The Passing of an Author
I come bearing sad news =( Anne McCaffrey has passed away.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57330066-10391698/legendary-sci-fi-author-anne-mccaffrey-has-died/
She was one of my very first sci-fi authors when I started reading from this genre and although she was popular for her Dragonriders of Pern fantasy sci-fi hybrid novels, it's actually her non-Pern series that I preferred and liked more. Restoree, The Crystal Singer, To Ride Pegasus, The Ship Who Sang, to name but a few.
Book Blurb - Sara is walking in Central Park, when she is suddenly overcome by the smell of dead sea creatures, blackness and memories of excruciating pain, severed bodies and dismembered limbs. When she awakes, she finds that she is no longer in her own body. She has become a Restoree.
'Restoree' was Anne McCaffrey's very first published book back in 1967. While the language and descriptions, rather surprisingly, has aged quite well for a science-fiction debut back in the 60s, it's not her greatest or best-loved novel. Still, I was entertained by the premise that Sara, the titular heroine, is a mousy librarian from New York who gets abducted by unknown forces, receives a full-body transplant to become utterly beautiful. It helps that Sara is no pushover and has a strong determination of her own to survive and to find out the truth. Along the way of Sara's journey, there is danger! alien politics! romance!
Definitely not Anne McCaffrey's best book but the themes of self-image, female objectification are still quite relevant in our present time where, perpetuated by popular media, idealised beauty in a woman is to be a size 0 - 2 body, long limbs, flawless skin etc. Plus a strong-willed heroine to buck the trend of helpless, buxom sci-fi girls of the 60s is always enjoyable to read.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57330066-10391698/legendary-sci-fi-author-anne-mccaffrey-has-died/
She was one of my very first sci-fi authors when I started reading from this genre and although she was popular for her Dragonriders of Pern fantasy sci-fi hybrid novels, it's actually her non-Pern series that I preferred and liked more. Restoree, The Crystal Singer, To Ride Pegasus, The Ship Who Sang, to name but a few.
Book Blurb - Sara is walking in Central Park, when she is suddenly overcome by the smell of dead sea creatures, blackness and memories of excruciating pain, severed bodies and dismembered limbs. When she awakes, she finds that she is no longer in her own body. She has become a Restoree.
'Restoree' was Anne McCaffrey's very first published book back in 1967. While the language and descriptions, rather surprisingly, has aged quite well for a science-fiction debut back in the 60s, it's not her greatest or best-loved novel. Still, I was entertained by the premise that Sara, the titular heroine, is a mousy librarian from New York who gets abducted by unknown forces, receives a full-body transplant to become utterly beautiful. It helps that Sara is no pushover and has a strong determination of her own to survive and to find out the truth. Along the way of Sara's journey, there is danger! alien politics! romance!
Definitely not Anne McCaffrey's best book but the themes of self-image, female objectification are still quite relevant in our present time where, perpetuated by popular media, idealised beauty in a woman is to be a size 0 - 2 body, long limbs, flawless skin etc. Plus a strong-willed heroine to buck the trend of helpless, buxom sci-fi girls of the 60s is always enjoyable to read.