Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern
Edited by Todd McCaffrey
ISBN: 978-1937856830
256 pages
Published by BenBella Books, August 2013 (Review copy received.)
Review by Mark Yon
The death of Anne McCaffrey in November 2011 was much mourned by many in the SF/Fantasy community. Her presence in the SF field was a major one, with over 46 years of professional publishing and well over 50 novels (although most in her later years were collaborations). Her most famous series was the Dragonriders of Pern series, with over twenty books that were SF novels but with Fantasy trappings, with telepathic ‘dragons’ (genetically adapted animals) and medieval-esque Halls in a feudal society known as ‘Weyrs’. In 1978 one of these Pern novels, The White Dragon, reached number 6 in the New York Times list, a rare event in the 1970’s and a spur for many other writers.
As the sub-title suggests, Dragonwriter is a biographical tribute to Anne. It contains essays from many of those who knew her personally and worked professionally with Anne. These include David Brin, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Wen Spencer, David Gerrold, Elizabeth Moon, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, Jody Lynn Nye, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, artist Michael Whelan, songwriter Janis Ian and her children Todd and Georgeanne (Gigi) McCaffrey.
It is undeniable that Anne’s position in the genre is important. A New York Times Bestseller, and winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, not to mention the beneficiary of the title of Grand Master in 2005, her presence at conventions and her straightforward writing prose made her known by many. Anne’s popularity may perhaps be summarised as the following statement, quoted from Bill Fawcett’s essay: “Anne’s stories give the ordinary person a chance to become great.” As Todd reminds us in his Afterword, his mother’s books ‘had flown on the space shuttle and floated in orbit on the International Space Station’.
McCaffrey tales are often ones where the relationships between the characters are primary, whether the characters are human or dragon. She was a writer not afraid to write about relationships or sex, and her books are seminal examples of what we now see as ‘soft-SF’, dealing with relationships and personal issues rather than the previously more typical Hard SF, with its (usually) male-scientist, can-do-anything type of role. Anne’s female characters are strong-willed and very different from the women-as-victim stereotype often seen in SF’s early days. The societies are cooperative and designed for the good of the Hold rather than individual gain – something which no doubt also made the stories popular.
As a woman in a predominantly male-written genre, Anne made her presence known both independently and as a mentor to encourage many more new writers. Elizabeth Moon, Jody Lynn Nye, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Margaret Ball and her son Todd McCaffrey (the editor of this book) have all benefited from her guidance. Most of these writers who collaborated with Anne or have something to say about her here share that McCaffrey writing style of combining warmth and comfortable homeliness, even when the events are tiring and difficult. Life on Pern can be hard.
Anne’s own interests are peppered through the book: her love of horses, her singing and poetry.
The essays themselves are varied, yet generally entertaining. Many of the essays deal with Anne’s relationships with other writers. David Brin explained anecdotally Anne’s insistence on the Pern books being science-fiction, not fantasy, with great humour and aplomb. Lois McMaster Bujold writes about how finding The Ship Who Sang short story encouraged her to write further and how Anne became a role model before nearly becoming a junior co-writer on Anne’s Planet Pirates series. Robin Roberts, author of Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons, explains Anne’s literary value to the science fiction field and about Anne as a catalyst for other writers. Elizabeth Moon tells of the enthusiasm Anne had for writing and collaborating with others and the importance of one of Anne’s most famous characters to her. Mercedes Lackey writes of the importance of The Ship Who Sang in the SF of the 1960’s. Wen Spencer writes a heartfelt account of how her love of Pern led to the world of fan-fiction and communities known as Weyrgroups and eventually under Anne’s tutelage, award-winning fiction. Wen also encapsulates the society of Anne’s world, summarising the key aspects of the series from a writer’s point of view which is very interesting. Jody Lynn Nye and Bill Fawcett write of ‘The McCaffrey Effect’: the international fandom community that was created around Anne’s work and how she contributed to that. Richard J Woods, a family friend and religious studies professor, writes of the importance of religion to Anne, a lapsed Catholic, even when it was not always explicit in Pern (and deliberately so.) Elizabeth Ann Scarborough tells of the importance of music in Anne’s life: firstly as a trainee singer and piano player, but then as a fan of opera and other music. This did filter into Anne’s writing, as in The Ship Who Sang and the Crystal Singer books. Michael Whelan tells of his working relationship with Anne and includes some lovely preliminary concept sketches for the Pern books which will be appreciated by many a fan.
As the book continues there are many anecdotes that are more personal and are about the person rather than the writer. David Gerrold writes of how his friendship with Anne was important to him. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro writes of her rapport with Anne, based upon their love of opera and horses. Janis Ian writes of her friendship with Anne, and how they maintained it by email whilst Janis was on tour until Anne was admitted into hospital. Members of Anne’s fan base write of how they first discovered Anne and what made her writing and her so special to them. The heartfelt tale of Angelina Adams (Changes Without Notice) is very moving, telling of how much The Ship Who Sang meant to her at the birth of At an even more intimate level, in turn her sons and daughter Alec, Todd and Gigi tell the reader of ‘Mom’, the person away from the writer. Alec writes of Mom’s support in his activism, Todd about her last days and wake, Gigi of her life with a bouncy, enthusiastic ‘Universal Mum’ until her less mobile last days.
It is difficult to coolly criticise such a clearly emotional and honest collection of essays. Such a book is not going to focus on the negatives of a writer, although there are some mentioned here: that is not its point. What Dragonwriter does do, and do well, is tell us of a generous, friendly, warm-hearted extrovert by relating fond memories of her and the importance of her writing. Whilst the inner critic rails a little here, and I can quibble that it would have been nice to see some actual examples from Anne’s body of work alongside the comments, for fans of Anne’s books, Dragonwriter gives the reader a fuller, better picture of Anne and her writing that you wouldn’t get by just reading the fiction alone.
It is clearly a book for Pern fans, and there is much they will enjoy here. However if an author ever needs to understand how important their work can be for others, of the power of their writing and the effect their writing can have on readers, then this book is a prime example that shows how readers can take something to their heart.
And therefore its purpose is done.
Mark Yon, July 2013.
