Dragonholder [Hardcover]

Todd J. McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 1999

Here there be dragons . . .

Since the first unforgettable appearance of Pern's remarkable dragons and their brave human riders in the novella Weyr Search, winner of a Hugo award in 1968, millions of readers the world over have thrilled to Anne McCaffrey's bestselling saga of men, women, and dragons united against the deadly fall of Thread. Thanks to McCaffrey's bold and generous imagination, we have known what it is to fly. We have touched the fiery hearts and minds of the great fighting dragons, witnessed their passionate loves and violent hates, and felt the deep, unbreakable bonds that join them to their riders. McCaffrey's creative magic has made Pern real--a home to hold in the heart. Its inhabitants are more than characters in a book. They are family.

Now a member of Anne McCaffrey's family--her son Todd--gives us a candid and inspiring glimpse into the mind and soul of one of the greatest science fiction and fantasy writers of all time--an extraordinary woman who has influenced a generation of writers and readers and left an indelible mark on the field.

From Anne's birth on April Fool's Day in 1926, her girlhood encounters with the strange power of second sight that gifts the McCaffreys, her trailblazing efforts to balance the roles of wife, mother, and writer in the turbulent sixties, through a painful divorce and the years of success and acclaim that followed, Dragonholder is a labor of love that will enrich every reader's appreciation of the world of Pern . . . and its equally unique creator.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her brief note to the readers, Anne McCaffrey informs us that Dragonholder was written in response to countless requests to tell "how I spent my childhood, who my friends were, my pets, how I ever thought up Pern and its dragons--the whole nine unvarnished yards." Todd McCaffrey, her second son and a long-time science fiction (and McCaffrey) fan put together this album of family photographs and anecdotes, interspersed with behind-the-scenes stories about his mother's writing career.

The book includes everything from Anne's childhood pet--a Maine Coon cat named Thomas, who suffered her dressing him in doll clothes and wheeling him around in a stroller and whose best friend was the neighbor's collie--to tales of McCaffrey Second Sight (possessed by Anne's grandmother and mother, as well as herself) to how she came to write the stories that became Dragonflight, the first Pern novel. It covers her career from the early stories through her long struggle to make ends meet as a professional writer to her success in 1978, when The White Dragon became the first science fiction hardcover to reach The New York Times bestseller list. McCaffrey fans won't want to miss this--it's the next best thing to having your own visit with her. --Nona Vero

From School Library Journal

YA-A diffuse yet entertaining biography by the noted writer's son. Readers searching for facts about McCaffrey's life should look elsewhere, but fans interested in the stories and personalities behind some of her best-known works will be pleased with the tidbits about her life in the United States and Ireland. The nonlinear narrative is punctuated with pictures from the McCaffrey family album, reproduced in sepia and cream and including shots of such sci-fi luminaries as Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov. This attractively designed book has plenty of YA appeal.
Susan Salpini, Purcellville Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (November 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345422171
• ISBN-13: 978-0345422170
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.6 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd McCaffrey, Anne's son, is a computer engineer living in Los Angeles. The approved heir to Pern, his first solo Dragonriders of Pern novel was Dragonsblood. Visit his website on www.toddmccaffrey.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Anne McCaffrey fans will enjoy this., May 10, 2000

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragonholder (Hardcover)

Anne McCaffrey's son Todd has given us a pleasant, entertaining book about his mother, the people and animals in her life, and her writing. There are many photos scattered throughout. Don't expect a detailed, chronological biography or extensive coverage of her books. Here's what you can read about here: her dogs (Wizard, Merlin, Angelo), cats (Thomas-cat, Maxwell Smart, Isaac Asimov), and horse (Mr. Ed). There's a delightful account of an unlikely friendship between Mr. Ed and a cat named Zeke. Other highlights include Anne's early acting and singing career; her culinary talents; how life experiences influenced her books; her family heritage of "second sight"; the world of SF writers, editors and conventions; her move from the U.S. to Ireland in 1970; and the success of her dragon series. Toward the end of the book, Anne acquires her County Wicklow home, which she would name Dragonhold because her dragons had bought it for her.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Todd, for this lovely book!, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragonholder (Hardcover)

Todd McCaffrey - you remember him from "Decision at Doona" don't you? - writes an incredibly lovely book about how his mother came to be one of the most-loved authors (you DID know she writes genres other than science fiction, didn't you?). The pictures of Ed and Zeke, of Isaac Asimov (both man and cat), of Andre Norton and Harlan Ellison, would make this book a must-have, in themselves. But, Todd does a masterful job of telling Anne's story, and his own, and I truly enjoyed it. Don't expect a 1,000 page treatise. This is just the right length to be enjoyed over and over - and I will!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming Fragments of a Life, August 3, 2001

By 

Marian Powell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragonholder (Hardcover)

The only criticism possible for this biography of Anne McCaffrey by her son, Todd, is that it is too short. The book is a must-read for any Anne McCaffrey fan, but will leave any such fan saying "More! More!" It tells in brief her family background and the story of her life in a series of family anecdotes and his own favorite memories of growing up with his mother. What is in the book is lovely and charming and interesting and often quite touching, but it is disjointed and reads more like a sketch than a real biography. What you are left with is a sense of what an interesting person she is and how much you'd like to hear more, to have a really well-rounded portrait. That lack is why I gave it only four stars instead of five. Still, you are left with a new awareness of how incredibly brave Anne McCaffrey was and is. She wrote her wonderful dragon stories under the worst possible conditions -- an unhappy, difficult marriage, raising three children, one quite ill for some years, frequent moves, the death of her father, serious money worries. Through it all, she kept writing and was clearly an excellent mother. That alone makes her an inspiration. Read the book knowing its limitations and enjoying learning some charming fragments of a life.