The greatest Dragonrider of all has gone between. I am greatly saddened at her loss but rejoice in her contributions to literature and her tremendous legacy. Her son Todd eulogizes her here. There are many online tributes, this one is the one I think she'd most appreciate.
Filming is expected to start in 2012. X-Men writer David Hayter is set to adapt the first book, Dragonflight. No director or actors have been announced. It's still being done by Copperheart Ent. but nothing is on their website. There are short notes on both Anne's and Todd's sites. Read the press announcement. and keep your fingers crossed for luck.
Thursday May 25, 2006 - Anne McCaffrey's best-selling and long-running sci-fi/fantasy series THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN will fly into theaters via Canadian production company Copperheart Ent, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Annie and Todd attended DragonCon 2004 and I was fortunate enough to see her at several panels and get a few books autographed. She announced that another movie deal was in the works but that she could not disclose any of the details - She did not sound particularly optimistic. She announced that a new Pern book will be out in 2005 titled Dragon's Blood and she told us that Tai is pregnant. While she sounded excellent and answered all questions well, she seemed especially weak and frail. But I guess that is too be expected when you get to be 78. She joked often that she didn't like growing old and wouldn't wish it on anyone. The artist Rowena was also in attendance and I happened to see when they met.
DragonCon 2000 was great. I met Robin Wood who illustrated, The People of Pern. Copies are still available from her website. See you all at the next one.
Yes, I got to meet Anne McCaffrey at at the DragonCon 1999 convention in Atlanta, Georgia on July 4th weekend. She, her son Todd, and several staffers announced the new website Pern.Com and gave details about TV production and game releases. Read all about it on my DragonCon 1999: Recap and Gallery site [but of course that's all moot now!]
Special thanks to Jody Lynn Nye whom I met at DragonCon 98. If I hadn't gone to see her in 1998, I never would have met AnnieMac in 1999.
The latest PERN book is "Dragon's Kin" which came out in December, 2003. It and "The Skies of Pern," are on my pile of books to be read.
I finished Nimisha's ship. I still have Acorna's People, and Pegasus in Space to get to.
Just before I deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991, I grabbed several of her books from the book store. I didn't really know her work, but a big series like hers looked great for a long stay far from home. Once in the gulf I found many people who not only knew her work, but actually had other books to trade. I really enjoyed reading the books and the friends I made through them was great. It was an incredible experience.
Time in the desert passed quickly as we read her books and discussed her stories. Finally we fell upon discussing the possibility of a movie and who should play what roles. We got together and wrote her a letter. Imagine my surprise when she actually wrote me back! That is the sign of a lovely person and a big heart.
Several weeks later she actually sent me a case of oranges. Everyone was really surprised and grateful at such a generous gift. Then in 1999, at DragonCon, I got to meet her!
We've written a few times since then, snail mail and E-mail, and she is always kind and best of all - ALWAYS replies.
The biography of Anne McCaffrey, by her son Todd, is out. DragonHolder:The Life and Dreams (so Far) of Anne McCaffrey was well publicized at the 1999 DragonCon and we got to see the book cover too. I have to say I'm a little disappointed though. They seemed to have missed all the exciting stuff. The book is a step by step narrative of; "will lived here, then we moved here, then there, then bought an apartment, then moved" without really telling us the fun and exciting stuff: they don't tell much about the people in her life or important occurrences: but do tell us about her her horse getting sick. I was looking for stories about dinners with Issac Asimov, after convention stories and nights out on the town, and the inside scoop on how some books really came about. Still, I'm sure all McCaffrey fans will scoop up their copy anyway. Dragonholder page at Random House
The Tower and the Hive - I have to admit it's not a good as the previous books. There's so much match making and soap opera gossip I kept getting distracted. The subplot about the Mrdini overpopulation is interesting but underdeveloped while the war with the Hivers is plain boring. There are no battle scenes or real confrontation with the hivers, just repeated explorations and "being ignored." Several times I reread paragraphs trying to make sense of nonsense sentences. I blame that on the editor - I think this book was rushed to print. Let me know your reaction?
I found a copy of The People of Pern by Robin Wood. A portrait album of Pernese people. It was a limited edition printing of character portraits with short descriptions. It gives a little more insight to the characters and helps one visualize them better. I hope the movies/TV shows stays true to Anne's visualizations.
Acorna was a nice book, enjoyable and all, but not really exciting. It has all the basic requirements for a good book, good/bad guys, a love story, a chase, and intrigue, but I never really got in to it. It really wasn't that exciting. The Dragon riders series has ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, this book has one slightly extraordinary person in a slightly extraordinary situation that never really captured my imagination.
On the other hand, her book - Dragonseye, was really a lot of fun. The story takes place 200 years after landing, just before first fall. The people are trying to come to terms with the loss of technology, establishing a new social system, and preparing for the return of Thread. I was really surprised to read Anne's ideas of appropriate punishments. What she has done to the rapists and murderers was TRUE justice. It was very enjoyable.
The Master Harper of Pern came out last Spring. It's Robinton's life story, from his birth to a MasterSinger and MasterComposer to his help in the deposing of Fax. While interesting, it lacks the thrills of some of her other stories. All of the material has been covered before. But if you're a big Robinton fan, and there a many, read it.
"Nobody Noticed The Cat" and "Black Horses for the King." The first is a story about a prince who is aided by a cat in coming to power after his father's death. The second is about King Arthur when he was younger, building Camelot and his army. Nice stories and enjoyable reading but definitely for younger readers.
| Last revised Jan 3, 2012 | E-Mail me with questions or comments: spunbystefan@yahoo.com |
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