Product Description
Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first Pern novel, a collection of short fiction about Pern features five tales of the time of Pern's exploration, original Dragonriders, and first Threadfall. Reprint. AB. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

A must for those interested in Pern's history!
This book fills in some of the questions concerning the early times on Pern and why Pern colonists were left alone for so long. A must for lovers of Pern. A prologue in front of each chapter would have been nice to setup the chapters (like Lamour has done in his short story collections), otherwise the book is great reading.

I love the short story about Torin
Anne McCaffrey is the quintessential writer of fantasy books pertaining to dragons.These books are always wonderful, well written, and perfectly characterized.All of her series are great but the ones that take place on Pern are the best of all.

Below Standard
New? not even close. Plastic wrapping fell apart in my hands, then the cover fell off. I will not deal with this company again and would not recommend it to others.

caution - addictive
Anyone who has opened an Anne McCaffrey book knows what I am saying.She is the writers version of chips - you can't read just one.This is a tale at the begininng of a saga that goes through three books.In this book you meet all the main characters and become very invested in the problem they have.It is wonderful for any age and anyone with a love of dragons.

Great if you like Sci Fiction
The Pern series of books from Anne McCaffery are great.Better if you read them in order, (look online at her website for recommendations).This is futuristic science fiction, but if you liked Aregon, you would probably like this series too ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

His mother's son
I was a bit hesitant when I first started reading the books co-authored by Todd McCaffrey, since I am such a huge fan of his mother, but soon found I was able to enjoy the different perspective and view of this world. This Dragonrider book that he's now written on his own gives me hope that the series will continue for a long time - it was hard to remember while reading it that Anne was not the author. While the subject matter was a bit distressing for a diehard dragon fan; I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to more. ... Read more

Product Description
A new age is dawning on Pern, for since the dragons have changed the orbit of the Red Star, the horrors of Threadfall will soon be a thing of the past. But even as the dragon riders are trying to decide what their future role will be, further dangers are beginning to emerge, as those calling themselves the Abominators plot together to destroy all the learning that has been discovered from the records of the Old Ones. Their first vicious assault is on the Healer Halls - irrevocable damage is done and it is obvious that this is a worldwide movement with a dangerous mind leading those who would destroy all of the new knowledge. And now comes a fresh and terrible catastrophe - a large cometary fragment is hurtling towards Pern and cannot be deflected. Everyone - dragons, riders, holders and craftsmen - must stand by to perform a giant rescue operation. As F'lessan, son of Lessa and F'lar, plays his heroic part in the events that follow, he is helped by Tai, his new weyrmate. But it is the dragons, bronze Golanth and the brilliant green Zaranth, who will provide the solution to the dangers of the skies. ... Read more

Product Description
Three bestselling volumes--Sassinak, The Death of Sleep, and Generation Warriors--together in a single giant novel. McCaffrey traces the careers of two remarkable women--Sassinak and Lunzie--who work together to save a confederation of worlds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

One thousand pages of mediocrity revolving around an incomprehensible plot
The science fiction trilogy is a classic and venerable form, one that has given us everything from the original Foundation books to Star Wars.But the three books collected into "The Planet Pirates" don't deserve to be entered on the list of those classic trilogies.In fact, the lack of a coherent plot, compelling conflict, or any interesting prose makes the very existence of this re-issued volume perplexing.

One of the problems is no doubt that one of the books was written by a different team than the other two, which makes it easy to introduce inconsistency.It undoubtedly also didn't help that they were written in a topsy turvy chronological order, with the middle book published first, the first book published second, and the third book published last.But whatever the logistical issues, the result is boring to the point of tears.

Read in order, the book introduces us first to Lunzie, a medic who is marooned in space and forced into hibernation for so long that her only daughter is grown when she awakes.She spends the first half of the book getting re-certified as a doctor while awaiting word of her offspring.It is here that there is also an awkwardly introduced and logically inconsistent fear of "heavworlders", humans genetically modified to live on high-g planets.(One annoying detail among many is that these humans are portrayed as huge, when they would logically be much smaller than normal.)When Lunzie locates her daughter she ventures into space again, and is once again marooned in "cold sleep", and when she awakes her daughter has moved to a different planet.Instead of chasing her down Lunzie visits her descendants, joins the military, goes on a scouting mission to a new world and is stranded in cold sleep by heavyworlders conspiring to break a vegetarian taboo.If that last bit sounds random and unmotivated, I assure you that reading the book will not make it less so.

The second book is the closest to being acceptable among the three, and tells the story of Sassinak, a great-great granddaughter of Lunzie.Her family is killed and she is sold into slavery by "planet pirates".Her escape and growth into the captain of a warship dedicated to stopping the trade did generate some interest, but not enough to overcome...

The third book, wherein Lunzie and Sass are united and form a complex plan to defeat planet piracy that involves sending a security officer on a fleet ship that just happens to have conspirators aboard, letting Sass's second in command visit his distant aunt who for some reason has vital information, and having Lunzie go to a high-g world to have sexually fraught interactions with people she is constantly afraid are going to rape her.Sass, obviously, travels to the home world of the Federation and is involved in a bar fight and a resistance movement featuring both sewers AND students.This last book is so incomprehensible, so disconnected from everything that came before, that you almost wonder if you missed something in the previous two.Why are we suddenly in the head of Ford, Sass's first officer?And Dupaynil, the intelligence agent?And who are these aliens who apparently have figured vitally into the whole picture?For all that the three books total nearly a thousand pages, the resolution is hurried and the logic so shaky as to invite disbelief.

Warning: Three books in one
I really enjoyed reading this book. In fact, I've read it several times, but I wanted to warn people that it is actually a reprint of 3 separate books: The Death of Sleep, Sassinak, and Generation Warriors. That being said, I was glad I stumbled on this version first, because it meant I didn't have to run out to the store each time I finished one of the novels.

I especially liked Lunzie's storyline. She is cryogenically frozen and has to cope with re-learning how to exist in society. Consider the learning curve someone from the 1950's would have if they woke today. And that is only a 50 year jump. She was out for almost 100!

The plot in this and Dinosaur Planet overlap, but I had some trouble with the continuity between the two. I liked this version better. (Probably because I read it first.)

I recommend this to fans of Elizabeth Moon, David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. The science fiction enhances the story, rather than replacing it. Jody Lynn Nye can be a little too fantasy oriented in her science fiction (I'm thinking flying talking frogs(?) from one of the Ship Who Sang books), but she is much more serious and does a very good job on this one.

I can't see how you could hate this book!
This series is so great that I was able to read it all in 3 days!I have re-read it so many times I could almost tell you the plot by heart.I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes sci-fi and adventure.

Heinlein influence?
Anyone besides me notice the similarities between "Sassinak" and "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert Heinlein?Thorby and Sassinak both become orphaned slaves at a young age, both are befriended by former members of the space navy, both are programmed with information to be disseminated only to certain designated individuals, under very defined conditions.I love McCaffrey's books, have for years, just wondering if I'm imagining things with this one...

A great read!
I have read Anne McCaffery's books for years now and this one wasone of her greats.Granted there are no dragons as her books usually have but don't let that stop you.One of the best books by her that I have ever read and I have many of hers from the Dragon Riders to Acorna and out of all those books, these three are the best read of all hers.I can't say enough how much I enjoyed reading this book.I believe that I've read it about 4 or 5 times now and it still can't put it down when I start it again.A dangerous book to be sure.Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Accompanying her exo-archaeologist parents on an EsKay dig, seven-year-old Tia becomes afflicted with a strange neural disorder that leaves her totally dependent on a mechanical life support system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

The Ship Who Searched
The ship series bring a whole new perspective about how far a woman can reach when she uses her brains.This book was especially heart wrenching because she had lived a fairly normal life to the age of seven before becoming incapacitated.But she moved into and adapted well to the life of a shell person.As I had already read "The Ship Who Sang", I was ready for the adventure.

A splendid book
This is probably my favorite book of the series. It's romantic without the broken heart of the Ship Who Sang, and that romance finally gets an outlet. It's well written with characters you can relate to, and it completely sucks you into the story. Romance, adventure, derring-do, and a lovable cast. What more can you ask?

Quest For the Aliens
The Ship Who Searched (1992) is the third SF novel in the Brainships series, following PartnerShip.In the previous volume, Nancia was closely involved in the investigation and arrest of the Nyota Five.After the trial and disposition, Forister praised her for her judgment in the recorded statements she made for the trial.

In this novel, Hypatia Cade is the daughter of an archaeological team.Doctors Pota Andropolous-Cade and Braddon Maartens-Cade are conducting an Evaluation dig at a Salomon-Kildare site.The three of them are alone on the planet except during the supply ship visits.

Tia is alone in the camp during the day, except at mealtimes.She spends most of the day doing homework, watching holos and monitoring communications.Shortly after her seventh birthday, Moira -- TM-370 -- is an unexpected visitor.Moira has diverted a routine run to bring their supplies and a birthday present for Tia.

Moira and her Brawn Tomas are very welcome visitors.Tia has known Moira for some time and they get along very well.And then there is the birthday present, a blue teddy bear.Tia is extremely pleased with the gift.

Tia is not particularly lonely on the remote site.After all, she spends more time with her parents than most children.She even gets to help at the main dig when her parents aren't doing very sensitive activities.Since the planet has little atmosphere, she has to wear a vacuum suit at the site.

On days when her parents are too busy for her to visit, her parents let Tia don her vacuum suit and go play in her own dig.She carefully excavates pretend artifacts from the trenches.Then she digs up something that is a very real artifact.

She carefully seals it in a plastic container and brings it into the habitat to show her parents.Unfortunately, the container leaks and she gets a face full of dust.However, her parents are excited over the find and spend the next couple of weeks excavating the alien waste dump.

Tia catches some kind of disease from her first find and feels tingling in her feet and hands.Eventually, she loses sensation in all her extremities and is paralyzed from the neck down.Even her face is partially paralyzed.

In this story, Tia becomes a shellperson.She is the oldest person ever admitted into the program.She does very well and eventually is installed in her brainship.

Hypatia -- XH-1033 -- is now working for the Institute, delivering supplies to various archaeological sites.First she has to select a Brawn.None of the first six are suitable and the second six are not much better.Her supervisor is perturbed and wants her off the tarmac as soon as possible.

Alexander Joli-Chanteu is one of the last set.Tia spends more time with him than the others, but finally decides that he is not quite the right person to be her Brawn.But then he comes back after dark and has a more candid conversation with Tia.Although she still sees some flaws in his character, Alex does have the right sort of attitude and an interest in archaeology.Tia decides to choose him as her Brawn.

Tia and Alex become specialists in dealing with plagues and other sorts of diseases.While they are not doctors, they have run into more than their share of ailments and have learned to counter their effects until the medical personnel arrive.So MedCen preempts their services to hunt for smugglers who are bringing diseases into the Central Worlds.

This tale has Tia searching for the source of her paralytic disease.Since it came from the middens of a Salomon-Kildare camp, she reckons that the source of the disease was the homeworld of those aliens.She carefully follows the archaeological papers on the search for the eskay origins.

The story concerns a very precocious girl with a horrible disease.Yet she is so courageous that she impresses everyone who meets her.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for McCaffrey & Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of archaeological explorations, undercover investigations, and a very exceptional woman.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Nice read
I enjoyed the book (see other reviews for synopsis).It was a "fun" read with a little bit of thoughtful material (e.g., what it would be like to be confined to life as a ship).It was one of those books that frequently made me smile, but it was not a page turner.

Mystery, adventure, and even a little romance in this very fun novel by two excellent authors.
I'd been looking for a bit of intelligent escapism, and certainly found it in this collaborative effort by Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. The Ship Who Searched is the second in the Brainship collection (though the books needn't be read in order) - where each book in the series is a team effort between McCaffrey and various eminent authors in the genre.

The Brainship world of the series is a version of our own future, where humankind has long since left our solar system. The characters are still very much informed by the Earth history we know, however, and though the novels take place amongst other worlds and are occasionally populated by other nonhuman species, the story feels very real for that reason.

Hypatia Cade (Tia) is a precocious and brilliant child, and as the daughter of xeno-archaeologists has spent her young life traveling from one planet to another on exploratory digs. Her parents are investigating the puzzling disappearance of a world-hopping alien civilization that vanished without a trace long ago.

While playing at her own "pretend" dig, Tia uncovers what seems to have been a waste repository for the aliens. She somehow contracts a virus that results in the gradual loss of feeling and control in her extremities and by the time she tells her parents (not wanting to interrupt their work with what the ship's AI tells her are "growing pains"), it is too late. Hypatia is transferred to a medical facility, where it is determined that she will never regain control of her body below the neck.

In this future world, children born with debilitating congenital defects are often entered into the Brain/Brawn program, where their non-functioning bodies are sealed up into ships (or occasionally spaceports or other facilities) and their minds become the "brains" of the craft. These "shellpersons" are essentially one with the ships they inhabit; their brains have been enhanced and modified to monitor every aspect of the electronic and mechanical workings, and they "feel" the hull as though it were their own skin. Brainships are paired with a Brawn, a living (and mobile) component to the ship's operations. These pairings are typically very close, given their intimate proximity and the partners' frequent long-term isolation in space travel during their assignments.

The Ship Who Searched has a lot of heart for a sci-fi novel. Hypatia is a compelling and likeable character; her only hope is to convince the Brain/Brawn directors that she's not too old to be included in the program, so that she can fulfill her dreams of becoming a pilot with the Archaeological division. So, too, must she solve the riddle of the vanished alien race, whose disappearance may be linked to the disease that devastated her body - plague is a common threat to the archaeologists of the future. And, as both a Brainship and a developing young woman, she must navigate her growing feelings for her newly assigned Brawn, Alex.

The Ship Who Searched is a fast-paced, emotionally satisfying, and thoroughly entertaining read. The application of archaeology to a science fiction setting was compelling and well conceived, and the Brain/Brawn program feels surprisingly believable. I found it refreshing to read a novel where several main characters are physicaly disabled, and found the book's treatment of the subect to be very balanced sympathetic without being pandering. While the ending felt a bit too quick, it was natural and fulfilling. I had quite a bit of fun with this one, and will definitely be investigating others in the series.

-Jacquelyn Gill ... Read more

Product Description
Young Fiona, rider of the gold queen Talenth, has returned from the past, where she and a group of dragons and riders fled so that the wounded could heal from their previous battles. Gone only three days, yet aged more than three years, Fiona is no longer a child but a woman prepared to fight against the Thread that threatens to destroy her world.

Fiona’s life takes a pivotal turn when a shocking tragedy thrusts her into a position of authority. Now she finds herself leading weyrfolk who have a hard time trusting a senior Weyrwoman who is both young and an outsider.

But even greater challenges lie ahead: Thread is falling and there are too few dragons to stem the tide. Many have died from the recent plague, and even with the influx of newly mature dragons from the past, the depleted fighting force is no match for the intensifying Threadfall. Fiona knows that something must be done, and what she proposes is daring and next to impossible. But if her plan succeeds, it just might save them all.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

So confusing!
Poorly written, and very disappointing.Mr. McCaffrey can write emotionally stirring scenes,but lacks basic writing skill.There are way too many characters and sub-plots, and too many young but plucky girls who are striving to prove themselves.Events are described haphazardly; I find myself re-reading passages, trying to understand what happened.This reads more like an early draft.The book needs continuity checks, plot and character streamlining.I don't envy the task Mr. McCaffrey has set himself, to continue in his mother's estimable footsteps, but in spite of having several published books, don't believe he is succeeding either.

Just don't bother!
Like so many people who have loved the Anne McCaffrey Pern world, I eagerly looked forward to her son being able to carry on the tradition, so I bought the first couple of collaborations. They were not good, but I hoped they would get better.

Sadly this seems unlikely. Todd McCaffrey simply cannot write. His characters are unbelievable, his plots non existent, and to add insult to injury he introduces some very typical prurient male sexual fantasies, and even a plug for capitalism in the book (Fiona chastises another woman and lectures her on the virtues and fairness of "profit")This apropos nothing whatsoever and against a background of a society whose very existence depends on total cooperation, and whose past experience with holders who indulged in too much personal acquisition proved disastrous.

Anne herself dealt with the sexual "freedoms" of the Weyrs with a light and tactful hand, and while she mentioned in passing that some of the older and more conservative holders disliked this aspect of the Weyrs, she also went to some lengths to point out that they were usually mistaken in their assumptions about it all, were in the minority and not liked for their views.

Todd on the other hand hints at overall disgust against certain sexual orientations, specifically he mentions prejudice against a young lesbian girl, even within the Weyr itself, while indulging in a multiple partnered relationship revolving around an under aged girl with a strange inability to sleep alone.

His grammar is below high school level, as is his vocabulary, which also means his editor should be fired. On a purely technical level this finished book rises, barely, to the level of a very rough first draft, with elementary English corrections required on just about every page.

In the manner of the worst modern American "news" broadcasts, the book staggers from one disaster to the next and when the absolute worst is not happening, then it is being foreshadowed by non stop feelings of dread being expressed. The very dragons are bungling and inept at fighting thread. Predictable cross currents cannot be managed, so the losses are legion. There is no balance in this choppy narrative, and even characters previously fleshed out and developed in other books are turned to little more than names in the inane and meaningless dialogues.

Fiona, the main "character" at one point states that she would give her dragon to her friend if she could, a thought that would be impossible to entertain let alone express for anyone experiencing the dragon/rider bond. In fact there is almost no communication between the riders and their dragons at all in the book.

There is not a doubt in my mind that had this manuscript reached the slush pile of even an average editor without the McCaffrey name, it would have been rapidly, and correctly, rejected. It is a book that should never have seen the light of day, leaving the reader with theclear and uncomfortable certainty that the man and his publishers are quite willing to butcher Pern, its delightful inhabitants, and all of its subtle layering for the sole purpose of continuing a lucrative franchise.

My advice is not to encourage them.

Pern and Dragons
More about Pern's history.Another excellent addition to the Pern and Dragonriders series.Anne McGaffrey started and her son Todd is rounding out the series.Good reading.

Another great Pern book
This book was a cliff-hanger for me. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one!

Disappointing
The plot was very slow, dragged, and was somewhat anti-climactic.Dragongirl was not up to par with most of Dragonriders of Pern books.It seemed to contain much too much in the way of crying episodes, sleeping arrangements, and the like, and too little substance.Character development also seemed week, especially when compared with those -- such as Lessa, F'lar, and Robinton -- in the first books of the series.I have found most of the Dragonriders of Pern series to be top-notch novels, and was disappointed by this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Although they have inherited their mother's legendary powers of telepathy, Damia's children will need more than psionic Talent to face the enemy's children, an alien race more insect than human. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

pretty good
Great book from a great series by a great author.She writes in a clear style that draws you in with intriguing story lines and appealing characters.

Damia's Children
I had a hard time listening to this book.The narrater's voice is not one that keeps my attention nor does she have much excitement in her tone while reading.This not one I would recommend.

The Talents triumph
This third novel in the chronicles of the Rowan and her descendants takes us into the 24th Century and a third generation of the Talented, the "parapsychic" Primes and T's whose telepathic and telekinetic powers make possible interstellar communication, supply, and the unity of the Nine-Star League.At the heart of the book are the Raven-Lyon family, the eight children (Laria, Thian, Rojer, Zara, Kaltia, Morag, Ewain, and Petra, ages fourteen to eight months at the start of the story) of Damia Raven and Afra Lyon, particularly the two oldest boys and, later, Zara.Growing up on Iota Aurigae, where their mother is Prime of the local FT&T station, the siblings are also at the forefront of an important and unique experiment in interspecies co-operation, raised with pairs of Mrdini, members of the intelligent, spacefaring species that has been allied with humanity since before they were born.The 'Dinis, as they're generally called, have a long history of battling the mysterious Hivers, who have also threatened the human colonies but been beaten back by the Talents.Now it's the turn of the new generation to take up the battle.At 16 Thian (accompanied by his 'Dinis) is assigned to the military spaceship "Vadim," part of a human-'Dini fleet attempting to backtrace the course of the last Hiver incursion; here he must serve as a combination liaison officer with the 'Dini ships and "catcher" of supplies 'ported on by the Talents--while coping with the hostility of an unknown crewmember and his first experience with love.Then the fleet encounters a Hiver wreck, a vast craft the size of a small asteroid that appears to have been caught in the blast of a supernova.Has the Hiver homeworld been destroyed?What will this mean to the nascent war between the human-'Dini alliance and the Hiver colonizer-ships?When Thian discovers living Hiver larvae in a protected area of the ship, everything comes to a head.Then Thian's brother Rojer is assigned to the "Beijing" to help observe a Hiver queen whose lifepod has been captured by the Alliance--and softhearted sister Zara proves unexpectedly crucial in the effort to keep her alive.

McCaffrey's picture of a large, close-knit family of psychically gifted parents and children is so well-drawn that as you read it you think that this is definitely the way such a unit would operate.Her 'Dinis are an intriguing alien culture that definitely *is* alien, with just enough points of similarity to humanity to allow a sympathetic unity to be established between them.Her colonies are an intriguing mix of high and low tech (Damia's children go hunting on horseback with bows and darts), and her Navy and its ships seem a natural future outgrowth of what we have today.The book ends on a note at once upbeat and incomplete, as Damia's father, Earth Prime Jeff Raven, admits that the allies now have "a waiting game to play."But both humanity and the 'Dinis seem to be better prepared for the final confrontation than they were even 20 years earlier.

Dreadful
This books along with the latter talent books are so unrealistic as to be boring. The first talent books, Pegasus in Flight and Pegasus in Space were interesting and fun because we were reading about real characters.They had Talent, but they were still real people.The characters in the latter talent books are nothing less than gods, with an almost all-powerful Talent, and seemingly little or no personal problems or limitations (which makes th books dull). Also, what the books really portray, without actually saying it is basically a Talent autocracy. Non talented are inferior and unimportant, and the talented rule over everyone else with their powers. This reminds me of Star Trek, where everyone is law abiding, and the authority of the Federation is unquestioned.So what happens to those who question the authority of the Federation? They are automatically outlaws. Its really quite totalitarian.
Anyway, this book is boring and not worth the money.

Good, but a few peeves....
I listened to the Audio version of Damia's children, and found that it was quite well-narrated. And while I liked this book, I would prefer a book which focused on a single character rather than a novel split into three parts. By rights this should be three books.

The plot is simple: with a threat of the HIVE upon them, the telepathic 'talented' Lyon children must help their parents defend earth from....The predations of a vicious insect species, but are they so vicious? Only the Lyon children seem capable of figuring this out.

I think that the author may fall into a bit of a rut with this series. The Lyon children are 'super' kids, squeaky clean, friendly and well-adjusted. While I understand that they have lots of responsibility, these children are too perfect. They are more competant, more intelligent, and more powerful than anyone else. . No WONDER some Terran's resent them.

Two things that skeeved ne out about this book: Number One:How easily these 'children' are manipulated by the adults. I would hope that in the future they have some form of child labor laws Number Two: The second story about Theon, where he has a relationship with a much older army nurse. Ick. this completely skeeved me out. I guess its just my western mind, but a relationship between a teenager and a much older woman and this person a nurse in a position of authority is pretty gross. No thanks! Ick. Ick. Double Ick!

Overall, the second story cost this book two stars. Not as good as some of her earlier works. ... Read more

Product Description

The dramatic conclusion to the breathtaking saga of the children of Acorna and Aari.

Customer Reviews (8)

Third Watch: Acorna's Children
Ann McCaffrey does it again. Acorna is the Unicorn girl who was rescued in deep space by a group of miners. They became so attached
to her that they decided to raise her. Eventually the miners stumbled upon Acorna's home planet and a joyous reunion ensued.
Acorna grew up and married a very nice male of her species. They had children.

This series of books carry the story of their children. They also have great adventures and hair-raising encounters. I read all of Ann McCaffrey's books. They are fun for adults as well as children.This is a well-written adventure by the Grand Dame of fantasy. I highly recommend this book.

Sara Howard. Author of "Something Funny Happened on The Way to The Moon" and "The Biggest Explosions in The Universe".

Excellent Book
Great ending in a wonderful series of books, i've read them all 3 or more times, except the last 2 and I'll be reading those again.I love this series, wish there was more stories coming out.

Acorna's Children; Third Watch
First Warning: Acorna's ChildrenThird Watch: Acorna's ChildrenSecond Wave: Acorna's Children (Acorna Series)

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, The first two I couldn't put down until I finished reading them. Third Warch was a little slow at first but then it grabbed my attention and I had to read it all. As soon as I was finished I had to lend the three books to my daughter who was as enthralled as I was.
When I see the name Anne McCaffrey, I have to read the book whether she co-authors or alone. My favourite books of all are the Dragons of Pern books, as I read them I could picture everything. What the place looked like, the people, the dragons, etc.
I am 72 years old and have been reading since I can remember as have my children. Before Anne I read everything Isaac Assimov wrote, I also look for Andre Norton books, and these days Anne McCaffrey is my number one writer.

Origins of the Plague
Third Watch (2007) is the third SF novel in the Acorna's Children series, following Second Wave.In the previous volume, Coco the pirate chieftain was disappointed at the lack of treasure on the Estrella Blanca, but accepted Mikaaye onboard the Black Mariah as a healer and pirate trainee.Khorii and Ariin returned to Vhiliinyar to visit their parents and friends within the quarantine pastures.

In this novel, the twins and Khiindi the cat travel back in time to the wardrobe of Akasa, Ariin's former mistress among the Friends.Of course, the Friends know Ariin as Narhii, the name they bestowed upon her at birth.Since they look alike, Ariin wants Khorii to replace her so that she can go investigate something without the Friends noticing her absence.Khorii acts differently than Narhii, but the Friends would never notice.

First the twins travel back even further in the past to drop off Khiindi with the Ancestors.He should be safe among the unicorns while Ariin does whatever she intends.Since this latest time is prior to the birth of the twins, Khiindi once more becomes the shapeshifting Grimalkin and makes friends -- as a unicorn -- with the female Ancestor Halili.

Returning to the closet, the twins separate.Ariin hides while Khorii distracts Akasa.Khorii -- pretending to be Narhii -- asks the Friend to show her the way home as a ploy to get the Friend out of the house.Then Ariin sneaks out and goes her own way.

Once outside, Khorii notices that the front door is shaped and colored as an eye.In fact,the whole front of the house looks like the upper half of Akasa's face.Akasa is pleased with the effect, but Khorii wonders at the degree of vanity that it indicates.

In this story, Ariin gossips with the Friend technicians while Khorii wanders among the Friend hoity-toity.Ariin learns some interesting things, but Khorii meets the Friend Odus and learns that he is odious.

Ariin travels through time to join the Friend Pircifir in his historic voyage of discovery.Pircifir is a venturer, traveling through time and space looking for items that might interest the Friends.Grimalkin -- as Khiindi -- returns to get Khorii and they too join Pircifir on his voyage.

Eventually, the group finds a planet that contains snakes and tubes.The tubes are able to change their shape.When brought back to Vhiliinyar and properly trained, these tubes become the mutable houses of the Friends.

This tale leads Khorii, Ariin and Khiindi to the source of the plague and finally to a way to eliminate it.The tale also suggests an origin for the Linyarri.This volume probably concludes the immediate series, but Acorna's children will almost certainly return for further adventures.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for McCaffrey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the Linyaari, time travel, and mysterious plagues.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Wonderful adition to the Acorna Series
This book, 3rd in the series, is about Acorna's daughter. It is like the other books in the Acorna series, filled with time travel, the Friends, and a people once again in Peril. Well worth buying if you like the original Acorna series. ... Read more

Product Description
An indispensable companion guide to the wonderful world of Anne McCaffrey and her dragons

Guaranteed to enrich every armchair traveler's journey into McCaffrey's legendary world, this illuminating guide leaves no stone in Pern unturned! Both faithful fans and newcomers will relish the fascinating history and lore of . . .

THE DRAGONS: How they developed from little fire-lizards into the huge telepathic creatures that carry human riders and fight Thread

THE PEOPLE: How they live, the clothes they wear, the food they eat

THE PLACES: What to see and do in individual Holds and Weyrs

THREAD: Its appearance and behavior, the threat it poses, and ways to combat it

UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE RENEGADES OF PERN, ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN, THE CHRONICLES OF PERN: FIRST FALL, AND THE DOLPHINS OF PERN

Amazon.com Review
A much-needed update to the classic companion to Anne McCaffrey'scanonical novels and numerous short stories about Pern, this bookincludes a few recipes, information about knitting patterns, Craft andHold badges, and more. As a reference, it is marred by the lack ofcross-referencing within the book, although there is an index, and bythe lack of scales with the drawings of various animals and places.It will be invaluable to readers like me who can't recall just wherethey read that name before, or what Weyr a rider is from, or wherethat small Hold is, and it provides a useful overview of the highpoints of Pernese history--though it's no substitute for the pleasureof reading the stories! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Guide to Pern
Dragonlover's Guide to Pern is a spectacular book filled with wonderful descriptions, maps,drawings and yes even recipies!If you follow the dragonriders of Pern series you simply must own this book.

The Dragonlover's Guide To Pern, Second Edition
I have a collection of all the Dragonriders books and read them often. This is a good explanation of things touched on in the stories.

DragonsLovers gude to Pern
Good Book If you are into this series of books thia is a fun guide to have

Beautiful
I bought this primarily for my kid, but I love the artwork and detail they put into it.I remembered having this book years ago so I reordered it from here.Kid loves reading it.

The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, Second Edition
Love this book. 1 of 2 Great Companion books to the Dragonriders of Pern Series ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book, excellent sales experience
I have always enjoyed the series that this is part of...the idea of "Talents" being able to do special things with their gifts, the gifts of this one boy in particular...great book, neat story, satisfying ending. ... Read more

Product Description
Finally... She's written The Book on Dragons.

Anne McCaffrey is as renowned for her knowledge of dragons as she is for her New York Times bestselling novels. In this beautifully designed hardcover, McCaffrey focuses her attention on the fantastical creature's existence throughout history. Her words are complemented by the stunning color portraits by John Howe, noted for his success with several J.R.R. Tolkien calendars and maps.

Engagingly conceived, McCaffrey's story is a moderndaydragon fantasy, colored with excerpts of some of the most thrilling scenes taken from classic dragon tales and accompanied by John Howe's magnificent art. Dragons from the time of the Bible and the Babylonians, the Arthurian Era and the Chinese Dynasties, to the currentdragons invented by Robin McKinley, Gordon R. Dickson, Melanie Rown, and McCaffrey herself--are all fully explored and rendered in glorious detail.

At once a thrilling history, a charming fantasy, and a tantalizing art book, A Diversity of Dragons is sure to find a place beside Anne McCaffrey's other bestsellers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Ok, but not perfect!
Received after a couple of weeks.Cover very scratched and marked and a couple of pages ruffled and bent.

The amount of content was a little disappointing considering the size of the book, and actually, the only writing of hers that I felt to be poor. - Sorry, not really impressed!

I love my dragons!
I love the Pern series and just wish they could write and publish them faster!

Wonderful Art
This is strictly a story book, and wonderfully done.This is not meant to be a reference book.I love this book and keep it displayed in my living room.

interesting and completly worth your time
I found this Anne McCaffrey book to be interesting, especially since I happened to read most of the books, or knew most of the storys referenced to in A Diversity of Dragons. The simple characters (including herself) were straightfoward, yet evasive, and the plot was complicated in its simplicity. The art work was extrordinary, and could only be displayed properly in the large book. Everytime I look at it I am amazed at the generous detail. All in all I believe that this book rates a five star for its simple honesty. Niether defending dragons or bashing them, but sharing their truths.This book is completely worth your time.

Beautiful pictures, though...
I got this book because I was doing a report about Dragons indifferent mythologies, and because I'm a fan of McCaffrey's.My firstreaction was: "What a HUGE book!" They could have made asmaller edition of it so it would actually fit my bookshelf.The pictures were beautiful, although it was sometimes slightly hard to tell which picture went with which story.The plot was okay, since it obviously wasn't meant to be a very fascinating one, although the ending completely let me down.An index of the dragons and page number references would also have proved extremely helpful, since the mythical and new-age dragons were completely scattered together.The worst part of the book I think were the quotes.Some of them got me interested in the books and made me add them to my wishlist, but most were just utterly boring.Also, at the end where the dragons were listed in tables, I found them to be scattered around completely wrong.Somebody seemed to have messed up with their computer.The reason I'm still giving this book 4 stars is for the paintwork, though.If you like fantasy art, this book will be excellent for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons is the life story of a writer who vividly depicted alien creatures and new worlds. As the author of the Dragonriders of Pern series, McCaffrey (b. 1926) is one of the most significant writers of science fiction and fantasy. She is the first woman to win the Hugo and Nebula awards, and her 1978 novel The White Dragon was the first science-fiction novel to appear on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list.

This biography reveals a fascinating and complex figure, one who creates and recreates her fiction by drawing on life experiences. At various stages, McCaffrey has been a beautiful young girl who refused to fit into traditional gender roles in high school, a restless young mother who wanted to write, an American expatriate who became an Irish citizen, an animal lover who dreamed of fantasy worlds with perfect relationships between humans and beasts, and a wife trapped in an unhappy marriage just as the women's movement took hold.

Author Robin Roberts conducted interviews with McCaffrey, her children, friends, and colleagues, and used archival correspondence and contemporary reviews and criticism. The biography examines how McCaffrey's early interests in theater, Slavonic languages and literature, and British history, mythology, and culture all shaped her science fiction. The book is a nuanced portrait of a writer whose appeal extends well beyond readers of her chosen genre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Accurate, scholarly, extremely interesting biography!
Robin Roberts was allowed full access to Anne McCaffrey, her family, and Anne's papers. She has written a very scholarly, very entertaining, informative, fascinating biography of Anne. Ms. Roberts obviously has sincere admiration for her subject, but she diligently recounts all of the factors - warts and all - that helped shape Anne into the beloved author that she is today. Her detailed knowledge of all of Anne's books (she has also written a non-fiction book about Anne's books)adds interesting insights. If you really want to know Anne McCaffrey and what shaped her body of work, read this book! It is excellent!

A research lover's biography of a trail blazer
The main gripes other reviewers have with this biography stem from a wish to have a more "fan's perspective" biography.While this biography does suffer occasionally from the 'clunkiness' of a researched biography written by an academic rather than a glossy biography written by a professional biography writer: as a lover of Anne McCaffrey's books, and as someone who for a long time has really wanted to know more about Anne as a woman, a young person, a struggling writer and what it felt like at that shear blissful moment of finding out that other people WANT to read your stories I thoroughly enjoyed this biography.Added bonuses are the backdrop of family, country and world events and politics - which really do add extra insight into the writer herself.

A terrific and above all readable biography
It is not easy to write a readable and entertaining biography while at the same time keeping the scientific value and the historical level high. Well, Robin Roberts is a master at it and this product the best she has written until now. This biography is a must for every Anne McCaffrey fan. And my warmest compliments to the dragonlady herself for opening up personally and file-wise and thus accomodating a cracking good book on her life and accomplishments. And if you start talking about this science fiction author's accomplishments you need every page you get!

Very disappointed!
I don't understand how such an excellent author as Anne McCaffrey could have allowed such a terrible writer to publish a biography of her (Anne)!Whoever edited the book also did a terrible job - example - referring to Anne and her brothers as "the siblings" multiple times in the photo captions.I am very disappointed.

interesting biography
An interesting tale of the life of Anne McCaffrey and how she struggled to become a writer of SI_FI fantasy, her emigration to Ireland and struggles to adapt, her family, &
her love of horses, esp. Ed. ... Read more

Product Description
Nancia''s innocent vision of human nature was shattered on her first voyage, and the last thing she needs now is a ''brawn'' partner like Forister. But together they m ight just save the galaxy. ' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Nyota Five
PartnerShip (1992) is the second SF novel in the Brainships series, following The Ship Who Sang.In the previous volume, Helva -- XH-834 -- gained enough credits to payoff her debt to Central Worlds.Yet they wanted her to extend her contract for at least one more mission since she was uniquely qualified.Helva bargained with them to increase her pay and to provide her with a specific Brawn of her own choice.

In this novel, Nancia Perez y de Gras -- XN-935 -- is expecting her father to call her before she starts her new career as a brainship.Instead, her brother pays her a visit.He brings her two datahedrons with his own synthcompositions on them.In addition, he gives her the latest -- not yet released -- version of SPACED OUT, the most popular video game.

Flix talks her into playing the game with him and finds out that she knows the position of every opponent in the game.After all, the game resides in her memory banks, so how is she to avoid knowing everything about it.While they are playing the game, a message arrives from her father apologizing for missing her graduation.

Shortly after that, her passengers arrive.They have obviously been celebrating and are passing a pouch of Stemerald back and forth.Then they notice the SPACED OUT game and play it until they break off for bed.

Only one passenger -- Blaise Armontillado-Perez y Medoc -- notices that Nancia is a brainship.The other four believe her to be an AI drone.So they talk freely in front of her sensors and she becomes suspicious of their intentions.She records all their actions and statements.She even records the keystrokes of Polyon de Gras-Waldheim as he cracks his way into the Net security system and assigns himself a privileged user account.

Nancia is shocked at the plans of the five High Family graduates.They intend to make their fortunes in the Nyota ya Jaha system.Polyon proposes skimming off working metachips into the discard bin and then selling them to the highest bidder.Alpha bint Hezra-Fong has created a new addictive drug that should sell well.Darnell Overton-Glaxely and Fassa del Parma y Polo have come into business enterprises that they can milk for maximum profits.

Only Blaisse doesn't have any profitable ventures to gain more wealth.As a Planetary Technical Aid representative, he will be handing out food bars to the vegetative natives of Angalia, a mudhole of a world.Yet he agrees to join a group wager about whom will accumulate the greatest fortune over the next five years.

In this story, Nancia selects Caleb as her Brawn.As a native of the Vega sector, he has very strict moral beliefs.She tries to discuss the behavior of the High Family brats with him, but he soon dissuades her from such discussions.

Over the next five years, Nancia learns that Caleb is a highly competent Brawn on normal runs, but hopeless in undercover efforts.Then they become involved in an investigation of Polo Construction, Fassa's company.Nancia once more considers releasing her tapes of the onboard activities of the five High Family brats, but decides to hold off.

The investigation grows with the inclusion of another Central Worlds probe into the activities of Alpha at Summerlands, a combined resort and indigent nursing home.Then Darnell is implicated in illicit practices.

This tale allows Nancia to grow more comfortable as a High Family scion and as a brainship.She eventually outgrows the narrow morality of Caleb and adds colors of gray to her moral judgments.She also learns more about her father than she had ever known as a child.

The story is a good addition to the Brainship tales.Although only a fable among the brainships, Helva is an example to Nancia and other shellpersons.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for McCaffrey & Ball fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of technological progress, moral depravity, and a very determined young lady.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Partnership
One of the best of the brain ship books, this one focuses on the relationship of brainship with her brawns and how she grows up after coming out into the real world.
On her first voyage, she is mistake by her passengers for an unmanned drone ship, the the story follows not only her life and career, but that of her spoiled, rich brat passengers.
There is a lot of talk about morals and morality and is very much about someone unprepared trying to make it in the mind field of human society.

Makes the reader think about what being "human" really means
Nancia is sixteen years old when she graduates from Laboratory Schools, the training facility for shell persons. That's the term for humans who require complete life support, usually from the moment of leaving the womb. Enclosed by a protective casing that supplies all their bodies require, shell persons like Nancia train for careers that let them exercise incredible power. Nancia will spend her life sealed inside a titanium column at the heart of a Courier Service "brain ship," with that ship serving as her extended body. With state-of-the-art computer processing power and computer memory banks as easy for her to use as her own human mind and human memory, she has only to choose her partner - a "brawn" who's been trained for that job. Before she has a chance to do so, though, she's given a solo first mission. One her father, a high-ranking Federation civil servant, has pulled strings to get for her because he loves Nancia every bit as much as his two "normal" children, and he thinks that transporting several Planetary Technical Assistance neophytes who are her social equals will give her an opportunity to make friends outside of the shell community. For Nancia belongs to that select and powerful group, the High Families, and so do her passengers. It should be the easiest of assignments. It's not, though, because four out of the five mistake Nancia for a mindless drone ship and treat her accordingly. Hurt and angry, Nancia lets them think that's the case. She overhears as they plot to make their fortunes by shockingly dishonest means, and as they form a pact to aid each other in doing so. She records it all - but then the brawn she chooses as her partner, Caleb from straitlaced Vega, lets her know that he considers such behavior highly inappropriate.

Nancia is young and unsure of herself. She trusts Caleb, and accepts his judgment. During the five years that follow, her first passengers carry out their plans. The day comes when Nancia must face all the harm that's resulted, as she's given the opportunity to expose and therefore stop them at last. But is that the right thing to do? What if she can only accomplish it by doing other things that Caleb can't approve? To which instincts and to which friends should she listen, and whose judgment should she trust? Surely not her own....

I read McCaffrey's initial "brain ship" stories, collected as The Ship Who Sang, many years ago. I picked up this book expecting a light read, and instead found myself immersed in an intriguing tale of a young woman's journey from adolescence into adulthood. Great stuff! One of McCaffrey's better works, and for me a good introduction to co-author Ball.

This time it is a "brain" named Nancia that needs to find a compatible "brawn"
"PartnerShip" is the second book in the Brainship Series that was begun by Anne McCaffrey in the short stories that were collected under the title "The Ship That Sang." But this second book is a novel rather than a short story collection, tells the story of a new shellperson, and is co-written by McCaffrey with Margaret Ball (they also collaborated on the Acorna boks). Readers of the first book might be disappointed that this "sequel" is not about Helva, but the idea of brainships lends itself to new characters and if you have read McCaffrey's Pern and/or Talent series then you know she likes to tell new stories about new characters more than she does finding new tales for familiar (and even beloved) ones.

Nancia Perez y des Gras was an aristocrat, a member of one of the High Families, who was born with grave physical disabilities that required her human body to be encased in a massive titanium column that provided a direct link between her mind and the computer of her ship, XN-935. Nancia never would have survived without the complex life-support system the shell provided and which also allowed her to have a career as a new brainship for the Courier Service. Although she has been well trained, Nancia is not ready for dealing with the five "ordinary" human beings who are her passengers on her first voyage.

They are also members of the High Families and what her passengers have in common is that they are the proverbial black sheep of their respective families. That is why they are being sent to the forgotten far side of the galaxy. Usually the "brain" on a Courier Service ships is complemented by a "brawn," a human pilot special trained for such services, but Nancia is traveling without one on her maiden voyage. So Nancia is shocked and appalled by what she hears as her passengers plan to make their illegal fortunes and enjoy their ill-gotten gains. However, these five aristocrats do not know that they are on a brain ship and Nancia never bothers to tell them that she is listening (and recording) all of their plans.

What I like about "PartnerShip" is that Nancia bides her time before bringing the Nyota Five to justice. After all, she is fairly new to the ways of the real world and, as the title indicates, she is not going to be alone with the time comes to put her plan into motion. Consequently, in addition to the anticipation as to how Nancia is going to get these five clowns there is also a question of who is going to be the "brawn" to her "brain"? The former appeals to be a bit more simply because I like it when somebody on the inside has got the goods on the bad guys, but I was satisfied with the specific partnership that McCaffrey and Ball came up with for Nancia. Final Note: the cover art for this 1992 book is by Stephen Hickman.

This is a really great book!!!!
McCaffery does it again! I love how she winds intrigue, betrayal, and suspense into one super novel!!! ... Read more

Product Description

The story is told through the eyes of polite, earnest young do-gooderGalwyn Varianus, who has fled the service of his cruel, brutish, seafaringuncle to take up with the charismatic Artos. Galwyn quickly proves hisvalue with his affinity for languages and horses, and he accompanies Artosand the Companions (proto-Knights of the Round Table) as they executetheir plan: acquiring and then breeding a handful of fabled Libyans, thehorses of the book's title, and then mastering and disseminating theknowledge of horseshoe-making. The action revolves around Galwyn's rolein this plan and never rises above the pace of, say, an after-schoolspecial. But rich details, McCaffrey's obvious love of the subject matter,and involving characters go a long way to make up for the story's slowtrot. (In particular, you'll find yourself waiting eagerly for thecomeuppance of one character, a sneering rider named Iswy, Goofus toGalwyn's Gallant.) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

wow
I bought this book for my sons who do not like that authors usually write for young adult fiction. They now want to read everything from Anne McCaffrey. I read this book myself and wished she made it into a 10 book series. It is that good.

Captivating, but perhaps "Derivative"
It's been a long time since I read this book, but I'm still able to recall impressions left by the characters and the story.I grew up reading Ms. McCaffrey's Dragon-series, and this was a departure for me when I read it.Not disappointing in the slightest, although surprising after reading her other material.

More than 20 years later I have discovered Rosemary Sutcliff, and would recommend her to anyone who enjoyed "Black Horses for the King."Ms. McCaffrey was certainly at least influenced by Ms. Sutcliff's writing, almost seeming to be an 'alternate view' on Ms. Sutcliff's stories.The name "Artos," the quest for strong horses, the color black for such a horse, the title of "Comes Brittaniorum," and many other details likely first saw print in Ms. Sutcliff's "Sword at Sunset."

I have yet to be disappointed by Rosemary Sutcliff's imaginative and well researched books of historical fiction.

Satisfied customer
I am very pleased with this book.It is one of the best.I was very happy with the service I received.

Good Story
Being a big fan of McCaffrey, I hoped that I would enjoy this story and I did. Would like to know more about the time period, and Arthurian legends now. Liked the characters and the story development,

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Galwyn Varianus's life has never been easy. When his father died he was apprenticed to his cruel uncle on a trading vessel, though all he wanted to do was stay shore-bound and work with horses. But when Lord Artos calls upon Galwyn to help him bargain for horses for his Companions, Galwyn's life changes completely.

Once Lord Artos - the man who will become the legendary King Arthur - sees Galwyn's calming way with horses, Galwyn is invited to join the Companions in their quest for great warrior steeds. On this quest, Galwyn faces a perilous journey over land and sea to find and transport the horses, not to mention treachery from inside the ranks of the Companions -but the danger isn't over even when they reach their destination: Camelot.

BLACK HORSES FOR THE KING is not your traditional rendition of the King Arthur legend. Many familiar characters, including Guinevere, Merlin, and Lancelot, do not appear in this book, and others, including Arthur himself, take a keen eye to recognize. Rather than being a version of the story of King Arthur, it is a deftly crafted tale that might have been true, a story that might have given rise to the traditional legend.

The book appeals to both well-read readers of Arthurian tales and readers of historical fiction, as Arthurian elements are present if one keeps a sharp eye out, and it remains an engaging work of historical fiction even without its connection to legend.

Reviewed by:Rebecca Wells ... Read more

Product Description
"Something's Alive In There!"

She was just a little girl, with a tiny horn in the center of her forehead, funny-looking feet, beautiful silver hair, and several curious powers: the ability to purify air and water, make plants grow, and heal scars and broken bones. A trio of grizzled prospectors found her drifting in an escape pod amid the asteroids, adopted her, and took her to the bandit planet Kezdet, a place where no questions are asked and the girl might grow up free.

But Kezdet has its own dark secret. The prosperity of the planet is based on a hideous trade in child slave labor, administered by "The Piper" -- a mystery man with special plans for Acorna and her powers. But free little girls have a way of growing into freedom-loving young women, and Acorna has special plans all her own. . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (85)

Made me care what happened
A trio of asteroid miners picks up an escape pod, and finds inside it a baby girl. Discovering the child's identity presents a special challenge, because she clearly is not human. Her bachelor "uncles" swiftly come to love her, and do their best to care for her until they can take her to their base. Acorna, as they name the little one, matures far more rapidly than a human child. She also has powers that surprise the miners: she can purify air and water, and she can use the small horn on her forehead to heal.

Her guardians want her to know other children, and they want to find her people. They are horrified, though, when turning her over - temporarily, as they think - to the authorities at their base leaves Acorna caught between scientists who want to study her in ways that are sure to do her harm, and doctors who want to "fix" her "deformities." So the miners take their foundling back, and run with her to a world where the authorities cannot follow. Once there, a now grown Acorna discovers that child labor forms this world's economic base. Acorna sets out to change that.

I almost turned away without buying this book, because I read its sequel last year and found it only mildly enjoyable. The first installment is much better, so now I'm glad I bought it. Acorna is too perfect in both tales, but in this one she is a developing character who at least makes mistakes. Also, the characters surrounding her more than hold their own; and Kezdet, the outlaw world, really comes to life in the book's second half. I cared what happened. Not just to Acorna, but even to the story's villains.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of 2005 EPPIE winner "Regs"

Acorna: A Mystery (I don't mean the character's heritage)
I was in some ways impressed and tickled by Acorna, and in other ways unimpressed and chagrined.Being an avid reader of Anne McCaffrey since I was in junior high school, there are many traits that I've come to enjoy in her writing: tying mythical beasts and the paranormal to modern and future settings, abused and neglected children's retribution against a world that would not have them (a facet of literature that I later came to hate with the mediocrity of Harry Potter), and her talent to develop characters into romantic chess pieces.

Although I now feel that I am older and wiser in regards to romantic settings (and McCaffrey's stance on homosexuality being little more than effrontery to me), I still find her universes complex and interesting.The Talent/Pegasus series has always been a favorite of mine and I am constantly rereading Damia and To Ride Pegasus for their science fiction/romance blend. In Acorna's case, we have a book that is ostensibly young adult literature, set in the far future, while incorporating elements of the unicorn mythos.Since I've never taken the time to read up on unicorns from a mythological perspective, I feel as if I have earned an insight into their makeup that I wouldn't have otherwise known.Additionally, a great many science fiction and science non-fiction made up a tremendous part of this story and it was all composed and inserted well and aptly.

However, one could argue the dynamics of Acorna stop there.The plot is, to say the least, confusing.If the reader is to take the three miners as the story's protagonists, the book should have ended when they reached Kezdet.I had actually been under the mistaken assumption that Acorna was going to feature... oh I don't know, the character named Acorna?Instead, so many characters are introduced, their stories overlapping well, that one quickly loses sight of just who and what Acorna really is.One reads Dragonsong because they identify with and become empathic to its protagonist. One reads Damia because of her vivacious personality. Why is it then, that a book just called Acorna, doesn't feature really any personal growth for the character.It is fitting that this book brings us from her infancy into her young adulthood with nary a stop along the way, because that is exactly how I feel her character was developed through out.I felt as if I was reading an abridgement of her story.I kept holding out hope for the text to become feminist or at least sympathetic to Acorna and her plight.I guess that would have required her to have a plight.

I am really upset that I didn't enjoy Acorna more.I have recently acquired the other books in her series, and I'm quite sure they introduce some interesting characters and funny scenarios, but... I don't know if I'll be able to muster up the will to read them.The question of whether or not the books begin to actually center on Acorna and who and what is unsettles me because I'm afraid I'll never find out. I have to question the wisdom of having a female character-driven series begin with an episode-driven, masculine trio.What sense I do get from Acorna is that she has little regard for social niceties, a traint I do find appealing.Yet, I am also stymied by her utter lack of interest in the opposite sex (no doubt this is due to McCaffrey/Ball's wish to make her a "late bloomer" as the story closes on her being all of three years old).As McCaffrey has rarely used homosexuality in her books, I find it highly unlikely that she would choose to make Acorna one (although I will look for fanfics to that end).Instead, I see Acorna becoming like Nimisha--a soul searching for something she knows not what and is willing to settle for the mundane and take on stereotypical female maternity roles in anti-feminist fable.Given that side characters have already recognized Acorna as being motherly, I have to wonder if Acorna will ever morph into a Lessa-like character that truly controls the fate of the story.I do not attempt to posit that motherly characters are anti-feminist or even that they don't make good protagonist: I merely wonder if Acorna does.

Insipid.
So Anne McCaffrey started with books like Dragonflight-- death raining from the skies, passion, war, savage and cutting... and now we've got adorable baby blonde My Little Pony girls with teeny weenie cutesy unicorny horns prancing through space? What happened??? Don't get me wrong, I like unicorns just fine-- but I just can't stomach this much saccharine wankery.

A good read, though a little bit light
My wife recommended this novel, and I was entertained by the story of Acorna, the Unicorn Girl.This novel feels like it's targeted at tween/teen girls, but guys of any age will enjoy the story.

Acorna is an interesting character, though you need to just ignore the cover since the artist doesn't do her justice.The other characters (somewhat stereotyped) are lightly detailed, and do not have any nuances. The biggest flaw of the story is that everything comes very easy - without creating too much tension. There are scenes in the mines with the children that reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire - but that's a very good thing!

Overall, I was eager to read the 2nd book...

Enjoyed
Had elements of other good storylines. Really enjoyed it and will be reading the other books of the series. ... Read more

Product Description
The future of the planet rests in the hands of Moreta. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

intriguing
Anne McCaffrey is the quintessential writer of fantasy books pertaining to dragons.These books are always wonderful, well written, and perfectly characterized.All of her series are great but the ones that take place on Pern are the best of all.

Sad
This is a wonderful read it pulls you into the world of Pern and makes you want to be a dragon rider. The story is very sad though so grab a box of tissue when you read it.

highly emotional
This is a great book in the dragon riders series.A highly emotional book.It leads you in one direction but takes you in another.

A true Pern Classic
This has always been among my favorite Pern stories.Its great having this in audio.

This book was really not that good.
I'm going to keep this short because this book doesn't warrent that much of my time. Nothing really happens in this book. I've read the prior Pern novels and they were good enough to enjoy for a light read. This book, yes, pertains to the history of Pern but does not add much to it. Nothing is really accomplished, except that this is a start of a different era of history. I kept waiting for something to happen that is notable but nothing really did. You get a few small tidbits of imformation about the origional colonists but not much. This book really makes me reconsider weither or not I will read anymore Pern books. ... Read more

Product Description
Helva had been born human, but only her brain had been saved and implanted into the titanium body of an intergalactic scout ship. But first she had to choose a human partner, to soar with her through the daring adventures and exhilarating escapades in space.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Marvelously inventive cyborg stories from the 1960s
Although Anne McCaffrey is best known for her Pern stories, perhaps her most original work was the stories she wrote about the brainship Helva in the 1960s.Between 1952 when Bernard Wolfe published his spectacular classic LIMBO and 1972 when Martin Caidin published his very famous but rather spectacularly pedestrian CYBORG (the latter the inspiration for the even more spectacularly awful TV series THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN), McCaffrey's stories were easily the best thing on the theme with the exception of Philip K. Dick's various works (such as DR. BLOODMONEY and WE CAN BUILD YOU, in addition to his far more famous classic DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?).They remain far better reading than Caidin's novel.

The idea central to the book is that the brains and central nervous systems of human infants with severe physical deformities could be encased in titanium shells (hence their designation as "shell people") and given spaceships as replacement bodies.Thus the central character of these stories, Helva, for all intents and purposes coextensive with the ship.The conceit of the stories is that these brainships would be partnered with ambulatory humans, designated brawns.Much of Helva's concern in these stories is with being matched with an appropriate brawn.Not exactly marriage (in fact, it is mentioned that brawns are often married), it is nonetheless a deep partnership so that finding the right pairing is not unlike finding soulmates.The title of the collection of stories stems from Helva's deep interest in music and in her habit, unique among brainships, of vocalizing the songs she has learned.

THE SHIP WHO SANG consists six separate but deeply interrelated stories that McCaffrey published between 1961 and 1969.They span Helva's debut in the air service and the loss of her first brawn, to the transition to the next major stage in her career and her pairing with the brawn she has long been seeking.All in all, these represent some of the most important stories in the development of Cyborg literature.With recent developments in the interface between mind and artificial body, the development of a ship as depicted here is not actually all that impossible, though with the development in computers (the unstated assumption throughout these stories is that computers are necessarily huge, apparently too large to consider installing on interplanetary spaceships - throughout the stories Helva has to contact Central Command [or Cencom] to have someone consult the central computer).

If McCaffrey guessed wrongly about the size and appropriateness of computers for spaceships, she did, however, make some remarkable guesses about future technological developments.In fact, assuming that the gap between the central nervous system and nonbiological physical components was a brilliant one, which is only now being realized.Perhaps even more interesting is the story in which Helva aids a medical technician take tens of thousands of embryos to a world that has seen all residents rendered sterile.Although McCaffrey did not realize that embryos would suffer no harm by being frozen, she did correctly guess that embryos could be successfully implanted into host mothers.It is possible that other Sci-fi writers anticipated these developments in stories or novels, but I cannot at present recall any.I don't primarily read Sci-fi to see what guesses about the future do or do not pan out, but it is fun when someone takes such an imaginative leap and it does.

These stories might disappoint someone who is hoping to find a world similar to that found in McCaffrey's very famous Pern books, but they will appeal to anyone interested in quality Sci-fi, especially if they are interested in stories dealing with Cyborgs.

gold star service
I ordered an older book which bookstores rarely carry, and it came in pristine condition and much faster than I expected.this kind of service was better than you get at stores you can walk into.

Ship Who Sang
This is a most entertaining book written by Anne McCaffrey.I read it many years ago and decided to return it to my library.I find returning to the older books gives me well written literature, without the foul language, and violence found in so many of the more modern books.This can be recommended for all ages.

The Mind Within the Shell
The Ship Who Sang (1969) is the first SF novel in the Brainship series.Centuries from now, medical practice can prevent or cure most types of physical ailments.Some congenial defects, however, cannot be corrected.Still, the body can be encased in a shell and maintained in physical health.

Shellpersons with the proper aptitudes can become the controllers of complex facilities such as space stations and spaceships.Such persons are trained in many practical skills and are conditioned against the misuse of their powers.Upon graduation, their central nervous systems are connected to the sensors and effectors of their mechanical bodies.

Shellpersons acquire a great deal of debt for their testing, training and installation.However, they can use their earnings to pay off this debt.Until such time, they serve the Central Worlds government in various ways.

In this novel, Helva is a shellperson controlling a scoutship.She has a hobby of singing in any vocal range.With her control of the audio circuits, she can sound like a bass or a soprano.Moreover, she has perfect control of her voice.

As the Brain of this ship, she is entitled to select a Brawn -- a normal person -- as her mobile crewmember.At the Brawn selection party, she joins the singing and amazes the nine candidates.They start calling her "the ship who sings" and the appellation spreads.

During the party, Helva falls in love with Jennan and picks him as her Brawn.Their first assignment is to rush a vaccine to a distant system plagued with virulent spore disease.Then they tangle with a vicious narcotic ring.

Their next assignment is the evacuation of the inhabitants of a planet with an unstable star.Many residents are religious fanatics and resist evacuation.On their fourth run, the women in the cloister resist so strongly that Helva starts preparing for liftoff.

The sounds of her engines impress the dangers of the situation upon the women and they crowd into the ship.There is not enough room for all within the ship, so Jennan stays in the airlock with three women.Just then the star explodes and the shock wave overtakes the fleeing ship.In the ensuing panic, Jennan loses his environmental controls and dies from the heat.

In this story, Helva takes Jennan back to base for burial.While she is mourning the loss of her Brawn, she receives an urgent mission to take a physical therapist -- Theoda -- to help treat the victims of a space plague.Theoda is also mourning the loss of her family several decades earlier in a previous space plague.

During that mission, Helva learns from Theoda how to accept her loss and continue on with her life.Then she is assigned a temporary Brawn -- Kira -- who is also mourning the loss of her beloved spouse.This time, Helva assists Kira to accept the loss.They also eliminate a religious cult that worships death.

This tale recounts the major experiences of a Brainship with a special talent and a persevering attitude.Unlike some of her associates, Helva does not adopt a cynical manner and a dismal temperament.Despite her troubles, she gets the job done.

This story remained a standalone tale for over two decades.Then the author wrote several other works in this milieu in collaboration with other authors.The first sequel is PartnerShip.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for McCaffrey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of advanced civilizations, unusual circumstances, and extraordinary people.

-Arthur W. Jordin

SHE SINGS
I BOUGHT THIS TO REPLACE MINE THAT WAS FALLING APART. I JUST WISH I KNEW WHAT HELVA IS DOING NOW. THIS BOOK IS A LOVELY AND FUN READ. ... Read more

Product Description
Two novels in one large volume, both set in the same universe as The Ship Who Sang: The City Who Fought: Simeon was bored with running the mining and processing station that made up his "body." Then the invaders came. If anyone was to survive, somehow he must transform his wargaming hobby into the real tying and become The City Who Fought. The Ship Avenged: Ten years later, Joat, the eleven year old techno-demon heroine of the first novel is now an adult herself. She and her ship are on the trail of the Kolnari space raiders, trying to stop them before they can spread an infectious, mind-destroying disease among the inhabited stars and destroy civilisation throughout the galaxy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The City and the Ship
This is an omnibus edition with two books in one. The books are The City Who Fought, and the Ship Avenged. This gives the reader a different view into "Brains and Brawns" beyond the Ship the Sang where we meet another brain, Simeon who runs a major space station, the Space Station SSS-900, that finds itself under threat from the Kolnari. The Kolnari are genetically a race of former prisoners that were sent to a prison planet where they were expected to die under the harsh and dangerous conditions on the planet. Rather than dying they rediscover space travel, and have built an entire society around conquest and slavery.

There are a number of hard sexual issues in the story line, that might turn off readers, but they are also essential to building on the idea of how depraved the Kolnari are so essential to the story line. What makes the story compelling though is much like many of Anne's books, this one has richly developed characters that you start to care about, and want to know more about. The Brawn Channa, the Brain Simeon, the orphan child who gets adopted by Simeon and Channa named Joat all have complex and in some cases not happy backgrounds. The characters are not two dimensional, and the best part about this book is that you also get the second story line where after the events in the City Who Fought, you find out the super bad guys have not fully left the field and want nothing more than revenge against Channa, Simeon, Joat and just about anyone else who gets in their way.

Both stories are complelling, but not for young kids, think age 15 plus on this series. These aer stay up all night reading books, and you start to belive in the characters. Like many of Anne's stories, the hero wins just in the nick of time to save the universe or world against huge odds. The bad guys are believable, the good guys supportable, and it is a fun read. Five of five stars, this is one of those books that will keep you up all night reading.

Great ... but a reprint
I adore this series:It is bright, creative and amazing.Exceptional writing.The only complaint I have is that it is a reprint of two previous editions, not a new book.If you haven't read the series, you should really give it a try.If you have, and want a better copy, buy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Petaybee was growing up. Day by day, the sentient planet--like any child--was learning to recognize and understand the meaning of outside stimuli, to respond to those stimuli, to communicate its own needs and desires...even to use human speech.
Yanaba Maddock had appointed herself defender of her adopted planet, and she had even succeeded in proving its sentience to all the nonbelievers. But despite all her efforts, few outsiders truly cared for the feelings and intelligence of what they perceived to be a giant hunk of rock--or a mere oddity to be gawked at.
Then Yana was kidnapped. The price of her freedom--the planet itself.
But the only one who could speak for Petaybee was Petaybee--and no one knew what a living planet could do once it found its voice...
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Customer Reviews (9)

Just grab some dolls and play house.
This is where I gave up on Anne McCaffrey's writing. The books full of adventure that I loved as a kid have slowly morphed into sentimental soap operas that revolve around pregnancy, adorable babies, pretty marriages, children, the building of little towns, adorable grandchildren, cute fuzzy animals, more pregnancy... I just can't take it anymore. Nothing of consequence happens in this book, beyond successful colonization and breeding.

And what kind of a name for a planet is "Petaybee", anyway?

Youth
While this series began with a story about adults, it has become a series about children.

Power Play (Petaybee book 3)
sci fi but very very human.Keeps you on edfgeto the end.

Good Anne McCaffrey
This is the third book in the POWER trilogy. It started out a little slow, but the plot got better. The same theme showed up in the third one--redemption. A pirate sees the error of her ways, and decides to become one of the good guys. I'd recommend this book if you like Anne McCaffrey, but if you're looking for good, in-depth storytelling, this book isn't it.

Decent Conclusion
Keeping track of the secondary characters can be tricky at times.

The big "stunning reveal" is leaked way too early in the book. Though it is nice how the characters find out what the reader already knows.

I would love to know what happens to Torkel Fisk and Matthew Luzon. Oh well... ... Read more

Product Description

Beloved by millions of readers, Anne McCaffrey is one of science fiction's favorite authors. Writing with award-winning author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, she has created the bestselling Acorna series focusing on the adventures of the brave unicorn girl.

Now the exciting saga of the next generation begins.

First Warning

Khorii, daughter of the near-mythic Acorna and her lifemate, Aari, must contend with an overwhelming legacy to forge a path of her own through a universe filled with new adversaries and adventures.

A simple journey home to visit her parents turns into a race against time when Khorii happens upon a derelict spacecraft drifting in space, its crew dead in their seats. But this gruesome discovery is only a dread harbinger—a deadly plague is spreading across the universe and not even the healing powers of the Linyaari can slow its horrific advance. Khorii, one of the few unaffected by the outbreak, must find the nefarious perpetrators and a cure before the disease consumes all in its path—including her beloved parents.

Customer Reviews (7)

Acorna's Children First Warning
Enjoyed the book. I have been reading the series and look forward to the next one.

First Warning - Clever and Well Characterised
This is the continuation of the next generation of characters from Anne McCaffrey's Acorna series. In the Anne's style, as always, her characterisation draws you into the central and side stories to the point that you can't put the books down. A great read though I do recommend that you read all the books in the series in order to really appreciate the complexity and imagination of this fantastic authour.

Plague Warnings
First Warning (2005) is the first SF novel in the Acorna's Children series.Khorii is Linyaari, the daughter of Acorna and Aari.She is six Linyaari years old, the equivalent of twelve Standard years.Her foster brother, Elviiz, is the android creation of Maak, the android first mate of the Condor.

Khorii and her parents, Elviiz and Khiindi-- Khorii's cat -- are onboard the Condor bound for Kezdet to visit Acorna's adoptive fathers.Khorii is convinced that this trip will be boring and is already tired of the eternal night outside the viewers.When she enters the control room to spend some time with her Uncle Joh -- Captain Jonas Becker -- and RK -- Roadkill -- the feline first mate, she finds Becker gloating over a derelict spaceliner, the La Estrella Blanca.

The distress beacon is broadcasting and the ship is filled with dead bodies.When Becker boards the liner, he soon catches the plague and so do RK and Khiindi.Khorii hastily follows Becker and the cats to heal them.

Becker takes the death ship to a nearby storage asteroid and they continue on to Kezdet.There they learn that plague has been reported on several worlds.The Federation requests that Acorna and Aari travel to Paloduro in the Solojo system to heal the sick.The Condor takes a side trip to Maganos Moonbase to drop off Khorii, Elviiz and Khiindi, despite their objections.

Khorii makes friends with several children in the school on Maganos Moonbase, including the aquatic Poopuus, but Elviiz makes an enemy of Marl Fidd.The overdue supply ship Mana finally comes to Maganos Moonbase, but the crew has the plague.Khorii, Elviiz, andtwo students -- Hap Hellstrom and Sesseli -- take the shuttle Crow up to the plague ship.Khorii heals Jaya -- the only living member of the crew -- and then decontaminates the ship and cargo.

The school administrators refuse to accept the now purified cargo, including necessary food supplies, so Asha Bates -- the astrogation instructor -- takes her own shuttle up to the Mana.Unfortunately, she also brings Marl Fidd aboard.Bates successfully convinces the school staff that the food stuff is plague free, but they still refuse to allow her or the students or Jaya to enter Maganos Moonbase.

In this story, Khorii starts seeing blue spots when she heals plague victims or decontaminates cargo.At first she thinks that she is just getting tired, but then she realizes that these blue spots are the plague itself.Now she can check for the plague without exerting her healing powers.

Khorii successfully heals plague victims elsewhere, but finds herself close to exhaustion afterward.Acorna and Aari heal the surviving population on Paloduro, but they completely deplete their energy and catch a mutated version of the plague. Now they are plague carriers, without apparent symptoms themselves, but spreading the disease to others.They infect Becker, Maak and RK on the Condor and are only able to partially heal their friends.

This series is intended for young adults and thus is quite linear in its approach;it shows only a handful of viewpoints during the story.The plot tends to be simplistic, but the concepts are anything but simple.The Linyaari are pacifistic vegetarians, but they have to deal with a hostile, carnivorous universe.Sometimes they lose their tempers, but usually they use their minds and mental skills to find more acceptable solutions.

Highly recommended for McCaffrey & Scarborough fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of healing, suspense and adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Hardback Sci-Fi, by Anne McCaffrey - 'Petaybee' series
Delivery time of the book was spot on, and due to the rate of exchange this book was an excellent buy.The book was also in top condition as stated in the description.

Not for me
I fell upon this book at my LL looking for fiction related to plague.

I did not know it was YA up front, so the simplistic narrative really bothered me.
Then I thought more about it. Should authors dumb down, or use a preachy approach because they are writig for kids?

I think not. Some of my all time favorite books were written for kids, but I didn't necessarily feel like they were.

My expectations of being swept up into a new world that would stretch my imagination?No, I was just annoyed by it. I had to swallow too fast too many details that happened before the story. Plus, I could never picture the cute little pink haired girl on the cover enjoying a graze in a field somewhere. Too weird!


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