Author Anne McCaffrey, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, died on Monday at her home in Ireland after suffering a stroke. She was 85.

McCaffrey, who was born in Cambridge, MA. and moved to Ireland in 1970, was an iconic writer in the science fiction and fantasy fields. She was also one of the first fantasy writers I ever read. Her original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy helped establish my love for the genre. She is very deserving of the honor of being the first woman to be awarded a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award. My favorite of her books, The White Dragon, was also the first scifi novel written by a woman to make the New York Times Bestseller list (1978).