Anne McCaffrey

[charmed]

AND THAT WOULD BE.......................................?

[Patti L.]

heh, heh, heh.  Re-contact with the rest of stargoing humanity, of course.

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HMM, THAT WOULD INVOLVE SOME SERIOUS SCIENCE AND ALSO SPECULATION. SHE HAS stated in various books how many thousands of years have passed since the initial landing. Does earth still exist, how has it changed, how have humans changed, what would the reactions on both sides be, etc.

[Patti L.]

Actually, depending on the length of the Pernese year vs. the Terran one, not so long as that.  The colony ship may have taken as much as a couple of centuries to get the colonists in hibernation to Pern (although I think it was more like a couple of years), & the Pernese year/Turn undoubtedly differs in lenght, but is it longer?  1500 +/- Turns could be no more than 900 Terran years, although it's probably fairly congruent.  The drift wasn't bad when that follow up vessel showed up about a generation, generation and a half after their first Threadfall.
But, the science should give Todd room to play.  I just think he needs to bring in a co-author who's more in tune with story flow if he's going to do that.

[charmed]

Yeah, I forgot about the difference in year lengths. Todd definitely needs some help with story line, characterizations, etc. What is interesting to me is that although Anne has stopped writing the Pern books she has continued with her other series, particularly the one with the frozen planet, I can't remember the name. Apparently she got bored with Pern, she did write a lot of Pern books.

[Patti L.]

Like Doyle with Holmes, possibly.  Or, like you said a moment ago, she may feel she's tapped out what there was to be said about it.  I just don't get into either the Peytabee (I think that's the cold planet?) or the Acorna books.
And it's been several years since I heard the rumor that she was dying of cancer, so while that may not be the case, she could indeed be suffering from a variety of health problems, & content to let her son deal with the Pern universe.

[charmed]

I hadn't heard about the cancer but at her age health problems are certainly possible. I figured she was either bored with Pern or felt tapped out, but still invested enough to let her son continue with the series.

[Patti L.]

Well, the cancer may be mere rumor.  And it's entirely likely that it's a combination of the two on Pern.  Plus, when the survey (or whatever) ship stopped in soon after they mostly moved to the northern continent, they were planning on putting the planet on an indicted list, so the contact might not come from outside, & she might have been stymied about how to get that contact going again.

[charmed]

Now, you've got me wanting more PERN STORIES, INVOLVING CONTAcT WITH EARTH.

Maybe enough time has passed that a ship woudl be sent to investigate the indicted planet and see id the situat=ion has changed. If the big corps are still running things, tehy may want to explore untapped options for profits. The possible payoff might be worth the potentil risks.

[Patti L.]

Possible.  The sneaky people who left/deserted with them brought seeds for either numbweed or fellis, or possibly both, so they know there are goodies there.  And they may also be under the impression that there are no people there any more.  And -  Nope, I'll wait an exchange or two to dump more brain bombs on you. :-)

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Fellis isn't native to Pern? I don't recall that.

Brain bombs? **puts on armor and pours a Baileys and cream**

[Patti L.]

Ooh, I wanna come drinking with you!   
No, I mean they took them away from Pern. 

[charmed]

ah, guess the drinks messed up my comprehension of your post. Yeah, new, potetnially profitable medicines would def be motive for returning. Woudln't that be a kick in the pants if a ship showed up not expecting to find people living there.

[Patti L.]

And consider, depending on how long after the events of 'All the Weyrs' they arrived (including Jaxom & Ruth's jump forward to the empty bridge of the -Yokahama, was it?) they might find they have to deal with traffic control.  Or just hit the whatsitphere (what do I know about the levels of atmosphere?) and discover an escort of dragons falling into formation around them. . . 

[charmed]

An escort of dragons-I love it! I woudln't mind one but i sure would want some advance notice.

I haven't a clue about the levels of atmosphere either.