Anne McCaffrey ...
Nov. 22nd, 2011 06:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seawasp... has passed away.
Best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, Anne wrote many other novels (I particularly remember her Crystal Singer books). She was one of the Grand Dames of SF, a powerful presence in the field for decades. She created some of the most enduring images in SF, and also one of the most perfect "both sides of the line" series, as Dragonriders (despite an SF prologue) seems almost pure-quill fantasy, and slowly goes more SF as time goes on.
Her dragons in particular were influential, and if they did not truly INVENT, they at least made into a powerful trope the idea of a personal, mind-to-mind bonding with some other creature as a friend, ally, and companion. I don't think Honor Harrington would have her Nimitz if it wasn't for her, and I suspect many other stories would lose such creatures as well.
I almost met her once -- when she was to be GoH at Albacon. But she was unable to come at the last minute.
Farewell, Anne. May there be a Weyr for you somewhere in the beyond.
Best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, Anne wrote many other novels (I particularly remember her Crystal Singer books). She was one of the Grand Dames of SF, a powerful presence in the field for decades. She created some of the most enduring images in SF, and also one of the most perfect "both sides of the line" series, as Dragonriders (despite an SF prologue) seems almost pure-quill fantasy, and slowly goes more SF as time goes on.
Her dragons in particular were influential, and if they did not truly INVENT, they at least made into a powerful trope the idea of a personal, mind-to-mind bonding with some other creature as a friend, ally, and companion. I don't think Honor Harrington would have her Nimitz if it wasn't for her, and I suspect many other stories would lose such creatures as well.
I almost met her once -- when she was to be GoH at Albacon. But she was unable to come at the last minute.
Farewell, Anne. May there be a Weyr for you somewhere in the beyond.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-11-22 11:58 pm (UTC)I Grew Up on Her Books
Date: 2011-11-23 12:12 am (UTC)So I grew up with Pern, the Witch World, Kimball Kinnison, and the Family D'Alembert (yes, I know it mostly wasn't written by Smith) ...
It's sad to think that all of them are dead now ...
-- Brett
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 01:24 am (UTC)I read it anyway. And got turned on to her and Analog at the same time.
I met her once at a book signing. Really dumb store. I actually had to go to a different bookstore in the mall to find a copy of her new book to get signed!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 07:38 am (UTC)I miss her now. I'll miss her more, later.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 07:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 06:16 pm (UTC)Never actually met her, although I once randomly walked into a bookstore and she was doing a signing there. (So I've seen her from about halfway across a fairly crowded store.)
We mourn...
Date: 2011-11-24 12:51 am (UTC)The saddest part about living, sometimes, is seeing the people who gave you such pleasure when you were young passing on.
She will be missed...