About the Author

Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures. Before her success as a writer, she was involved in theater. She directed the American premiere of Carl Orff's Ludus de Nato Infante Mirificus, in which she also played a witch. Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in science fiction novels in the 50s and early 60s. Ms. McCaffrey is best known, however, for her handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly in her tales of the Talents and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern.

McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Reviews

"Few are better at mixing elements of high fantasy and hard science fiction."
--The New York Times Book Review

Rescued from a devastating flood in Bangladesh, young Amariyah Bantam discovers her uncanny ability to make plants grow and repair themselves. Brought to the attention of the Eastern Parapsychic Center, the child bonds with Peter Reidinger, a powerful psychic who uses his mental gifts to compensate for his total body paralysis. As a new generation of psychically talented young people learn to control their unique gifts for possible applications in the space program, other forces seek to sabotage the most gifted individuals for their own purposes. Set in the same world as her "Rowan" saga, this latest installment in McCaffrey's "Pegasus" series (e.g., Pegasus in Flight) brings together familiar series characters with an engaging cast of newcomers in a tale of sf drama and adventure that should appeal to fans of the series. For most sf collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/99.] Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

The next in McCaffrey's popular Saga of the Talents series (Pegasus in Flight, To Ride Pegasus), this novel follows the adventures of a group of psychically gifted scientists who nobly improve Earth's future by making space exploration and colonization possible. Paralyzed adolescent Peter Reidinger has learned how to move himself and some amazingly heavy objects psychokinetically through space. Peter lives with the grandmotherly Rhyssa, who protects him and nurtures the growth of his psychic talents. Rhyssa also takes in prepubescent Amariyah, an orphaned girl who has a talent for plants and healing. When a group of psychically gifted people sneak onto the corruptly run Padrugoi Space Station during its inauguration, it is young Peter who saves the day by using his burgeoning psychic abilities to vanquish the comically evil Space Station Construction Manager Ludmilla Barchenka as she attempts a coup. This impresses Admiral Dirk Coetzer, whose life is saved by Peter's quick thinking. The admiral encourages Peter to consider a career in space, and he happily complies. Treachery, assassination attempts and medical disasters ensue, but the novel's primary focus is on McCaffrey's vision of science and psychic abilities meshing so that humanity can inherit the stars. Cheerful, upbeat and chock-full of fun facts on space stations and space exploration, the novel features cartoon villains and nobly one-dimensional protagonists, making the space station and colonies McCaffrey's real heroes--for they show actual growth and development as her vision of the future progresses. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

"Few are better at mixing elements of high fantasy and hard science fiction."
--The New York Times Book Review