Philip Purser-Hallard
Encyclopedia
Philip Purser-Hallard is an author and scholar whose interests in science fiction
and religion
have been expressed both in fiction and non-fiction.
Purser-Hallard received his doctorate in English literature at Oxford University, during which time he was President and Society Poet of the Douglas Adams
Society, and a founder member of a student comedy troupe called Cruel and Unusual Punishment. His DPhil thesis, entitled 'The Relationship Between Creator and Creature in Science Fiction', examines how British and American science fiction of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries examine the relationship between humanity and a putative creating deity through stories about the creation of sentient individuals by scientists, working from Mary Shelley
's Frankenstein
through to recent authors like Bruce Sterling
, William Gibson
and Dan Simmons
. He also has interests in eschatological science fiction, as seen in his first novel, Of the City of the Saved...
.
Purser-Hallard has given three talks at the liberal Christian Greenbelt festival
, all on the intersections of science fiction and religious themes: "Science Fiction as the Bible" and "The Bible as Science Fiction]" (2004), and "The Spirituality of Doctor Who" (2005). Between 2006 and 2009 he wrote a regular column on science fiction and faith for Surefish, the ISP and webzine arm of Christian Aid
. He publishes regular 140-character microfictions on Twitter
, under the username trapphic.
Most of his published fiction to date has been set in shared universe
s with origins in Doctor Who licensed fiction
. His brother Nick Hallard
, an artist, provided unofficial illustrations for Purser-Hallard's Of the City of the Saved...
web pages.
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...
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
have been expressed both in fiction and non-fiction.
Purser-Hallard received his doctorate in English literature at Oxford University, during which time he was President and Society Poet of the Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
Society, and a founder member of a student comedy troupe called Cruel and Unusual Punishment. His DPhil thesis, entitled 'The Relationship Between Creator and Creature in Science Fiction', examines how British and American science fiction of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries examine the relationship between humanity and a putative creating deity through stories about the creation of sentient individuals by scientists, working from Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
's Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
through to recent authors like Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
, William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
and Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
. He also has interests in eschatological science fiction, as seen in his first novel, Of the City of the Saved...
Of the City of the Saved...
Of the City of the Saved... is an original novel by Philip Purser-Hallard set in the Faction Paradox universe. Laura Tobin, who first appeared in the BBC Doctor Who books, is a major character in the novel....
.
Purser-Hallard has given three talks at the liberal Christian Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
, all on the intersections of science fiction and religious themes: "Science Fiction as the Bible" and "The Bible as Science Fiction]" (2004), and "The Spirituality of Doctor Who" (2005). Between 2006 and 2009 he wrote a regular column on science fiction and faith for Surefish, the ISP and webzine arm of Christian Aid
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 40 British and Irish churches and works to support sustainable development, alleviate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia...
. He publishes regular 140-character microfictions on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, under the username trapphic.
Most of his published fiction to date has been set in shared universe
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....
s with origins in Doctor Who licensed fiction
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
. His brother Nick Hallard
Nick Hallard
Nick Hallard is an artist based in Worthing in the United Kingdom, known primarily for his work on pub signs. He is the owner of Eyebright Murals, which supplies his hand-painted signs to the inn trade in the UK and beyond, as well as to private and specialist customers...
, an artist, provided unofficial illustrations for Purser-Hallard's Of the City of the Saved...
Of the City of the Saved...
Of the City of the Saved... is an original novel by Philip Purser-Hallard set in the Faction Paradox universe. Laura Tobin, who first appeared in the BBC Doctor Who books, is a major character in the novel....
web pages.
Novel
- Of the City of the Saved...Of the City of the Saved...Of the City of the Saved... is an original novel by Philip Purser-Hallard set in the Faction Paradox universe. Laura Tobin, who first appeared in the BBC Doctor Who books, is a major character in the novel....
(Mad Norwegian Press 2004), a novel in the Faction ParadoxFaction ParadoxFaction 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...
series.
Novellas
- Predating the Predators, a novella (alongside others by Mags L HallidayMags L HallidayLiz Halliday is an author who writes under the name Mags L Halliday in Doctor Who-series of science fiction. She is distinct from the writer Liz Holliday, who has also contributed to Doctor Who-related science fiction....
and Kelly HaleKelly HaleKelly Hale is an American author. Her first novel was the e-book Erasing Sherlock Holmes, which mixed Sherlock Holmes with a time-travel plot. Her next novel, co-written with Simon Bucher-Jones, was the BBC Doctor Who novel Grimm Reality...
) in The Vampire CurseThe Vampire CurseThe Vampire Curse is a Big Finish original novella collection, featuring Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, fighting vampires. It was published in 2008.-Stories:-External links:*...
(Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
2008), an anthology in the Bernice SummerfieldBernice SummerfieldBernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
range. - Nursery Politics, a novella (alongside others by Kate OrmanKate OrmanKate Orman is an Australian author, best known for her books connected to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
and Jonathan BlumJonathan BlumJonathan Blum is an American writer most known for his work for various Doctor Who spin-offs, usually with his wife Kate Orman although he has also been published on his own...
) in Nobody's ChildrenNobody's ChildrenNobody's Children is a Big Finish original novella collection, featuring Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was published in 2007.-Stories:...
(Big Finish Productions 2007), a Bernice Summerfield anthology. - Peculiar LivesPeculiar LivesPeculiar Lives is the seventh in the series of Time Hunter novellas and features the characters Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish from Daniel O'Mahony's Doctor Who novella The Cabinet of Light...
(Telos PublishingTelos PublishingTelos Publishing Ltd. is a publishing company, originally established by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker, with their first publication being a horror anthology based on the television series Urban Gothic in 2001...
2005), a novella in the Time HunterTime HunterThe Time Hunter series of books is published by Telos Publishing Ltd. and features the characters Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish from Daniel O'Mahony's Doctor Who novella The Cabinet of Light...
series.
Short fiction
- A Hundred Words from a Civil War in A Romance in Twelve PartsA Romance in Twelve PartsA Romance in Twelve Parts is a short story anthology edited by Lawrence Miles and Stuart Douglas, published by Obverse Books in May 2011, featuring the voodoo-style time-travelling cult Faction Paradox....
(Obverse BooksObverse BooksObverse Books is a British publisher, best known for publishing books relating to the character Iris Wildthyme. The imprint was founded by Stuart Douglas in 2008 to provide an outlet for adult-oriented fiction relating to Doctor Who,...
2011, edited by 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 Stuart Douglas). - Battleship Anathema in Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial OmnibusIris Wildthyme and the Celestial OmnibusIris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus is a short-story anthology edited by Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas, published by Obverse Books and featuring Iris Wildthyme, a series character with a complicated publishing history, who previously appeared in the series of Doctor Who books from the BBC.It...
(Obverse BooksObverse BooksObverse Books is a British publisher, best known for publishing books relating to the character Iris Wildthyme. The imprint was founded by Stuart Douglas in 2008 to provide an outlet for adult-oriented fiction relating to Doctor Who,...
2009, edited by Paul MagrsPaul MagrsPaul Magrs is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England, and now lives in Manchester with his partner, author and lecturer Jeremy Hoad.-Early life:...
and Stuart Douglas). - Future Relations (co-written with Nick WallaceNick WallaceNick Wallace is a novelist and short story writer based in Tunbridge Wells, best known for his work in Doctor Who spin-offs. He is the author of Fear Itself, the only BBC novel to date featuring solely the Eighth Doctor not to be published as part of the ongoing Eighth Doctor Adventures line;...
) and five pieces under the umbrella title Perspectives in Collected WorksCollected WorksCollected Works is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Nick Wallace, featuring Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
(Big Finish Productions 2006, edited by Nick Wallace), a Bernice Summerfield anthology. - The Ruins of Time in Short Trips: Time SignatureShort Trips: Time SignatureShort Trips: Time Signature is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The collection is themed loosely around music, time and consequences.-Stories:...
(Big Finish Productions 2006, edited by Simon GuerrierSimon GuerrierSimon Guerrier is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of Doctor Who and its spinoffs...
), a Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor 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...
anthology . - The Long Midwinter in Short Trips: The History of ChristmasShort Trips: The History of ChristmasShort Trips: The History of Christmas is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second Christmas anthology released under the Short Trips title.-Stories:-External links:*...
(Big Finish Productions 2005, edited by Simon Guerrier), a Doctor Who anthology . - Minions of the Moon in Wildthyme on TopWildthyme on TopWildthyme on Top is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Paul Magrs, featuring Iris Wildthyme and her companion Tom, characters from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Stories:...
(Big Finish Productions 2005, edited by Paul Magrs). - Sex Secrets of the Robot Replicants in A Life Worth LivingA Life Worth Living (anthology)A Life Worth Living is a Big Finish original anthology edited by Simon Guerrier, featuring Bernice Summerfield, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Stories:...
(Big Finish Productions 2004, edited by Guerrier), a Bernice Summerfield anthology. Sex Secrets of the Robot Replicants was reprinted as a prelude to the novel The Two JasonsThe Two JasonsThe Two Jasons is a novel by Dave Stone, focusing on the life of Jason Kane, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Dave StoneDave Stone-Biography:Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and Judge Dredd.Stone also contributed a number of comic series to 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, focusing on the Dreddverse...
(Big Finish Productions 2007). - Scapegoat in Emerge (Subway 2003, edited by Jane Campion and Jude Simpson), an anthology of poetry, prose and drama.
- Various entries in The Book of the WarThe Book of the WarThe Book of the War is a hypertext multi-author novel presented in the form of an encyclopedia of the first 50 years of the War in the Faction Paradox universe based on the Doctor Who universe. The book was edited by Lawrence Miles, and written by Miles, Simon Bucher-Jones, Daniel O'Mahony, Ian...
(Mad Norwegian Press 2002, edited by 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...
), an anthology in encyclopedia form belonging to the Faction Paradox series.
Criticism
- The Drugs Did Work, an article on Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
, in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
(12 August 2006). - "Cybernetic godhead": the relationship between creator and creature in the science fiction of William Gibson, in the journal ManuScript (1999).
- A Momentary Stay Against Confusion, an interview with Dan SimmonsDan SimmonsDan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
(2003).
External links
- Homepage
- Microfiction, including the sequence Homo Arcanum: A Posthuman Tarot.
- Surefish
- Cruel and Unusual Punishment
- ManuScript