The Dragonbards Trilogy: Complete in One Volume

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.

Frrom the reviews of Nightpool:

"Scenes that fairly soar infuse the tale with mythical qualities, which are buttressed by vitalized characterizations (the otters, foxes and dragons as well as Teb are developed in loving detail while the evil ones are truly evil). An enthralling fantasy that begs a sequel, better yet a series of sequels." --ALA Booklist

"A sense that communication with animals once existed but has been lost permeates all of human lore. Georgia writer Shirley Rousseau Murphy's forte is her ability to vicariously compensate for this loss through her stories. In Nightpool she is in top form." --Atlanta Journal and Constitution

From the reviews of The Ivory Lyre:
"A riveting sequel to Nightpool. . . . A finely crafted story filled with scenes of chilling horror as well as courage and beauty. Murphy's dragon lore exhibits an exciting immediacy; her scenes of dragons in flight exalt the reader. . . . Anne McCaffrey, make room." --ALA Booklist

"This well-crafted fantasy has a depth and scope reminiscent of Tolkien." --Publisher's Weekly

From the reviews of The Dragonbards:

"Once again Murphy demonstrates a fine sense of storytelling, high adventure, scene setting, and characterization--human, animal, and evil monster. And her dragons remain some of the most appealing in contemporary fantasy." --ALA Booklist

"The concluding volume of the author's generally acclaimed Dragonbards trilogy . . . assumes a harrowing narrative pace that builds to a grand, good-over-evil finale. . . . This is rollicking high fantasy." --Christian Science Monitor