John Barnes (author)
Encyclopedia
Writing
Two of his novels, The Sky So Big and Black and The Duke of Uranium have been reviewed as having content appropriate for a young adultYoung adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
readership, comparing favorably to Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's "juvenile" novels
Heinlein juveniles
"Heinlein juveniles" are the 12 novels written by Robert A. Heinlein and published by Scribner's between 1947 and 1958. The intended readership was teenage boys, but the books have been enjoyed by a wide range of readers...
. He has contributed to the Internet Evolution
Internet Evolution
is a website which hosts discussion of news, analysis and opinion related to the future of the Internet. It was originally conceived as a publishing experiment by writer and media consultant Stephen Saunders with the goal of using very large amounts of proprietary content to create a highly...
website.
Personal life
Barnes earned a Bachelors Degree from Washington University, a Masters Degree from the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in theater from the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. He has taught at Western State College. He lives in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Century Next Door series
- Orbital ResonanceOrbital Resonance (novel)Orbital Resonance is a science fiction novel by John Barnes. It is the first of four books comprising the Century Next Door series, followed by Kaleidoscope Century, Candle, The Sky So Big and Black....
(1991) - Kaleidoscope CenturyKaleidoscope CenturyKaleidoscope Century is a science fiction novel by John Barnes. First published in 1995, it is part of the author's Century Next Door series.-Plot summary:...
(1995) - CandleCandle (novel)Candle is a science fiction novel by John Barnes that was published in 2000, it is part of the author's Century Next Door series.-Plot summary:...
(2000) - The Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and Black is a science fiction novel by John Barnes that was published in 2002. The title itself refers to the clear sky as seen from the surface of Mars, to the nearness of the Martian horizon because Mars is a much smaller planet, and to the abrupt absence/darkness of many...
(2002)
Thousand Cultures series
The four novels in the Thousand Cultures series include the theme of the effects of globalizationGlobalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, at an interstellar scale, on isolated societies.
- A Million Open DoorsA Million Open DoorsA Million Open Doors is a science fiction novel, the first book of the Thousand Cultures series, by John Barnes. The story is told from the perspective of a maturing adult from a parochial culture who encounters many obstacles in a different and even more parochial culture which causes him to...
(1992) - Earth Made of GlassEarth Made of GlassEarth Made of Glass is a science fiction novel, the second book of the Thousand Cultures series, by John Barnes whose story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged special agent named Giraut...
(1998) - The Merchants of SoulsThe Merchants of SoulsThe Merchants of Souls is a science fiction novel, the third book of the Thousand Cultures series, by John Barnes whose story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged special agent named Giraut...
(2001) - The Armies of MemoryThe Armies of MemoryThe Armies of Memory is a science fiction novel, the fourth book of the Thousand Cultures series, by John Barnes whose story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged special agent named Giraut...
(2006)
Time Raider series
- Wartide (1992)
- Battle Cry (1992)
- Union Fires (1992)
Timeline Wars series
- Patton's Spaceship (1997)
- Washington's Dirigible (1997)
- Caesar's Bicycle (1997)
- Timeline Wars (1997) (omnibus volume)
Jak Jinnaka series
- Duke of Uranium (2002)
- A Princess of the Aerie (2003)
- In the Hall of the Martian King (2003)
Daybreak series
- Directive 51 (2010)
- Daybreak ZeroDaybreak ZeroDaybreak Zero is the title of a science fiction novel by John Barnes. It is the second of three books comprising the Daybreak series.-Plot:...
(2011) - The Last President (2012)
Other books
- The Man Who Pulled Down the Sky (1987)
- Sin of Origin (1988)
- Mother of StormsMother of StormsMother of Storms is a 1994 science fiction novel by John Barnes. It was nominated for three major science fiction awards.-Plot summary:In the early 21st century, the earth suffers from a giant hurricane spawned by the release of clathrate compounds, as the result of a nuclear explosion...
(1994) - Encounter With TiberEncounter With TiberEncounter With Tiber is a 1996 science fiction novel written by former astronaut Buzz Aldrin and science fiction writer John Barnes...
, with Buzz AldrinBuzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
(1996) - One For the Morning GloryOne For the Morning GloryOne For the Morning Glory is a fantasy novel by John Barnes, published 1996. It is a fairy tale where the characters know that they are in a fairy tale. The novel has a humorous tone similar to William Goldman's The Princess Bride — quite different from Barnes' usual science fiction...
(1996) - Apocalypses & Apostrophes (1998) (short story collection)
- Finity (1999)
- The Return, with Buzz AldrinBuzz AldrinBuzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
(2001) - Gaudeamus (2004)
- Payback City (2007) (thriller, written in 1997, self-published e-book)
- Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 (2009) (non-sf novel, a Michael L. Printz AwardMichael L. Printz AwardThe Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
Honor Book) - Losers in Space (2012) (announced)
Awards
- Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
Best Novel nominee (1992) : Orbital ResonanceOrbital Resonance (novel)Orbital Resonance is a science fiction novel by John Barnes. It is the first of four books comprising the Century Next Door series, followed by Kaleidoscope Century, Candle, The Sky So Big and Black.... - Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
Best Novel nominee (1993) : A Million Open DoorsA Million Open DoorsA Million Open Doors is a science fiction novel, the first book of the Thousand Cultures series, by John Barnes. The story is told from the perspective of a maturing adult from a parochial culture who encounters many obstacles in a different and even more parochial culture which causes him to... - Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
Best Novel nominee (1995) : Mother of StormsMother of StormsMother of Storms is a 1994 science fiction novel by John Barnes. It was nominated for three major science fiction awards.-Plot summary:In the early 21st century, the earth suffers from a giant hurricane spawned by the release of clathrate compounds, as the result of a nuclear explosion... - Nebula AwardNebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
Best Novel nominee (1996) : Mother of StormsMother of StormsMother of Storms is a 1994 science fiction novel by John Barnes. It was nominated for three major science fiction awards.-Plot summary:In the early 21st century, the earth suffers from a giant hurricane spawned by the release of clathrate compounds, as the result of a nuclear explosion... - Michael L. Printz AwardMichael L. Printz AwardThe Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
Honor Book (2010): Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973
See also
- One TrueOne TrueOne True is the fictional hegemonic software program that takes control of individual human minds and entire human societies in John Barnes' two Meme Wars novels Candle and The Sky So Big and Black; the novel Kaleidoscope Century details the years leading up to its existence. All three books are...
, fictional artificial intelligence central to the Century Next Door series.