Beloved science-fiction author Anne McCaffrey has passed away at the age of 85. This news just hit me in the gut. Thanks to my sci-fi-loving father, I grew up on the Pern books: read them to tatters, still have my old copies, named my World of Warcraft hunter after one of the characters. My sixteen-year-old is as big a Pern fan now as I ever was. I can pick up Dragonsong any day of the week and happily lose myself in Menolly’s first encounters with the fire lizards.
I’ve always loved the bio in the back of Anne McCaffrey’s books: “My hair is silver, my eyes are green, and I still freckle: the rest is subject to change without notice.” That wry good humor shone through in everything she wrote. The breadth and depth of her imagination was astonishing.
Oh, how we will miss her.
I gasped when I read this. Tears. I just don’t have the words to express how sad I am right now.
Oh that just made me cry too. I love her books! RIP.
She was one of the first “favorite authors” I ever had. When I was 14 years old, I picked up Dragonsinger at the library, and it remains one of my favorite novels 20-something years later.
Anne was born on April Fools’ Day, and has done her best to live up to this auspicious natal day. She wrote her first novel during Latin class, and might have earned her an A if it had been written in that language.
How many authors’ bios have I memorized? none. Anne’s Pern helped me through some very trying times during my teen years.
I’m going to miss her.
Definite punch in the gut. She was a huge part of my teenaged years, and a major inspiration for me.
I hope she’s on Pern with her dragons…