R.I.P. Anne McCaffrey

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It is with great sadness that I report the death of the amazing fantasy writer Anne McCaffrey.
She had suffered a stroke at her home in Ireland on Monday, 21st November and passed away a short time later. Anne McCaffrey was 85 years of age. She is survived by her two sons and a daughter.
One of the pioneers of fantasy writing, McCaffrey was best known for her 'Dragonriders of Pern' series, great adventure stories populated by characters with nearly unpronounceable names and heavily focused on the political and social issues of the time. But the book of which she herself was most proud was 'The Ship Who Sang', about the use of people with disabled bodies as intelligence workers for mechanical ships. She receives much of the credit for paving the way for female fantasy writers.
Personally, Anne McCaffrey gave me many hours of pure fantasy escape and delight. She will be sorely missed.
http://io9.com/5862031/rip-anne-mccaffrey-creator-of-pern-and-other-classic-books

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