James Lovegrove
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer of speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
. His first novel was The Hope, published by Macmillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in 1990. He was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award
Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. The award was established with a grant from Arthur C. Clarke and the first prize was awarded in 1987...
in 1998 for his novel Days and for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2004 for his novel Untied Kingdom. His short story "Carry The Moon In My Pocket" won the 2011 Seiun Award
Seiun Award
The is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
in Japan for Best Foreign Language Short Story.
Lovegrove's work tends towards the literary end of the SF/fantasy spectrum and usually carries a dystopian, satirical edge, much in the tradition of J.G. Ballard and John Wyndham
John Wyndham
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was an English science fiction writer who usually used the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes...
. His subject matter is often the corrupting effects of wealth and commercialism, and recurring motifs are duality and the clash or reconciliation of opposites. Lovegrove has a fondness for wordplay, not only in his prose but sometimes as a plot device, as in the back-to-back double novella Gig, where palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
s form a key part of the narrative, and the novel Provender Gleed, whose cast of characters includes a pair of detectives who solve crimes through the use of anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
s.
Lovegrove has written the Young Adult fiction, most notably a series of fantasy novels, The Clouded World, under a pseudonym (Jay Amory). These have been translated into nine languages so far. He has also written a number of short novels published by Barrington Stoke
Barrington Stoke
Barrington Stoke is a children's book publisher based in Edinburgh, Scotland.The company was founded in 1997. It publishes fiction and non-fiction adapted to a reading age of 8 for reluctant, underconfident and dyslexic readers aged 9–16....
, a company specialising in books for reluctant readers. Two of his titles for that company have been longlisted for the Manchester Book Award.
His recent Pantheon series is a set of standalone military SF adventure novels featuring the gods of ancient mythologies. Three have been published so far -- The Age Of Ra, The Age Of Zeus and The Age Of Odin -- the last of which was a New York Times best seller.
As an illustrator, Lovegrove has executed design and poster work for Flying Pig Systems, makers of the Wholehog range of lighting control products, and drew the pictures for the Echo Beach line of postcards and T-shirts.
He has contributed reviews and journalism to magazines such as The Literary Review
The Literary Review
The Literary Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1957. The quarterly magazine is published internationally by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey...
, Interzone
Interzone
Interzone may refer to:* International zone, such as in Tangiers* Interzone , the title of a short story collection by William Burroughs; it is also a setting in his 1959 novel Naked Lunch...
and BBC MindGames Magazine
BBC MindGames Magazine
BBC MindGames was a British magazine devoted to puzzles, brainteasers and articles concerning the mind. It was published every four weeks. Its name was taken from the BBC Four show, Mind Games....
and cryptic crosswords to the weekend section of the Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. He is a regular reviewer of fiction for the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
and of graphic novels for Comic Heroes.
Novels
- The Hope, MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
1990, ISBN 0-333-51214-6 - Days, GollanczGollanczGollancz often refers to the British publishing house Victor Gollancz Ltd.Gollancz, a family name originating from the Polish town Gołańcz , is mainly known as the name of a prominent British Jewish family, including:* Sir Hermann Gollancz , rabbi* Sir Israel Gollancz , scholar of...
1997, ISBN 0-7538-0228-7 - Escardy Gap (with Peter CrowtherPeter CrowtherPeter Crowther is a British journalist, short story writer, novelist, editor, publisher and anthologist. He is the founder of PS Publishing. He edits a series of themed anthologies of science fiction short stories published by DAW books...
), Earthlight/Tor 1998 - The Foreigners, Gollancz 2000, ISBN 0-575-06894-9
- Untied Kingdom, Gollancz 2003, ISBN 0-575-07385-3
- Worldstorm, Gollancz 2004, ISBN 0-575-07656-9
- Provender Gleed, Gollancz 2005, ISBN 0-575-07683-6
- The Age Of Ra, Solaris BooksSolaris BooksSolaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors...
, 2009, ISBN 1-844-16746-1 - The Age Of Zeus, Solaris Books, 2010, ISBN 978-1-906735-68-9
- The Age Of Odin, Solaris Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-907519-40-8
- Redlaw, Solaris Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-907992-04-9
Children's Books
- The Web: Computopia, Dolphin, 1998
- Wings, Barrington StokeBarrington StokeBarrington Stoke is a children's book publisher based in Edinburgh, Scotland.The company was founded in 1997. It publishes fiction and non-fiction adapted to a reading age of 8 for reluctant, underconfident and dyslexic readers aged 9–16....
, 2001 - The House of Lazarus, Barrington Stoke, 2003
- Ant God, Barrington Stoke, 2005
- Cold Keep, Barrington Stoke, 2006
- Kill Swap, Barrington Stoke, 2007
- Freerunner, Barrington Stoke, 2009
- The 5 Lords Of Pain (five-part series), Barrington Stoke, 2010
Novellas
- The Hand that Feeds (with Peter Crowther), Maynard Sims Productions, 1999
- How the Other Half Lives, PS PublishingPS PublishingPS Publishing is a Hornsea based publisher founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther. They specialise in novella length fiction from the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. It has quickly become established as one of Britain's premier small presses...
1999, ISBN 1-902880-01-3 - Gig, PS Publishing, 2004. A double-novella
- Dead Brigade, Barrington Stoke 2007
Short Story Collections
- Imagined Slights, Gollancz 2002, ISBN 1-85798-801-9
- Diversifications, PS Publishing 2010, ISBN 978-1-848631-28-1
Writing as Jay Amory
- The Clouded World series, Gollancz 2006-2008 (The Fledging Of Az Gabrielson, Pirates Of The Relentless Desert, Darkening For A Fall, Empire Of Chaos)
External links
- Official website: http://www.jameslovegrove.com
- Infinity Plus interview: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/intjlov.htm
- This Is Ull Interview: http://www.thisisull.com/people/145219632_stevejameslovegrove.html
- Actusf Interview: http://www.actusf.com/spip/?article4496