It seemed appropriate to do a memorial reread of McCaffrey's best known series. I have not read them in several years, possibly because they are no longer resident on the correct shelf in the hall. Amazon (and Kindle) came to the rescue, now they will always be convenient to reread. Some of my other McCaffrey favorites are still in their places - fortunately, because they are not her best known works and this is the point at which such things start being "collectible" (read "expensive"). I'm sure that many of her SF fans would be horrified to know that she wrote some excellent romantic suspense novels.
It is almost difficult to comment on books that I know this well. Dragonflight introduces a group of interesting characters, and a compelling disaster from which the world must be saved. Perhaps it is McCaffrey's insistence on scientific plausibility that gives them such staying power. I remember being annoyed by the lapse into science in Shinn's Samaria books, but it never disturbed me in McCaffrey's Pern. The characters carry the drama.
This reread will include the original trilogy and the Harper Hall trilogy - assuming I can find them. I have read some of the other Pern books, but they never seemed to stand up to the original six, although some of those have led reluctant readers into the world of fantasy and science fiction. McCaffrey will be greatly missed.
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