[dune dude]

I would like to start reading Anne McCaffrey. Can anyone recommend a good starting point?

Thanks.

[vortexreader]

Dragonflight is the obvious place to start but any of her work from the 60s or 70s (Restoree, Decisison at Doona, The Ship Who Sang) would also be a good introduction. Be warned, with only a couple of exceptions (The Crystal Singer, Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern) her work has become progressively lower in quality and higher in formulaic plotting. Some are near unreadable (Catteni Sequence).
Just my opinion - I'm sure others will strongly disagree!

[Belgarion]

Erebus, FitzFlagg and any other evil administrators! Only joking!

Should this be posted to the Fantasy Section?

[ Tell Tale leaves the room before anyone bashes him up for grassing up ] ;)

[vortexreader]

Originally posted by Belgarion
Erebus, FitzFlagg and any other evil administrators! Only joking!

Should this be posted to the Fantasy Section?

[ Tell Tale leaves the room before anyone bashes him up for grassing up ] ;)
Why would it be in the Fantasy Section? Anne McCaffrey writes Science Fiction...

[Lady Fox]

If you want to start on some Anne McCaffrey books, I think you should start with her Pern series. The original trilogy is:
1. Dragonflight
2. Dragonquest
3. The White Dragon
Start with these and if you like them continue on with the rest of the Pern books. There's lots of them and some are kind of prequel, or maybe I should say historical, in nature. You can find a listing of the entire series in the front of most of her books.

If you are looking for some other material by this author and don't think that the Pern books are for you, then I recommend the Crystal Singer trilogy.

[Spawfonk]

ive only read one mcaffery book (Dolphins of Pern) and id agree that ther science fiction, but its not really a typical setting. to me it seemed kinda like............. ah crap i dont have words for that beachy/nautical/tropical type of theme. oh wait. yeah i guess i do then.

[andolimont]

:( To be perfectly honest, I never thought of Anne McCraffrey as science fiction...however, I suppose she could be considered such.

I would like to suggest her Pern series, they are easy to read and a decent way to become familier with how Ms. McCaffrey writes, she has other tales too. Much of her stuff is easy, light reading, nothing hard or heavy at all.

[Hobbit]

Ms McCaffrey has always made the point that the Pern novels are SF and not Fantasy; for example, the dragons are genetically modified creatures and not a 'fantasy type' dragon; you will note that there is no magic involved in these stories too, though I must admit I think she's stretching a point there.

[vortexreader]

As the Pern series has progressed the SF background has become more apparent. There have been novels and story lines dealing with the colonists arriving from Earth, the re-awakening of the P.E.R.N. artificial intelligence and a trip to a space shuttle (or space station - I can't remember) orbiting Pern.

In fact, I can't recall a genre novel by McCaffrey's that isn't SF...Oh, except for Black Horses For the King.

I thoroughly recommend Restoree as a good introduction.

[cgw]

I've only read 4 or 5 of the Pern books. The White Dragon was the best of the bunch. However it is really the third in a triligy so I would read the first two Pern books first.