Slashdot Mirror
Anne McCaffrey Passes Away At 85
JSC writes "Anne McCaffrey died Monday at her home after suffering a stroke. 'In the late 1960s she became the first woman to win a Hugo Award for a work of fiction and the first woman to win a Nebula Award. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006.' She will be missed by Dragons and their Riders the world over."
I'm sad that she's gone, but she did spend her entire life doing what she loved (writing), and we will always have her legacy to enjoy. Farewell, Dragonrider!
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
She has passed for all time between; we accord her a dragon tribute. May she always sing the black, and cut well.
Be who you are...and be it in style!
I've no idea whether she had a preference for the disposal of her remains, but I think there's a certain attraction in "burial" in a decaying orbit. It's been about 20 years since I read much McCaffrey, but ISTR that was a major aspect of threadfall from a planetoid in a weird harmonic orbit with Pern.
Out of life, and into legend. Even Arthur C Clarke had a soft spot for her.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Thanks, Anne McCaffrey, for introducing generations of slashdotters to the joys of Pern.
Anne has ridden her dragon into the ether. Thank you for the fantastic stories of Science, Fiction, and being a human throughout.
*pern* books, I meant.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
yes, the news of someone's death is a perfect time for a mean-spirited, nitpicking personal evaluation of their bibliography. Great job.
Thanks to her, my reading ability at 11 was that of a 16 year old (with plenty of credit to my grade one teacher too, of course). Her Pern books still have a special place in my heart (hear hear! to the dragon tribute).
Well, may she forever fly with Moreta.
Bill - aka taniwha
--
Leave others their otherness. -- Aratak
While Anne had a tendency to romanticize her stories and characters, there's no doubt that she had a great imagination. I'll always have a soft spot for the Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums). One of my favourite series, and I thoroughly recommend them to anyone of any age. Her music training in life really showed through her writing, and she wrote it well.
Her Dragonriders of Pern were one of my first Fantasy Novels )i dicovered them in the 80's) and had a huge impact on my reading behavior since then..
I will dearly miss her.
Martin
I remember the countless times on her website and on the newsgroups (which she also posted to by the way) she was always asked about doing a movie. She had been approached countless times. But it always fell through because she didn't want the series butchered and she wanted creative control. Of course as the 2 or 3 times we heard the news of talks of a movie fall through, us on the newsgroup and on her website were sad but also happy that some 2-bit director wouldn't horribly butcher her magnum opus.
I know her son has been continuing the pern saga the last few years with Anne's blessing. But it just don't feel like Anne when reading the newer stuff. Although good, it's hard to explain.
I am saddened, but very glad and honored to have been able to come across and fall in love with her books so many years ago, which included a rereading of the Pern beginnings as my son got little older and I started reading him Pern as a bedtime story.
Never ends your light
But forever is the night
Where flies your spirit.
And in the cold of Between
Shall our hearts forever keen.
I always loved the poems she put at the beginning of the chapters in many of her dragon books. I hope she likes it.
Bill - aka taniwha
--
Leave others their otherness. -- Aratak
Being a geeky kid at school I often sought sanctuary in the library where someone cool wanted us to have an alternative to the same dry stuff and regularly donated great boxes of sci-fi and fantasy. These helped me through that era of life far more than anything else. The Dragonriders were and still are a favourite that I look forward to sharing with my kids. Rest IN Peace Anne.
According to her blog, she had serious heart problems in mid August. It's hard to say if her stroke now is related, but it wouldn't surprise me.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Goodbye Anne. RIP.
Thats two of my top three Authors gone *sigh*
I started on Anne McCaffery's works with a older hard cover of Dragonsdawn, and then went straight to the library a few days later and got out the rest one book at a time, and the good old internet alerted me to Red star rising coming out soon.. To fill in the time I started on The crystal singer series, when I finished that it was onto 'The tower and the hive'.
I am not ashamed to admit that the opening Paragraph of 'The Rowan' still makes me cry, even the first time I read it, weird, and thus the 'Tower and the hive' became my favorite series, and Damia is my favorite book of the lot.,
You have 5 Moderator Points!
Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
Rest in peace, you will not be forgotten
I'm ashamed to say, but now that I have, I'll set about reading her novels too... By the way, I have be meaning to get started on Heinlein as well.. Where should I start? When there's a series of books, I like to begin at the beginning, but if there other standalone books, I'd prefer those first. What say you about McCaffrey and Heinlein?
I spent a lot of time as a youngster at the public library. Fortunately my mom was a big reader and took me there often (it was too far from our house for me to ride my bike or walk.) In grade school I'd already figured out that Science Fiction and Fantasy were my favorites. I don't remember what year it was exactly but it doesn't seem like it took me too long to read through everything interesting in the kids section and I moved over to the regular Sci-Fi/Fantasy shelves.
I do remember clearly pulling the White Dragon off the shelf one day and there on the cover was a guy, sitting on a dragon, with little dragons around them both. Well, that was it. I grabbed it and I tore through it.
I still chuckle because my parents were rather conservative and some of the content in that book would have made them flip out. I just loved every bit of it, and then went back to the library to actually read through the series in order. The Pern books became lifelong friends, from that introduction as an adolescent, to bringing Masterharper of Pern with me on my honeymoon (read it on the flight) and today I still am reading the books. Not too many authors have that kind of long term impact.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I grew up before video games and even though I wasted far too much time in front of the TV I still found time to lose myself in the works of authors like McCaffery, Zelazny, Tolkein, Maxwell and others. In college I could read for half an hour between classes. Sometimes it was classwork but towards the end of the day I needed entertainment. I still remember the day I found the first two Pern books on the shelf of a used bookstore. The cover art sold them. I wore them out reading them and wanted more but had to wait until the first book of the Harper Hall series was released.
Very sorry to hear this but knew she had serious heart problems. 'Damia' from the Tower and Hive series is one of the few books I read again and again. She wrote beautiful descriptive stories.
She has had a full life doing what she loved. I loved her work, it is a legacy that will live on. The world is a sadder place without her. Thank you for the stories.
The comment about the cover art for the Pern books reminds me of how great they were. I'd imagine that alot of us here have Michael Whelan to thank for in getting us started on many great books. Thanks Anne and Micheal for the great memories.
...after you get your dragon.
Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
And PernMUSH was one of the first of them, starting just a couple years after TinyMUD. All text of course. The "book and imagination" analogue to the 3D MMOs we have today.
McCaffrey's love scenes, wooing, and relationships were very different from typical SF fare. Typical for a romance novel, perhaps? (I wouldn't know, don't read that genre.) Some people don't care for that in their SF, but I enjoyed the novelty.
Most SF leans towards casual, kinky sex, like Niven's interspecies sex on the Ringworld. Treats it all technically and distantly, or as a tool for manipulation or sealing deals. In Star Trek, seems the crew is often getting drugged with strange fluids, hit with plant spores, tempted with sexy robots, shapeshifting aliens, holodeck creations, or otherwise being enticed or forced into some sort of quickie, cheapie when they are busy with other matters. Sex as a mere plot device, and love as an impediment that could interfere with your duties, an inconvenient holdover from primitive times that has little place in modern life. Worst of all, you always knew almost all the changes in relationships would be rebooted for the next episode. True, the dragons of Pern imposed upon human sex life. However, McCaffrey cared enough about it not to do stuff like reboots.
Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
I was never a huge fan of her works, just a matter of taste -- yet I appreciated her creation of female protagonists, and her depiction of dragons as allies of man.
All about me
Not to add fuel to the flame, but the number of people pouring gushing praise on the series as some kind of master works outnumber the naysayers by about 99:1. I personally thought they were okay but not great, I can see her infleunce in works I prefer and for that I'm grateful but if someone can inflate the originals so much upon a person's death I don't see any issue with a genuine opinion. It's not going to hurt her where she is, and if it somehow offends you to hear a differing opinion, that's a problem with you, not with the person stating their opinion. Posting anonymous because I know I'll probably get flamed into oblivion for the same, even though I have in no way criticised the woman or her works.
I've been reading Anne McCaffrey since I first found "Dragonsong" and "To Ride Pegasus" in my school library in year 8 (~13 years old) - some 25 years ago. To this day Dragonsong is still my favourite of the Pern books. I spent the next few years hunting down and buying (with my very limited money at the time) every Anne McCaffrey book I could get my hands on. I still have all of them - I love seeing "RRP: $3.75" ... I don't have every one of her books - I've missed some of each of the Ship books, Tower and Hive series, Peetaybee and Acorna. One of these days I need to fill in my collection, but with the price of books these days ...
"Restoree" is possibly my favourite of her books. It's her first, and it has a rawness to it that I find very appealing. You can see the genesis of many of of the ideas that appeared in her later stories - for example the inhuman aliens that are so evident in several series.
Interestingly, I've been re-reading a random selection of her books the last few days - "Red Star Rising"; "Dragonsdawn"; "Dolphins of Pern" and "Pegasus in Space". It's one of the things I love about her writing - if you know the worlds she's built, you can pick up nearly any of her books and enjoy it in isolation. Less so for a tight series like "The Crystal Singer" though.
The Dragonlady has gone between.
I tried to read the Pern/Dragon books, and found them very much geared at 12-20 year-olds and difficult to get through because of her 2-dimentional characters (a trait she shared with writers like Isaac Asimov).
The whole Pern series really became a symbol of her inability to move beyond Pern. Hey, we've all gotta pay the bills.
I respect that she had an audience and that people enjoyed her, but she was writing comic books after the first 2 or 3 Pern novels.
I loved the Pern stories as well as Crystal Singer. Actually, I didn't dislike anything of hers I read.
I suppose Todd will continue writing but I will miss Anne's distinct style a great deal.
I am my own gestalt.
We do, the ones who still live, honor her memory, and have to read insults while eulogizing her from worthless lumps of meat like you. Dick.
--
make install -not war
One of my favorite storytellers! I still enjoy reading her stories over and over again.
I "first" discovered her stories when The White Dragon came out. But, a number of years later, I remembered that I had read one of her short stories--The Smallest Dragonboy--back when it was first published. At my age then, the story strongly resonated with me. It's probably why I enjoyed The White Dragon so much. After reading The White Dragon, I bought the other books in the series that were then available. I loved how in the HarperHall Trilogy, she took the commoners point of view in the daily life of Pern.
I loved how she brought many of her series of stories to create a single cohesive universe. The Brainship series and the Crystal Singer series came together nicely. I also enjoyed how Dragonriders went from a fantasy setting to hard science fiction as the history of Pern was slowly revealed. I always wondered if ever McCaffrey was going to have Pern rediscovered by a Brainship and re-enter galactic society? I guess that one is for our collective imaginations or for Todd to pursue, if within Anne's canon.
Whew! This water sure is cold!
Like many of her fans, Anne had an entire bookshelf devoted to her. My deepest condolances to her family and close friends.
I even would have taken one of the little ones from "Dragonsong" (actually, they would be more practical--easier to feed). Growing up, it was a revelation to read a story with dragons that wasn't based around some epic fantasy war fighting an evil wizard. The Pern series brought me to one of a handful of worlds that made adolescence bearable, and it was a truly unique, imaginative place. She has earned her place in the pantheon of great science fiction writers.
The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
Anne was one of the first female authors that I managed to find in the SF&F field. She was one of the first authors I read that had really great, strong female characters. She helped teach me that you don't have to be a man to be smart, strong, successful, that you don't have to be a man to be a hero. Her fiction helped shape my perspective, along with authors like Andre Norton and eventually (scoff if you will) Mercedes Lackey. Thank you, Anne McCaffrey.
lived in new york;
had a child from a prize winning writer; moved to tronoto; ran writing classes at the libraray for years.
if I have the right person.
packrat2
packrat ; writer-informer. http://packrat.comicgenesis.com http://www.youtube.com/area163 https://www.smashwords.com/
I remember the first book of her's I read. It was an anthology of short Pern stories. I must have been around 12. They opened me up to the world of fantasy/scifi literature and started me down the path to being an avid reader. Anne McCaffrey changed my life for the better and I wish I had been able to thank her before her passing.
Don't dismiss McCaffrey if you only like hard SF. Consider that her Dragonrider series started out serialized in Analog.
To a Lisp hacker, XML is S-expressions in drag.
Years ago, a cow-orker was raving about her Pern series. At the time, I didn't want to get into yet another long series, so I didn't buy any of them. A couple years ago, I was looking for something new and remembered the cow-orker's recommendation, bought one of the books, and loved it. Now I have most of the series.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
I had no interest in reading back in the early 80s when I was 8. My favorite things were playing outside, building forts, catching frogs, all of the normal things for a child back then. My mom handed me a copy of "The White Dragon" and while I still retained my excitement and love for the outdoor, that book opened a portal to reading that had me reading two to five years beyond my level from 3rd grade on. After "The White Dragon" I was introduced to the "Hobbit" and then back to the dragon riders of Pern. The love for reading that acquired grew into a skill that has served me so many times in life and the imagination that it inspired has fueled creative solutions for my life and the people I serve.
You were my first, Anne. I will always remember you and the gifts that you inspired in me.
Get out. This is an obituary thread, not about copyright law.
Guess what series I was reading when I came up with my current handle.
McCaffrey's books helped me get a jumpstart on literacy way back when. G'bye, Anne. Thanks for all the books.
Wheel and turn
Or bleed and burn.
Fly between,
Blue and green.
Soar, dive down,
Bronze and brown
Dragonmen must fly
When Threads are in the sky.
Skot Nelson music is my saviour / i was maimed by rock and roll
I gave a hard-back copy of one of Anne's books to the very bright ten year old girl across the street. Her mom was having trouble finding books that she would read that weren't full of the wrong messages. I looked in my library shelf and Anne McCaffrey's book caught my eye. I don't know if she has read it... but Anne's books always had the right messages. Thanks, Anne. RIP.
No one ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke!
I had a years of unemployment some time back. Picked up the first one from a charity shop. Didn't even get half way through.
Whatever else you did, it was better. I did finish the whole book.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I've read pretty much every book ever written by her.
I loved them all and i hope if her son writes anymore in her universes that he does her proud and doesn't mess them up.
Farewell Anee McCaffrey you will be sorely missed!
It is sad when someone with no much influence passes on. Looking past the loss to sci-fi as a whole... I am wondering about her will and who inherits all her intellectual property? Ever wonder why while she was alive there was no attempt to make a Dragon Riders of Pern movie? or Dinosaur Planet?. Personally I hope they never get made. Let someone have to work at finding a dog eared copy of any of her books and actually work their grey matter a little and READ it. I just hope that whoever inherits her works, does not get crazy with money and take offers to sell the film or TV rights to her books. It could be wonderful.... if say Peter Jackson does it... or it could be as hideous as Starship Troopers which had nearly nothing in common with the book.
Very sad to hear this. I read and re-read the Dragonriders books growing up, starting with The White Dragon. Great books and a great author.
So, someone has to ask...
Anyone know if the "Tent Peg" comment she made has ever been validated?
Indeed, Michael Whelan's cover art was fantastic, introducing a whole group of people to late 70s, early 80s fantasy.
Samples:
Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
It's not going to hurt her where she is, and if it somehow offends you to hear a differing opinion, that's a problem with you, not with the person stating their opinion.
It's one thing to have a differing opinion, but quite another to express it in a location that is just socially unacceptable.
To take it to a bit of an extreme, it's not what the Westboro Baptist Church is shouting about so much as where they shout about it (at funerals).
"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
I loved to reading Anne McCaffrey's books; Pern and the Dragons my favorites. My first experience with the Dragons of Pern was listening to Morita in the car. I bought the tapes not knowing then that it was a series. I was totally hooked. Then later, I couldn't wait for Christmas because my husband would buy me which ever the newest book was in the series. It became a tradition for us. These were some of the few books that I kept in my bedroom instead of my computer room. The books offered such a good adventures and wonderful, believable characters. The dragons were always the best part of course. We will all miss her terribly. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
Anne's books were some of the first sf read as a young child..Her books led me to a life of reading and a love of literature. R.I.P. and godspeed.
So you don't care. Why shit on the memories of the people who do? You're an autard.
--
make install -not war
Of course you don't see the point. You're an autard. People with empathy don't need explained to them that saying mean things to people mourning someone who died about the dead person is wrong. If you don't care, then don't post insults.
--
make install -not war
People with empathy
If empathy means, "don't say anything that someone else doesn't like," then perhaps you should simply stop speaking altogether.
Someone made a joke that they thought was funny. Someone didn't like it. Therefore, it should never be done?
that saying mean things to people mourning someone who died about the dead person is wrong.
Define "mean" in a way that doesn't boil down to just disliking what someone said/did. Why are mourning people so special that they are completely exempt from reading another person's speech/criticism? Because you feel they are?
It's entirely possible for someone to have empathy for certain people, but not for others.
If you don't care, then don't post insults.
I said that I don't care if someone does post insults. Your post had nothing to do with that.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
No, you just said you don't care, in response to my post which said that we do care about reading the insults.
You're an autard. Get used to people with feelings telling you you're wrong for not understanding them.
--
make install -not war
Get used to people with feelings telling you you're wrong for not understanding them.
What if someone has empathy for certain people but not for others? Does that mean they have no empathy for anyone at all merely because they feel differently for different people? Why is it a 'good' thing to have empathy for people who are mourning but not, say, someone who is offended by the fact that you openly proclaim that you are an atheist? Because you said so? Because most people believe so?
And if people say that I'm 'wrong', I'll merely ask them for proof that absolute morals exist.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
Under what possible moral system would it be considered good to kick someone when they are down, just for a laugh? Just because you don't care about hurting other people doesn't mean we are wrong to deride you for it.
Hamsters are at least as feathery as penguins. HamLix
Under what possible moral system would it be considered good to kick someone when they are down, just for a laugh?
A personal moral code, most likely. As for me, I don't really care about it. You're offended by a simple joke? Just as if you were offended by the fact that I'm an atheist, too bad for you. This isn't even necessarily the case of ongoing harassment. It's simply a case of one person thinking a certain joke is funny and another person thinking differently (and then using the mourning excuse as if it is factually wrong to have such a sense of humor).
Just because you don't care about hurting other people doesn't mean we are wrong to deride you for it.
I didn't say that it was wrong. I said that I disagree with it. I wouldn't say that you're factually wrong in doing so because I don't believe in absolute morals to begin with.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
Aye she was a good woman and will be missed; but as always Anne; the legacy continues!
All cows eat grass!