Category Archives: obituary

Rest in Peace, Patricia A. McKillip (1948-2022)

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I saw on Twitter today that Patricia A. McKillip has died. She was one of the best stylisits in the fantasy field. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the 2000 World Fantasy Convention and again at the 2006 World Fantasy Convention

McKillip won a World Fantasy Award for her first adult novel, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld in 1974. She followed it up with the Riddlemaster Trilogy. This was the first thing I read by her in the SFBC omnibus edition.

I was hooked.

Over the years McKillip only got better. Most of her novels were stand-alones. Beginning in the late 1990’s, McKillip began publishing a series of novels through Ace books with the most gorgeous covers. I’ve got all of them, although I’ve not read all of them yet.

If you’ve not read her work, give it a try. It’s not sword and sorcery, but it is some of the best fantasy written in the last half century. I’m going to try to work more of her books into the reading schedule. I think I’ll give the Riddlemaster trilogy another read. It’s been long enough that a lot of the details have faded.

RIP, Dave Wolverton (1957-2022) and Ron Goulart (1933-2022)

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This wasn’t the post I had planned to write today, and it certainly isn’t one I want to write. The fields of fantasy and science fiction have lost two of thier luminaries.

Dave Wolverton, who is probably better know as David Farland, died from head injuries he suffered due to a fall down a set of stairs. Goulart had been hospitalized in December with pneumonia and was suffering from dementia. Both men died on the 14th. Goulart had turned 89 the day before. Continue reading →

Rest in Peace, Lou Antonelli (1957-2021)

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Science Fiction author Lou Antonelli passed away on October 6 of pneumonia. He is survived by his wife Patricia, his mother, and a brother and sister. Born in Massachusetts, Lou loved Texas and considered himself to be a Texan.

Lou was mainly a short fiction writer, although he also published on novel (Another Girl, Another Planet) and a memoir/short fiction collection/writing advice (Letters From Gardner: A Writer’s Odyssey). Lou’s short fiction has been collected in Fantastic Texas, Texas and Other Planets, The Clock Struck None, and In the Shadow of the Cross.

Lou was a journalist all his life. In recent years his fiction output slowed when he and his wife bought The Clarksville Times, the local newspaper in Clarksville, Texas. The paper had been declining before the Antonellis bought it. They successfully turned it around. (Some sources are saying Lou was from Clarksville, Arkansas, but that’s not correct.)

I’ve known Lou for about 15 years. I met him through his wife, Patricia, who was a student in one of my classes when I was at a university in the northeast part of the state. Lou and I had attended the same science fiction convention a few months prior to my meeting Patricia, but our paths hadn’t crossed.

Over the years, Lou and I shared cars to and from, and rooms at, conventions. He was a good traveling companion and roommate. More importantly he was a good friend. After I moved to West Texas, we didn’t see each other much, just at a convention once in a while. From time to time, we’d talk on the phone. I was unaware he’d been ill until I saw a notice of his death online. He’d been on my mind the last few days, and I’d been thinking of giving him a call. It had been a while since I’d spoken to him.

Now I can’t.

My prayers are with Patricia and the rest of Lou’s family.

Rest well, my friend.

Rest in Peace, William F. Nolan

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Locus Online is reporting that William F. Nolan (1928-2021) passed away on July 15. He was 93.

Nolan is probably best remembered as the author of Logan’s Run, co-written with George Clayton Johnson, and several sequels, written solo. Nolan was primarily a short story writer. He was a member of the California school. While he might not have received the critical acclaim other members of the group did, such as Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, he was able to produce a body of work that was quite consistent in quality. I’ve always enjoyed his work and bought any book with his name on it. I’ll raise a glass in his memory tonight.

Rest well, sir. You showed us that life is only getting started at the age of 30.

 

RIP, Phyllis Eisenstein

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Fantasy author Phyllis Eisenstein (1946-2020) passed away earlier in December. She was the author of a series of stories about Alaric the minstrel that were collected in Born to Exile. This collection was followed by In the Red Lord’s Reach.  She was also the author of Sorcerer’s Son and a sequel, The Crystal Palace. Locus is reporting there was a third volume that would have been published by Meisha Merlin, but the publisher closed before it saw print. It remains unpublished. I’ve read all of these books and would like to read more about the characters in both series. Hopefully someone will step up and return these books to print and publish the third book. Ms. Eisenstein is survived by her husband Alex. Adventures Fantastic extends its condolences to her friends and family.

RIP, Charles R. Saunders

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Reports are coming in on Facebook (which I’m not on, so this is all second hand) that Charles R. Saunders passed away in May. Saunders was born on July 12, 1946 in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. Saunders founded the sword and soul subgenre when he began writing a series of stories about a warrior named Imaro in 1970s. They were set in an alternate Africa called Nyumbani.

Saunders isn’t as widely known as he should be. Fortunately much of his work is available. Check it out.

Rest well, sir. You will be missed.

RIP, Mike Resnick

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It is with great sorrow that I write this post.  Laura Resnick is reporting that her father Mike passed away in his sleep early this morning (Jan. 10, 2020). Mike spent most of 2019 ill, and as a result accumulated some substantial medical bills.  A fundraiser has been set up to help pay off the bills.

Adventures Fantastic would like to extend condolences to Carol, Laura, the rest of the family, and all of Mike’s many friends and fans.

I’ve read many of Mike’s books over the years.  I only met him one time, at Fencon II in 2005. He was professional, approachable, and a joy to talk to. Mike was a great writer and editor.  His work is worth seeking out.

Rest in Peace, Mike.

RIP, Dennis Etchison, 1943-2019

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Dennis Etchison passed away yesterday, May 28, in his sleep.  He had been battling cancer.

Etchison was a giant in the field of horror.  He wrote screenplays, novels, and edited anthologies.  But his major contribution was as a writer of short fiction.  Some of his collections include The Dark Country, The Death Artist, and Got to Kill Them All.

I’ll honor his memory later this evening by reading some of his fiction.

Requiescat in Pace, Gene Wolfe (1931-2019)

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No sooner had I posted the previous update than a notice that Gene Wolfe had died came across my feed.

He passed away yesterday, April 14, at the age of 87 after a long battle with heart disease.  It’s early enough that many of the genre news outlets haven’t posted the news.  Here’s the only one I’ve seen so far, from Tor.com.  As more tributes become avaialbe, I’ll post links in the comments as they become available.  Feel free to post them as you come across them.

I met Gene Wolfe once, at the World Fantasy Convention in Corpus Christi in 2000.  He was a true gentleman.  I’ve not read a great deal of his work, but I’ve liked everything I’ve read by him.

I may have to stay up late after everyone has gone to bed, but I’ll be reading something he wrote tonight and raising a glass in his memory.