking foxes (friends from his youth) and then among the otters of Nightpool, where he recovered from major injuries.
Dawncloud awakens from a long hibernation in a muddy slew. She needs to find a mate, and hopes she is not in fact the last singing dragon on Tirror. While she searches for a male to quicken her eggs, she senses another potential answer to a different need: a dragon bard. Dragons and bards, once paired, have the power to awaken sleeping souls and to drive out the darkness. Quazelzeg, lord of the dark forces on Tirror, thought he'd murdered every last bard and dragon. Dawncloud is determined to bring forth her new lives and then find bards for them all- Tirror's freedom depends on it.
Teb's long convalescence gives him time to regain his lost memory and ponder why he's considered important. What does his mysterious birthmark mean? Why does singing come so easily to him, and what is his connection to the singing dragons?
His mother Meriden, missing and presumed dead since before Sivich betrayed his father, told him and Camery stories of Tirror's past, filled with singing dragons, talking animals and peace beyond measure.
I enjoyed this tale, part 1 of a trilogy. Teb has to regain his memories and then find out who is is and who he is meant to be. Dawncloud has a family to bring to life and a mission to fulfill once she does. I enjoyed watching their separate stories come together and can't wait to see what happens next.
August 1, 2015
This book is the first of the Dragonbards series, YA fiction from the late 1980s. It's shorter than most books today, which means a super-quick read. In this world, some people are born with dragon birthmarks that indicate they will become dragonbards and bond with a Singing Dragon. These are different than ordinary dragons, being both larger and having magic. The bards and dragons fulfill an important social role: they remind people of their past, which is key to who they are. In the time of this series, the connection to the past has been lost and the Singing Dragons have disappeared. But a dragon has returned and a new bard has been found, and it's up to them to, in effect, heal the society's soul.
September 10, 2013
Prefacing this with a disclaimer: many years ago I read Dragonbards. It was before I knew that it was the third in a series and I didn't remember much of it when I was reading this.
I liked this book. I did. However, it started off very slow and was hard to get into. I liked the plot, although when I finished I didn't really feel like anything had happened.
The light/dark theme is a little strong for me. I would've rathered something a little more subtle.
The writing itself was also not great. Readable, but not great.
Anyway, don't let that fool you. I really did like this book.
I liked this book. I did. However, it started off very slow and was hard to get into. I liked the plot, although when I finished I didn't really feel like anything had happened.
The light/dark theme is a little strong for me. I would've rathered something a little more subtle.
The writing itself was also not great. Readable, but not great.
Anyway, don't let that fool you. I really did like this book.
August 23, 2012
I HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS BOOK FOR MANY MANY YEARS AND THANKS TO THE INTERNET I FOUND IT .... I FIRST READ IT WHEN I WAS 12 AND ALL I COULD REMEMBER WAS A BOY RAISED BY GIANT OTTERS AND DRAGONS IT IS AMAZING WHAT ELSE YOU GET OUT OF A BOOK FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD WHEN YOU REREAD IT AS AN ADULT
February 5, 2009
For an adult audience, I would not give this book (or its sequels) 5 stars, but I first read this series as a kid, and for that audience I do give it 5 stars.
March 31, 2011
Fast-paced trilogy, wonderfully rich imagery, classic hero's journey
June 6, 2015
A solid first book in a trilogy, I especially liked the otters as characters and the society they had. The dragons seems intriguing and I am looking forward to the rest of the books.
Want to read
March 26, 2017I mean, sure, dragons, but A COLONY OF TALKING OTTERS!!
xx-dnf-skim-reference
June 17, 2017Too much akin to typical fantasy for my personal taste; gave up p. 80.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews