Anne McCaffrey was a prominent Irish author best known for her any fantasy novels. These include many in the Dragonriders of Pern series. She was active in writing from 1967 up to her death in 2011.
Order of Acorna Series
Order of Anne McCaffrey Short Story Collections
Order of Anne McCaffrey Standalone Novels
Order of Brainship Series
Order of Crystal Singer Series
Order of Crystal Universe Series
Order of Dinosaur Planet Series
Order of Doona Series
Order of Dragonriders of Pern Series
Order of Freedom Series
Order of Pern Series
Order of Petaybee Series
Order of Planet Pirates Series
Order of Tales of the Barque Cats Series
Order of The Talent Series
Order of The Tower and the Hive Series
Order of Twins of Petaybee Series
Print:
Born in Massachusetts, McCaffrey was raised by parents of Irish and English descent. A graduate of Radcliffe College, she was particularly interested in classic works and histories. She started writing in the 1950s and had a few short stories published. She was interested in stories about fantasy and understanding the future. She particularly worked as a secretary and treasurer of the Science Fiction Writers of America in the late 1960s.
Over the years McCaffrey created a variety of book series including the Dragonriders of Pern series and the Talents and Acrona series. Many of her works were written alongside her son Todd McCaffrey and fellow writer Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. The Dragonriders of Pern series is particularly famous for highlighting a pre-industrial community that uses many fire-breathing dragons to defend its land.
McCaffrey died in 2011 after more than twenty books in the Dragonriders series were written. Todd McCaffrey continues to work on the series to this day. It continues to be a popular series and has especially taken on a new life as the Game of Thrones series and other fantasy novels have become rather popular in pop culture in recent time.
Anne McCaffrey Awards
Anne McCaffrey was the first woman to win a Hugo or Nebula Award. Dragonflight, the 1968 novel that started the Dragonriders of Pern series, won both of those awards in that year. Many other books in that series, particularly the White Dragon and All the Weyrs of Pern, were Hugo award finalists.
In 1999, McCaffrey received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association. The award is a lifetime achievement honor given to those who write for young adults and teens. She is also enshrined in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Anne McCaffrey Books Into Movies
The Dragonriders of Pern series had been optioned into production for a film in the past but nothing has come out of it. The series was optioned for an animated television series in 1995 although that show was eventually redeveloped into the series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders.
The Dragonriders series has been in development for a while although there are hopes to get a movie released in 2017 or 2018. Sarah Cornwell, an author best known for the book What I Had Before I Had You, has been signed to be the screenwriter for this film.
Best Anne McCaffrey Books
Many of the books that Anne McCaffrey has written are important to the evolution of science fiction and fantasy. Her works have especially been influential in encouraging women to check out the world of science fiction.
Dragonflight: The first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series, this 1968 novel takes place on a planet named Pern that lives on an agrarian platform. The people are forced to move after the Thread, a dangerous alien spore, rains down on their old home. This leads to the need for the people of Pern to raise dragons that can breathe fire and will protect the land. The book especially focuses on the strong links that people have to the various dragons that they have raised.
The Dolphins of Pern: The ninth book in the Dragonriders series was released in 1994. This book is about dolphins that are brought onto the planet through colonists. This brings about a need for the people of the land to work together with the dolphins in order to find a common thread between all people. This is to encourage the dolphins and others to work together to save the land.
Dinosaur Planet: This 1978 book is a story that takes place on a planet named Ireta, a planet referred to as the titular dinosaur planet. As a team from another planet visits this land, they look around to find all sorts of dinosaurs who are alive and living together. However, it is unclear as to what has caused many of these dinosaurs to thrive on this planet. To make things worse, a local tribe is out to attack the team as they have begun to explore a taste for blood and vengeance.
Home » Author » Anne McCaffrey
