Again, this one is purely a romance - a chance encounter with a stranger, both stranded by an unseasonal blizzard. I have always considered this book a candidate for McCaffrey's personal fantasy. Dana Jane Lovell is fifty year old writer of YA fiction who moved to Ireland to avoid taxes. She also has silver hair with traces of its original red. I have not, however, found anything to indicate that McCaffrey was a knitter.
The description of Dan Lowell, the romantic interest is point by point the same as that of Michael Carradyne in The Lady, including the mustache. I suppose it is really the other way around - Michael Carradyne is Dan Lowell transposed to Ireland, since this one precedes The Lady by a year. The suspense element is an accusation of murder against Dan, which is dropped as soon as they locate Dana on her lecture/book tour and she provides him with an alibi.
The book is pleasant and enjoyable. One of my favorite things is her "memory" - the journal in which she keeps track of where and when she has been and makes notes of potential characters which she encounters. It is so "writerish." Of course, the journal proves to be invaluable in substantiating her defense of Dan.
This is my favorite of her romance novels - possibly because the heroine is fifty, possibly because she is a knitter. The discussions of knitting are very real, I must suspect that McCaffrey did knit. I do have questions about someone knitting a large men's Aran in less than two weeks. I know I'm not a particularly fast knitter, but really - two weeks?
To my utter amazement, the wiki refers to two of these romantic suspense or romance novels (Ring of Fear and The Mark of Merlin) as gothics. Really? I don't think so. I just checked to see what Amazon had to say - they call them romantic suspense. On the other hand, they list a volume entitled Three Gothic Novels by Anne McCaffrey. It includes those two plus another one which I have never read. One of these days I'll get around to them - I think I read the Merlin one (I did remember that Merlin is a dog), but the other I had never heard of. For now, I think I will get back to the other two or three books that I have started - or the textbook for the class I am taking next semester.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Lady by Anne McCaffrey
Ten year intervals. Restoree was 1967, Ring of Fear was 1977, and this one is 1987. We have traveled from Romance/Suspense/SF to Romance/Suspense to Romance. We have also traveled to Ireland, where, as we all know, McCaffrey lived for many years. And, a real surprise, I don't think I had ever read this one although it was right there on the shelf in the hall. I did find it a little slow starting - and longer than her usual, but once it got going it rolled right along.
Like Ring of Fear, its setting is horsey. This time an Irish breeding/training farm as opposed to the show circuit and a Long Island estate. The characters are a bit extreme, almost stereotypical. The good daughter, Catriona, is really too good for a twelve/thirteen year old. The religious fanatic wife/mother, Isabel, is at the point of psychosis. The American cousin, Patricia, is almost a cartoon of the British/Irish opinion of Americans.
When I characterize this as a romance, that is not to say that there isn't some of the rest. For one thing the principal romance involves the husband/father, Michael, of the horse farm and Selina, the wife of a wealthy financier. The affair begins while both are married, but the proprieties are observed in the long run. The fanatic wife/mother fasts herself into a hysterical and physical breakdown and dies. The financier beats and rapes Selina then beats her again in front of more than three witnesses - which is necessary if a woman is to obtain a legal separation in Ireland.
Now, if all this sounds appallingly Victorian - the setting is 1970. One theme of the book is clearly the position of women under the law in Ireland, but that isn't introduced until at least the half-way point - except that I had to keep flipping back to chapter one to remind myself that it was set in the 1970s not the 1870s.
Reading these back to back, inevitably I am finding bits that are very reminiscent of other works. An early crisis in the book is the death of Catriona's pony, Blister. She is behaving herself properly in the field at the hunt and an ignorant, arrogant fool runs them down at a jump and very nearly kills Catriona as well as breaking her pony's legs. It reminded me very stongly of the scene early in Dragonflight where the watchwher falls to its death to obey Lessa's command.
There are minor things, too. I have found more than one character named Maired, and I think the general physical type of the romantic men is decidedly similar - down to the mustache.
Like Ring of Fear, its setting is horsey. This time an Irish breeding/training farm as opposed to the show circuit and a Long Island estate. The characters are a bit extreme, almost stereotypical. The good daughter, Catriona, is really too good for a twelve/thirteen year old. The religious fanatic wife/mother, Isabel, is at the point of psychosis. The American cousin, Patricia, is almost a cartoon of the British/Irish opinion of Americans.
When I characterize this as a romance, that is not to say that there isn't some of the rest. For one thing the principal romance involves the husband/father, Michael, of the horse farm and Selina, the wife of a wealthy financier. The affair begins while both are married, but the proprieties are observed in the long run. The fanatic wife/mother fasts herself into a hysterical and physical breakdown and dies. The financier beats and rapes Selina then beats her again in front of more than three witnesses - which is necessary if a woman is to obtain a legal separation in Ireland.
Now, if all this sounds appallingly Victorian - the setting is 1970. One theme of the book is clearly the position of women under the law in Ireland, but that isn't introduced until at least the half-way point - except that I had to keep flipping back to chapter one to remind myself that it was set in the 1970s not the 1870s.
Reading these back to back, inevitably I am finding bits that are very reminiscent of other works. An early crisis in the book is the death of Catriona's pony, Blister. She is behaving herself properly in the field at the hunt and an ignorant, arrogant fool runs them down at a jump and very nearly kills Catriona as well as breaking her pony's legs. It reminded me very stongly of the scene early in Dragonflight where the watchwher falls to its death to obey Lessa's command.
There are minor things, too. I have found more than one character named Maired, and I think the general physical type of the romantic men is decidedly similar - down to the mustache.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Ring of Fear by Anne McCaffrey
Pure unadulterated romantic suspense, plus horses and a cat. Not to mention a couple of murders and a whole lot of blackmail.
A slight twist on the usual formula: our heroine meets and marries the hero within the first few chapters, just a couple of days of story time. I suspose that one possibility is that the marriage gave McCaffrey license and excuse for rather more sex than she usually includes. There is a fair level of implausibility all around, but still it is good fun.
The publication date is ten years after Restoree. This one is considerably more consistent than the earlier one. The characters are more realistic and the flow is much more even. I think I may skip ahead and reread one of the very last of her romances. There's one where the main character is a rather more mature (read older) woman than the usual romantic heroine.
A slight twist on the usual formula: our heroine meets and marries the hero within the first few chapters, just a couple of days of story time. I suspose that one possibility is that the marriage gave McCaffrey license and excuse for rather more sex than she usually includes. There is a fair level of implausibility all around, but still it is good fun.
The publication date is ten years after Restoree. This one is considerably more consistent than the earlier one. The characters are more realistic and the flow is much more even. I think I may skip ahead and reread one of the very last of her romances. There's one where the main character is a rather more mature (read older) woman than the usual romantic heroine.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
This is the first book by McCaffrey that I ever read. And, guess what! It is the first book she ever had published. It came out in 1967 and I bought it along about then. I had just graduated from college and was still realizing that I now had enough money (on my princely salary of $8000 per annum) to occasionally buy a book. It is not available for Kindle - and the copy I just finished reading is not the first that I have owned.
There are clues that this is an early work. The characters aren't as clearly drawn and convincing as in later works, there are some inconsistencies in plotting, there are even a few spots where it drags a bit - but nothing that kept me from loving this book and rereading it many times. Another curious thing about this book in particular - it doesn't settle down cleanly on one side or the other of the line that separates McCaffrey's work into two categories in my mind. The setting and context here are clearly SF, but it shifts into what is primarily romantic suspense with the SF still dominating the action in the background, but the romance the story around the main character, Sara.
McCaffrey makes an interesting case for a society which has high technology only as a result of having captured it from invaders, and makes much of the technological voids left by having achieved space flight and such by springboard rather than by inventing it stone upon stone on their own. It is in some ways like an examination of Roddenberry's Prime Directive, which has become almost as fixed in current techno-SF as Asimov's Laws of Robotics. Sara frequently wonders why they don't have such commonplace conveniences as zippers, paper, and effective ground transportation. When the locals are ready to mount an expedition to Earth to invite them(us) to join their alliance against a mutual enemy, Sara is delighted to inform them that although earth does not have interstellar travel, there is a planetary defense system and that unaided by alien tech the people of earth have made some forays into space.
There are clues that this is an early work. The characters aren't as clearly drawn and convincing as in later works, there are some inconsistencies in plotting, there are even a few spots where it drags a bit - but nothing that kept me from loving this book and rereading it many times. Another curious thing about this book in particular - it doesn't settle down cleanly on one side or the other of the line that separates McCaffrey's work into two categories in my mind. The setting and context here are clearly SF, but it shifts into what is primarily romantic suspense with the SF still dominating the action in the background, but the romance the story around the main character, Sara.
McCaffrey makes an interesting case for a society which has high technology only as a result of having captured it from invaders, and makes much of the technological voids left by having achieved space flight and such by springboard rather than by inventing it stone upon stone on their own. It is in some ways like an examination of Roddenberry's Prime Directive, which has become almost as fixed in current techno-SF as Asimov's Laws of Robotics. Sara frequently wonders why they don't have such commonplace conveniences as zippers, paper, and effective ground transportation. When the locals are ready to mount an expedition to Earth to invite them(us) to join their alliance against a mutual enemy, Sara is delighted to inform them that although earth does not have interstellar travel, there is a planetary defense system and that unaided by alien tech the people of earth have made some forays into space.
Monday, November 28, 2011
The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
I can't find the Harper Hall books. No doubt they are in a box in the storage locker or the shed. They are not available for Kindle and I'm not going to buy another paper set. They are around somewhere.
It is hard for me to imagine having read this one without the background that is filled in by the Harper Hall stories. I don't think I have read another batch of books which actually overlap the way these do. You can't set Dragonsong between Dragonquest and The White Dragon because events in one take place during the timeframe of the other. Complicated.
The many story lines seem to be resolved here - but there are plenty of spaces left for fill in or back story - of which there are legion. There are McCaffrey's own books, a batch of what I call "ands" (as in Anne McCaffrey and Joe Schmoe), and quite possibly "friends of" books, as in Friends of Darkover. I have never found any of the books outside the main series of six particularly satisfying - although I admit that I haven't read many of them.
The White Dragon seems to wrap things up pretty well. Jaxom and Ruth are a rather charming pair and are definitely central to this story. A large part of the surrounding story is about the discovery of the ships that brought humans to Pern in the distant past.
It is hard for me to imagine having read this one without the background that is filled in by the Harper Hall stories. I don't think I have read another batch of books which actually overlap the way these do. You can't set Dragonsong between Dragonquest and The White Dragon because events in one take place during the timeframe of the other. Complicated.
The many story lines seem to be resolved here - but there are plenty of spaces left for fill in or back story - of which there are legion. There are McCaffrey's own books, a batch of what I call "ands" (as in Anne McCaffrey and Joe Schmoe), and quite possibly "friends of" books, as in Friends of Darkover. I have never found any of the books outside the main series of six particularly satisfying - although I admit that I haven't read many of them.
The White Dragon seems to wrap things up pretty well. Jaxom and Ruth are a rather charming pair and are definitely central to this story. A large part of the surrounding story is about the discovery of the ships that brought humans to Pern in the distant past.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
It seems that everything has happened. I can't remember what is left for the third book. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
The alliance with the Oldtimers has disintegrated and they have been exiled to the southern continent. The queens fought and died and Brekke has recovered, although not to impress another queen. Jaxom has impressed Ruth, the undersized white dragon, and taken him back to Ruatha with him. F'nor with Canth has attempted to go to the Red Star with disastrous results. The grubs which render threads harmless have been rediscovered and are being spread with all judicious haste.
And yet nothing seems quite resolved. I guess that is the fate of the middle book in a trilogy. It seems odd that I can't remember what goes on in the third book, though. I believe there is some exploration of the southern continent, while avoiding the exiled oldtimers. And this must be where/when they discover the ship - they do discover a ship, don't they? It has been too long since I read these.
The alliance with the Oldtimers has disintegrated and they have been exiled to the southern continent. The queens fought and died and Brekke has recovered, although not to impress another queen. Jaxom has impressed Ruth, the undersized white dragon, and taken him back to Ruatha with him. F'nor with Canth has attempted to go to the Red Star with disastrous results. The grubs which render threads harmless have been rediscovered and are being spread with all judicious haste.
And yet nothing seems quite resolved. I guess that is the fate of the middle book in a trilogy. It seems odd that I can't remember what goes on in the third book, though. I believe there is some exploration of the southern continent, while avoiding the exiled oldtimers. And this must be where/when they discover the ship - they do discover a ship, don't they? It has been too long since I read these.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
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.
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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