Get Off the Unicorn: Stories

Ms. McCaffrey's collection of short stories, Get Off the Unicorn, is a treasure trove of great little stories. Some of them, like Daughter, Dull Drums, and Finder's Keeper are great example of McCaffrey's skill at creating characters you love in just a handful of pages. One story that really hit home for me was called A Proper Santa Claus. It is about a very creative young boy who is very gently crushed by the adults about him into what they believe is a proper use of his talent. The end always makes me cry. I think all teachers and parents should be made to read this story! But the coolest part of this excellent collection of short stories is that it is the source for several of her best series:Apple -- The Talent SeriesThorns of Barevi -- The Freedom Series Lady in the Tower -- The RowanA Meeting of Minds -- Damia And there is even a Pern story, The Littlest Dragonboy and a Brainship story called Honeymoon about Helva and Niall Parollan. A great collection!

Yes, it's a collection of short stories...but it's the beginning of so many books by Anne McCaffrey that it's a fascinating look at how one short story can bloom into a series. This book includes short stories that she later developed into the "Rowan", "Pegasus", and "Freedom" series. It also includes stories about Halva (The Ship Who Sang), Keevan (The Dragonriders of Pern-he later becomes a Weyrleader), and many other characters that you normally wouldn't pay much attention to. All in all, an engaging read that shows you the beginning of a writing empire!

I really enjoyed this book. I found a majority of the stories interesting and engrossing, and I have read it over and over again many times. One of the things I enjoy most about this book are the introductions before each new group of stories, explaining why McCaffrey wrote each story and what she was thinking while she did so. Some of my favorite stories included "Lady in the Tower," and "A Meeting of Minds," stories that are the original ideas for the books in the "Rowan" series. My absolute favorites in this collection were "Daughter" and "Dull Drums," stories about the Fenn family, especially the daughter Nora, who, although they live in the future, deal with family problems that are relevant today. I am a young reader which may be why I especially liked these stories, since they are about young people. Another one that I really enjoyed was "The Littlest Dragonboy," about how even though one may be smaller than the others, size doesn't matter- it's what's inside that counts. A frequently used sentiment, I know, but one that is illustrated very nicely in this story. However, I could have done without "A Proper Santa Claus," which had a really depressing, cut-off ending. But overall, I thought this was a really satisfying collection of stories that had samples from all of the different genres that Anne McCaffrey writes in, and I really recommend it.

I think that there are a large number of excellent short stories in this book, and a few duds. I enjoyed the story of 'The Littlest Dragonboy' and the tales of the psychics of various times. I would not call it a prequel to The Girl Who Heard Dragons, as that would not do this book justice. This one had much better-written stories, and was a bit more... bloodthirsty in some places. This is a good collection of short stories that should stand alone as such, and not be compared to another such collection written many years later.

I read this book a few years ago, and am surprised to find no reviews for it here. I thought it was very good; like "The Girl Who Heard Dragons," it's a book of short stories. I didn't like a couple of them - that's the reason for the 9. It tncludes the original stories that led to (and are partially included, with MANY - sometimes amusing - changes, in) the novels "The Rowan" and "Damia." It also has a Pern story, about Keevan who became K'van, and his Impression; I believe that in the later "Dragonriders" books, in which McCaffrey sort of abruptly stuck in K'van with little introduction, she assumed that everyone had read "The Littlest Dragonboy," one way or another - well, I've talked to several people who hadn't, and were lost where he was concerned! So anyway, here he is; accompanied by Parapsychics (if you're a fan of "To Ride Pegasus" and "Pegasus in Flight," which are trips back in time from "The Rowan"), pregnant Boy Scouts, the original story (meant as soft-core porn, believe it or not) of "Freedom's Landing," and strange remnants of other tales that she might get around to writing books of someday (in some cases, I hope not; but the Nora Fenn stories are great fun, except for Conn, so I hope she'll just write him out like she did the chain-smoking in "Lady in the Tower"). Most of her recent books have felt like they're just loose ends she wants to clear out before she has to stop writing (I have heard that she is almost blind, and that is part of the reason for all the collaborations; does anyone know if that's true?); I hope not - she's my favorite writer. Please read this book, if you like Mccaffrey's funny, oddly-conventional-for-such-futuristicness worlds and ideas; it is just as good as, if not better than, "The Girl Who Heard Dragons;" I guess I should say, read this book if you liked that one, hmm?