Dan Simmons

Last updated
Dan Simmons
Born (1948-04-04) April 4, 1948 (age 76)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
NationalityAmerican
Education Wabash College (BA)
Washington University in St. Louis (MEd)
Period1983–present
Genre Science fiction, horror, fantasy
Notable works Song of Kali (1985)
Hyperion (1989)
Carrion Comfort (1989)
The Terror (2007)

Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. [1] He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.

Contents

Biography

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Simmons received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970 and, in 1971, a Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis. [2]

He soon started writing short stories, although his career did not take off until 1982, when, through Harlan Ellison's help, his short story "The River Styx Runs Upstream" was published and awarded first prize in a Twilight Zone Magazine story competition, and he was taken on as a client by Ellison's agent, Richard Curtis. Simmons's first novel, Song of Kali, was released in 1985. [2]

He worked in elementary education until 1989. [2]

He lives in Longmont, Colorado as of 2007. [3]

Horror fiction

Summer of Night (1991) recounts the childhood of a group of pre-teens who band together in the 1960s, to defeat a centuries-old evil that terrorizes their hometown of Elm Haven, Illinois. The novel, which was praised by Stephen King in a cover blurb, is similar to King's It (1986) in its focus on small-town life, the corruption of innocence, the return of an ancient evil, and the responsibility for others that emerges with the transition from youth to adulthood.

In the sequel to Summer of Night, A Winter Haunting (2002), Dale Stewart (one of the first book's protagonists and now an adult), revisits his boyhood home to come to grips with mysteries that have disrupted his adult life.

Between the publication of Summer of Night (1991) and A Winter Haunting (2002), several additional characters from Summer of Night appeared in: Children of the Night (1992), a loose sequel to Summer of Night, which features Mike O'Rourke, now much older and a Roman Catholic priest, who is sent on a mission to investigate bizarre events in a European city; Fires of Eden (1994), in which the adult Cordie Cooke appears; and Darwin's Blade (2000), a thriller in which Dale's younger brother, Lawrence Stewart, appears as a minor character. [4] [5]

After Summer of Night , Simmons focused on writing science fiction until the 2007 work of historical fiction and horror, The Terror . His 2009 book Drood is based on the last years of Charles Dickens' life leading up to the writing of The Mystery of Edwin Drood , which Dickens had partially completed at the time of his death. [6]

Historical fiction

The Terror (2007) crosses the bridge between horror and historical fiction. It is a fictionalized account of Sir John Franklin and his expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, become icebound the first winter, and the captains and crew struggle to survive while being stalked across an Arctic landscape by a monster. The novel was adapted into a ten-part television series.

The Abominable (2013) recounts a mid-1920s attempt on Mount Everest by five climbers—two British, one French, one Sherpa, and one American (the narrator)—to recover the body of a cousin of one the British characters. [7]

Literary references

Many of Simmons's works have strong ties with classic literature. For example:

Bibliography

Novels

Hyperion Cantos series
  1. Hyperion (1989) – ISBN   978-0553283686
  2. The Fall of Hyperion (1990) – ISBN   978-0553288209
  3. Endymion (1996) – ISBN   978-3453315174
  4. The Rise of Endymion (1997) – ISBN   978-0747258933

Short stories:

Seasons of Horror series
  1. Summer of Night (1991) – ISBN   978-0312550677
  2. Children of the Night (1992) – ISBN   978-1250009852
  3. A Winter Haunting (2002) – ISBN   978-0380817160
  4. Fires of Eden (1994) – ISBN   978-0061056147

Short stories:

Joe Kurtz series
  1. Hardcase (2001) – ISBN   978-0312980160
  2. Hard Freeze (2002) – ISBN   978-0316213509
  3. Hard as Nails (2003) – ISBN   978-0312994686
Ilium/Olympos series
  1. Ilium (2003) – ISBN   978-0380817924
  2. Olympos (2005) – ISBN   978-0380817931
Stand-alones

Short stories

Collections:

Uncollected short stories:

Poems

Non-fiction

Adaptations

In January 2004, it was announced that the screenplay he wrote for his novels Ilium and Olympos would be made into a film by Digital Domain and Barnet Bain Films, with Simmons acting as executive producer. Ilium is described as an "epic tale that spans 5,000 years and sweeps across the entire solar system, including themes and characters from Homer's Iliad and Shakespeare's The Tempest." [18]

In 2008, Guillermo del Toro was scheduled to direct a film adaptation of Drood for Universal Pictures. [19] As of December 2017, the project is still listed as "in development." [20]

In 2009, Scott Derrickson was set to direct Hyperion Cantos for Warner Bros. and Graham King, with Trevor Sands penning a script adapting Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion into one film. [21] In 2011, actor Bradley Cooper expressed interest in taking over the adaptation. [22] In 2015, it was announced that TV channel Syfy would produce a mini-series based on the Hyperion Cantos with the involvement of Cooper and King. [23] As of May 2017, the project was still "in development" at Syfy. [24] On November 1, 2021, Cooper and King restarted the feature film adaptation at Warner Bros. with Tom Spezialy set to write the script. [25]

The Terror (2007) was adapted in 2018 as an AMC 10 episode-mini-series and received generally positive reviews upon release. [26] [27]

Awards

Wins

Year (Published)Year (Awarded)NomineeSocietyAwardCategoryResultRef
19851986Song of Kali World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Novel Won [28] [1]
19891990Carrion Comfort British Fantasy Society British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award (Best Novel)Won [28] [8]
19891990Carrion Comfort Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novel Won [28] [8]
19891990Hyperion World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award Hugo Award—Novel Won [28] [8]
19901991The Fall of Hyperion British Science Fiction Association British Science Fiction Award Best NovelWon [28] [29]
19901992Prayers to Broken Stones Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Collection Won [28]
19921993"This Year's Class Picture" Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Short Fiction Won [28]
19921993"This Year's Class Picture" World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction Won [28]
19931994"Dying in Bangkok" Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novella Won [28]

Locus Award

International Horror Guild Award

Nocte Award

Seiun Award

Nominations

Dan Simmons has been nominated on numerous occasions in a range of categories for his fiction, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Bram Stoker Award, British Fantasy Society Award, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, and World Fantasy Award. [32]

Selected nominations are listed below.

Year

(Published)

Year

(Awarded)

NomineeSocietyAwardCategoryResultRef
19881989“Metastasis ” World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction Nominated [28]
19891990Carrion Comfort World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Novel Nominated [28]
19891991Hyperion British Science Fiction Association British Science Fiction Award Best NovelNominated [28] [8]
19901991The Fall of Hyperion World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award Hugo Award—Novel Nominated [28]
19901991The Fall of Hyperion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Award Nebula Award—Novel Nominated [28] [8]
19901991Prayers to Broken Stones World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Collection Nominated [28]
19901991Prayers to Broken Stones Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Collection Nominated [28]
19901991Entropy's Bed at Midnight Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novella Nominated [28]
1989-19901992Hyperion Cantos British Science Fiction Association,

Science Fiction Foundation

Arthur C. Clarke Award Nominated [28] [33]
19911992Summer of Night British Fantasy Society British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award (Best Novel)Nominated [28] [33]
19911992Summer of Night Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novel Nominated [28]
19921993Children of the Night Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novel Nominated [28]
19921993“This Year's Class Picture” World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction Nominated [28]
19931994"Dying in Bangkok" World Fantasy Convention World Fantasy Award World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction Nominated [28]
19931994Lovedeath Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Collection Nominated [28]
19931994"Flashback" Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novella Nominated [28]
19981998The Rise of Endymion World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award Hugo Award—Novel Nominated [28] [30]
20032004Ilium World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award Hugo Award—Novel Nominated [28] [31]
20072008The Terror Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award Bram Stoker Award—Novel Nominated [28]
20072008The Terror British Fantasy Society British Fantasy Award August Derleth Award (Best Novel)Nominated [28] [34] [35]
20072008The Terrorjurors at Readercon Shirley Jackson Award Best NovelNominated [28]

Locus nominations:

The Hollow Man (1992) – Locus Award nominee, 1993 [36]

The Winter Haunting (2002) – Locus Award nominee, 2003 [37]

Olympos (2005) – Locus Award shortlist, 2006 [38]

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References

  1. 1 2 "1986 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "About Dan: Biographic Sketch". dansimmons.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Evans, Clay (February 7, 2007). "Myth and madness in the frozen north". Boulder Daily Camera . Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Review: Darwin's Blade". Publishers Weekly. October 30, 2000.
  5. ↑ Simmons, Dan (2000). Darwin's Blade . William Morrow. ISBN   978-0-380-97369-9.
  6. ↑ Gwinn, Mary Ann (February 15, 2009). "Q&A: Dan Simmons, author of "Drood"". The Seattle Times .
  7. ↑ Robbins, Michael (October 20, 2013). "Review: 'The Abominable' by Dan Simmons". Chicago Tribune.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1990 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  9. ↑ Miller, T. S. (2013). "Flying Chaucers, Insectile Ecclesiasts, and Pilgrims Through Space and Time: The Science Fiction Chaucer". The Chaucer Review. 48 (2). doi:10.5325/chaucerrev.48.2.0129. S2CID   161558250 . Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "John Keats". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. ↑ Willems, Brian (2009). Hopkins and Heidegger. London: Continuum. ISBN   9781441169563.
  12. ↑ Feeley, Gregory (27 September 1992). "The Hollow Man". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Stableford, Brian (2009-03-01). News of the Black Feast and Other Random Reviews. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 73–74. ISBN   9781434403360.
  14. ↑ Marvell, A. (1981). "To his coy mistress." The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved on 17 October 2018 from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44688/to-his-coy-mistress
  15. ↑ Owchar, Nick (7 August 2011). "Book review: 'Flashback' by Dan Simmons". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  16. ↑ "Dan Simmons The Abominable cover art reveal!". Upcoming4.me. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "Dan Simmons To Release 'The Fifth Heart', His Next Book After 'The Abominable'". Kernel's Corner. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Marc Graser; Jonathan Bing (8 January 2004). "'Ilium,' 'Olympos' optioned for pic". Variety. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  19. ↑ Fleming, Michael Jr. (3 September 2008). "Guillermo Del Toro booked thru 2017". variety.com. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "Drood". IMDB.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  21. ↑ Fleming, Michael (January 29, 2009). "Scott Derrickson to direct 'Hyperion'". Variety . Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  22. ↑ Falconer, Robert (May 27, 2011). "Bradley Cooper Anxious to Adapt Dan Simmons's Hyperion for the Screen". Cinemaspy. Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  23. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 10, 2015). "Bradley Cooper, Graham King, Todd Phillips Adapting Dan Simmons' 'Hyperion' for Syfy". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  24. ↑ Fowler, Matt (12 May 2017). "Syfy Reboot Includes Greenlit Krypton Series, George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers and More". IGN News. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  25. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 1, 2021). "Bradley Cooper Launches Production Label; Sets 'Hyperion' At Warner Bros With Graham King". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  26. ↑ "The Terror: Season 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  27. ↑ "The Terror Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "sfadb : Dan Simmons Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  29. 1 2 "1991 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  30. 1 2 "1998 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  31. 1 2 "2004 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  32. ↑ Works in the WWEnd Database for Dan Simmons.
  33. 1 2 "1992 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  34. ↑ "2008 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  35. ↑ Rafferty, Terrence (March 18, 2007). "Ice Men". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  36. ↑ "1993 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  37. ↑ "2003 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  38. ↑ "2006 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
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