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Dragonbards
The Dragonbards Trilogy: Complete in One Volume
This book contains the three novels Nightpool, The Ivory Lyre, and The Dragonbards.
Book 1: Nightpool As dark raiders invade the world of Tirror, a singing dragon awakens from her long slumber, searching for the human who can vanquish the forces of evil—Tebriel, son of the murdered king. Teb has found refuge in Nightpool, a colony of speaking otters. But a creature of the Dark is also seeking him, and the battle to which he is drawn will decide Tirror’s future.
Book 2: The Ivory Lyre The bard Tebriel and his singing dragon Seastrider together can weave powerful spells. With other dragons searching for their own bards, they have been inciting revolts throughout the enslaved land of Tirror. Only if they can contact underground resistance fighters and find the talisman hidden in Dacia will they have a chance to defeat the power of the Dark.
Book 3: The Dragonbards Only the dragonbards and their singing dragons have the power to unite the people and animals of Tirror into an army that can break the Dark's hypnotic hold over the world. Before their leader Tebriel can challenge the hordes gathering for the final battle, he must confront the dark lord Quazelzeg face to face in the Castle of Doors, a warp of time and space.
The many fans of this classic trilogy will be delighted to find it back in print in a paperback edition, as well as in ebook form.
Book 1: Nightpool As dark raiders invade the world of Tirror, a singing dragon awakens from her long slumber, searching for the human who can vanquish the forces of evil—Tebriel, son of the murdered king. Teb has found refuge in Nightpool, a colony of speaking otters. But a creature of the Dark is also seeking him, and the battle to which he is drawn will decide Tirror’s future.
Book 2: The Ivory Lyre The bard Tebriel and his singing dragon Seastrider together can weave powerful spells. With other dragons searching for their own bards, they have been inciting revolts throughout the enslaved land of Tirror. Only if they can contact underground resistance fighters and find the talisman hidden in Dacia will they have a chance to defeat the power of the Dark.
Book 3: The Dragonbards Only the dragonbards and their singing dragons have the power to unite the people and animals of Tirror into an army that can break the Dark's hypnotic hold over the world. Before their leader Tebriel can challenge the hordes gathering for the final battle, he must confront the dark lord Quazelzeg face to face in the Castle of Doors, a warp of time and space.
The many fans of this classic trilogy will be delighted to find it back in print in a paperback edition, as well as in ebook form.
587 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2016
45 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
62 books525 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2026
Murphy's second YA epic fantasy series sprawls less than Children of Ynell/World of Ere did, but doesn't really reach the highs of that series.
That probably has to do with the choice of main character. Teb is closer to Ramad and a good main character, but he's also a bit central casting for YA epic fantasy. Young (fair enough), male (fine), dispossessed nobility (trope). And with the usual bevy of main character traits; driven, loyal, charismatic. I still greatly prefer the free-spirit Zephy from Ring of Fire.
The trilogy is not directly related to the earlier series, but both mention the idea after each life you get reborn in a new world, so presumably they're both in the same 'multiverse' that concept implies. Instead of time travel, we do get (generally off-screen) universe-hopping as the there is a place that connects to countless other worlds.
The good guys get magical powers again, the titular bards bond with dragons (presumed borrowing from Pern here, but this is a pure 'destined' bond—there is one particular dragon for a bard and vice versa, and if they never meet...). And bardic magic lets them show people the past... and gives them an instinctual knowledge of that past.
The bad guys look generally human (pale skin, etc), apparently don't age, and psychically feed off of pain and suffering. They're not shown as having any redeeming features, though they are fully intelligent. A nice, safe, "other" that is easy to see as evil. (And to be fair, there's not going to be any good way to live with that.) There are other evil creatures from other worlds, which threw this one out of balance, but they're the ones currently in charge. They also see wiping out knowledge of the past as part of how to cement their power. There's some good themes that could be explored with that, but we don't really get past the surface level.
We also have a number of intelligent animals (foxes, cats, and otters are the main ones mentioned). There's non-intelligent ones too, and they are by no means anthropomoric/furry in form. They're animals, but they are intelligent and can speak. This is more of a borrowing from Narnia, but I don't think they're meant to be larger than their non-intelligent cousins like they are there.
Nightpool (book 1) has an in medias res opening, but we go back to the initial part after the first chapter. (This is something I've grown to dislike.) And the book is largely Teb's growth towards an active (young) adult, ready to work towards a defeat of the people who have taken his kingdom. This, of course, ends up as a side effect of the series as a whole, as the scope quickly encompasses the entirety of this battered world. (At some point during the initial campaigns of evil, something caused the sea levels to rise, leaving islands and small continents where large continents were. This is never explained.)
It is a much more cohesive story than Children of Ynell, and much more compact in time. But, we lose some of the themes that helped Ring of Fire be so good. Generally, this is good YA fantasy that feels even older than it is (more of a '60s-'70s feel than mid-'80s), with some good character-focused writing. But past that, it isn't all that special either.
That probably has to do with the choice of main character. Teb is closer to Ramad and a good main character, but he's also a bit central casting for YA epic fantasy. Young (fair enough), male (fine), dispossessed nobility (trope). And with the usual bevy of main character traits; driven, loyal, charismatic. I still greatly prefer the free-spirit Zephy from Ring of Fire.
The trilogy is not directly related to the earlier series, but both mention the idea after each life you get reborn in a new world, so presumably they're both in the same 'multiverse' that concept implies. Instead of time travel, we do get (generally off-screen) universe-hopping as the there is a place that connects to countless other worlds.
The good guys get magical powers again, the titular bards bond with dragons (presumed borrowing from Pern here, but this is a pure 'destined' bond—there is one particular dragon for a bard and vice versa, and if they never meet...). And bardic magic lets them show people the past... and gives them an instinctual knowledge of that past.
The bad guys look generally human (pale skin, etc), apparently don't age, and psychically feed off of pain and suffering. They're not shown as having any redeeming features, though they are fully intelligent. A nice, safe, "other" that is easy to see as evil. (And to be fair, there's not going to be any good way to live with that.) There are other evil creatures from other worlds, which threw this one out of balance, but they're the ones currently in charge. They also see wiping out knowledge of the past as part of how to cement their power. There's some good themes that could be explored with that, but we don't really get past the surface level.
We also have a number of intelligent animals (foxes, cats, and otters are the main ones mentioned). There's non-intelligent ones too, and they are by no means anthropomoric/furry in form. They're animals, but they are intelligent and can speak. This is more of a borrowing from Narnia, but I don't think they're meant to be larger than their non-intelligent cousins like they are there.
Nightpool (book 1) has an in medias res opening, but we go back to the initial part after the first chapter. (This is something I've grown to dislike.) And the book is largely Teb's growth towards an active (young) adult, ready to work towards a defeat of the people who have taken his kingdom. This, of course, ends up as a side effect of the series as a whole, as the scope quickly encompasses the entirety of this battered world. (At some point during the initial campaigns of evil, something caused the sea levels to rise, leaving islands and small continents where large continents were. This is never explained.)
It is a much more cohesive story than Children of Ynell, and much more compact in time. But, we lose some of the themes that helped Ring of Fire be so good. Generally, this is good YA fantasy that feels even older than it is (more of a '60s-'70s feel than mid-'80s), with some good character-focused writing. But past that, it isn't all that special either.
July 23, 2021
Every once in a while, I return to the books I loved in childhood.
I enjoy the first novel in the trilogy, Nightpool, most, as Tebriel escapes from the traitor that killed his father and is take care of by a colony of speaking otters. Here, he first encounters the mind-numbing lies of the Dark, and it is here he first learns that he is a dragonbard. The second book, The Ivory Lyre, sees Teb and the dragons use his powers of song and history to free island after island from the mindhold of the dark until he comes to Dacia, a city playing both sides. The third book,The Dragonbards is much darker in many ways, as Teb confronts the powers of the dark directly, and is captured...
One of the unique aspects of this trilogy that I only realize as an adult is the primary tool of the dark: numbing and forgetting. The Dark uses force, unexplained spells, and drugs to make the people of Tirror forget their history, both personal and cultural, until people lose their identity and enslaved to the dark. The bardsong fights against this forgetting, but the Dark has many ways to bespell and deceive, and as Teb learns, he is not immune. While pitting the powers of the Light against the Powers of the dark may be simple, Teb grows through the books and has his own internal struggles. The final book feels too fast for the characters to recover, but it comes to a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoy the first novel in the trilogy, Nightpool, most, as Tebriel escapes from the traitor that killed his father and is take care of by a colony of speaking otters. Here, he first encounters the mind-numbing lies of the Dark, and it is here he first learns that he is a dragonbard. The second book, The Ivory Lyre, sees Teb and the dragons use his powers of song and history to free island after island from the mindhold of the dark until he comes to Dacia, a city playing both sides. The third book,The Dragonbards is much darker in many ways, as Teb confronts the powers of the dark directly, and is captured...
One of the unique aspects of this trilogy that I only realize as an adult is the primary tool of the dark: numbing and forgetting. The Dark uses force, unexplained spells, and drugs to make the people of Tirror forget their history, both personal and cultural, until people lose their identity and enslaved to the dark. The bardsong fights against this forgetting, but the Dark has many ways to bespell and deceive, and as Teb learns, he is not immune. While pitting the powers of the Light against the Powers of the dark may be simple, Teb grows through the books and has his own internal struggles. The final book feels too fast for the characters to recover, but it comes to a satisfying conclusion.
December 22, 2016
I have read all her Joe Grey books and Catswold Portal, and liking Fantasy thought I'd give this a try. I am always amazed at her imagination and skill when writing. It didn't disappoint, and I found the books hard to put down. If you like dragons and dragonriders, magic, talking animals, and the battle between good and evil, this won't disappoint.
July 24, 2024
I first read Nightpool in the third grade. Now, in my final semester of college, I have finally read the trilogy completely. Though I can acknowledge that it is not perfect, the history I have with this series is an important part of my life, and I dearly love the story that Murphy weaves so compellingly throughout this series.
December 3, 2025
Very Good
A fantasy. A fight between good and evil. Seeing a boy grow to a man, a fight with drugs and many things. Famiy means many different things. I loved tbis series!
A fantasy. A fight between good and evil. Seeing a boy grow to a man, a fight with drugs and many things. Famiy means many different things. I loved tbis series!
June 9, 2024
This was the most enjoyable fantasy series I've read in quite awhile.
Prince Tebriel of Auric saw his father murdered, his sister imprisoned and himself enslaved by Sivich, once one of his father the king's most trusted servants. This followed his mother's death- Meriden apparently drowned while sailing off on an important secret mission- find the doorway to other worlds, go through and search for dragons.
She, Teb and his sister Camery are all dragonbards. They could drive the dark forces (led by Quazelzeg) off of Tirror if they had singing dragons to pair with. Dragons and bards together have the power to bring forth songs and visions that will enable people to shake off the darkness, remember their pasts and set their future back.
Dawncloud was one of the last singing dragons left on TIrror. She'd spent years hibernating in a muddy slew after her bard was killed, but now she woke up to lay eggs. Her eggs hatched into a clutch of five dragonlings: Seastrider, Windcaller, Starpounder, Nightraider and Moonsong. She raised them to know what they had to do- find bards to pair with and use their combined powers to drive the dark forces off of their planet.
Sivich learned that Dawncloud existed and tried to use Tebriel to trap her. He saw the bard mark on Teb's arm and knew that any singing dragon would come to him. She freed him from the huge cage, but he was injured trying to escape. Otters from Nightpool found him and took him to their home to heal. It took months for his broken leg and ribs to heal, and during that time, he regained his memory with help from Thakkur, leader of Nightpool. He and Seastrider found themselves paired as bard and dragon by the Graven Light, and together they searched for more bards and more dragons. Dawncloud went through the doorway to other worlds to find Meriden, who is her bard.
On the island of Dacia they found more bards: Kiri, her father Colewolf, 6-year-old Marshy and Camery, who'd been hiding under the assumed name of Summer. Camery bonded with Nightraider and Colewolf with Starpounder, while Kiri and Marshy still searched for their dragons. After freeing Dacia from the darkness, they found another group of dragons. Iceflower, Bluepiper, Firemont, Rockdrumlin and Snowblitz joined the cause (their sister Snowlake was killed by dark forces). Marshy bonded with Iceflower and helped the others free a group of slave children. Aven and Darba were among the children- as bards, they joined the group as well. Aven bonded with Bluepiper and as a unified force, the dragons and bards fought Quazelzeg's forces. Meriden and Dawncloud returned to join the fight, and together they freed their world.
I enjoyed the three books that made up this one volume. The bond between bard and dragon was a nice touch- it was good to see each pairing as it happened, and the power each pair was able to bring forth once joined.
Prince Tebriel of Auric saw his father murdered, his sister imprisoned and himself enslaved by Sivich, once one of his father the king's most trusted servants. This followed his mother's death- Meriden apparently drowned while sailing off on an important secret mission- find the doorway to other worlds, go through and search for dragons.
She, Teb and his sister Camery are all dragonbards. They could drive the dark forces (led by Quazelzeg) off of Tirror if they had singing dragons to pair with. Dragons and bards together have the power to bring forth songs and visions that will enable people to shake off the darkness, remember their pasts and set their future back.
Dawncloud was one of the last singing dragons left on TIrror. She'd spent years hibernating in a muddy slew after her bard was killed, but now she woke up to lay eggs. Her eggs hatched into a clutch of five dragonlings: Seastrider, Windcaller, Starpounder, Nightraider and Moonsong. She raised them to know what they had to do- find bards to pair with and use their combined powers to drive the dark forces off of their planet.
Sivich learned that Dawncloud existed and tried to use Tebriel to trap her. He saw the bard mark on Teb's arm and knew that any singing dragon would come to him. She freed him from the huge cage, but he was injured trying to escape. Otters from Nightpool found him and took him to their home to heal. It took months for his broken leg and ribs to heal, and during that time, he regained his memory with help from Thakkur, leader of Nightpool. He and Seastrider found themselves paired as bard and dragon by the Graven Light, and together they searched for more bards and more dragons. Dawncloud went through the doorway to other worlds to find Meriden, who is her bard.
On the island of Dacia they found more bards: Kiri, her father Colewolf, 6-year-old Marshy and Camery, who'd been hiding under the assumed name of Summer. Camery bonded with Nightraider and Colewolf with Starpounder, while Kiri and Marshy still searched for their dragons. After freeing Dacia from the darkness, they found another group of dragons. Iceflower, Bluepiper, Firemont, Rockdrumlin and Snowblitz joined the cause (their sister Snowlake was killed by dark forces). Marshy bonded with Iceflower and helped the others free a group of slave children. Aven and Darba were among the children- as bards, they joined the group as well. Aven bonded with Bluepiper and as a unified force, the dragons and bards fought Quazelzeg's forces. Meriden and Dawncloud returned to join the fight, and together they freed their world.
I enjoyed the three books that made up this one volume. The bond between bard and dragon was a nice touch- it was good to see each pairing as it happened, and the power each pair was able to bring forth once joined.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews