Piemur

The main character of this fantasy is the young harper apprentice, Piemur. Piemur is first introduced as the finest singer in the Harper Hall hold. His perfectly-pitched soprano voice allows him to take the lead in most musicals, even taking on female leads. But the fourteen-year old is suddenly stripped of his singing assignments. At rehearsal for the upcoming musical, Piemur opens his mouth to sing but only low, creaky tones emerge. Cruelly, his voice has changed and his singing career has ended. He is very upset as he was very satisfied with his singing assignment.

Piemur is sent to discuss his future with the Masterharper Robinton, who is the leader of the Planet Pern. Master Robinton recognizes Piemur's intelligence and abilities and taps him for two roles. The first is as a drummer apprentice. The drummers are the communication link between the various Pern locales. Drummers beat...