Does anyone else not like Anne Mcaffery's books?

[Xath]

I could never get into the pern series, but I really really like her Crystal Singer, Freedom's Landing, and Rowan series (which mad hatter said above). I could never really tell where to start with Pern and so I never got into them. But I recommend the other, shorter series. The three I mentioned have given me good ideas for sci-fi games; especially since the people I play with have never read them.

 

[Wombat]

**Shrug**

I put her in the same category as many other "popular at the moment" writers -- the books sold well, they were not bad, but certainly nothing amazing, and now are not anywhere near as popular as they once were.

When I read the first three Dragonrider books during their heyday I came with this impression -- dragons. caves, Thread, klah, people talking, more Thread, a bad time-loop scenario, end of story. I couldn't remember the name (much less the personality) of a single individual in the series and cared even less.

Later on I discovered the Harper Hall series -- they are actually much better, partially because I believe the McAffrey is a much better Young Adult writer (this is not a put down at all -- this is a very difficult age range to write for!) and partially because there was more of a sense of love of characters, rather than scurrying to get a plot in order, in the books.

Just an opinion, for what it's worth.

 

[Digital M@]

I also tried to read these book several times and they never tickled my fancy.

 

[WayneLigon]

I read and enjoyed Dragonrider, and according to her bibliography that's the only thing I've ever read by her. I did get and enjoy immensely the Atlas of Pern book, oddly enough. I tried a couple other things by her, but I guess nothing else ever sounded interesting to me.

She's still very popular, though. Books don't stay in print and on constant automatic re-order for people whose popularity has faded.

 

[Bront]

I liked the first few books of the dragonrider series, but after a while, it got old. However, I was much younger when i was reading them.

 

[trancejeremy]

I really liked her first 6-7 Pern novels.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I really liked the original dragonrider trilogy and happily re-read them, same for the first two Menolly books too.

White Dragon was OK, but the ones after that I liked less and less, and stopped reading after 2-3 more of them. I never got into her other books very much, but those first dragonrider books were excellent IMO.

 

[amethal]

I quite liked them wehn I read them many years ago, but probably will never bother re-reading them.

The first one I read was White Dragon and it was probably my favourite one. Of course, she hadn't written very many in those days - nowadays its probably got as much back story as the Forgotten Realms.

I might re-read Crystal Singer and its sequals one of these days - they were pretty good.

 

[F5]

I read and enjoyed Dragonrider, and according to her bibliography that's the only thing I've ever read by her. I did get and enjoy immensely the Atlas of Pern book, oddly enough.

That pretty well sums up my opinion of McCaffery...I actually really like the Pern setting, don't really like the characters and plotlines she's populated it with. I've often thought that Pern could make a really interesting D&D setting, actually. Kind of a different slant on territiry that Dragonlance got into.

Don't read the Todd McCaffery books. I got one of the new ones for a dollar at buck-a-book. It is not worth the money I spent on it. I've read Dragonriders of Pern parodies with better characterisation and dialogue than what I read there. Put it down after chapter 1 and haven't looked back.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I've not tried any of her books. Even though I've met her twice at Dragoncon and she's a real nice lady (and so's her staff!)!