Anne McCaffrey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne McCaffrey
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Anne McCaffrey in 2005
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| Born | Anne Inez McCaffrey 1 April 1926 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | 21 November 2011 (aged 85) Dragonhold-Underhill, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American & Irish (naturalised citizen) |
| Period | 1965–2011 |
| Genre | Science fiction, romance |
| Notable works | Restoree, Dragonriders of Pern, The Ship Who Sang |
| Spouse | Horace Wright Johnson (divorced) |
| Children | 3, including Todd |
Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926 – died November 21, 2011) was a famous American-Irish writer. She is best known for her exciting Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series.
Anne McCaffrey made history in the world of science fiction. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction in 1968. This was for her story Weyr Search. She was also the first woman to win a Nebula Award in 1969 for her story Dragonrider. Her 1978 novel, The White Dragon, was one of the first science fiction books to become a bestseller on the New York Times list.
In 2005, a group called the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America gave her a special award called the Grand Master award. This award honors writers who have made a big impact on fantasy and science fiction. She was also added to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, she received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her amazing work.
Contents
Anne McCaffrey's Life and Writing Journey
Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was the second of three children. She went to school in Virginia and New Jersey. In 1947, she graduated from Radcliffe College. She studied Slavonic languages and literature.
In 1950, she married Horace Wright Johnson. They both loved music, opera, and ballet. They had three children: Alec, Todd, and Georgeanne.
The family lived in Delaware for about ten years. In 1965, they moved to New York. Anne McCaffrey then became a full-time writer.
From 1968 to 1970, Anne McCaffrey worked as the secretary-treasurer for the Science Fiction Writers of America. She helped create the Nebula Award trophies. She also managed their newsletters.
In 1970, Anne McCaffrey moved to Ireland with her two younger children. Ireland had a special rule that artists did not have to pay income taxes. This was a great opportunity for writers. Her mother soon joined them in Dublin.
Becoming a Writer
Anne McCaffrey had two short stories published in the 1950s. Her first story, "Freedom of the Race," won a $100 prize. Her second story, "The Lady in the Tower," was also published. She said she thought of this story when she wished she could be alone, like a lady in a tower.
After attending a writing workshop in 1959, she started working on "The Ship Who Sang." This story began her famous Brain & Brawn Ship series. In this story, a spaceship named Helva sings a sad song for her human partner. Years later, Anne said this story was her favorite. She put a lot of her own feelings into it.
McCaffrey then wrote more "Ship" stories. She also started her first novel, Restoree (1967). She wanted to write about strong women. She was tired of stories where women just screamed while men fought aliens. She wanted a smart, tough woman as the main character.
Her 1969 book, Decision at Doona, was inspired by her son. He was told to speak more quietly in a school play. This made her think of a crowded planet where talking too loud was a problem.
Moving to Ireland helped her writing. She quickly finished Dragonquest and two other novels in 1971. But then her writing slowed down. Her family moved several times and struggled financially.
The young adult book market gave her a new chance. She started a Pern story about a character named Menolly. She also wrote four stories that later became The Crystal Singer. She wrote books about dinosaurs for children. An editor asked her to write a story for young women in Pern. This became Dragonsong, published in 1976.
The stories of Menolly continued in Dragonsinger: Harper of Pern and Dragondrums. These three books are known as the "Harper Hall Trilogy." With a new book contract, she could buy a home. She named it "Dragonhold" because her dragons helped her buy it.
The Dragons of Pern
The first Pern story, "Weyr Search," was published in 1967. It won the 1968 Hugo Award. This award is voted on by fans at the World Science Fiction Convention. The second Pern story, "Dragonrider," won the 1969 Nebula Award. This award is voted on by science fiction writers. This made Anne McCaffrey the first woman to win both a Hugo and a Nebula for fiction.
"Weyr Search" is about a young woman named Lessa. She forms a special mind link with a queen dragon. This makes her a dragonrider and a leader. "Dragonrider" shows the growth of the queen dragon Ramoth. It also shows Lessa's training. The editor suggested dragons fighting a danger from space called "Thread." He also suggested time travel. McCaffrey used both ideas. The first Pern novel, Dragonflight (1968), combined these stories.
Readers waited a long time for the next book in the original trilogy. In 1974–1975, Anne McCaffrey was a special guest at a convention. She wrote a story called A Time When. This became the first part of The White Dragon.
The White Dragon was released with new versions of the first two Pern books. It had beautiful cover art by Michael Whelan. It was the first science fiction book by a woman to be on the New York Times bestseller list.
Working with Others
Anne McCaffrey often worked with other writers. She said she loved having help to tell her stories. She collaborated with her son, Todd McCaffrey, on some Pern books. She also worked with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough.
She also wrote with Mercedes Lackey on The Ship Who Searched. This was part of The Ship Who Sang series. She also wrote with Elizabeth Moon for 'The Planet Pirates' series.
Her Passing
Anne McCaffrey passed away at age 85 on November 21, 2011. She died at her home in Ireland after a stroke.
Anne McCaffrey's Books
What Kind of Stories Did She Write?
Many people consider Anne McCaffrey's books to be science fiction. She often said she was a science fiction writer, not a fantasy writer. This is because the dragons in her Pern books were created by science. They were genetically engineered by the first colonists on Pern.
She would talk to experts if she needed help with science facts for her stories. An astronomer named Steven Beard often helped her. A biologist named Jack Cohen also helped her with science questions.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame describes her books as "science fiction, but with a touch of fantasy." They say her stories are "romantic, exciting tales of adventure" that appeal to young women.
In 1999, the American Library Association gave Anne McCaffrey a special award. It was the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime achievements in writing for teens. They praised her for over 50 novels. They specifically mentioned The Ship Who Sang and the first six Pern books. The award committee said her focus on people's feelings and needs helps teens find their place in the world.
Restoree
Anne McCaffrey's first novel was Restoree, published in 1967. This book was different from many science fiction books at the time. Its main character was a strong, smart woman. She could think for herself and take action. McCaffrey said she wrote Restoree to show how women should be portrayed in science fiction.
The Federated Sentient Planets Universe
Many of Anne McCaffrey's series take place in a universe ruled by the "Federated Sentient Planets" (FSP). Even though Pern's history is linked to the FSP, she mostly used it as a background. She did not always see her different "worlds" as being in the same universe.
The Dragonriders of Pern Series
The Dragonriders of Pern series is Anne McCaffrey's most famous work. In these stories, people from Earth travel to a new planet called Pern. They want to escape wars in space. But their new home is threatened by "Thread." This is a dangerous organism that falls from the sky like hungry rain. It eats all living things. The first settlers create special 'dragons' from a local reptile. These dragons can breathe fire and fly. They are used to fight the Thread in the sky.
Most of the Pern books happen about 2,500 years later. The people on Pern now live a simpler, farming life. They rely on their dragons and riders for protection. The dragons and riders can communicate with each other using their minds. In these stories, the people of Pern rediscover their forgotten past.
The Brain & Brawn Ship Series
The Brain & Brawn Ship series has seven novels. Only the first one was written by McCaffrey alone. These stories are about "shell-people" or "Brains." These are babies who, because of illness or birth defects, are connected to a life-support system. Their senses and movements are linked to a computer. They become pilots for spaceships or managers for colonies. They see and feel the ship or colony as part of their own body.
To help the Brains, they are paired with "Brawns." Brawns are human partners who are trained in many skills. They also protect their Brain partners. It was thought that a person could only become a shell-person if they were very young. But in The Ship Who Searched, a character became a shell-person at age seven after losing the use of her arms and legs.
The Crystal Series
The first book in this series is The Crystal Singer (1982). It is made up of four shorter stories.
The Crystal Singer series is set on a planet called Ballybran. This planet has a dangerous organism on its surface. Because of this, travel to Ballybran is restricted. Ballybran is known for its valuable crystals. These crystals are very important for many industries. The Heptite Guild is a rich and private group on Ballybran. They require all applicants to have perfect pitch in their hearing and voice. This is especially true for those who want to mine crystal by singing.
Ballybran's weather is wild and dangerous. Strong winds can make exposed crystals 'scream' with a loud, terrible sound. Because of this, the Heptite Guild is not allowed to actively look for new members.
The Coelura Series
'The Coelura' explores how people can harm the environment. A rare animal is hunted almost to extinction for the special thread it makes. The main character, Lady Caissa, must choose. She can protect the Coelura, or she can follow her family duties.
'Nimisha's Ship' is set in the same universe. A woman named Nimisha designs ships. On a test run, her ship is pulled into a wormhole. She explores a nearby planet. There, she finds and befriends the crew of another stranded ship. They had the same accident years before. She also meets a new intelligent species.
Ireta Series
The Ireta series includes five novels. The first two are "Dinosaur Planet" books. The next three are "Planet Pirates" books, written with other authors.
These books share a fictional setting. Some characters and events overlap. Dinosaur Planet and its sequel follow a team exploring the planet Ireta. They are surprised to find dinosaurs there. In "Planet Pirates," space pirates are attacking ships. Survivors on Ireta team up with people who survived pirate attacks.
The Talents Universe
"The Talents Universe" includes two series: "Talent" and "The Tower and Hive." These books share a fictional idea. Eight books tell the story of people with special mind powers. These powers include telepathy (reading minds) and telekinesis (moving things with the mind). These people become very important to how society works between stars.
Doona Series
Two groups of people, who are very similar, accidentally try to settle the same planet. Both groups have too many people and a sad history with alien species. What the humans don't know is that the people they think are simple natives are actually more advanced than them. The books are set before the Federated Sentient Planets were formed. In this series, the main ruling group is called the 'Amalgamated Planets'.
Petaybee Universe
The Petaybee universe has two trilogies. They are Powers and The Twins of Petaybee. Anne McCaffrey wrote these with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough.
The Barque Cat Series
This series introduces a new universe. It features space-traveling "Barque Cats" and their special human partners. These humans are linked to the cats using their minds.
The Freedom Series
The Freedom series includes one short story from 1970 and four Freedom novels. These novels were written between 1995 and 2002.
Acorna Universe
The "Acorna Universe series" has ten novels. They were published between 1997 and 2007. Seven are known as Acorna and three as Acorna's Children. The series is about a group of space miners. They adopt a mysterious alien baby. This baby looks like a unicorn and seems to have magical powers. The first two books were written by McCaffrey and Margaret Ball. The rest were written by McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough.
Other Works
Anne McCaffrey also published two collections of short stories. She wrote several romance novels and young adult fantasy books.
Her non-fiction work includes two cookbooks and a book about dragons in general.
Images for kids
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Anne McCaffrey in 2005
See also
In Spanish: Anne McCaffrey para niños
