Two more birthdays, both for writers who are fading into obscurity. But shouldn’t be. James E. Gunn and Donald Westlake. Continue reading
Gunn and Westlake
2 Replies
Tag Archives: birthday
Two Authors and an Artist
I’ve got three people I’m going to mention for birthdays on July 11. Hugh B. Cave, Cordwainer Smith, and Roy G. Krenkel. Continue reading
Jacobi and Others
Today is July 10 as I’m writing this. It’s late, though, so most of you probably won’t see it for a day or two. But there are half a dozen birthdays I want to highlight. I’m going to start with the person who was probably the most significant in terms of the coverage of this blog. That’s Carl Jacobi. Continue reading
Robert Anson Heinlein
Today, Julyl 7, is the birthday of Robert Heinlein (1907-1988). Heinlein when I was growing up was considered one of the top science fiction writers working. As in the top two or three writers, if not holding the number one spot.
In the years since his death, his star has faded a good deal. Some of this is natural after an author dies, especially if there isn’t a perdon or organization that works to keep that author’s works in print.
You can still find his work in bookstores, although there are only a few titles on the shelf. Stragner in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mitsress, Time Enough for Love, and I Will Fear No Evil. That list is based on memory. I don’t live near a bookstore anymore, so it’s been more than a month since I looked. Continue reading
A Celebration of Birthdays
July 3 brings us more than one birthday to celebrate, so we’ll start with July 2, because I didn’t make it to the computer yesterday. Then we’ll move on to the ones from today. Continue reading
Cleve Cartmill
June 21 is the birthday of Cleve Cartmill (1908-1964). Cartmill wrote science fiction in the nineteen forties. He cointinued to write into the middle fifties, although his output slowed significantly.
Robert Heinlein hosted an informal group of writers at his house in California in the early forties before the war. Cartmill attended. Heinlein introduced Cartmill to John Campbell, and most of Cartmill’s work appeared in with Astounding or Unknown.
Cartmill is best remembered today for the story “Deadline”. One could argue that he is only remembered today because of that story. Continue reading
Remembering Kage Baker
Kage Baker
I promise I will write up this year’s Robert E. Howard Days, but it will be later in the week. Tonight, I want to pay tribute to one of my favorite writers, a lady who is no longer with us and whose work should be remembered.
I’m talking about Kage Baker (1952-2010), who was born today, June 10. I had the pleasureof meeting her at Armadillcon 25, but I had been reading her work for several years prior to that.
And no, that’s not a typo, nor is this a post about another Carolynn Catherine O’Shea. Kage was a combination of the names Kate and Genevieve, which were her middle names
Kage broke into the science fiction and fantasy scene in the late nineties and early two thousands with a series of short stories and novellas, most of them published in Asimov’s.
These stories concerned an ensemble group of operatives of an organization referred to as simply The Company. The series ran to seven novels and three collections of short fiction. The operatives of the Company are immortal time traveling cyborgs.
It doesn’t get much better than that. Continue reading
McComas, Laumer, and Carter
There are three birthdays today that I want to look at, one briefly, one not so briefly, and one at a bit more length. Continue reading
Tom Godwin
Forgot to hit Publish last night.
June 6 is the birthday of Tome Godwin (1915-1980). He published approximately two dozen short stories and three novels, most of them in the nineteeen fifties. If it weren’t for one particular story, he woudl probably be totally forgotten today.
But that one story was a doozy. It created controversy when it was published in the August 1954 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It’s still controversial today.
Seventy years later.
That’s an impactful story.
The story I’m talking about is, of course, “The Coldl Equations”.
If you haven’t read it but think you might (and you should; it holds up well), then you need to be aware that pretty much the rest of this post is going to be one giant spoiler.
You’ve been warned. Continue reading
Lester Del Rey
Lester Del Rey at Minicon 8 (1974)
Lester Del Rey (1915-1993) was born today, June 2.
Most people today would think of Del Rey books if they recognized the name Del Rey at all.
But Lester Del Rey did more than have his name as an imprint of Ballantine Books. One must ask the question why he would be selected to have his name on a imprint in the first place.
In reality, it wasn’t jsut Lester who founded the imprint. He shared that honor with his wife Judy-Lynn Del Rey.
I don’t remember when I first became aware of him as a writer. I do recall the first book of his I read. It was the science fiction book club edition of The Early Del Rey. This was a single volume. In mass market paperbacks, it was published in two volumes.
Much of what I’m going to write will be based on that. Continue reading