Lars Pearson
Encyclopedia
Lars Pearson is an American
writer, editor, and journalist. He is the owner/publisher of Mad Norwegian Press
, a publishing company specializing in reference guides to television shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel
and Doctor Who
, plus the Faction Paradox
range of novels and comic books.
studying writing at their Writing Center. He was part of the 1995 graduating class.
as the price guide editor for the magazine Wizard: The Comics Magazine
, a magazine about comic books. He later worked for collectables magazines including ToyFare
about collectible action figures and InQuest Gamer
, a magazine devoted to collectible card games. While working at ToyFare, he was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report
for his expertise in collectables.
Pearson later moved in to writing guide books for television shows. He wrote Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel, a guide book about the television series Angel. He has also written guides for the cartoon series Transformers
and G.I. Joe.
Pearson's guides have been used by other authors as in the case when author Robert G. Weiner used the G.I. Joe guide and Transformers
guide to help write Marvel graphic novels and related publications: an annotated guide to comics.
Many of the books Pearson writes are unauthorized, meaning they are not approved by the companies that produce the shows and cannot include their pictures.
. It also produces novels from freelance writers such as Harlan Ellison
, Steve Lyons and Peter David
. In order to keep expenses low, the company only employs two people, Pearson and his wife.
In 2002, Mad Norwegian started producing the book series Faction Paradox, about a group of time travelers. Pearson acts as editor for the series.
. His fondness of the show lead him to write his first book, I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels. He uses the books to provide insight in to the TV series as well as facts.
Pearson has written 12 books on the television series Doctor Who and is considered an expert on the show. The Des Moines Science Fiction Society
has labeled him "one of the foremost experts on 'Doctor Who' in North America."
Pearson's expertise on Doctor Who makes him sought out by fans of the show and science fiction conventions and he has hosted Doctor Who pledge drives on public television. Pearson is often a featured speaker at Doctor Who festivals and appears at many major science fiction conventions.
and is married to Christa Dickson. Dickson helps develop and maintain Iowa Pulic Televisions's websites and also helps run Mad Norwegian Press. She graduated from Coe College in 2001.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, editor, and journalist. He is the owner/publisher of Mad Norwegian Press
Mad Norwegian Press
Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Peter David, Harlan Ellison, Robert Shearman, Lance Parkin, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, Jody Lynn Nye, Catherynne M...
, a publishing company specializing in reference guides to television shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
and Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, plus the Faction Paradox
Faction Paradox
Faction Paradox is a fictional time travelling cult/rebel group/organized crime syndicate, originally created by the author Lawrence Miles. The Faction's belief-system as portrayed has some similarities to voodoo, and is sometimes described as such...
range of novels and comic books.
Education
Pearson attended Coe CollegeCoe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
studying writing at their Writing Center. He was part of the 1995 graduating class.
Career
Pearson's writing career started as an editor for a newspaper then moved to magazines. He attained a position with Wizard EntertainmentWizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment, formerly known as Wizard Press, was a New York-based publisher of Wizard and ToyFare magazines, along with various special issues for each magazine and the annual Toy Wishes holiday guide....
as the price guide editor for the magazine Wizard: The Comics Magazine
Wizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
, a magazine about comic books. He later worked for collectables magazines including ToyFare
ToyFare
ToyFare was a monthly comedy and collecting magazine published by Wizard Entertainment that focused on collectible action figures, busts, statues, and maquettes. It previewed new and upcoming lines and figures each month, as well as providing a price guide for toy lines, new and old...
about collectible action figures and InQuest Gamer
InQuest Gamer
InQuest Gamer is a discontinued monthly magazine for game reviews and news that was published from 1995 to 2007. Originally, the magazine was named InQuest and focused solely on collectible card games ; InQuest, along with its competitor Scrye, were the two major CCG magazines...
, a magazine devoted to collectible card games. While working at ToyFare, he was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
for his expertise in collectables.
Pearson later moved in to writing guide books for television shows. He wrote Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel, a guide book about the television series Angel. He has also written guides for the cartoon series Transformers
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
and G.I. Joe.
Pearson's guides have been used by other authors as in the case when author Robert G. Weiner used the G.I. Joe guide and Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
guide to help write Marvel graphic novels and related publications: an annotated guide to comics.
Many of the books Pearson writes are unauthorized, meaning they are not approved by the companies that produce the shows and cannot include their pictures.
Mad Norwegian Press
Pearson started his own publishing business, Mad Norwegian Press in 2001. The main focus of the business are guide books to science fictionScience 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...
. It also produces novels from freelance writers such as Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, Steve Lyons and Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
. In order to keep expenses low, the company only employs two people, Pearson and his wife.
In 2002, Mad Norwegian started producing the book series Faction Paradox, about a group of time travelers. Pearson acts as editor for the series.
Doctor Who
Pearson became a fan of Doctor Who when he saw it broadcast on Iowa's public television station IPTVIowa Public Television
Iowa Public Television is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service member non-commercial educational Public television stations in the state of Iowa. A member of the PBS, it is owned by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which holds the licenses...
. His fondness of the show lead him to write his first book, I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels. He uses the books to provide insight in to the TV series as well as facts.
Pearson has written 12 books on the television series Doctor Who and is considered an expert on the show. The Des Moines Science Fiction Society
DemiCon
DemiCon is an annual science fiction convention held in early spring in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Des Moines Science Fiction Society since 1990...
has labeled him "one of the foremost experts on 'Doctor Who' in North America."
Pearson's expertise on Doctor Who makes him sought out by fans of the show and science fiction conventions and he has hosted Doctor Who pledge drives on public television. Pearson is often a featured speaker at Doctor Who festivals and appears at many major science fiction conventions.
- 2001 — The Twelfth Regeneration of Gallifrey OneGallifrey OneGallifrey One is an annual North American science fiction convention focusing primarily on the British television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs, Torchwood, K-9 and The Sarah Jane Adventures, with an additional emphasis on British and American science fiction television media, held each...
(Van Nuys, CA) - 2001 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2003 — Gallifrey One: Episode XIV - The Faction Paradox (Van Nuys, CA)
- 2003 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2004 — Gallifrey One's Fifteen Minutes of Fame (Van Nuys, CA)
- 2004 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2005 — The Sixteen Swashbucklers of Gallifrey One (Van Nuys, CA)
- 2005 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2007 — The Eighteenth Amendment of Gallifrey One (Los Angeles, CA)
- 2007 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2008 — Gallifrey One's Nineteenth Symphony: Opus 2008 (Los Angeles, CA)
- 2008 — Chicago TARDIS (Chicago, IL)
- 2008 — DemiConDemiConDemiCon is an annual science fiction convention held in early spring in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Des Moines Science Fiction Society since 1990...
19 (Des Moines, IA) - 2009 — Dragon*Con (Atlanta, GA)
- 2010 — TimeGateTimeGateTimeGate is an Atlanta-based science fiction convention dedicated to Doctor Who and Stargate fandom, though general SF/F interests are also represented.-History:...
(Atlanta, GA) - 2010 — Dragon*Con (Atlanta, GA)
Awards
Pearson's book About Time 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 7 to 11) (2nd Edition) was nominated for a BSFA award for non-fiction in 2009.Personal life
Pearson is a resident of Des Moines, IowaDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
and is married to Christa Dickson. Dickson helps develop and maintain Iowa Pulic Televisions's websites and also helps run Mad Norwegian Press. She graduated from Coe College in 2001.
Publications
- I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels, 1999 ISBN 0-9673746-0-X
- I, Who 2: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels and Audios, 2001 ISBN 1-57032-900-1
- Prime Targets: The Unauthorized Story Guide to Transformers, Beast Wars & Beast Machines, 2001 ISBN 1-57032-901-X
- Now You Know: The Unauthorized Guide to GI Joe TV & Comics, 2002 ISBN 1-57032-902-8
- I, Who 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels and Audios, 2003 ISBN 0-9725959-1-0
- Dusted: The Unauthorized Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (with Lawrence MilesLawrence MilesLawrence Miles is a science fiction author known for his work on original Doctor Who novels and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox...
and Christa Dickson) 2003 ISBN 0-9725959-0-2 - AHistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe (written by Lance ParkinLance ParkinLance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...
with additional material by Pearson), 2006 ISBN 0-9725959-9-6 - Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel (with Christa Dickson), 2006 ISBN 0-9725959-3-7
- AHistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe [Second Edition] (written by Lance ParkinLance ParkinLance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...
with additional material by Pearson), 2007 ISBN 0-9759446-6-5 - About Time 3: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 7 to 11) (2nd Edition) (written by Tat WoodTat WoodTat Wood is co-writer of the About Time episode guides to the television series Doctor Who. This book series, begun in 2004, emphasises the importance of understanding the series in the context of British politics, culture and science. Volume Six is entirely Wood's work.Wood has also written for...
, Lawrence Miles, Lars Pearson (Editor)), 2009 ISBN 978-0975944677 - About Time 6: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 22 to 26, the TV Movie) (written by Tat WoodTat WoodTat Wood is co-writer of the About Time episode guides to the television series Doctor Who. This book series, begun in 2004, emphasises the importance of understanding the series in the context of British politics, culture and science. Volume Six is entirely Wood's work.Wood has also written for...
with additional material by Pearson), 2007 ISBN 0-9759446-5-7 - Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to X-Files, Millennium and The Lone Gunmen (written by Robert Shearman, with additional material by Pearson), 2009 ISBN 978-0-9759446-9-1
- Fluid Links: The Unauthorized Guide to the Doctor Who Novels and Audios (successor to 'I, Who', co-written with Robert Smith?, Michael D. Thomas and Anthony Wilson (forthcoming)
Other books
- Faction Paradox: The Book of the War (contributing author, uncredited), 2002 ISBN 1-57032-905-2