Anne McCaffrey

[Solitaire]

I learned a little while ago that Anne McCaffrey has passed between at 85 years. Thank you, great lady. For Pern and all the worlds you created and shared with us.

[awdz]

Wowsers, she did inspire so much with her books. I am glad her legacy is available for future generations and sad that she is gone.

[Ladydragon]

::soaring to the highest mountain peak, the ancient dragonness stands and watches the sun as it settles beneath the distant horizon. Its last few moments of light casting long fingers into the heavens, fighting against the encrouching darkness. She hangs her head low for a long moment, quiet in her thoughts. When darkness finally prevails a low keening wail can be heard for miles around, as she lets loose her sadness into the world.::

May her journey into between be full of the dragons and world she wrote about. May she find wonder and joy like she has given to us who cherished her books. She will be missed.

[Akrion]

While she did make some great books and great lore to go along with them, I never really liked how harshly she would stamp out pretty much any and all expressions of Pern fandom. Watching RP websites that did anything even remotely based on Pern get cease and desist notices from Anne McCaffrey frequently gave me negative impressions of her. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone told me she went after Istaria at some point in the past.

It often felt that it was a crime to be a fan of the series, so I've got mixed feelings regarding the legacy she left behind.

[Dhalin]

While she did make some great books and great lore to go along with them, I never really liked how harshly she would stamp out pretty much any and all expressions of Pern fandom. Watching RP websites that did anything even remotely based on Pern get cease and desist notices from Anne McCaffrey frequently gave me negative impressions of her. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone told me she went after Istaria at some point in the past.

It often felt that it was a crime to be a fan of the series, so I've got mixed feelings regarding the legacy she left behind.

Her "attacks" on the Pern fandom aren't entirely bad -- a whole new thing was born of that, by a one Dee Dreslough.

She is an awesome artist, and a fairly good indie author of sorts, and getting a C&D order from Anne McCaffrey caused her to destroy all of her Pern-related artwork and other works.

That alone is kind of sad, but it also caused Mrs. Dreslough to create something else (IMO, even MORE awesome) called Dimar.

http://www.dimar.org/

I'm not saying this to distract people from remembering Anne McCaffrey, I'm more saying this to perhaps soothe some of that anger/uneasiness/etc towards how she treated the Pern fanbase.

Attacking one's own fans is never a good thing, but sometimes, good might come out of it. I'd like to think that Anne indirectly caused Dimar to get created, and Dimar is something I enjoyed very much.

[LOVWYRM]

Thank you Anne,
for all those hours of joy while reading,
for all that pictures and emotions you were able to raise
inside our hearts with your books.

I read them again and again- and it was always like comming home.
And still- if we meet someone in a mmorpg or in a game in rl,
who has his/her name end with the famous "TH"...
we know there is something we have in common, even we haven`t talked together yet.

[Spirit]

That's sad news... I can't say I was much of a McCaffrey reader... I read 2 or 3 of them only, but I am aware of how influential a series it was. In later years Todd has taken up the task, but I've not read any of his novels. I wonder how he'll progress now.

I wasn't aware of the C&D legal issues... big shame really... to openly discourage fan art especially, and kick your fans down like that. Almost like EA and the Thief franchise.

Again a sad day for the McCaffrey family and it's followers.

Graeme

[Fratricide]

I would imagine that Anne would rather have you be a reader of the works, then to have you so engrossed in them that you dedicate all of your life and energy to doing works related to their work, and thus stifle the added activities... to allow people to get on with their lives.

That's one of the only reasons I can see that someone would stifle the related works of others to theirs. Either that, or she didn't really think the books she wrote/co-wrote were worthy of all the attention being garnered.

[Akrion]

I would imagine that Anne would rather have you be a reader of the works, then to have you so engrossed in them that you dedicate all of your life and energy to doing works related to their work, and thus stifle the added activities... to allow people to get on with their lives.

That's one of the only reasons I can see that someone would stifle the related works of others to theirs. Either that, or she didn't really think the books she wrote/co-wrote were worthy of all the attention being garnered.

Yes because being in a lawsuit is clearly a better situation than being a hard core fan of something. She didn't send out C&D orders and take legal action for other peoples well being, that's one of the silliest things I've ever heard. Also, it hardly requires 'dedicating all your life and energy' to being a fan of something.

[awdz]

I would imagine that Anne would rather have you be a reader of the works, then to have you so engrossed in them that you dedicate all of your life and energy to doing works related to their work, and thus stifle the added activities... to allow people to get on with their lives.

That's one of the only reasons I can see that someone would stifle the related works of others to theirs. Either that, or she didn't really think the books she wrote/co-wrote were worthy of all the attention being garnered.

I don't know much about the lawsuits, etc. When I heard of issues, I always assumed she felt like her books were her children and was simply overly protective of them. I wonder if she even knew about (let alone understood) the synergy fan works generate for promotion of the original works when it all started.

[Akrion]

I don't know much about the lawsuits, etc. When I heard of issues, I always assumed she felt like her books were her children and was simply overly protective of them. I wonder if she even knew about (let alone understood) the synergy fan works generate for promotion of the original works when it all started.

See, this I could understand. She suposedly did relax her rules a number of years back, though the damage had already been done to me and I didn't really care to be a fan anymore. I could definitely see, however, her being unaware of all the positive things that can come from fans drawing pictures, making stories, running websites, etc. with Pern as the subject. I doubt it was the one and only cause, but I could see it being a cause.

[Eisdrache]

Indeed someon very inspring! Happy Birthday and thanks!

[Romirez]

says in the news she died of a massive stroke.


interesting way to go out. i do love her novels though, too bad she's gone. no more new ones to read.

[Solitaire]

too bad she's gone. no more new ones to read.

She was working on a new one called "After the Fall". No idea how complete it was or if she gave her son permission to finish it for her if she could not. She was very protective of her characters. From what I understand, not even Todd was allowed to touch them while she was alive.

BTW, it looks like after multiple aborted attempts at a movie or TV series that a Pern movie is on again. Supposedly a 2013 release date.

[LungTien Temeraire]

I wonder what would happen in "After the Fall", and also if people will be free to do fanfictions and other things from her books...