This was the ebook release of the book which was originally published in 1999. I’ve been sitting on this galley for a very long time, since it came out in 2016, I believe! That said, I don’t know why it wasn’t expanded to encompass the rest of Anne’s life, which the original book did not, but she had passed away several years before this ebook release.

Some of the stories were interesting, but it wasn’t so much about Anne McCaffrey as the people and events that shaped her life. I would’ve like to get to know *her* better. And there was even a bit of repetition in the stories, that I found myself skimming. I wish there had been a lot more photos.

I’m going to assume that the issues to do with whether to write in 3rd or 1st person were ironed out. It was a little odd.

Dragonholder by Todd McCaffrey

127 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: December 23, 2014

Nonfiction, Memoirs, Biographies

The book is written by Todd, the son of science fiction author Anne McCaffrey. It chronicles her life from childhood through adulthood. He describes the book as a scrapbook, but I do not agree. It is written as a memoir with photos added. I read several of Anne’s book series so I found this book interesting. If you want to learn more about Anne McCaffrey, this would be a nice book to read.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Dragonholder: The Life and Dreams (So Far) is a biography written by Todd McCaffrey about his mother Anne McCaffrey, the renowned fantasy author. It was originally written in 1999, but was re-released in December 2014 with a new cover.

If you want to know more about Anne McCaffrey, her family, her friends, or her work, this is a good book to read.

However, I thought it was strange that the same book was brought out without being updated at all. Anne McCaffrey passed away in 2011. I expected there to be something new in the book that memorialized her or discussed the later years of her life.

Also, I thought the book lacked organization. I would have preferred it to have been more chronological. It skipped around a lot in theme and time period.

But, overall, it’s a good biography for fans of the fantasy writer