R- Partnership (some v,x), The City Who Fought (v,x), Killashandra (x,some v,some b), "Petaybe" trilogy (v,some x,some b)
PG16- The Ship Who Sang (some v,slight x), The Ship Who Searched (some v,some b), The Ship Who Won (some v), Crystal Singer (some x,some b), Crystal Line (slight x,some b), Sassinak (v,slight x,some b), The Death of Sleep (some v,some x), Generation Warriors (v,slight x), Coelura (some x)
A woman of many faces, and many ideas, McCaffrey is one of the queens of fantasy and space opera. Her works vary widely in skill and originality, but the best of them are worth reading for almost anyone. Best known for her Pern series (or "Dragonrider" series), she has written in more than a dozen well-fleshed worlds, many times in conjunction with other authors. If there is any author for whom you need a guide, this is the one.
Most of McCaffrey's plots include romance. In fact, some can be read by ordinary romance readers with almost no confusion. On the other hand, some are action-packed, intended for the more hard-core sci-fi fan. To describe one "style" of hers is almost impossible, but I can say that she tends to focus on the perspectives of women, and she prefers character-driven plots based somewhat on "What would happen if I dropped this kind of person into this kind of situation?" Her vision of humanity is hopeful (though sometimes a little patriarchal), and her writing style is clear and readable.
By all means read the best the Pern series has to offer, but don't ignore her other achievements. Particularly, you should consider trying the "Brainship" series and the first few books of her "Talent" series.
The basis for this series is that many children, even in the future, are born into bodies that simply cannot survive, or cannot survive happily, on their own. Science has discovered a way to put their tiny bodies into metal shells and to hook their minds directly into the machines around them. Brainships (which can also be cities, or other structures) are born. With the help of "brawns" (mobile normal-human partners), they run many of the most dangerous missions and most important cities, because they are better than any computer. But they still have human emotions, even if they don't have the bodies to act on those. The tension thus generated can make for a wonderful storyline.
The beautiful romance that began this series is The Ship Who Sang. Helva was born without a voice of her own, just a mechanical one. When she finished school, she became a brainship, wearing the body of a ship and sailing the stars. Everyone has their hobbies; Helva takes up singing, trying to put something of her soul into her mechanical body. She discovers she has a true gift, but none of the experience to back it up. To sing about love, it helps if you have loved, but Helva is just a machine- or is she? Probably the best of the series, combining seamlessly the power of science fiction and romance such that even hard-core sci-fi fans could like it. Definitely worth your time.
The next one is Partnership, co-authored with Margaret Ball, and it was sadly disappointing after The Ship Who Sang. It's more of a mystery than a romance (which is okay), but Nancia, the innocent, well-to-do brainship who was just commissioned, lacks the depth of character that Helva had. Most of the characterization is reserved for the five high-class kids she couriers to their new jobs- only to stumble into a mystery. Also, her sometime-antagonist, sometime-friend Forrister is well-written. The only theme I could find, however, was how humans are not quite what they appear and nothing is black and white. Overall, I'd consider this book slightly above average based on the secondary characters, so I re-read it once.
The Ship Who Searched is a worthy sequel to The Ship Who Sang. It is a collaboration between Mercedes Lackey and McCaffrey. Tia was just seven years old when she caught the disease while on an archeological dig. Crippled for life, she was placed in a brainship long after the usual age. Her difficulties adjusting, her need for human companionship, and her quest to discover the archeological secrets her parents couldn't find lead her to pirates, dying colonies, and smugglers. All Tia wants is to save everyone from repeating her life- and to find someone to love. But she's just one brainship, and she has no body. A real tear-jerker in the first few chapters, leveling off to a reasonably intense mystery/romance later on. Not quite the brain-candy one expects from McCaffrey and Lackey, but very well written.
In a complete about-face, McCaffrey and S. M. Sterling explore the life of a male "brain" placed in a city instead of a ship. The City Who Fought is much more in Sterling's style than in that of the series, and it contains a hefty amount of violence, including sexual violence. The only comparisons I can give are the opening chapters of Sassinak and the plague scenes of Nerilka's Story. Simeon is very happy running a city, until a desperate ship arrives chased by a strange kind of pirates. The pirates are from a former prison colony, developed over the centuries into the ultimate Darwinian society, and its members are brutal. Working with the people he is supposed to protect, Simeon must battle this new menace before it takes over his whole station- or kills him. Probably a better story for Sterling fans than McCaffrey ones, but I found it good in its own dark way.
I was extremely disappointed in The Ship Who Won, co-authored by Jody Lynn Nye. If the brainship Carielle is supposed to be the main character, it escaped me. Keff, her brawn, has much more sympathy, as does Plennafrey, the girl they are trying to help. Carielle and Keff, plagued by money troubles, discover the planet Ozran and its inhabitants, one class of whom appear to be wizards. But all is not as it seems, and the young teenager Plennafrey is the only person who will talk to them about it. But it turns out the wizards, in addition to enslaving the population and fighting amongst themselves, may be destroying the entire planet completely by accident. Predictable plots combined with a near-tepid theme and few strong characters leave this story mostly cold. Read it only if you are a die-hard fan of Nye or McCaffrey. Don't read it if you loved the characterization in the other Brainship novels.
Crystal Singer is a strong blend of romantic tones and sci-fi setting. Killashandra Ree was supposed to be a music star, but she had a tiny rasp in her voice that would leave her as a back-up forever. Killashandra sings back-up to no one. After years of formal training, she quits music school and follows a lover who promises she can sing with the best of them and make tons of money doing it- with the Heptite Guild. But the Guild does not recruit. In fact, they don't even sing, not exactly. They live on the planet Ballybran and cut crystal using their voices and sonic-powered cutters. The crystal is sold at incredible prices as the power behind many types of machines. But the secret to being a crystal singer is something Killashandra doesn't want to face- to forever need to leave Ballybran, and to forever need to return. A good solid book worth your time, especially if you like McCaffrey's less romantic novels.
In desperate need of a vacation, Killashandra chooses to leave her lover on Ballybran and race to a far corner of the universe. But once there, she realizes her "vacation" is turning into a mystery. Someone kidnaps her and abandons her on an island, so she decides to turn things around a little. It's time to create a little mystery of her own.... A romance/adventure/mystery that I found wonderful, if only for the detailed island setting and completely believable characters. Killa's mind is a delight to live inside: witty, forthright, arrogant, and with a great sense of humor. One of McCaffrey's best romance heroines yet.
The strange yet fitting conclusion to the series is Crystal Line, wherein the saddened Killashandra returns to Ballybran to discover that nothing is as she left it. Tran is gone, and Lanzeki is worse for the wear. Killa herself can hardly remember a thing from one day to the next. She watches her old friends disappear one by one and feels it happening to her, too. Yet somewhere, long ago, she thinks there must have been some reason to live. Crystal destroyed her; can it heal her as well? And will she ever find herself together with the man she loves? Probably the worst book in the series, but perhaps only in comparison. Very fitting. I got along fine after Killashandra for several years without reading it, but if you simply must see the conclusion of the love story, go ahead.
Warning: these books are all about characters. They are somewhat episodic because they focus on the development of the main characters in conjunction with the plot. Also, don't expect to read any one of these books on their own- you'll be left confused. If you object to romance, the military, or strong women, don't read them. That being said, I think this was a pretty darn good series, and the character development was some of the better I've seen out of either of these authors. They made a good team, with McCaffrey building the world and Moon adding gritty realism to it. They agreed on where the characters were going, and on the whole, I could not tell where one writer left off and the other picked up. The second book, with Nye, was a little less seamless, but it, too, had a coherent main character who had something to say.
This series is significantly more violent than most of McCaffrey's other works, but I consider the first book at least to be a pretty good adventure story. Sassinak is a kid when her planet is attacked by pirates, who take the supplies they can get and sell the kids as slaves. But Sass was never meant to be a slave, not by temperament, and she plans for her escape. She swears that one day, when she is a captain in the Fleet, she will destroy the entire slave trade.... Solid, action-oriented, with a mostly military setting. Still brain-candy of a sort, but more filling than most. And Sass is a great character, though few of the secondary characters are as well developed. The setting and plot are strong here. One of my favorite McCaffreys. Co-authored by Elizabeth Moon.
The sequel, The Death of Sleep, follows Sassinak's ancestor Lunzie Mespil on her cursed journey through space and time. Mostly time. What looked to be a little time in a sleep pod after a pirate attack turned into several years, and the curse continues. Every time Lunzie goes into space, she wonders if it will happen again. How much of her life does she miss because it just disappears with time? Perhaps she'll never know. Probably the least powerful in the series, but a nice read as brain candy if you can stand the unhappy parts. Parts of it sound like a romance, but the main focus is adventure/mystery. You do not need to have read Sassinak first to read this one. Co-authored by Jody Lynn Nye
Lunzie has lost so much time that she and Sassinak actually meet. They team up in Generation Warriors, each armed with unique experiences and knowledge held by no one else in the universe. If they cooperate, perhaps they can finally put an end to the planet pirates. Or they could get themselves killed. Or they could topple the government. Or they could be arrested as traitors. One never quite knows with these two women. This novel wraps up the plot strings left dangling by all the previous books. Strong on plot, decent on character, fairly strong on setting, but a little disjointed in places, this is nonetheless a pretty good read if you liked the earlier books. Reading Sassinak and The Death of Sleep beforehand is a must, but the Dinosaur Planet books are optional. Co-authored by Elizabeth Moon.
There are two other books in this series that I have not read. They are based on the Dinosaur Planet episode in Lunzie's life.
Once again, McCaffrey (with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough) showcases her world-building talent in this cute adventure/romance with an environmental twist. Yana is a war-wounded vet stuck on a freezing iceball of a planet for light duty by the Powers That Be when she begins to realize that Petaybee is not quite the planet it seems. Maybe it's the incredibly healthy population. Maybe it's the strange terraforming process. Maybe it's the genetically altered animals created by one of the original scientists. Or maybe it's Yana herself, her scarred history, and her attempt to start a new life. Whatever is happening, though, the people in charge want to take apart Petaybee piece by piece looking for the answer, and they think Yana might be the perfect spy to help them do so. Good characters and setting, with a reasonably interesting plot. Better than average brain candy.
The original secrets of Petaybee having been discovered by Yana, it is now time to convince the rest of the world. In Power Lines, however, that proves more difficult than it sounds. After all, one can hardly herd several hundred company representatives into the caverns of Petaybee to give them spiritual experiences. Unfortunately, other methods don't work well on those with prejudicial attitudes, and Petaybee holds vast reserves of precious metals that the Company would like to mine. Not as good as the first book, and not particularly necessary, either.
Okay, so everyone believes Petaybee is sentient. Will that stop them from killing it? Power Play follows the kidnapping of Yana and others to force the planet's inhabitants to give up their fight. But Yana is not a safe captive to keep, and Petaybee can speak for itself, thank you. In fact, Petaybee can even defend itself, though no one knows exactly how- or how many lives would be lost if it tried. Again, not as good as the first book, with several repeated scenes from the second (though they are couched in different circumstances). A reasonable conclusion, however, if you've already read the second book.
This series has been moved to a second page. Please click on the link above.
Lady Caissa's world is one of priviledge and power, where the legal heirs of the rich and famous are tattooed with the mark of their fate, protected from lesser beings by draconian law. In Coelura, the world is probably more interesting than the people, but Lady Caissa does manage to disobey her father and escape a forced marriage by crashing into the uncharted wilds of a planet full of secrets. There, she meets a man dressed in the most incredible clothes, like spider's silk, except it changes color.... This story is so short that the plot, which would have been predictable in a longer work, manages to come off as a bit of a surprise, but this is definitely a romance with sci-fi trappings. Some social commentary on environmental concerns versus business provide most of the theme.
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