Acorna's People is my favorite in the Acorna series. It is action-packed and romantic. Acorna is basically a full-grown Linyarii by this time and is prepared to choose a life mate. The one she chooses could have a book of his own, he has been through so much. This novel takes place on the new Linyarii home world and it is fascinating how Acorna has been introduced to her people and how she is coping with them on their planet. It is evident that Acorna has a little bit of the "barbaric" humans in her and it takes her awhile to get used to some of her people's customs. This novel is fast-paced and exciting. It is one of my new favorite books. There is deffinetely room for a sequel. I thought that a lot of things were left out of this trilogy. For example, we never found out if Acorna's body will stabilize or if in a few years she will be old. Overall, this book had a strong hold on me and I found it hard to put down. I give it five stars.

I thought Acorna's People was an excellent book. It has a good plot to it. The descriptions of the characters were very descriptive, and I thought the way she made the Linyaari so human, and yet not human, was fascinating. Acorna herself was a startling combination of human characteristics in an alien atmosphere. My favorite part of the book was definately the ending. It left you hanging, and I can't wait for the next book to come out in August so that I can read it. Anne McCaffrey is one of the best authors whose works I've read. This book certainly lives lives up to my standards of her. In my opinion, this is as good as her Pern series.

This third novel in the Acorna series has seen a change in co-author, but the storyline is as strong as it was in Acorna, and improves on Acorna's Quest. Acorna has finally been reunited with her own race, and she has made some startling discoveries about them, including the fact that they come in different colours!!. As with other books by McCaffrey, three main storylines come rushing towards a dramatic climax that will take you on a ride that leaves you breathless and fully sated. There is room for another novel easily, as Acorna and her chosen male companion head off into the stars with two new friends who are as unique as Acorna's collection of Uncle's from the first two novels. Plenty of old friends abound in this novel, but Scarborough and McCaffrey have introduced new friends that will no doubt appear in future Acorna novels by this compelling team of authors.

A collection of short stories collected and edited by Anne McCaffrey. Very enjoyable. The perfect thing to read to end your day.

This is an older collection, but the stories are fun and interesting. Great if you just don't have the time for a long read, but would like to relax a few minutes. I am surprised that no noe else has had anything to say about it!

Irene "Rene" Teasey is still trying to recover from her bitter divorce when she learns that her great aunt Irene, whom she never met, has left her some property in Ireland. Rene is unsure if she wants to go, but her teenage twins, Simon and Snow, are determined to go. Before she knows it, Rene finds herself in a quaint Irish hotel with some sleazy real estate agent trying to buy the land cheap. The twins talk her out of it and hustle her to Irene's property where Rene forces a bulldozer off of her road with a shotgun. Rene isn't at all sure that she wants to get involved in a battle with some land developers, but she falls in love with her new house and feels that she needs to honor her great aunt's wishes of keeping on the old tenants in the cottages out back. In no time at all, Rene is developing a backbone and a real personality and really has the opportunity to come into her own far away from her ex-husband and her family. She even finds a new love interest, Shay Kerrigan, whom her great aunt Irene hated for reasons unknown to Rene. Shay seems to genuinely care for her and her twins, but is he really interested in her or in her property? And why do her new tenants hate Shay? As Rene becomes more involved in the lives of those around her, she finds that she had a lot more in common with her great aunt Irene than she ever knew.

This is a charming little romance/mystery novel that most readers will enjoy. It is a little dated as it was originally published some time ago (this is a reprint edition), but in a quaint sort of way. The main characters were quite well developed and the reader will find herself rooting for Rene and urging her to stand up for herself for once. But the supporting characters were absolutely delightful: Irene's twins Snow and Simon were hilarious and so much like teenagers now, sometimes so very grown up and other times so very not and the lovely Ladies Brandel, two very elderly noblewomen who were so very sweet. The tenants were also quite fascinating. This book is also a very clean romance - no swearing, no sex scenes, although there are some references to domestic violence. All in all, a very well written nice little find by Anne McCaffrey.

Very readable but not contempory as it was written about 25 years ago.

I very much enjoyed the Kilternan Legacy. The story about an American inheriting property in Ireland and leaving the states after an ugly divorce to claim it may at first seem far-fetch but I think that is part of it's attraction. Who hasn't wanted to find out that they are the heir to a fortune or lands in far away countries? The characters are believable and engaging. There are some you want to hug and some you want to hit. I don't think there can be a better judge of whether the characters are realistic. I recommend this book to anyone. There is little or no profanity, a little bit of action, a lot of laughter, and a nice little love story.

The book was enjoyable. Made for some light reading during lunch hours at the office. But it wasn't up to the standards that I expect from a collection like this. Perhaps someone with more of a musical background might enjoy it more than I did. A couple of the stories were very engrossing and entertaining, but overall it wasn't the best I have read.

I liked these stories and thought they were well-chosen. Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarbourough make a good team. It was an interesting concept, mixing music and science fiction. This was a very good book for a collection, although I did prefer McCaffrey's Pern series.

Generally, science fiction anthologies are a mixed bag, some terrific stories, some terrible stories that you think may be in there just because the author has a "name." Space Opera, however, is nothing like any anthology I have ever read before. It is a one-note song, but that one note sings a joyful song. Made up of short stories commissioned for this anthology, they all share a theme, music. Within that theme, there are as many variations as the human mind can devise. Some stories are only tenuously connected with music, like the faintest hum. Others throb, resonate and pound into your brain like Sony's megabass. But all are worth reading, and some reading 2 or 3 or 4 times to capture all the rich nuances. For anyone who loves science fiction and music, Space Opera is a rare find and a thrilling melody. I particularly enjoyed the story contributed by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and not just because we are both nurses. Anne Berson RN (bersonfamily@worldnet.att.net)

I knew after the first 10 pages of this graphic novel that the story was not going to interest me one bit. I forced myself to read four or five more pages, and then I had to give it up.

I AM NOT SAYING THE STORY WAS BAD. It's just that for some reason I couldn't get interested in it and therefore couldn't read it all the way through. I can't help but get the feeling that if this story was presented in a text only fantasy novel that I might have gotten more out of it.

Strange indeed. Most of the time I enjoy sword and sorcery graphic novels.

On a more positive note I must praise the black and white artwork of John Bolton. The art was simply fantastic!

Demonstrating a great knowledge of the folklore and mythology of the British Isles, "The Black Dragon" weaves a story of intrigue around the time that Christianity began displacing the original religions of the Isles. The story is mature, but frankly presented, which may make it unsuitable for young readers. While the story does not contain gratuitous violence or sexuality, it does deal with these issues as real occurences of life. Those easily offended by frank displaying of this subject matter may want to investigate further before buying. However, the story and the artwork make this an enjoyable graphic novel for those mature enough to handle such sensitive materials.

A masterful story by Chris Claremont, and beautiful art by John Bolton. This is graphic novel storytelling at its finest. The hero is remarkably realistic; it is very easy to identify with him. Good attention has been paid to historical details; I found myself wanting to know more about Eleanor of Aquitaine. This is one of Claremont's finest works ever. Features a new introduction by Anne McCaffrey. Very highly recommended.

After finding "Decision at Doona" and "Crisis on Doona" to be two of the best books I've read recently, I started in on this one with great anticipation. It's hard not to want to read more about Doona and some of the characters we've come to love.

The book was generally good and enjoyable, and was time well spent, but in my opinion it was weaker than the first two. The plot didn't seem as well constructed, and some threads were not adequately developed or resolved. I kept waiting for the story to kick into high gear, but except for a few tense moments, it seemed to just coast along.

I too hope there are more books in this series. And I hope that McCaffrey (now 73) has given Nye her blessing to continue the series if she dies anytime soon.

This is a truly great ending to the Doona trilogy; just one problem: I want more! The ending of the book just begged for at least one more enstallment to this lovely series. Though there was one thing that I did not like and that was the fact that Spacedep was the antagonist in all three books. I should think that after the first two incidents involving Spacedep that they would have tried to keep it out of the Gringg affair. But all in all, a great book and *hopefully* more to come.

While my expectations for this book were never too high in the first place, I found that the "recipies" presented within are merely quick remakes of the already existing ones, sprinkled with outlandish names. If you are trying to gain insight into the nature of the writers whose recipies are compiled within, there are other ways to go about that goal.

I love reading and writing, especially science fiction. I also love eating, and cooking, although I'm not a chef.
This book is an interesting look into the non-literary creative works of a group of writers compiled by Pern mistress Anne McCaffrey. None of these writers will ever be confused with James Beard or even Emeril Lagasse, but the reader does get insight into the comfort foods that keep these writers going. A good book, also, for those who think they're too busy to eat.

I have enjoyed McCaffrey's Acorna series but was alittle disapointed with the third book of the series. Acorna's World drew me back into the story with lively, lovable charaters and a exciting plot full of dangers. New characters such as Maati become much more then the two-diminsional characters they started out to be. A good relaxing read.

Acorna's World leads you into areas unexplored about the whole system Ms. McCaffrey has set Acorna in in the first place. It was very fascinating to this avid S.F. & F. reader. As Acorna learns about her real world and people, we are treated to analogies that pertain to our own real world, and how we treat people, that are not really noticed until after you read it. As usual, the characters were realistic, the background/scenery descriptions were captivating. All in all, a fun jaunt through Acorna's world, with some twists to keep the reader intrigued.

We finally get to see Acorna grown up and dealing with her own people, in a culture that she has little understanding of. As often happens, others try to govern her life and actions based upon what they are used to. She manages to retain some control of herself and her own choices.

I'll read anything Anne McCaffrey writes, and this book was certainly up to her usual excellent standards.

Freedom's Landing is a workable SF/fantasy/survival book with interesting characters, a fairly decent plot, and a good SF environment. Whether this lasts into the rest of the 'Freedom' books is another question!

Since Ms. McCaffrey lost her editor (sometime around the nth Pern book), she seems to be doing her best writing when it's the first book in a series. This is an example of that. She has to introduce us to lots of characters, multiple alien races, an entire planet, and all kinds of technologies so she manages to avoid being as repetitious and tangential as she usually is nowadays. Her use of vernacular English is as usual laughable and the fact that she's been leaning more towards 'bodice ripper' romance than SF lately is pretty evident in the first chapter, but since I only paid [dollar amount] for it I can live with it. The rest of the books, however, I'm getting from the library as I refuse to pay list price for any McCaffrey book anymore. Too many disappointments!

Now, to qualify my review, I will first say that besides Crystal Singer (which I hated vehemently), this is the only other Anne McCaffrey book I've read. So, I'm not the zealous fan disappointed by a book lacking in customary quality, I'm more neutral - and in fact, I may be quite the opposite, having quite a negative opinion of McCaffrey's writing after reading Crystal Singer.
I picked up Freedom's Landing because the plot interested me. Humans shipped as slaves by an alien race, forced to colonize an unknown planet - that was the sort of sf I could stomach. The book's premise is interesting, but as others have commented, the plot in Freedom's Landing is lacking and inconsistent at times. The action was a bit trite and predictable, and didn't really draw you into what was going on. This is certainly not a book for those who read for an adventurous plot or action - this is definitely more character oriented. The focus in Freedom's Landing is not the advancement of a plot, but the introduction of the reader to important characters, the growth and romance of the main character, Kris. And that is where this book wins.
Kris is a strong character - a whole person and someone I found I could relate to and like. She is totally fleshed out in the book and you really enjoy following her journey in the book. Unlike many sf or fantasy books, her growing love of another character [sorry, won't spoil for others] is very believable and realistic. She's the sort of character that you can root for - and that's why this book is worth reading. The book is a great character novel - something unusual in the traditionally action/plot-oriented fantasy or sf,which is why many people may not like this book. But if you're interested in getting to know a bunch of interesting characters and follow their development, then this is the book for you.

I thought McCaffrey wrote a very well-told story in this book. It was especially interesting to me because it was taken straight from her short story "The Thorns of Barevi." I had read that story in Get Off the Unicorn (which has several other wonderful short stories), and it was a joy to me to see a full novel (now 2 novels!) based on that story.

The main character, Kristin, and her Catteni companion from the short story are also in the novel, although changed somewhat. The story becomes part of the first chapter of the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Freedom's Landing, and am waiting impatiently for the next novels in the series