Decision at Doona [Mass Market Paperback]

Anne McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1987

After the first human contact with the Siwannese ended in a mass suicide, the Terran government made a law that no further contact with sentient aliens would be allowed. But since their own planet was overcrowed, they looked to colonize Doona--until they found the Hrubbans. Their choice was simple but dangerous. They could kill the cat-like Hrubbans, or for the first time in history, learn to to coexist with an alien race....

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

After the first human contact with the Siwannese ended in a mass suicide, the Terran government made a law that no further contact with sentient aliens would be allowed. But since their own planet was overcrowed, they looked to colonize Doona--until they found the Hrubbans. Their choice was simple but dangerous. They could kill the cat-like Hrubbans, or for the first time in history, learn to to coexist with an alien race....

About the Author

Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures. A prolific bestselling author, she is best known for her handling of broad themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly in her tales of the Talents and the novels about the Dragonriders of Pern. Anne McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland. Visit the author's website at www.annemccaffrey.net --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345353773
• ISBN-13: 978-0345353771
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.6 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > McCaffrey, Anne

More About the Author

Anne McCaffrey, the Hugo Award-winning author of the bestselling Dragonriders of Pern® novels, is one of science fiction's most popular authors. With Elizabeth Ann Scarborough she co-authored Changelings and Maelstrom, Books One and Two of The Twins of Petaybee. McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first science fiction book I ever bought., February 9, 1999

By 

Diane Catanzaro - See all my reviews

This review is from: Decision at Doona (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book originally in its second or third printing. It was the first science fiction book I ever bought, and I freely admit I bought it because it had a giant cat on the cover. In the over 25 years since I bought it, I have read and re-read it more times than I can remember. The spirit of the colonists (both races) who wanted nothing more than to escape their stagnating worlds; the Hrrubans' sense of humor when they realized the humans thought they were savages; the release for Todd to discover there was indeed still a world where children can play and make the noises of childhood; all of these things are portrayed as fully as the bureaucracies that had me grinding my teeth in sympathetic frustration for both the Terrans and the Hrrubans. I later discovered Pern and Ms. McCaffrey's other worlds but Doona has always been my first love. The sequels to the original came many years after but they are no less dogeared, at least in my library. And In MY library, Ms. McCaffrey's worlds take up more than one shelf. I have everything she ever wrote except for one mainstream romance and can recommend her books to anyone (and have, many times).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful plot about co-existing races., September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Decision at Doona (Mass Market Paperback)

I was so tired of sci-fi books dealing with Humans going out to murder another race. This book gave a welcome change, two completely different species working together to create a new world for themselves. I've never read the sequels, but having just read this book alone was wonderful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Sci-Fi Fans!, March 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Decision at Doona (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an excellent first-contact story...it shows the paronoia and xenophobia on both sides with good characterization. A tad dated, by today's standards, though...it was first published in 1969, and it shows in the technology level of the humans (about equivalent to the "Star Wars" films, with a few exceptions, while the Hrrubans are fully at the "Star Trek" technology level). On the whole, though, a great tale of trust, friendship, and the ability to rise above deeply ingrained fears and past failures