Welcome to 30 Days of Must Read Authors! Every day throughout June one of our VIPers (Jenn, Susan Or Melanie) with occasional comments from the others will present one of their favorite authors and the series or series' they recommend! Hopefully you will find some new books and new authors to love!
Day 13 - Anne McCaffrey - From Melanie
Author name: Anne McCaffrey
Genre(s) they write: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
How I found the author: My dad first handed me Dragon Flight when I was about 7 and I loved it. I gradually ended up reading pretty much everything she ever wrote.
Why people should read: Although I read these books for the first time when I was young, I have revisited them many times over the years and they are definitely adult stories, I was just a precocious child. For the longest time I wanted to be a Crystal Singing Dragon Rider (which as they exist on totally separate worlds would NOT be a thing), and then I decided if that failed I would be a "Prime" not something you can just pick. There are so many great stories that I feel sit undiscovered from an author that made her home in Ireland, and always had time to help out fellow writers (something I didn't discover until long after my dad passed). Plus pretty much ALL the books are available through all libraries as eBooks weren't a thing when these were originally released.
Recommended Series 1. The Crystal Singer Trilogy: Although this wasn't the first series I read, it is the trilogy even now I visit quite often. I don't think I will ever grow tired of reading it and can literally pick the series up at any point and just read. Symbiosis in science fiction isn't new now, but when I read it it was so different. As a teenager with perfect pitch, the fact that this story was about a job that required you to have perfect pitch, AND the planet accept you as you literally connect to it? I thought that was fabulous. Of course living such a life has consequences but I always thought they would be worth it. I would also add that I had NO DOUBTS I would make a perfect adaptation. I don't even think you need to be a science fiction or fantasy fan to enjoy them. Just be prepared for a different kind of world. As a side note this series does have a tie in with her brainship series, with this being a way they travel at one point. That series is heavy on the science fiction and started with a heartbreaking short story so it took me a long time to read them. They are good - but not quite enough to make my top 3 series recommendations.
Recommended Series 2. The Dragonriders Of Pern: This was the first book I was handed about Dragons and it definitely made me want one! These stories are unusual in that although this is listed as the first one (and it is the first one I read), chronologically these stories jump a bit all over the place. It never bothered me and when I reread them when I was older I tried them in chronological order rather than release date and I actually think it works better the original way. Anne McCaffrey obviously knew what she was doing releasing them the way she did. This series does have some seriously heartbreaking moments in it, but equally as many beautiful ones. I pretty much guarantee if you read them you too will want a dragon of your own (if that isn't something you already want). My personal favorite of the entire series is Moretta, Dragonlady of Pern (which is listed as number 7 in the reading order), if you read them let me know which one you like the best. As a sidenote - while Anne was alive she refused to give the rights to television or movie adaptations because she didn't feel that they could be done justice. Now that she has passed her family have been in talks and at one point the rights were optioned for movies. I think the technology is there now to do these books justice, if they can JUST stick to the stories!
Recommended Series 3. The Tower And The Hive Series: This is probably the most SciFi heavy of the series I am recommending. Dealing with incredible powers including telepathy and telekinesis, the strongest members can do both and help keep their planets running smoothly. Rowan is perhaps the strongest "Prime" that has ever lived, but she is lonely. A plea for help from a distant planet introduces Rowan to things she never dreamed could be possible. As a note this book isn't even available as an eBook although later ones in the series are.
Conclusion: Anne McCaffrey wrote so many amazing stories. She even wrote "The Lady" which is a standalone romance about horse breeders. Some of her stories cross over a little, like the original short story The Ship Who Sang (which is so sad) launched a whole brainship series which as I mentioned appears in The Crystal Singer Trilogy. Towards the end of her life she was writing with her son Todd, and he continues to write, although I have to say none of the books have the same feel as the solo stories. There was something about the way that Anne wrote that could connect with your soul.
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