Anne McCaffrey

[charmed]

I have a total flashbulb memory of reading The White Dragon as a preteen sitting in the back of my parents' car when it was raining during a camping trip. I think it was my brother's book and I got bored. Then I couldn't figure out what was going on half the time because I hadn't read Dragonflight or Dragonquest. I promptly corrected that when we got home. The White Dragon is still one of my favs. Although she has published a lot of books that are prequels to this original trilogy, I'd suggest reading the original trilogy first, then the Harper Hall trilogy, then going back and reading the prequels. Menolly was one of my favorite characters of all time. After those two trilogies, I'd suggest reading either All the Weyrs of Pern or Dragonsdawn next. In a way, these two are the bookends of the series. Dragonsdawn is about the beginnings of the planet starting from when the colonists were getting ready to land on the planet. I remember being terribly excited when this book came out because I could see all of the place/location names of the people depicted in book. Then All the Weyrs of Pern is about how, well, all the Weyrs, come together to find a final solution to Thread.

I tried to read my roommates copy of The White Dragon in college and could not get into it. Partly it was because I had no clue what was going on About 15 or 20 years later I picked up a used omnibus edition of The Dragonriders of Pern. I was hooked. I own all the books up until she started writing with her son. I agree with jackie, they were disappointing.

[Patti L.]

It's sad about that, she seems to be pleased with him, but he's dressing science up as fiction, rather than integrating science into fiction, in my opinion.  Does that make sense to you?

[jackie]

Well,  MY son is perfect too, you know.

[Patti L.]

Well,  MY son is perfect too, you know.

You know why that's funniest to me?  She's given the impression before of favoring her daughter.  Moreta was modeled off of her.

[charmed]

I hadn't heard that about her daughter but Todd, she said, was the inspiration for ummm I think, 2 characters: one in Decision on Doona, and one in the Pern series, I think maybe The White Dragon. I'll need to look them to be sure but I think those are the books he provided inspiration for.

[Patti L.]

Might have been K'van, formerly Keevan, The Smallest Dragonboy.  Unless it was a brother of hers.  Don't remember which myself, too lazy to look it up tonight.

[charmed]

Yep, that's it. You're good, I just might spare you in the invasion.

[Cole]

if you truly invade ill bite your ankles off then cook you

[Patti L.]

if you truly invade ill bite your ankles off then cook you

Cole doesn't eat ankles, they're too boney & scarred from earlier attacks.  Go with infiltration instead.
Cole- while she's infiltrating us, we can be subverting her & her invasion force, yeah?

[charmed]

if you truly invade ill bite your ankles off then cook you

Cole doesn't eat ankles, they're too boney & scarred from earlier attacks.  Go with infiltration instead.
Cole- while she's infiltrating us, we can be subverting her & her invasion force, yeah?

Sadly, you have already subverted one of my force and the other is MIA. Apparently, I am an invasion force of one.

***prepares boiling oil for the traitor***

[Patti L.]

Oh, you're cooking french fries for them?  Or donuts?
Come over, Luke.

[charmed]

**pulls out recipe for poached Patti**

Oh no, I will COOK the traitor.

I also make a wonderful blood puddiing.

[Patti L.]

Honey, you're going to have to get out your BIG pot if you're going to poach me!
And first you have to find me.  (melting into underbrush in tigeress stripes.)
But go ahead & tell us about your blood pudding in the cooking threads, a voice whispers from the greenery.

[charmed]

Oh, I have a pot large enough for an elephant.

***wonders how to explain her blood pudding***

I usually use the blood of my, erm, victims to make it.   :

[Patti L.]

***wonders how to explain her blood pudding***
I usually use the blood of my, erm, victims to make it.   :

I suspected as much, actually.  It's a great relief.  It means that you're not adding the dietary habits of spiders or mosquitoes to your other acts of violence.
But we really do have 2 cooking threads, and we do put up recepies.  My mom's basic & generally foolproof (if not always weatherproof) fudge is on display there.