The passing of one of my favorite authors

One of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey,died today. I've been a fan ever since high school, when the girl who sat behind me in study hall, Amy Gheres, introduced me to her "Dragonrider" series. (Thanks, Amy!) There were only two book in the series then, and I remember waiting with anticipation as new books came out. (there are 14 in the series now). I also greatly enjoyed the "Crystal Singer" trilogy.

McCaffrey's books tend to feature strong female characters, which was quite a break from the rest of the authors of the genre at the time. While there are certainly strong male characters, in general, it's the women who are the primary focus of many of the books.

I may have to go back an re-read some of those books now. Anne McCaffrey, along with Frank Herbert and J.R.R. Tolkien, were the primary staples of my library as a young adult.