Anne McCaffrey has passed beyond The Rim

[babylonlurker]

This morning I received the sad news of the passing of yet another of the great Science Fiction and Fantasy authors.

Anne McCaffrey was a very prolific writer, probably mostly known for her "Dragonriders of Pern" series of novels, a series that blends a single apparent fantasy element (the dragons) into a well woven Science fiction story.

I also had the pleasure of meeting her at the Eurocon 2007 in Copenhagen, and remember her as a sweet lady.

Listening to her reading her own story "The Ship Who Sang" was a very moving experience, as she told after the reading that the story was actually a very personal story.

Recently I have re-listened to a good deal the audio books of the "Pern" series on long travels. Having heard the news I intend to continue that "tradition" for a bit longer.

While she is no longer here to enrich us with new stories, I will celebrate her life by reading/listening to more of her stories, now that The Dragonlady has gone "Between".

To Anne McCaffrey, in memory still bright.

[frulad]

I first read the Harper Hall trilogy and then the original Dragonriders trilogy back in junior high/high school, though I never followed up on the other books. I vaguely recall Dragonsong was on a list of possible reading assignments.

[Jan]

She'll definitely be missed. Many of her books are among my 'old friend' titles that I re-read regularly. I didn't care for a few of her series but there was no denying that she could craft worlds and societies and characters wonderfully.

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

This one hit me a bit. Sorry for the late night hysterical call, Jan <3

I don't usually get all worked up about "celebrity" deaths, even the ones that impact segments of my own nostalgia. Anne's words are something that strike home to me more than any other writer. I wrote a little blurb on my experience with her on Facebook:

I discovered Anne in 2001, when I was 18 years old. Back then I took classes at the DVC extension in San Ramon, and used to walk around in between classes to kill time. One day, I stumbled across a local bookstore called "Paperbacks", which is no longer in business.

A woman there asked me what I liked to read, and I said, "I don't know, sci-fi?"

"I know exactly what you'll like," she replied with a smile, leading me over to the sci-fi/fantasy section of the book store. She thumbed through several titles of used books, and I stood there with a smug grin, the one of an 18 year old who 'knows it all', assuming I wouldn't be impressed with the title some woman in a used book store brought to me.

She plucked a book from the shelves called "The Crystal Singer." The book had a moderately good looking woman, arched back and singing with ecstasy on the cover, drawn by renowned fantasy artist, Michael Whelan. As an 18 year old man, the pinks and purples of the cover didn't really appeal to me, and I was wary.

How foolish I was. As I read the book, I realized it was one of the greatest pieces of art I've ever come across. The sense of character, the total immersion in the relationships, the in depth feelings of Killshandra (the main character) was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and nothing I'd ever read since. It was reading that book that led me to read everything Anne has written.

And then there was my college English course.

One of the first assignments I had in college English was to ôwrite an interview paperö. The professor recommended interviewing someone I admired. At that point, I had read the Crystal Singer trilogy and several of the Pern novels, and I thought, ôwell heck, IÆll go to Anne McCaffreyÆs website, find her email, ask her if sheÆll do an iterview.ö

I wrote a lengthy email with several questions about the authorÆs life, her inspiration, her books. They were all ônew fanö questions IÆm sure sheÆs heard thousands of times before, yet Anne, a woman in her 70s, took the time to write out a very detailed email answering all of my questions.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. This famous, New York Times bestselling author several times over, had bothered to write me back and answer a freshman college studentÆs questions? If her books had impressed me, her sheer humility, her care and devotion to those who supported her works impressed me far more. At that point, I became her devoted fan, and have since made sure to own every work she has ever published. She is truly a wonderful woman, with a talent (and those who are her fans reading this will understand what I mean by talent!).

Anne McCaffrey became one of an extremely few authors who I would read their books more than once. I very rarely revisit books, so it is definitely something huge to say that I have re-read the Crystal Singer three times, Dragonflight twice.

This September 2011, I met her son, Todd McCaffrey. IÆve read several of his collaborations with his mother, and was pleased to find that Todd is a wonderful person who inherited her big heart. I shared with him the story of my experience with his mother, and he nodded sagely as he walked with me.

ôSheÆs that way because of me, you know,ö Todd said.

ôWhat do you mean?ö I asked him.

ôWhen I was a kid, I was really into [a science fiction series which name eludes me]. I stood in line to meet the author, get his signature, and he blew me off,ö Todd said with a hint of long remorse. ôEver since then, mum vowed she would always take care of her fans.ö

The McCaffrey family is one class act. TheyÆre wonderful people, and Anne McCaffrey had an ability to touch the human soul like no other.

ItÆs coming up on Thanksgiving, and I want to give thanks for Anne, her family, and her work. May they be remembered forever.

I'd say my collection of Anne McCaffrey stuff almost outweighs my collection of JMS stuff, but with how prolific Joe is in comics, I know that's a little bit untrue.

To Frulad: I definitely recommend the whole series, if anything. She paints a really awesome picture of her dragon-world. I'm crossing my fingers that she finished enough of her last effort, "After The Fall (Is Over)" to be able to release it.

[babylonlurker]

This one hit me a bit. Sorry for the late night hysterical call, Jan <3

I don't usually get all worked up about "celebrity" deaths, even the ones that impact segments of my own nostalgia.

. . .
I'm crossing my fingers that she finished enough of her last effort, "After The Fall (Is Over)" to be able to release it.

I hope so, too - that series was my entry into Anne's worlds . . .

[WorkerCaste]

One of my favorite authors and I am saddened by her passing. Sounds like you had a great experience with her, and she sounds like a truly caring person in addition to a very talented writer.