Powers That Be [Import] [Paperback]

Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Corgi; New Edition edition (1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552140988
• ISBN-13: 978-0552140980
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,370,384 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...