Paul J. McAuley

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Paul McAuley at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow Paul McAuley 2005.JPG
Paul McAuley at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow

Paul J. McAuley (born 23 April 1955) is a British botanist and science fiction author. A biologist by training, McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction. His novels dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternative history/alternative reality, and space travel.

Contents

McAuley began with far-future space opera Four Hundred Billion Stars , its sequel Eternal Light, and the planetary-colony adventure Of the Fall . Red Dust, set on a far-future Mars colonized by the Chinese, is a planetary romance featuring many emerging technologies and SF motifs: nanotechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, personality downloads, virtual reality. The Confluence series, set in an even more distant future (about ten million years from now), is one of a number of novels to use Frank J. Tipler's Omega Point Theory (that the universe seems to be evolving toward a maximum degree of complexity and consciousness) as one of its themes. [1] About the same time, he published Pasquale's Angel, set in an alternative Italian Renaissance and featuring Niccolò Machiavegli (Machiavelli) and Leonardo da Vinci as major characters.

McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings: Fairyland describes a dystopian, war-torn Europe where genetically engineered "dolls" are used as disposable slaves. Since 2001 he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.

Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. [2] Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award [3] and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel. [4] "The Temptation of Dr. Stein", won the British Fantasy Award. Pasquale's Angel won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History (Long Form).

Bibliography

Novels

Four Hundred Billion Stars Series

  • Four Hundred Billion Stars. London: Gollancz. 1988. [Philip K. Dick Award winner, 1988] [2]
  • Secret Harmonies . London: Gollancz, 1989. ISBN   0-575-04580-9. (Published in the United States as Of the Fall)
  • Eternal Light. London: Gollancz, 1991. ISBN   0-575-04931-6BSFA Award nominee, 1991 [5] and Clarke Award nominee, 1992 [6]

The Confluence Series

The Quiet War series

The Jackaroo series

  • Something Coming Through : London, Gollancz, 2015. [10]
  • Into Everywhere . London: Gollancz, 2016. [10]
  • Dust (short story) (2006)
  • Winning Peace (short story) (2007)
  • City of the Dead (short story) (2008)
  • Adventure (short story) (2008)
  • Crimes and Glory (short story) (2009)
  • The Choice (short story) (2011)
  • Bruce Springsteen (short story) (2012)
  • The Man (short story) (2012)
  • Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was (short story) (2016)
  • Maryon's Gift (short story) (2022)

Other novels

Novellas

Collections

Short stories

Critical studies and reviews of McAuley's work

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References

  1. "Hard Science, Radical Imagination: An Interview with Paul J McAuley". Infinity Plus. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 "1988 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  3. 1 2 "1996 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  4. 1 2 "1997 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  5. "1991 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  6. "1992 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  7. "Paul McAuley - Confluence The Trilogy cover art and synopsis reveal". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  8. "2009 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  9. "Paul McAuley - Evening's Empires cover art and synopsis revealed". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Paul McAuley - Something Coming Through and into Everywhere synopsis reveal". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  11. 1 2 "1995 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  12. "2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  13. "2002 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  14. "2005 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  15. "2006 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  16. "1998 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  17. "Paul McAuley - A Very British History cover art unveiled". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  18. "Paul McAuley announces A Very British History, table of contents unveiled". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  19. "Publication: Asimov's Science Fiction, March 2006". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  20. "Not A Blog: Venus In March". GRRM.livejournal.com. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  21. "Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was" . Retrieved 6 April 2017.