I was a huge fan of hers for many years. I first read one of her novels back in 1994, when I was in middle school. I had a severe case of the flu, and my parents bought me a Star Trek novel so I could read while trying to recover. The book was Sarek, and it was written by her. It remains one of my most cherished books, and now sits on my shelf so dog eared and worn, that you can almost see through the paperback cover itself. That would only be the first of her many books I would go on to read, but it left a deep impression on my heart and soul, and for that I am grateful. Ann was a gifted writer, and created wonderful original characters when she wasn't bringing new life to the ones we already knew and loved, and while I had heard she was struggling with cancer, I didn't know how bad it was until September 3rd of this year, when she wrote on her Facebook page that she was near the end, and I took that chance to tell her how much I loved her work. I'm glad I at least got to express my thanks before she succumbed to the cancer. She will be sorely missed. Also, fuck cancer.
That's too bad. She authored one of the first Trek novels I ever read, and the Han Solo trilogy, IMO some of the best Star Wars fiction.
I also had Yesterday's Son back in my childhood years. Tried to post on her FB page the other day when she made her announcement but it wouldn't let me.
You clearly missed my thread on Morgan Freeman's passing. http://www.wordforge.net/showthread.php?t=64557
I loved "Yesterday's Son" a great deal. Got it when I was in high school one day after football practice. It had arguably the best space battle in any Star Trek novel up to that time.
She had a way of just really describing a moment that felt natural and right; where you could see everything happening just as vividly as if you were standing right there. Now, that's generally the idea, but I feel she accomplished that feat better than most. There are still scenes from Sarek that resonate with me to this day, almost like they actually happened, rather than fiction from a story book.
El Chup disagrees: Space battle? That isn't remotely what it was supposed to be about. No. But it still was very enjoyable.
Her Pirates of the Caribbean novel was also excellent, providing lots of interesting ideas for Jack Sparrow's background. But most impressive, she really mastered the concepts around navigation and the age of sale. I've read enough about the topic (both fiction and non) that I feel I'm a good judge. She demonstrated significant mastery and painted a lush and accurate portrayal.
She was a meticulous researcher, and she also relied on "expert witnesses." Every good writer has people who are experts in their respective fields whom they can tap and say "Okay, in the following situation, what would happen?" Book learning and Internet searches can only go so far. (And Ann and I both come from an era when research meant "schlep to the library and spend days copying stuff from the reference section.") Ann particularly knew a number of active and retired Navy personnel who got a kick out of being her "advisers." As for her descriptive powers, they were marvelous, and strictly disciplined. She was a strong critic of what she called "purple prose." Suitable for bodice-rippers, she'd argue, but not for the kinds of things she wrote.
Sarek is pretty good reading. The Paradise Snare was good enough, I guess, but I didn't read the rest of the trilogy.
