Ricardo Pinto
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Pinto is a computer game programmer and fantasy
author
.
His family moved to London
when he was six and then to Dundee
in Scotland
. In 1979, he commenced a degree in Mathematics
at the University of Dundee
. In 1983, he moved to London to work as a programmer writing computer games. He moved back to Edinburgh
and then to Bristol
working on game design. He became interested in creating the plot for games and wrote Kryomek and Hivestone as support material for tabletop wargames.
which was published in (1999). This forms the first part of a trilogy The Stone Dance of the Chameleon
. The second volume The Standing Dead
was published in 2002. The third volume was highly anticipated, but missed the publication deadline. The delay was partly caused by the author's house in Edinburgh being severely damaged by fire. In a recent update on the author's website, however, he states that the third book has been completed, with publication planned for March 2009. The trilogy concerns the harrowing experiences of the young and inexperienced heir to a ruling dynasty who is suddenly taken from his protected childhood and thrust into a cruel society where he must fight for his family honour, his position and his life.
Pinto was interviewed about the books and stated that he wrote a first draft of the story during the long holiday while at university in 1982, and had written expanded drafts of the parts which became the second and third books while employed writing computer games. His starting point for writing was the experience gained designing games, which had also required the development of a detailed fantasy world. Considerable time was spent researching and developing background detail for all three books, extending to constructing models of the locations within them. The aim was to remove any possible plot difficulties which might appear in the last book before committing to the detail published in the first. The series has taken 10 years of work to complete.
Pinto reported that he has ideas for perhaps another 20 different books, but would not want to spend so much time on any one project again. He has expressed an interest in writing historical novels, but chose the fantasy format initially because of the freedom to create his own world without having to be historically accurate. An initial conceptual idea was that the story was set in late Cretaceous period Antarctica, with the wildlife, day and year length chosen to match information about this period.
Pinto has said that the books include his most deeply held political beliefs. He also felt that despite possible commercial difficulties, his first novel should include gay characters as a reflection of his own life experiences. He acknowledged that his ideas on writing and creating fantasy worlds had been influenced by the works of Tolkien and the 'Dune' novels of Frank Herbert
.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
His family moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
when he was six and then to Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1979, he commenced a degree in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
. In 1983, he moved to London to work as a programmer writing computer games. He moved back to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and then to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
working on game design. He became interested in creating the plot for games and wrote Kryomek and Hivestone as support material for tabletop wargames.
Writing
When gaming proved unprofitable he began to work seriously on a novel, The ChosenThe Chosen (Ricardo Pinto)
The Chosen is a fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto, and also his first novel. It is the first part of the series, The Stone Dance of the Chameleon. A 2000 Locus poll ranked it 14th in the Best First Novel category....
which was published in (1999). This forms the first part of a trilogy The Stone Dance of the Chameleon
The Stone Dance of the Chameleon
The Stone Dance of the Chameleon is a fantasy trilogy by Ricardo Pinto. It consists of The Chosen , The Standing Dead and The Third God .The chameleon is the sign of the house of Suth of which the leading character is a son...
. The second volume The Standing Dead
The Standing Dead
The Standing Dead is a fantasy novel by Ricardo Pinto. It is the second part of the The Stone Dance of the Chameleon series. Published first in May 2002 by Bantam Press....
was published in 2002. The third volume was highly anticipated, but missed the publication deadline. The delay was partly caused by the author's house in Edinburgh being severely damaged by fire. In a recent update on the author's website, however, he states that the third book has been completed, with publication planned for March 2009. The trilogy concerns the harrowing experiences of the young and inexperienced heir to a ruling dynasty who is suddenly taken from his protected childhood and thrust into a cruel society where he must fight for his family honour, his position and his life.
Pinto was interviewed about the books and stated that he wrote a first draft of the story during the long holiday while at university in 1982, and had written expanded drafts of the parts which became the second and third books while employed writing computer games. His starting point for writing was the experience gained designing games, which had also required the development of a detailed fantasy world. Considerable time was spent researching and developing background detail for all three books, extending to constructing models of the locations within them. The aim was to remove any possible plot difficulties which might appear in the last book before committing to the detail published in the first. The series has taken 10 years of work to complete.
Pinto reported that he has ideas for perhaps another 20 different books, but would not want to spend so much time on any one project again. He has expressed an interest in writing historical novels, but chose the fantasy format initially because of the freedom to create his own world without having to be historically accurate. An initial conceptual idea was that the story was set in late Cretaceous period Antarctica, with the wildlife, day and year length chosen to match information about this period.
Pinto has said that the books include his most deeply held political beliefs. He also felt that despite possible commercial difficulties, his first novel should include gay characters as a reflection of his own life experiences. He acknowledged that his ideas on writing and creating fantasy worlds had been influenced by the works of Tolkien and the 'Dune' novels of Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
.
External links
- ricardopinto.com
- Interview at SFFWorld.com by Gary Alan Wassner
- Ricardo Pinto transworld books website
- http://www.sfsite.com/03a/rp147.htm SFsite, interview by Victoria StraussVictoria StraussVictoria Strauss is the author of eight fantasy novels for adults and young adults, including the Stone duology and the Way of Arata duology...
Feb 2003 - Interview by Iain Emsley for SFreview