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.