Science Fantasy Author Anne McCaffery (1926-2011)
McCaffery’s fiction was optimistic without being sappy. The fact that she wrote “science-fantasy” was criticized by some; and it was a large part of her success.
Robert A. Heinlein famously said [paraphrased] that you can have a tale about a dragon, or a tale about time travel, but you cannot have a tale about a time-traveling dragon.
McCaffery — a lifelong fan of Heinlein herself — was more than happy to prove him wrong.
Plus — and maybe most significantly — she offered a speculative fiction outlet for girls and women at a time when the genre was dominated by stuffy old men (granted, some of those stuffy old men were great writers, but they were still stuffy, old, and men).
Caveat: There’s nothing wrong with being a stuffy, old man.
I hope to achieve that status myself, although I suspect it’ll be late in life.
RIP, Anne. The world lost a little magic today.
Peace, from Keith
© Weblog copyright 2011 Alan Keith Parker; cover of Dragonflight used under fair use laws.
Well said. I just wish I’d found her back in middle school, when I was somewhat starved for the kinds of stories and characters she wrote.