Daily Spotlight

Daily Spotlight - Anne McCaffrey

July 5th 2013

I love the idea of having a daily spotlight post where I pick a book, genre, author or anything else bookish I want to share that day.

Today I'm going to spotlight one of my favorite fantasy authors. My father and I first read her Dragonflight series together when I was in my early teenage years. I've since read the Dragonflight series over and over well at least the first four. I've not read past that in a ages or caught up on the series which I need to do.  I may start reading one book a week till I've read them all. 

Sadly Anne McCaffrey has passed away but her love of dragons will continue on as her son continues on with the series.(Todd J McCaffrey) I think it’s fantastic that she was able to share with him something so special. 

Anne McCaffrey has many series that one day I hope to read them all. You can check them all out (here). 

I decided to pick my top choices. 

(Pern) in Chronological Order

(Dragonriders of Pern) I've read these three plus Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern so many times. 

One day I'll start in Chronological Order. Maybe next week. 

I want to check out her Acorna Series (here) about a unicorn girl. 

I also plan to read The Lady which has been on my TBR list for as long as I can remember. I've got a copy sitting on my to read shelf. 

Some of the series bubble over into others so I just tried for the different series covers. 

About Anne McCaffery
Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 1:30 p.m., in the hour of the Sheep, year of the Fire Tiger, sun sign Aries with Taurus rising and Leo mid-heaven (which seems to suggest an early interest in the stars).

Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent. She had two brothers: Hugh McCaffrey (deceased 1988), Major US Army, and Kevin Richard McCaffrey, still living.

Anne was educated at Stuart Hall in Staunton Virginia, Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures.

Her working career included Liberty Music Shops and Helena Rubinstein (1947-1952). She married in 1950 and had three children: Alec Anthony, b. 1952, Todd, b.1956, and Georgeanne, b.1959.

Anne McCaffrey’s first story was published by Sam Moskowitz in Science Fiction + Magazine and her first novel was published by Ballantine Books in 1967. By the time the three children of her marriage were comfortably in school most of the day, she had already achieved enough success with short stories to devote full time to writing. Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in s-f novels in the 50s and early 60s. It is, however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly the two series The Ship Who Sang and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern that Ms. McCaffrey’s talents as a story-teller are best displayed.