The Petaybee Trilogy

Petaybee #1-3

by Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Here is a feast for McCaffrey fans -- three linked novels now available on audio. In the Powers That Be, strange things are happening on the icy planet of Petaybee. Unauthorized genetically engineered species have been spotted and yet the locals are deliberately hiding something -- perhaps even plotting rebellion. When the natives of Petaybee nurse company spy Yana back to health, she becomes determined to protect her new home and its people from the depredations of an increasingly ruthless company. Power Lines, the next novel, unfolds as only solid evidence will convince the company to leave the planet alone, and for all its sentience, Petaybee's communications are highly subjective. That leaves it to Yana and her friends to find some other way to prove that the planet is worth more to the company alive than dead. In Power Play we find that day by day the sentient planet is learning to recognize and understand the meaning of outside stimuli ... even to use human speech. Only Petaybee can speak for itself and no one knows what a living planet can do once it has found its voice.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

Audio Cassette

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.

Reviews

[Anna Ertl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always loved Anne McCaffrey books. I know there are lots I haven't read. This series didn't disappoint.

I loved the fact that the planet was alive and taking care of the inhabitants. I also loved that they are Irish decendants.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yana arrives with a medical retirement at the back of nowhere. The planet and the people are very different. All three of the original stories.

[Donna Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read this in years. I think this must be an abridged version of the 3 books.

[IJM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in high school, I read the first book in the trilogy, Powers That Be and I remember really liking it and wanting to read the rest of the series, but never got around to it. Fast forward *cough, cough* years later and I finally decided to read the trilogy. Apparently my tastes have changed drastically since my teens.

I like some of the science fiction ideas presented in the book, but where it falls flat for me is how 1 dimensional the characters are, how fast romantic relationships are established and how certain actions don't seem right when you consider they're being done by scientists and CEOs. We had a female protagonist with a really interesting backstory and she's absolutely wasted.

I will say the book kept my interest, because I literally had no clue what was going on. I mean, I wasn't expecting a character named Goat-Dung, but there she was. Without adding spoilers, I feel like there were a lot of ideas crammed into the book, to the books detriment. I also think this may have worked better as a modern day fantasy instead of sci-fi.

Edit 5/7/23: Turns out the audiobook I listened to was abridged despite my library labeling it as unabridged. Would probably explain why things truly didn't make sense. May try to reread the book instead of listening to the audiobook one day.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I completely change my mind on a series, so want to change my scoring down a lot)

4.25

First time read the author's work?: No

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes -- One of my favourite authors, I tend to rate her series at 4 or 5 stars.

-----------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly dated but comforting reads, where people find home and peace and healing. There are talking cats and unicorns (of a sort.) I'm pretty sure at one point the heroine fucks a seal, though.