Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Anne McCaffrey April 1, 1926 - November 21, 2011

Anne McCaffrey
April 1st, 1926 - November 21, 2011


Anne McCaffrey, one of the authors that has been very influential in my life passed away yesterday in her home in Ireland...she was 85 years old. She has not been in good health for a number of years, so her death does not come entirely as a shock...and yet it does. She was one of those persons that just should not be mortal like the rest of us, as foolish as it is to think that way. Her impact and influence in the world of Science Fiction writing has been huge.

In 1968, McCaffrey became the first woman to win a Hugo Award for a work of fiction, and in 1969 became the first woman to win a Nebula Award. She became the first with a science fiction title on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1978, with her book The White Dragon.The Science Fiction Writers of America in 2005 named her the 22nd Grand Master, a now-annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted her 17 June 2006.

She is best known for her "Dragon Rider" fiction - a universe she created where dragons and humans instead of being natural enemies became allies and lived in relationship with one another. The first story of hers that I ever read was set in this series, "The Smallest Dragonboy", published in 1973. I was only 12 years old at the time,  nearing the end of 6th grade, and I did not realize I was reading it the year it was published, or that she had already begun to publish books in that universe, or that she would become so influential in my life. But I really enjoyed the story and it stuck with me. Two years later, in the eighth grade, a friend handed me "DragonFlight", the first book of the Dragon Riders of Pern series (please follow the link - particularly if you are not familiar with the books - synopsis and discussions are there), and I abruptly realized that this was the universe and series that The Smallest Dragonboy had come from. I flat out devoured them, as fast as I could get my hands on them, the next one being DragonQuest.

Micheal Whelan's cover to Anne McCaffery's "DragonFlight" 


In 1978, the third book of the trilogy, The White Dragon came out, firmly settling the debate of whether or not the books belonged in the Fantasy or Science Fiction Genres...it became clear that they were meant to be SciFi from the beginning, though that irritated many fans.

Micheal Whelan's cover to "All the Weyrs of Pern" - the sequel to the White Dragon. 

Some of my other favorite books by her in the Pern series are the Harper Hall Trilogy, containing the books "DragonSong", "Dragonsinger" and "DragonDrums", "Moreta", "Nerilka's Story", and the semi-stand alone book, "The People of Pern." 

Cover art by Elisabeth Malczynsk for DragonSinger



Micheal Whelan's cover to "The People of Pern" 

It is worth noting, that the movie rights to the Dragon Riders of Pern have been purchased, a Director has been hired, and there are rumors that shooting might start in 2012. We can only hope...and hope that the filmmakers have the vision to remain true to her universe and her words. 

She wrote other books and series too - "The Year of the Lucy", The Brain Ships series, The Ireta adventure series, and The Crystal Singer series to only name a few And I highly recommend searching them all out, if you have not read them. With her passing we have lost one of the pioneers in the field of Science Fiction, and in women's writing. I had the good fortune to see her at Dragon Con some years ago, and she was a gracious and humorous lady, with snow white hair, a rich glorious deep speaking voice, and a keen intelligence. 

She will be sorely missed...may she fly high, on dragon wings to
 "halls we have no name for" 
("All the Weyrs of Pern") 

Micheal Whelan - concept sketch for "DragonsDawn"



Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Transgender Day of Rememberance








What is remembered...lives.
 Never forget.
 And work for change. 
We are the hope for the future 
that someday things like the murder of those who are perceived to be different 
will never happen again. 

Friday, November 11, 2011

Out this Morning with the Camera....

I got out to walk the dog this morning, and turned right back around and got my camera - it was simply too amazingly beautiful to miss. And all the while, as I framed shots and caught my breath in wonder, the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay kept coming to mind....

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!


Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!


Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour!

That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!


World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!

Long have I known a glory in it all,
But never knew I this;

Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart,


Lord, I do fear
Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;
My soul is all but out of me,

-- let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Cats and the Computer...

We have cats. The cats are extroverted attention seeking importunists. The following is why I have to constantly battle typos, and I am not getting carpel tunnel syndrome from typing, but from cats who insist on being the center of whatever I am doing. And they're so dang cute, what do you do....

Hermione and Starshine keeping me company...


See what I mean? There is only one concept for this - rampant entitlement! 

And the cat sprawl continues...


And of course, Hermione is ba-ack! Of course at this point she is small enough to  tuck in there nicely. When she grows up, however...

Hermione - our precious little one...

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Hobbit!!!

And here we go...after the glorious years of the Lord of the Rings movies, we are now moving into the upcoming  next part of the saga - or the back story part of the saga - THE HOBBIT! 

I am absolutely bouncing...totally nuts!
 *bouncebouncebounceCRASH! Um...new ceiling, anyone?...sidles off whistling, hands in pockets*


Some of the trailer here appears to be scenes from the past LOTR movies, padding it, but there is no doubt that there are new scenes from The Hobbit! Its a teaser trailer. As soon as they get further into the scheduled advertising, I am sure we'll get more.  And of course, pictures of the set  and the characters and scenes are showing up now too....

Peter Jackson on the set of Bag End for The Hobbit. I have to say, it took me awhile to get use to a skinny  Jackson...but he looks good here...and dang, he still looks like a Hobbit. 

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins - With the Dwarves in the background....


And of course, Gandalf...This may be one of the best pictures of him ever! 


And then there are the dwarves...which look nice and fierce! (Clicking on this picture btw, should bring up a larger view so you can see details and which dwarf is who!) 

And Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Wow! Just wow...

So now the wait begins....
To go There...
and Back Again!