Anne McCaffrey, best known for creating the Dragonriders of Pern series, passed away Monday, November 21, 2011, after suffering a stroke in her Dublin, Ireland home, Dragonhold.
Not only did she make the Science Fiction and Fantasy worlds of writers better with her Dragonriders of Pern, but her Crystal Singer series took us to other worlds in the search for crystals that could only be found by singing. Each type of crystal sang a different note and could only be pulled from the earth with the note and a special cutter.
Though most of my reading of Anne McCaffrey's works revolved around the expected Dragonriders of Pern series, I found escape in her Crystal Singer series, the Acorna series, the Rowan series and the Freedom series.
Anne McCaffrey opened the world to women writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy by becoming the first woman to win the Hugo and Nebula awards in science fiction writing.
Due to her failing health, she shared control of the Pern world with her son, Todd, who has kept the world moving in a direction Anne would be happy to see. She was able to see five books co-authored with Todd, and three books with his name as sole author. All have contributed to the world of Pern.
Though many consider her a fantasy writer, Anne was very firm about her being a science fiction writer. She did not consider her writing fantasy. But every world she wrote of was fantastical for sure.
Anne will be missed, not only by the writing world, but by the many readers. As her fans and readers, we should be sure to share with our children and future generations, the many worlds of Anne McCaffrey.
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