Six of Anne McCaffrey’s first twenty novels are about the Dragonriders of Pern. Published between 1968 and 1979, I first read the Dragonriders books when I was aged about fourteen. I come back to the two trilogies periodically, and having just finished reading them again, I enjoy them just as much now, as I did 40 years ago.
That in itself is a recommendation; these stories are about relationships among diverse people, their bond with dragons, in a fictional world, Pern, that capture the reader at any age. McCaffrey was one of the first science fiction and fantasy authors to write strong female lead characters in her novels of the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
McCaffrey uses omniscient author storytelling, which means the narration includes all aspects about the characters, their relation to what’s happening, the characters’ inner thinking and external behaviors, plus descriptions or explanations that only the author can narrate. The reader is included in characters’ innermost thoughts, and the narration tells more than what any single character knows. In McCaffrey’s books, viewpoints change from chapter to chapter, and events are told from the point of view of various main characters. With this type of storytelling, she creates dynamic characters, portrays enthralling events, and weaves a fascinating tale that invites and envelopes the reader into the imaginary world.
Considering that Anne McCaffrey‘s books were so influential as a teenage reader, it’s not surprising that I am predisposed to omniscient narration as I become a writer. I looked up the definitions and rules of point of view narration recently. Ursula Le Guin in her book on writing skills “Steering the Craft” states that omniscient is ‘the oldest and most widely used storytelling voice, it's also the most versatile, flexible and complex of the points of view - and probably, at this point, the most difficult for the writer.’ (p.66)
McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern novels are an excellent example of this storytelling voice. And upon reading, with a more discerning mind, the first six books of the series in quick succession over the past month, I can see how McCaffrey’s storytelling skills developed from her early books to the later ones, over a span of ten years.
My favorites range in her 15th to 20th published books; she was very prolific each decade, not solely focused on dragons, she created a wide range of characters and stories. During 50 years of writing, she published over 50 books as solo author, and over 40 as co-author, plus numerous short stories and novellas.
From my own perspective as an emerging writer, if nothing else, this gives me permission and perspective to invest decades to learning this craft.
