Cat Hellisen

Last updated

Cat Hellisen
Cat Hellisen, author.jpg
Born (1977-05-31) 31 May 1977 (age 47)
OccupationWriter
NationalitySouth African
Genre Fantasy, Young adult, Middle Grade
Notable worksWhen the Sea is Rising Red
Website
www.cathellisen.com

Cat Hellisen (born 31 May 1977) is the South African author of fantasy novels When the Sea is Rising Red, House of Sand and Secrets, and Beastkeeper.. [1]

Contents

Biography

Cat Hellisen was born in Cape Town and has lived in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and Nottingham, England. They currently live in Scotland. [1]

Awards

In 2015, Cat Hellisen won the Short Story Day Africa award at the Ake Arts & Book Festival in Nigeria, presented by Prize judge Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, for their story "The Worme Bridge". [2]

Works

Novels

Short Stories

Reception

Publishers Weekly writes of When The Sea Is Rising Red, "Hellisen's style features evocative descriptions and unflinching detail, drawing readers into the unusual and intriguing elements that make up Felicita's socially complex world," [21] while Kirkus says that "the worldbuilding intrigues, and the open-ended conclusion begs a sequel." [22] In a starred review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books writes, "Dark, foreboding, and not entirely redemptive, this is an intense look at the seeds of rebellion and the individual consequences they sometimes reap." [23]

Kirkus calls the narration for Beastkeeper, “...thoughtful and lyrical. Figurative prose is memorable yet never flashy.” in a starred review. [24] Publishers Weekly also gave it a star, saying, “Blending modern-day problems and ancient magical curses, Hellisen’s (When the Sea Is Rising Red) novel sparkles like a classic fairy tale, even as it plumbs unpleasant truths.” [25] The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books suggests in a starred review that "older fans of fairy tales and their retellings will revel in this poetic, tragic, epic story of a girl who is faced with the worst of what people can choose and instead decides to step outside of the curse and make her own way." [26] Voya gives another star and writes, “"Beastkeeper is a bright, beautiful sliver of a novel ... Every page shimmers with magic." [27]

The judges of Short Story Day Africa 2015 said of "The Worme Bridge": "The story works effortlessly to construct an other kind of reality while grounding itself in the real world. The writing is compelling: the reader is drawn into this family and the strangeness that overtakes them. We found this a powerful piece of writing that continues to haunt the reader afterwards.” [28]

Related Research Articles

Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual characters—without demanding the creation of an entire imaginary world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian McDonald (British author)</span> British science fiction novelist

Ian McDonald is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Joseph Adams</span> American editor, critic, and publisher

John Joseph Adams is an American science fiction and fantasy editor, critic, and publisher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Klages</span> American writer (born 1954)

Ellen Klages is an American science, science fiction and historical fiction writer who lives in San Francisco. Her novelette "Basement Magic" won the 2005 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. She had previously been nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell awards. Her first (non-genre) novel, The Green Glass Sea, was published by Viking Children's Books in 2006. It won the 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Portable Childhoods, a collection of her short fiction published by Tachyon Publications, was named a 2008 World Fantasy Award finalist. White Sands, Red Menace, the sequel to The Green Glass Sea, was published in Fall 2008. In 2010, her short story "Singing on a Star" was nominated for a World Fantasy Award. In 2018 her novella Passing Strange was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.

Laird Samuel Barron is an American author and poet, much of whose work falls within the horror, noir, or horror noir and dark fantasy genres. He has also been the managing editor of the online literary magazine Melic Review. He lives in Upstate New York.

<i>Catwings</i> Childrens book series by Ursula K. Le Guin

Catwings is a series of four American children's picture books written by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by S. D. Schindler, and originally published by Scholastic from 1988 to 1999. It follows the adventures of kittens who were born with wings. Catwings is also the title of the first book in the series. The series is in print from Scholastic as of August 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugie Foster</span> American writer and editor (1971–2014)

Eugie Foster was an American short story writer, columnist, and editor. Her stories were published in a number of magazines and book anthologies, including Fantasy Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, and Interzone. Her collection of short stories, Returning My Sister's Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice, was published in 2009. She won the 2009 Nebula Award and was nominated for multiple other Nebula, BSFA, and Hugo Awards. The Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction is given in her honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cambias</span> American novelist (born 1966)

James Cambias is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and tabletop game designer.

Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.

Angela Slatter is a writer based in Brisbane, Australia. Primarily working in the field of speculative fiction, she has focused on short stories since deciding to pursue writing in 2005, when she undertook a Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing. Since then she has written a number of short stories, many of which were included in her two compilations, Sourdough and Other Stories (2010) and The Girl With No Hands and other tales (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessa Dare</span> American writer

Tessa Dare is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling American historical romance novelist. She has authored fifteen novels and novellas and created five different series. In 2012, she won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Regency Historical Romance for her book A Night to Surrender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaya Dawn Johnson</span> American writer of speculative fiction

Alaya Dawn Johnson is an American writer of speculative fiction.

This is a list of the published works of Aliette de Bodard.

Lorraine Heath is an American author of contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and young adult novels under multiple pen names, including Rachel Hawthorne, J.A. London, and Jade Parker. She is known for her "beautiful, deeply emotional romances" and in 1997, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Short Historical Romance for her novel Always to Remember. As of June 2015, fifteen of her titles made the USA Today bestseller list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Byrne</span> American playwright and science fiction author (born 1981)

Monica Byrne is an American playwright and science fiction author. She is best known for her drama What Every Girl Should Know and her debut novel The Girl in the Road, which won the 2015 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and was nominated for the Locus and Kitschies awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delilah S. Dawson</span> American author

Delilah S. Dawson is an American author, primarily of fantasy and science fiction. She writes fantasy as Lila Bowen, and has written erotica as Ava Lovelace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam J. Miller</span> English science fiction, fantasy and horror short fiction author

Sam J. Miller is an American science fiction, fantasy and horror short fiction author. His stories have appeared in publications such as Clarkesworld, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Lightspeed, along with over 15 "year's best" story collections. He was finalist for multiple Nebula Awards along with the World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. He won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award for his short story "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides." His debut novel, The Art of Starving, was published in 2017 and his novel Blackfish City won the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Laurance Gidney</span> American writer

Craig L. Gidney is an American speculative fiction novelist and short story writer. He is openly gay.

Merc Fenn Wolfmoor is a prolific American author of speculative fiction short stories, active in the field since 2007. Their works have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies, including various collections of the year's best stories, and have been finalists for the Otherwise, Locus, and Nebula Awards. Some of their early work was published as by Abby Rustad, Abby 'Merc' Rustad, or Merc Rustad. They changed their name to Merc Fenn Wolfmoor in 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 Cat Hellisen (24 June 2013). "About/Contact | Cat Hellisen". Cathellisen.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  2. "Cat Hellisen wins 2015 Short Story Day Africa Prize".
  3. "Rights Report: Week of February 11, 2013". Publishers Weekly. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. "Folded Wherry". Folded Wherry. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. "Charm". Smashwords.
  6. Ian Hough Tuesday, 13 September 2011 8:06 am (13 September 2011). ""This Reflection of Me" from Jabberwocky 3". Fantasy Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 "The Subtle Thief". Something Wicked. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  8. "Subtle Thief, The – Something Wicked". Somethingwicked.co.za. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  9. "Jack of Spades, reversed". Something Wicked. 31 January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  10. Cat Hellisen. "Mother, Crone, Maiden | Cat Hellisen | Macmillan". Us.macmillan.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  11. Cat Hellisen (22 February 2012). "Mother, Crone, Maiden by Cat Hellisen". Tor.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  12. "Waking". Apex Magazine. 4 March 2014.
  13. "The Girls Who Go Below". The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. 16 April 2014.
  14. "Terra Incognita: Cover reveal".
  15. "Serein, by Cat Hellisen | Shimmer".
  16. Ghost in the Cogs: Steam-Powered Ghost Stories. Broken Eye Books. 31 October 2015.
  17. "I'm Only Going Over", Daily Science Fiction, 11 December 2015.
  18. Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror [ permanent dead link ] DarkRegions
  19. "Water: New Short Fiction from Africa".
  20. "Fantasy and Science Fiction: November/December 2020 Table of Contents".
  21. "Children's Review: When the Sea Is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen". Publishers Weekly. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  22. Richards, Elizabeth. "WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED by Cat Hellisen | Kirkus". Kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  23. Quealy-Gainer, Kate. "When the Sea is Rising Red" (review), The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 65.7 (March 2012): 354–355.
  24. "BEASTKEEPER | Kirkus Reviews".
  25. "Beastkeeper" (review), Publishers Weekly, 15 December 2014.
  26. April Spisak, "Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen (review)", Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books , Vol. 68, No. 7, March 2015, p. 356. doi : 10.1353/bcc.2015.0228.
  27. "Home". voyamagazine.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  28. "Winners of the 2015 Short Story Day Africa Competition Announced", Books Live, 21 November 2015.