Jane Dixon Rice was an American science fiction and horror writer.

Her science fiction debut was with "The Dream" in the July 1940 issue of Unknown

Unknown (magazine)

Unknown was an American pulp fantasy fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1943 by Street & Smith, and edited by John W. Campbell. Unknown was a companion to Street & Smith's science fiction pulp, Astounding Science Fiction, which was also edited by Campbell at the time; many authors and...

, edited by the legendary sf editor John W. Campbell

John W. Campbell

John Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction , from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in...

. She published a number of other stories in Unknown. Her werewolf

Werewolf

A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

 story "The Refugee" from the October 1943 issue was selected by Campbell for his best of anthology From Unknown Worlds (1946) and it was also anthologized in Rivals of Weird Tales (1990) and the Library of America

Library of America

The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature.- Overview and history :Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LoA has published over 200 volumes by a wide range of authors from Mark Twain to Philip...

's American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now (2009), edited by Peter Straub

Peter Straub

Peter Francis Straub is an American author and poet, most famous for his work in the horror genre. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award, placing him among the most-honored horror authors in...

. "The Idol of the Flies" from the June 1942 issue was also frequently anthologized. It concerns an evil boy named Pruitt who has been called "one of the most monstrous children in literature".

Rice collaborated with Ruth Allison on the story "The Loolies Are Here" under the name Allison Rice for the anthology Orbit 1

Orbit 1

Orbit 1 was a 1966 science fiction short story anthology edited by Damon Knight.- Contents :*Introduction by Damon Knight*Staras Flonderans by Kate Wilhelm*The Secret Place by Richard McKenna*How Beautiful with Banners by James Blish...

(1966), edited by Damon Knight

Damon Knight

Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...

. She also published short fiction in a number of science fiction and non-genre magazines, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...

(under the name Mary Austin), Charm

Charm

Charm, charms, charmed or charming may refer to:* A Spell or incantation** any "lucky charm" such as amulets , touch pieces and painted pebbles,*** Italian charm bracelet...

, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine is a monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime and detective fiction. AHMM is named for Alfred Hitchcock, the famed director of suspense films and television.-History:...

, Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan (magazine)

Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...

, and Ladies' Home Journal

Ladies' Home Journal

Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...

.

Despite this history of publication, Rice's first book was not published until 1995 when Necronomicon Press

Necronomicon Press

Necronomicon Press is an American small press publishing house specialising in fiction, poetry and literary criticism relating to the horror and fantasy genres. It is run by Marc A. Michaud....

 published her horror novelette

Novelette

A novelette is a piece of short prose fiction. The distinction between a novelette and other literary forms is usually based upon word count, with a novelette being longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella...

 The Sixth Dog as a chapbook

Chapbook

A chapbook is a pocket-sized booklet. The term chap-book was formalized by bibliophiles of the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera , popular or folk literature. It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, poetry, folk tales,...

. She did not live to see the publication of her second book, a collection of her short fiction called The Idol of the Flies and Other Stories, published by Midnight House in 2003 as a limited edition of 500 copies.

Personal life

Rice was a Roman Catholic and strongly opposed abortion. She married John T. Rice, and the couple had a son, John. Her husband preceded her in death, but she was survived by her son.

Rice died at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

.

External links

• "The Refugee" – Story of the Week from the Library of America