Anne McCaffrey
Created | Updated Jun 21, 2002
Anne McCaffrey has written over 54 books, including collaborations with various authors and over 50 short stories. She has recieved seventeen awards for her writing, including the Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Literary Acheivement Award in June 1999. Her works in science fiction and fantasy, are known throughout the world, and are a must in any library.
Anne was born on 1st April 1926 to Anne and George McCaffrey in Cambridge, Massachusettes, and has two brothers, Hugh and Kevin.
After graduating from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literature, she became a character actress on the stage, and studied voice for nine years. Anne become very interested in the stage direction of opera's and operetta's, and ended up directing the American Premiere of Carl Orff's "Ludus de Nato Infante Miricus", in which she also played a witch.
Anne married in 1950 and has three children, Alec b.1952, Todd b.1956 and Georgeanne b.1959. By the time all three children where in school, she had already achieved enough success with short stories to devote full time to writing.
Her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967 by Ballantine Books, and in here own words, "was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in science-fiction novels in the 1950s and early 1960s".
She is proberly most known for her 'Dragonriders Of Pern'® series of books, which has caught the imagination of readers young and old.
Anne now lives in a house of her own design, called Dragonhold-Underhill in Wicklow County, Ireland. She runs a livery stable, and her horses have been successful in Horse Trials and showjumping.
I asked Anne, if there was one thing that she would like people to know about her, what would that be... She replied, "That I am alive!" Which goes to prove what a great sense of humour she has. Anne also told me that she has a new book coming out entitled "The Skies of Pern", which is due to make an appearance in April 2001.
The Impression of Lessa
An extract from Dragonflight, with the kind permission of Anne McCaffrey, who was the one to suggest this passage.
Lessa swung the head around so that the many-faceted eyes were forced to look at her... and found herself lost in that rainbow regard.
A feeling of joy suffused Lessa; a feeling of warmth, tenderness, inalloyed affection, and instant respect and admiration flooded mind and heart and soul. Never again would Lessa lack an advocate, a defender, an intimate, aware instantly of the temper of her mind and heart, of her desires. How wonderful was Lessa, the thought intruded into Lessa's reflections, how pretty, how kind, how thoughtful, how brave and clever!
Mechanically Lessa reached out to scratch the exact spot on the soft eye ridge.
The dragon blinked at her wistfully, extremely sad that she had distressed Lessa. Lessa reassuringly patted the slightly damp, soft neck that curved trustingly towards her. The dragon reeled to one side and one wing fouled on the hind claw. It hurt. Carefully Lessa lifted the erring foot, freed the wing, folded it back across the dorsal ridge with a pat.
The dragon began to croon in her throat, her eyes following Lessa's every move. She nudged at Lessa, and Lessa obediently attended the other eye ridge.
The dragon let it be known she was hungry.
"We'll get you something to eat directly," Lessa assured her briskly and blinked back at the dragon in amazement. How could she be so callous? It was a fact that this little menace had just seriously injured, if not killed, two women.
She couldn't believe her sympathies could swing so alarmingly toward the beast. Yet it was the most natural thing in the world for her to wish to protect this fledgling.
The dragon arched her neck to look Lessa squarely in the eyes. Ramoth repeated wistfully how exceedingly hungry she was, so long confined in that shell without nourishment.
Lessa wondered how she knew the golden dragon's name, and Ramoth replied; Why shouldn't she know her own name since it was hers and no one else's? And then Lessa was lost in the wonder of those magnificently expressive eyes.
Oblivious to the descending bronze dragons, oblivious to the presence of their riders, Lessa stood caressing the head of the most wonderful creature of all Pern, fully prescient of troubles and glories, but most immediately aware that Lessa of Pern was Weyrwoman to Ramoth the Golden for now and forever.
Complete list of Anne McCaffrey title's to date (June 2000).
'Dragonriders of Pern'® Series
Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
The Smallest Dragonboy 1
Nerilka's Story
Dragonsdawn
The Renegades of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern
The Chronicals of Pern: First Fall
The Dolphin's Bell
The Girl Who Heard Dragons2
The Dolphins of Pern
Red Star Rising3
The Masterharper of Pern
Runner of Pern 4
Harper Hall Trilogy
Dragonsong
Dragonsinger
Dragondrums
Pern Related Works
The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern5
The People Of Pern6
Atlas of Pern7
A Time When8
Crystal Singer Series
Crystal Singer
Killashandra
Crystal Line
Talent Series
Lady in the Tower9
A Meeting of Minds10
To Ride Pegasus
Pegasus in Flight
Pegasus in Space
The Rowan
Damia
Damia's Children
Lyon's Pride
The Tower and the Hive
Brainship Series
Ship Who Sang
Partnership11
Ship Who Searched12
City Who Faught13
Ship Who Won14
Ship Errant15
Ship Avenged16
The Ship That Returned17
The Cattani Series
Freedom's Landing
Freedom's Choice
Freedom's Challenge
Doona Series
Decision at Doona
Crisis on Doona18
Treaty at Doona19
Acorna Series
Unicorn Girl20
Acorna
Acorna's Quest
Acorna's People
Dinosaur Planet Series
Dinosour Planet
Dinosaur Planet Survivors
The Planet Pirates
Sassinak21
The Death of Sleep22
Generation/Warriors23
Petaybee Series24
Powers That Be
Power Lines
Power Play
Body-Heir Series
The Coelura (Novella)
Nimisha's Ship
Stand Alone Novels
Restoree
Mark of Merlin*
Cooking Out of This World Cookbook*
Ring of Fear*
The Coelura (Novella)
Stitch in Snow*
The Year of the Lucy*
The Lady25
An Exchange of Gifts
No One Noticed the Cat
If Wishes Were Horses
Space Opera26
Black Horses for the King
Kilternan Legacy
Serve it Forth (cookbook)*
Dragon Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic
Three Women*
A Diversity of Dragons27
Alchemy and Academe28
* Not Sc/Fi Fantasy
1short story as part of the compilation Get Off The Unicorn2short stories, one of which is set on Pern3US title - Dragonseye4short story as part of the compilation Legends edited by Robert Silverberg5with Jody Lynn Nye6artwork of Pern - with Robin Wood7with Karen Fonstad8lord Jaxom's story9from the short story collection Get Off the Unicorn10from the short story collection Get Off the Unicorn11with Margaret Ball12with Mercedes Lackey13with SM Sterling14with Jody Lynn Nye15by Jody Lynn Nye16by SM Sterling17from short story collection "Far Horizons" edited by Robert Silverberg18with Jody Lynn Nye19with Jody Lynn Nye20an illustrated novel21with Elizabeth Moon22with Jody Lynn Nye23with Elizabeth Moon24with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough25aka The Carradyne Touch26short stories, with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough27With Richard Woods and illustrated by John Howe28Edited by Anne McCaffrey
