Review: Dragonholder by Todd J. McCaffrey

Dragonholder:

The Life and Dreams (So Far) of Anne McCaffrey
Todd J. McCaffrey

Genre: Biography
Publisher: Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Date of Publication: December 23, 2014
Number of pages: 128

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An enthralling biography of one of the most luminous shining stars of fantasy and science fiction, world builder and dragon master Anne McCaffrey, written by her son, collaborator, and most devoted fan.

While you’ve been to Pern... you haven’t heard the stories behind the stories.

I propose to fix that.

When Anne McCaffrey’s Hugo Award–winning novella “Weyr Search” appeared in the late 1960s as part of the novel Dragonflight, the science fiction universe was gloriously transformed as readers first experienced the exhilarating thrill of soaring with dragons. With the many Pern novels that followed, McCaffrey steadily won the hearts and unwavering devotion of millions of fans, eventually earning a permanent position on the New York Times bestseller list. Dragonholder celebrates the birth and growth of McCaffrey’s breathtaking literary vision, as well as the momentous events of a life that was in many ways as extraordinary as the worlds and characters that McCaffrey created.

No one understands or appreciates McCaffrey’s life and work better than her son, Todd, does. In Dragonholder, her frequent coauthor and avid fan intimately examines his mother’s childhood and early adulthood, the amazing gift of second sight she inherited from her own mother and grandmother, the trials she faced juggling a career and a family during the turbulent sixties, and her rise to literary stardom—and he reveals the events and influences that ultimately gave rise to the myriad wonders of Pern and the other miraculous worlds borne of Anne McCaffrey’s unparalleled imagination.

I am not normally a biography reader, though I suppose you can't tell since this is my second biography this year. But as a huge fan of Anne McCaffrey's, this was a story I wanted to read.

See, the very first author stalking I did was on Anne McCaffrey.  A friend had lent me the first three books in the Harper Hall portion of the Pern series. The three about Menolly.  And I fell in LOVE with Pern.  This led me to more Pern books with Lessa, F'Lar, F'Nor, Robinton, Jaxom and Mirrim.

Next I discovered the Crystal Singer trilogy, the BrainShips, Petaybee and the Tower and Hive series. This was the first author that I actively searched out used book stores looking for more to read. (This was way, way back in the day before ebay, amazon and easy internet lookups.) Ms. McCaffrey's words and worlds opened my mind to possibilities and a love of reading.

This book, told via her son, tells of her life and mainly how the dragons came to be.  I wish that all of the series had been touched on, but since I can understand that since he is continuing the Pern series, that is the one he knows best.  It was still an interesting look in the early days of the sci-fi/fantasy genre and her part in it.

This is a reprint of the of the 1999 edition, and I had hoped for some more information being added about or since her death in 2011. But nothing is mentioned.  As a fan, it was a pleasant read.  I gave this 3 stars, mainly because I really think the other series should have been mentioned and there was nothing past 1999.