John Scalzi
Encyclopedia
John Michael Scalzi II is an American
author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
. He is best known for his Hugo Award
-nominated science fiction
novel Old Man's War
, released by Tor Books
in January 2005, and for his blog
Whatever, at which he has written daily on a number of topics since 1998. He has also written a number of non-fiction
books.
and spent his childhood there, primarily in the Los Angeles
suburbs of Covina
, Glendora
and Claremont
. Scalzi went to high school with noted blogger Josh Marshall
; both were members of the class of 1987. After his stint at The Webb Schools of California, Scalzi attended The University of Chicago, where he was a classmate of Pulitzer Prize
-winning playwright David Auburn
. Scalzi's thesis advisor, for a brief time, was Saul Bellow
. Scalzi abandoned his course of study with Bellow when he became Student Ombudsman
for the University. During his 1989–1990 school year Scalzi was also the editor-in-chief of The Chicago Maroon
.
After graduating in 1991, Scalzi took a job as the film critic for the Fresno Bee newspaper, eventually also becoming a humor columnist. In 1996 he was hired as the in-house writer and editor at America Online and moved to Sterling, Virginia
, with his wife, Kristine Ann Blauser, whom he had married in 1995. He was laid off in 1998, and since then he has been a full-time freelance writer and author. In 2001 Scalzi, his wife, and their daughter, Athena Marie, who was born in 1998, moved to Bradford, Ohio
, to be closer to family.
Scalzi is distantly related to John Wilkes Booth
.
Scalzi was elected president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
in 2010. He was the only nominee on the ballot. He had previously run as a write-in candidate
in 2007, challenging the sole ballot nominee that year, but was not successful.
, in which 75-year-old citizens of Earth are recruited to join the defense forces of human colonies in space. Scalzi noted the book's similarities to Robert A. Heinlein
's Starship Troopers
by thanking Heinlein in the acknowledgments of the book. Old Man's War came to publication after debuting online: Scalzi serialized the book on his web site in December 2002, which resulted in an offer for the book by Tor Books Senior Editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden
. The hardcover edition of the book was published in January, 2005. Old Man's War was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
in March 2006.
Scalzi's second published novel was Agent to the Stars
. This novel was actually written prior to Old Man's War (it was written in 1997), and was placed online in 1999 as a "shareware
novel" by Scalzi, who encouraged readers to send him a dollar if they liked the story (he re-released the book as "freeware
" in 2004). The novel became available as a signed, limited-edition hardcover from Subterranean Press
in July 2005, and featured cover art from popular Penny Arcade
artist Mike Krahulik
; Tor Books published it in paperback for the first time in October 2008.
In February 2006, The Ghost Brigades
, the sequel to Old Man's War, was released. Another science fiction novel released this year (Oct 31, 2006), The Android's Dream
, did not sell as well as his Old Man's War series, but is noted as the only novel, in any genre, in which the entire first chapter is entirely composed of a single, long fart joke.
In August 2006, Scalzi was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer for best new science fiction writer of 2005.
In February 2007 a novelette set in the Old Man's War universe, called "The Sagan Diary", was published as a hardcover by Subterranean
Press. Scalzi has commented that he originally wrote the book as free verse poetry, then converted it into prose format. An audio reading of "The Sagan Diary" was offered through Scalzi's website in February 2007, featuring the voices of fellow science fiction authors Elizabeth Bear
, Mary Robinette Kowal
, Ellen Kushner
, Karen Meisner, Cherie Priest
and Helen Smith. In November of the same year, Subterranean Press also made "The Sagan Diary" text freely available online. In April 2008 Audible Frontiers produced an audiobook of the novelette, read by Stephanie Wolfe.
The third novel set in the same universe, The Last Colony
, was released in April 2007
. It was nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel and Scalzi narrowly missed winning the award by only 9 votes.
Zoe's Tale
, the fourth Old Man's War novel, presenting a different view of the events covered in The Last Colony, was announced in September 2007 after Tor's art director posted the cover art to her blog, and published in August 2008. Zoe's Tale was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
in March 2009.
Also in 2008, Audible.com released the audiobook anthology METAtropolis, edited by Scalzi and featuring short fiction in a shared world
created by Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, Jay Lake, and Karl Schroeder. A unique project, METAtropolis was planned from the beginning to be released as an audio anthology prior to any print edition. The audiobook featured the voices of Battlestar Galactica
actors Michael Hogan, Alessandro Juliani and Kandyse McClure and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form in 2009. A sequel audiobook, METAtropolis: Cascadia, edited by Jay Lake, came out in 2010. In 2009 Subterranean Press released a limited edition print run of METAtropolis, which was subsequently published by Tor in a standard hardcover edition, in 2010.
On April 7, 2010, Scalzi announced the pending release of a reboot of H. Beam Piper
's Little Fuzzy
, authorized by the Piper estate, with the prospective title Fuzzy Nation. This has now been sold to Tor books for a release sometime in early 2011.
Scalzi has not written many short stories, but "After the Coup," featured as the first short story published originally on Tor.com, was a finalist for the 2009 Locus Award for best short story. Tor released it as an e-book in 2009.
Scalzi is also the author of the "Book of the Dumb" series of books from Portable Press. These books chronicle people doing stupid things. The first book in the series was released in October 2003 with a second following a year later.
In November 2005, Scalzi announced that entries from the run of the Whatever, his blog, would be compiled into a book from Subterranean Press
. The book, You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing; was released by Subterranean Press in February 2007. A second collection of entries from Whatever, entitled Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever 1998 - 2008 was released in September 2008. It subsequently won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2009.
in September 2005.
Scalzi also used the Whatever as a way to solicit fiction and non-fiction submissions on the theme of Science Fiction Clichés in 2005 for issue #4 of Subterranean Magazine, which he guest edited (published in 2006 by Subterranean Press). The original solicitation was posted in March, 2005 with the unique requirements that submissions would only be accepted electronically in plain text, and ONLY during the period between 10/1/05 and 11/1/05 instead of before a traditional deadline. After the print run sold out, the issue was made available online as a free download.
Scalzi's own short story, How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story, was not printed in the magazine itself but only in a separated chapbook reserved to the people who bought the hardcover limited edition. In April 2008 Scalzi released the story as a "shareware short story" on his website.
In September, 2006, Scalzi created a brief internet sensation when he taped bacon to his cat. The cat involved, Ghlaghghee subsequently became the supposed author of a Twitter feed, which Scalzi says he does not write. It has over 1,500 followers. Photos of Scalzi's three cats and the family dog appear frequently on his blog, sometimes in LOLcat
format. Scalzi was quoted extensively in a 2008 New York Times article on men and cats, which also mentioned his and Ghlaghghee's bacon adventure. After fans repeatedly made comments about using photos Scalzi posted to Whatever as computer desktop wallpaper, he created a set of photos on Flickr
that is released for personal non-commercial use in that way. Some include the cats, while others are sunset or other nature shots, sometimes altered with Photoshop.
On March 29, 2007, it was announced that Scalzi had again been nominated for a Hugo Award, this time in the category "Best Fan Writer", for his online writing about the science fiction field. He was the first Campbell Award winner to receive a nomination in this category. In 2008, he was again nominated for the Best Fan Writer Hugo, this time winning the award, becoming the first person to be nominated for that category and the Best Novel Hugo award at the same time since 1970.
Scalzi also uses the Whatever to help raise money for organizations and causes he supports. Notably, in June 2007 he raised over $5000 in 6 days for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State after fellow writer Joe Hill
challenged him to go visit the Creation Museum
that had just opened near Cincinnati, not far from Scalzi's Ohio home, if Hill paid for the ticket, offering to match the cost with a donation to the charity of Scalzi's choice after he filed a comprehensive report on the trip online. Scalzi extended the deal to all Whatever readers, raised 256 times the admission price, and posted his critical report on the Creation Museum on November 12, 2007. In September 2010 he joined with Subterranean Press and authors Wil Wheaton
, Patrick Rothfuss
, Catherynne M. Valente
, Rachel Swirsky
and others to create a chapbook story collection called Clash of the Geeks, offered online in exchange for donations to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America. Some of the stories were selected from a competition run on Whatever to write a story to explain a painting Scalzi had commissioned from Jeff Zugale, that featured Scalzi as an orc
and Wheaton riding a unicorn pegasus kitten.
In addition to his personal site, Scalzi was a professional blogger for America Online's AOL Journals and AIM Blogs service from August 2003 through December 2007. In this role he created participatory entries (most notably the Weekend Assignment and Monday Photo Shoot), answered questions about blogging from AOL members, and posted interesting links for readers. Readers of both Scalzi's personal site and his AOL Journal "By the Way" noted distinct differences in tone at each site. Scalzi has acknowledged this tonal difference, based on the different missions of each site. Scalzi also blogged professionally for AOL's Ficlets
site beginning in March 2007, writing about literature and other related topics. On December 7, 2007, Scalzi announced that by mutual agreement, his contract with AOL would not be renewed at the end of the year, in part so that he would have more time to devote to writing books.
In 2008, Scalzi began writing a weekly column on science fiction/fantasy films for AMCTV.com, the Web site of cable television network AMC
.
For traditional media, Scalzi wrote a DVD review column and an opinion column for the Official US Playstation Magazine from 2000 through 2006, wrote an additional DVD review column for the Dayton Daily News
through 2006, and writes for other magazines and newspapers on an occasional basis. He also works as a consultant for businesses, primarily in the online and financial fields.
On January 14, 2009, Scalzi announced he would be a creative consultant on upcoming science-fiction television show Stargate Universe
.
, and the last name of the vocalist. Similarly, the character Steve Cain has the first name of the vocalist and the last name of the keyboardist. There are also characters whose names are based on Neil Gaiman
, Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins, E.J. Fischer and Dave McKean
.
The name of the main character of Android's Dream is taken from the name of the street on which Scalzi lived at the time of writing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
. He is best known for his Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The 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...
-nominated science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel Old Man's War
Old Man's War
Old Man's War is a science fiction novel by John Scalzi published in 2005. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2006. It was optioned by Paramount Pictures in 2011...
, released by Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
in January 2005, and for his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Whatever, at which he has written daily on a number of topics since 1998. He has also written a number of non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books.
Biography
Scalzi was born in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and spent his childhood there, primarily in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
suburbs of Covina
Covina, California
Covina is a small city in Los Angeles County, California about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley region. The population was 47,796 at the 2010 census, up from 46,837 at the 2000 census...
, Glendora
Glendora, California
Glendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
and Claremont
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
. Scalzi went to high school with noted blogger Josh Marshall
Josh Marshall
Joshua Micah Marshall is an American Polk Award-winning journalist who founded Talking Points Memo, which The New York Times Magazine called "one of the most popular and most respected sites" in the blogosphere...
; both were members of the class of 1987. After his stint at The Webb Schools of California, Scalzi attended The University of Chicago, where he was a classmate of Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning playwright David Auburn
David Auburn
David Auburn is an American playwright.He was raised in Ohio and Arkansas. He attended the University of Chicago, where he was a member of Off-Off Campus, and received a degree in English literature....
. Scalzi's thesis advisor, for a brief time, was Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
. Scalzi abandoned his course of study with Bellow when he became Student Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
for the University. During his 1989–1990 school year Scalzi was also the editor-in-chief of The Chicago Maroon
The Chicago Maroon
The Chicago Maroon, the independent student newspaper of the University of Chicago, is a twice-weekly publication that traces its founding to 1892. During autumn, winter, and spring quarters of the academic year, the Maroon publishes every Tuesday and Friday. The paper consists of four sections:...
.
After graduating in 1991, Scalzi took a job as the film critic for the Fresno Bee newspaper, eventually also becoming a humor columnist. In 1996 he was hired as the in-house writer and editor at America Online and moved to Sterling, Virginia
Sterling, Virginia
Sterling, Virginia is a census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 27,822.It is located northwest of Herndon, east of Ashburn, and west of Great Falls, and includes part of Dulles International Airport and the former AOL corporate headquarters...
, with his wife, Kristine Ann Blauser, whom he had married in 1995. He was laid off in 1998, and since then he has been a full-time freelance writer and author. In 2001 Scalzi, his wife, and their daughter, Athena Marie, who was born in 1998, moved to Bradford, Ohio
Bradford, Ohio
Bradford is a village in Darke and Miami counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,859 at the 2000 census.The Miami County portion of Bradford is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Darke County portion is part of the Greenville Metropolitan Statistical...
, to be closer to family.
Scalzi is distantly related to John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
.
Scalzi was elected president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
in 2010. He was the only nominee on the ballot. He had previously run as a write-in candidate
Write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
in 2007, challenging the sole ballot nominee that year, but was not successful.
Fiction
Scalzi's first published novel was Old Man's WarOld Man's War
Old Man's War is a science fiction novel by John Scalzi published in 2005. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2006. It was optioned by Paramount Pictures in 2011...
, in which 75-year-old citizens of Earth are recruited to join the defense forces of human colonies in space. Scalzi noted the book's similarities 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 Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
by thanking Heinlein in the acknowledgments of the book. Old Man's War came to publication after debuting online: Scalzi serialized the book on his web site in December 2002, which resulted in an offer for the book by Tor Books Senior Editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Patrick James Nielsen Hayden , is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner , and is an editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books...
. The hardcover edition of the book was published in January, 2005. Old Man's War was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
Hugo Award for Best Novel
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
in March 2006.
Scalzi's second published novel was Agent to the Stars
Agent to the Stars
Agent to the Stars is an 1997 by John Scalzi. It is also available in a hardback version from 2005. It was originally written as a "shareware" novel. A limited edition was published in 2005 by Subterranean Press, with a cover by Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade fame. An audiobook version narrated by...
. This novel was actually written prior to Old Man's War (it was written in 1997), and was placed online in 1999 as a "shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
novel" by Scalzi, who encouraged readers to send him a dollar if they liked the story (he re-released the book as "freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
" in 2004). The novel became available as a signed, limited-edition hardcover from Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
in July 2005, and featured cover art from popular Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
artist Mike Krahulik
Mike Krahulik
Mike Krahulik is the artist for the popular webcomic Penny Arcade and co-founder with Jerry Holkins of Child's Play, a multimillion dollar charity that organizes toy drives for children's hospitals. He goes by the online moniker "Jon Gabriel" or "Gabe"...
; Tor Books published it in paperback for the first time in October 2008.
In February 2006, The Ghost Brigades
The Ghost Brigades
The Ghost Brigades is the second book by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe.-Plot summary:The main character in this narrative is Jared Dirac. He is instilled with the consciousness of a traitor, Charles Boutin, and has to deal with memories of a life he hasn't lived, while trying to...
, the sequel to Old Man's War, was released. Another science fiction novel released this year (Oct 31, 2006), The Android's Dream
The Android's Dream
-Plot synopsis:The story covers the journey of ex-soldier and State Department employee Harry Creek in his work to acquire a sheep of the Android's Dream breed for the coronation ceremony of the Nidu. The breed is very rare and believed extinct, leading Harry on a chase to find the last one...
, did not sell as well as his Old Man's War series, but is noted as the only novel, in any genre, in which the entire first chapter is entirely composed of a single, long fart joke.
In August 2006, Scalzi was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer for best new science fiction writer of 2005.
In February 2007 a novelette set in the Old Man's War universe, called "The Sagan Diary", was published as a hardcover by Subterranean
Press. Scalzi has commented that he originally wrote the book as free verse poetry, then converted it into prose format. An audio reading of "The Sagan Diary" was offered through Scalzi's website in February 2007, featuring the voices of fellow science fiction authors Elizabeth Bear
Elizabeth Bear
Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
, Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author and puppeteer. She also served as art director for Shimmer Magazine and in 2010 was named art director for Weird Tales...
, Ellen Kushner
Ellen Kushner
Ellen Kushner is an American writer of fantasy novels, who for many years was the host of the radio program Sound & Spirit, produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International.- Background and personal life :...
, Karen Meisner, Cherie Priest
Cherie Priest
Cherie Priest is an American novelist and blogger living in Seattle, Washington.-Biography:Priest is a Florida native, born in Tampa in 1975. She graduated from Forest Lake Academy in Apopka, Florida in 1993. She moved around quite a bit as a child of an Army father, living in many places such as...
and Helen Smith. In November of the same year, Subterranean Press also made "The Sagan Diary" text freely available online. In April 2008 Audible Frontiers produced an audiobook of the novelette, read by Stephanie Wolfe.
The third novel set in the same universe, The Last Colony
The Last Colony
The Last Colony is the third science fiction novel by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe. It was nominated for a 2008 Hugo Award in the Best Novel category.-Plot synopsis:...
, was released in April 2007
2007 in literature
The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
. It was nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel and Scalzi narrowly missed winning the award by only 9 votes.
Zoe's Tale
Zoe's Tale
Zoe's Tale is the fourth full-length book by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe.-Plot synopsis:Zoe's Tale is a retelling of Scalzi's third Old Man's War novel, The Last Colony, written as a first-person narrative from the viewpoint of Zoë Boutin Perry...
, the fourth Old Man's War novel, presenting a different view of the events covered in The Last Colony, was announced in September 2007 after Tor's art director posted the cover art to her blog, and published in August 2008. Zoe's Tale was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
Hugo Award for Best Novel
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
in March 2009.
Also in 2008, Audible.com released the audiobook anthology METAtropolis, edited by Scalzi and featuring short fiction in a shared world
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
created by Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, Jay Lake, and Karl Schroeder. A unique project, METAtropolis was planned from the beginning to be released as an audio anthology prior to any print edition. The audiobook featured the voices of Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
actors Michael Hogan, Alessandro Juliani and Kandyse McClure and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form in 2009. A sequel audiobook, METAtropolis: Cascadia, edited by Jay Lake, came out in 2010. In 2009 Subterranean Press released a limited edition print run of METAtropolis, which was subsequently published by Tor in a standard hardcover edition, in 2010.
On April 7, 2010, Scalzi announced the pending release of a reboot of H. Beam Piper
H. Beam Piper
Henry Beam Piper was an American science fiction author. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alternate history tales.He wrote under the name H. Beam Piper...
's Little Fuzzy
Little Fuzzy
Little Fuzzy is the name of a 1962 science fiction novel by H. Beam Piper, and is now in public domain. It is generally seen as a work of juvenile fiction. It was nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel....
, authorized by the Piper estate, with the prospective title Fuzzy Nation. This has now been sold to Tor books for a release sometime in early 2011.
Scalzi has not written many short stories, but "After the Coup," featured as the first short story published originally on Tor.com, was a finalist for the 2009 Locus Award for best short story. Tor released it as an e-book in 2009.
Non-fiction
While Scalzi is best known for his fiction, he has written several non-fiction books as well, including a trio for London publisher Rough Guides' reference line of books. The first of these was The Rough Guide to Money Online, released in late October 2000. This reference book featured tips on using online financial tools. According to Scalzi, it did less-than-expected business, possibly due to the collapse of the Internet bubble at about the same time the book was released. Scalzi's next non-fiction book was The Rough Guide to the Universe, an astronomy book designed for novice-to-intermediate stargazers, released in May 2003. Scalzi's third book for Rough Guides, The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, was released in October 2005. This book covered the history of science fiction and science fiction film, and listed a "canon" of 50 significant science fiction films.Scalzi is also the author of the "Book of the Dumb" series of books from Portable Press. These books chronicle people doing stupid things. The first book in the series was released in October 2003 with a second following a year later.
In November 2005, Scalzi announced that entries from the run of the Whatever, his blog, would be compiled into a book from Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
. The book, You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing; was released by Subterranean Press in February 2007. A second collection of entries from Whatever, entitled Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever 1998 - 2008 was released in September 2008. It subsequently won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2009.
Online and other writing
Scalzi registered the domain name Scalzi.com in 1998 and in that year also began writing the "Whatever," a more-or-less daily blog. The name suggests the wide range of topics Scalzi writes about there, although many of Scalzi's more memorable postings center on the topics of politics and writing. While Scalzi maintains he started Whatever to keep in practice for "pro" writing, a number of writings originally posted there have gone on to be published in traditional media, including his "I Hate Your Politics" and "Being Poor" entries, the latter of which was published in the op-ed pages of the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
in September 2005.
Scalzi also used the Whatever as a way to solicit fiction and non-fiction submissions on the theme of Science Fiction Clichés in 2005 for issue #4 of Subterranean Magazine, which he guest edited (published in 2006 by Subterranean Press). The original solicitation was posted in March, 2005 with the unique requirements that submissions would only be accepted electronically in plain text, and ONLY during the period between 10/1/05 and 11/1/05 instead of before a traditional deadline. After the print run sold out, the issue was made available online as a free download.
Scalzi's own short story, How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story, was not printed in the magazine itself but only in a separated chapbook reserved to the people who bought the hardcover limited edition. In April 2008 Scalzi released the story as a "shareware short story" on his website.
In September, 2006, Scalzi created a brief internet sensation when he taped bacon to his cat. The cat involved, Ghlaghghee subsequently became the supposed author of a Twitter feed, which Scalzi says he does not write. It has over 1,500 followers. Photos of Scalzi's three cats and the family dog appear frequently on his blog, sometimes in LOLcat
Lolcat
A lolcat is an image combining a photograph of a cat with text intended to contribute humour. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin"....
format. Scalzi was quoted extensively in a 2008 New York Times article on men and cats, which also mentioned his and Ghlaghghee's bacon adventure. After fans repeatedly made comments about using photos Scalzi posted to Whatever as computer desktop wallpaper, he created a set of photos on Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
that is released for personal non-commercial use in that way. Some include the cats, while others are sunset or other nature shots, sometimes altered with Photoshop.
On March 29, 2007, it was announced that Scalzi had again been nominated for a Hugo Award, this time in the category "Best Fan Writer", for his online writing about the science fiction field. He was the first Campbell Award winner to receive a nomination in this category. In 2008, he was again nominated for the Best Fan Writer Hugo, this time winning the award, becoming the first person to be nominated for that category and the Best Novel Hugo award at the same time since 1970.
Scalzi also uses the Whatever to help raise money for organizations and causes he supports. Notably, in June 2007 he raised over $5000 in 6 days for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State after fellow writer Joe Hill
Joe Hill (writer)
Joseph Hillstrom King , better known by the pen name Joe Hill, is an American author and comic book writer. He has published two novels—Heart Shaped Box and Horns—and a collection of short stories entitled 20th Century Ghosts. He is also the author of the graphic novel series Locke & Key...
challenged him to go visit the Creation Museum
Creation Museum
The Creation Museum is a museum near Petersburg, Kentucky that presents an account of the origins of the universe, life, mankind, and man's early history according to a literal reading of the Book of Genesis...
that had just opened near Cincinnati, not far from Scalzi's Ohio home, if Hill paid for the ticket, offering to match the cost with a donation to the charity of Scalzi's choice after he filed a comprehensive report on the trip online. Scalzi extended the deal to all Whatever readers, raised 256 times the admission price, and posted his critical report on the Creation Museum on November 12, 2007. In September 2010 he joined with Subterranean Press and authors Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
, Patrick Rothfuss
Patrick Rothfuss
Patrick James Rothfuss is an American fantasy writer and college lecturer. He is the author of the projected three-volume series The Kingkiller Chronicle.- Biography :...
, Catherynne M. Valente
Catherynne M. Valente
Catherynne M. Valente , is a Tiptree–, Andre Norton–, and Mythopoeic Award–winning novelist, poet, and literary critic. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, the World Fantasy Award–winning anthologies Salon Fantastique and Paper Cities, along with numerous Year's Best volumes...
, Rachel Swirsky
Rachel Swirsky
Rachel Swirsky is an award-winning literary, speculative fiction and fantasy writer, poet, and editor living in California. She was the founding editor of the PodCastle podcast and served as editor from 2008 to 2010....
and others to create a chapbook story collection called Clash of the Geeks, offered online in exchange for donations to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America. Some of the stories were selected from a competition run on Whatever to write a story to explain a painting Scalzi had commissioned from Jeff Zugale, that featured Scalzi as an orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
and Wheaton riding a unicorn pegasus kitten.
In addition to his personal site, Scalzi was a professional blogger for America Online's AOL Journals and AIM Blogs service from August 2003 through December 2007. In this role he created participatory entries (most notably the Weekend Assignment and Monday Photo Shoot), answered questions about blogging from AOL members, and posted interesting links for readers. Readers of both Scalzi's personal site and his AOL Journal "By the Way" noted distinct differences in tone at each site. Scalzi has acknowledged this tonal difference, based on the different missions of each site. Scalzi also blogged professionally for AOL's Ficlets
Ficlets
Ficlets is a non-commercial AOL community website dedicated to publishing and archiving ficlets, which are similar to flash fiction. It was founded on October 31, 2006 by Kevin Lawver, though it did not become fully operational until early to mid-March 2007. On June 6, 2008, Lawver severed his...
site beginning in March 2007, writing about literature and other related topics. On December 7, 2007, Scalzi announced that by mutual agreement, his contract with AOL would not be renewed at the end of the year, in part so that he would have more time to devote to writing books.
In 2008, Scalzi began writing a weekly column on science fiction/fantasy films for AMCTV.com, the Web site of cable television network AMC
AMC (TV network)
AMC is a cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming...
.
For traditional media, Scalzi wrote a DVD review column and an opinion column for the Official US Playstation Magazine from 2000 through 2006, wrote an additional DVD review column for the Dayton Daily News
Dayton Daily News
The Dayton Daily News is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. It is owned by Cox Enterprises. In the 2010 Associated Press Society of Ohio newspaper competition that takes place every year, DaytonDailyNews.com was named "the best large-newspaper web site in Ohio".-History:On August 15,...
through 2006, and writes for other magazines and newspapers on an occasional basis. He also works as a consultant for businesses, primarily in the online and financial fields.
On January 14, 2009, Scalzi announced he would be a creative consultant on upcoming science-fiction television show Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
.
Old Man's War universe
- Old Man's WarOld Man's WarOld Man's War is a science fiction novel by John Scalzi published in 2005. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2006. It was optioned by Paramount Pictures in 2011...
(20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
, Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, ISBN 0-7653-0940-8) - The Ghost BrigadesThe Ghost BrigadesThe Ghost Brigades is the second book by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe.-Plot summary:The main character in this narrative is Jared Dirac. He is instilled with the consciousness of a traitor, Charles Boutin, and has to deal with memories of a life he hasn't lived, while trying to...
(February 20062006 in literatureThe year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
, Tor Books, ISBN 0-7653-1502-5) - The Last ColonyThe Last ColonyThe Last Colony is the third science fiction novel by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe. It was nominated for a 2008 Hugo Award in the Best Novel category.-Plot synopsis:...
(April 20072007 in literatureThe year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
, Tor Books, ISBN 0-7653-1697-8) - Zoe's TaleZoe's TaleZoe's Tale is the fourth full-length book by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe.-Plot synopsis:Zoe's Tale is a retelling of Scalzi's third Old Man's War novel, The Last Colony, written as a first-person narrative from the viewpoint of Zoë Boutin Perry...
(August 20082008 in literatureThe year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif Kureishi , Jenny Uglow , Peter Vansittart and Debjani Chatterjee are all rewarded for "services to literature".*June 15 - Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times...
, Tor Books, ISBN 0-7653-1698-6)
The Android's Dream universe
- The Android's DreamThe Android's Dream-Plot synopsis:The story covers the journey of ex-soldier and State Department employee Harry Creek in his work to acquire a sheep of the Android's Dream breed for the coronation ceremony of the Nidu. The breed is very rare and believed extinct, leading Harry on a chase to find the last one...
(October 2006, Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, ISBN 0-7653-0941-6) - "Judge Sn Goes Golfing" (chapbook, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, December 2009; abridged audio) - The High Castle (forthcoming)
Stand-alone novels
- Agent to the StarsAgent to the StarsAgent to the Stars is an 1997 by John Scalzi. It is also available in a hardback version from 2005. It was originally written as a "shareware" novel. A limited edition was published in 2005 by Subterranean Press, with a cover by Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade fame. An audiobook version narrated by...
(1997 online; August 2005 Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, ISBN 1-59606-020-4. October 2008, Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, ISBN 0-7653-1771-0) - Fuzzy Nation (May 2011 Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, ISBN 0-76532-854-2) - Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas (forthcoming, June 2012 from Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
)
Old Man's War universe
- The Sagan Diary (February 20072007 in literatureThe year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, ISBN 978-1-59606-103-3; April 2008, Audible.com)
Stand-alone
- The God EnginesThe God EnginesThe God Engines is a science fiction novella by John Scalzi published in 2009. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novella.- Synopsis :...
(December 2009, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, ISBN 978-1-59606-299-3)
Short fiction
- "Alien Animal Encounters" (Strange HorizonsStrange HorizonsStrange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
(online), 15 October 2001) - "New Directives for Employee - Manxtse Relations" (published in Chapbook titled "Sketches of Daily Life: Two Missives From Possible Futures" by Subterranean Press, 2005. Chapbook also reprinted "Alien Animal Encounters")
- "Questions for a Soldier" (chapbook, Subterranean Press, December 2005, ISBN 1-59606-048-4)
- "Missives from Possible Futures #1: Alternate History Search Results" (Subterranean Magazine, online edition, February 2007)
- "How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story" (chapbook, Subterranean Press, 2007; available as shareware from scalzi.com as of April, 2008)
- "Pluto Tells All" (Subterranean Magazine, online edition), May 2007
- "Utere nihil non extra quiritationem suis" (METAtropolis, Audible.com, 2008, Subterranean Press 2009, Tor Books 2010)
- "After the Coup" (Tor.com, July 2008)
- "Denise Jones, Super Booker" (Subterranean Magazine, online edition), September 2008)
- "The Tale of the Wicked" (The New Space Opera 2 anthology, June 2009)
- "The President's Brain is Missing" (Tor.com, July 2010)
- "An Election" (Subterranean Magazine presented story on Scalzi's blog, online edition), November 2010
- "The Other Large Thing" (Short story first published on Tweetdeck's "Deck.Ly" reprinted on Scalzi's blog), August 2011
Non-fiction books
- The Rough Guide to Money Online (October 2000, Rough Guide BooksRough GuidesRough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
) - The Rough Guide to the Universe (May 2003, Rough Guide Books, ISBN 1-85828-939-4)
- The Book of the Dumb (November 2003, Portable Press, ISBN 1-59223-149-7)
- The Book of the Dumb 2 (November 2004, Portable Press, ISBN 1-59223-269-8)
- The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies (October 2005, Rough Guide Books, ISBN 1-84353-520-3)
- You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing (2007, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, ISBN 1-59606-063-0) - Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: Selected Writing, 1998–2008 (Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
, 2008, ISBN 1-59606-211-8).
Editor
- Subterranean Magazine, #4 (2006, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
) - METAtropolis (2008, Audible.com; 2009, Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
ISBN 1-59606-238-X ; 2010 Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, ISBN 0-7653-2710-4)
Awards
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, for best new science fiction writer of 2005
- Old Man's War was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best NovelHugo Award for Best NovelThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
in 2006, and was a finalist for the Locus AwardLocus AwardThe Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
for Best First Novel - 2007 Geffen AwardGeffen AwardThe Geffen Award is an annual literary award given by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1999, and presented at the Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, ICon Festival...
(Best translated science fiction book in Israel) for Old Man's War, Translated by Raz Greenberg - The Ghost Brigades was a nominee for the Prometheus AwardPrometheus AwardThe Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society, which also publishes a quarterly journal Prometheus. L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newly founded Libertarian Futurist...
in 2007 - "Missives from Possible Futures #1: Alternate History Search Results" was a finalist for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in 2007
- 2008 Hugo Award for Best Fan WriterHugo Award for Best Fan WriterThe Hugo Awards are presented every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
(also nominated in 2007). The Last Colony was also nominated for the Best Novel Hugo Award in 2008 - Hugo Award for Best Related Book, for Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever 1998 - 2008 in 2009.
- METAtropolis was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, in 2009, and Zoe's Tale was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2009 but neither won.
- Zoe's Tale was also nominated for the Andre Norton AwardAndre Norton AwardThe Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton , is a yearly juried award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to the author of an outstanding young adult science fiction or...
for Best Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy, and for the 2008 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Science Fiction Novel - "After the Coup" was a finalist for the 2009 Locus Award for Best Short Story; Zoe's Tale was a 2009 Locus Award finalist for Best Young-Adult Novel
- The God EnginesThe God EnginesThe God Engines is a science fiction novella by John Scalzi published in 2009. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novella.- Synopsis :...
was nominated for the 2010 Hugo Award for Best NovellaHugo Award for Best NovellaThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society 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 once officially...
, as well as the 2009 Nebula Award for Best NovellaNebula Award for Best NovellaWinners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.-Winners and other nominees:-External links:**... - 2010 Seiun AwardSeiun AwardThe 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...
, for The Last Colony (Best Foreign Language Novel of the Year) - 2010 Kurd-Laßwitz-PreisKurd-Laßwitz-PreisThe Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis is possibly the best-known science fiction award from Germany. The award is named after the science fiction author Kurd Laßwitz....
, for The Android’s Dream (Best Foreign Novel)
Nomenclature
The name of the main character from Old Man's War, John Perry, comes from the first name of the keyboardist of JourneyJourney (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, and the last name of the vocalist. Similarly, the character Steve Cain has the first name of the vocalist and the last name of the keyboardist. There are also characters whose names are based on Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins, E.J. Fischer and Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
.
The name of the main character of Android's Dream is taken from the name of the street on which Scalzi lived at the time of writing.
External links
- John Scalzi's blog
- John Scalzi's twitter
- John Scalzi's column on AMCTV.com
- John Scalzi at Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
- John Scalzi at the Internet Book List
Interviews
- Strange Horizons Interview: John Scalzi, by Dawn Burnell, March 2005
- Authors @ Google presentation, April 2007
- John Scalzi on The Glenn & Helen Show
- TV Interview with John Scalzi, by Glenn Reynolds
- Same Story with a 21st Century Sensibility: A Conversation with John Scalzi, Clarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld Magazine is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. The first issue was published October 1, 2006 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Sarah Monette, Catherynne Valente, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin R...
, April 2011