Powers That Be [Library Binding]

Anne McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

Strange things were happening on the icy planet called Petaybee. Unauthorized genetically engineered species had been spotted, while some people were simply disappearing. None of the locals were talking to the company, so the company sent disabled combat veteran Yanaba Maddock to spy. But a strange thing happened. With her relocation to the arctic planet came a return of Yana's health and strength. And the more she got to know the people of Petaybee, the more determined she became to protect her new home....


From the Paperback edition.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A frontier society outwits a big, uncaring parent company in this appealing joint venture by McCaffrey ( Damia's Children ) and Scarborough ( The Healer's War ), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning representatives of two generations of science fiction writers. Major Yanaba Maddock, medically retired with severely damaged lungs after military action aboard a space station, is pressured into acting as a spy by her employer, the sinister Intergal corporation. Colonel Giancarlo, local head of psychological operations, seeks evidence that colonists on the bitterly cold and inhospitable planet Petaybee are abducting company geological survey teams, engaging in illegal genetic engineering and plotting rebellion. Yana finds the locals charming, helpful and uncannily effective as healers; their home remedies salvage her ruined lungs. As the company and its forces move in to quell what they perceive as rebellion, Yana casts her lot with the Petaybeans and geneticist Sean Shongili, the man she has come to love. Perceptive characterizations and a vivid depiction of a nurturing culture integrated with nature make up for the somewhat hackneyed plot.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

YA-A well-written, entertaining novel. Ex-soldier Major Yanaba Maddock has retired to the "company" planet of Petaybee due to major lung damage from poison gas. Strange things are going on there. Survey teams are disappearing, and the locals are acting suspiciously. As it turns out, the planet is alive and the natives have formed a beneficial symbiotic relationship with it, and it is threatened by the exploitive company that is mining precious gems. While not a completely original idea, the story will be enjoyed by McCaffrey and Scarborough fans alike.
John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078572852X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785728528
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,688,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Science Fiction gone to the dogs? Nothing wrong with that!, October 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Powers That Be (Petaybee, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Albeit, I'm biased--a long time Anne McCaffrey fan, and I've corresponded a few times with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. But for all I'm loyal to Pern, Pern has *nothing* on this one.

Petaybee is a world without equal--both in climate, its own special 'personality', and in the characterization of its people. From charming Sean Shongili to helpful Bunny to the single-minded determination of Torkel, each character is different and unique. And no super-heroes either--even Yanaba makes mistakes.

Of course, there are minor problems. The affectionately dubbed 'Anne-science' shows up in this book, too... but only skeptics can allow that to interfere with the story. Personally, I don't care just how they managed to make humans able to tolerate that climate... what matters to the story is that they *did*.

The characters aren't limited to humans, either. Although only in bit parts, cats, dogs, and a breed of long-haired horses called 'curlies' play important roles, making this book good for any animal-lover. But those are all *common* animals... want something more exotic? How about seals? And if that's not enough, check out the unicorn on the cover.

All in all, Powers That Be falls in its own category of science fiction. The science is dubious, but the fiction more than makes up for it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is out of this world!, June 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Powers That Be (Petaybee, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this book! It is written deftly, and in such a way that the reader feels he/she is reading a historical account of something that really happened, instead of a story out of Anne McCaffrey's imagination. the first time I checked it out, I read it 3 times before I returned it to the library! I recomend it to ANYONE- especially Anne McCaffrey fans!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars for the idea..., January 23, 2003

By 

"zannedjinmonet" (Manchester, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Powers That Be (Petaybee, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The idea is beyond wonderful, I REALLY want to live on this planet McCaffrey and Scarborough have created. That being said I've worried about McCaffrey for some time as her books in recent years have... well... Let's just say she may feel in a hurry or something. Elizabeth has written other books alone, that I have found enjoyable, and own, so this can't be all or even mostly her fault. I do read this trilogy over and over, but a good bit of that time is spent with the book face down and me daydreaming. And oddly enough only those darn cats, the planet itself, and the large beaming medicine woman from the novels feature at all in my daydreams...