Stark Holborn | |
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Stark Fairweather Holborn is a pseudonymous British writer of Western films and science fiction. She is known for her novel series, Nunslinger (2014) [1] and the British Fantasy Award shortlisted Triggernometry (2021). She was on the judging panel for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2021 and 2024. [2]
Holborn cites influence from Tamora Pierce, J. R. R. Tolkien, Philip K. Dick, Halo Jones, and Alan Garner. [3] She has also cited classic sci-fi films including Aliens and The Thing . [4]
Holborn started writing at 19. After four years of drafting an unpublished book, she began writing Nunslinger. [5] The novel was first published as a series and later in a single volume. [6] The Guardian praised her work as "Witty and atmospheric, with a cliffhanger every few chapters." [7] She wrote and self published Triggernometry, which was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 2021. [8] It was followed by Ten Low (2021), and subsequently sequels Hel's Eight (2023) and Ninth Life (2024). [9] [10]
Holborn is a games writer for the BBC, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Games, and the lead writer of Shadows of Doubt . [11] In both 2021 and 2024 she was one of the judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. [2] [12]
Themes in Holborn's work include choices, guilt and redemption, and how decision-making becomes harder under duress, [13] as well as the issues of free will and the 'importance of atonement'. [14] There is a strong feminist theme to her work, and a challenging of traditional gender roles. [15] On this topic she says: 'Maybe it's because the concept of the frontier has, for so long, been portrayed as a male-dominated space.... Female characters have also been used in the past as shorthand in the concept of manifest destiny: men deal with threats, often violently, clearing the way for women to bring the "civilising" concept of home and procreation to establish the future of a community". [15]
Holborn's novels have been variously described as Space Westerns, [16] weird fiction, horror, fantasy, and with literary elements. [17] They have been praised for their experimental structure, strong writing and fast-paced style. [18] Publishers Weekly describes Triggernometry as: "a crisply written space western brimming with hard living, villainy, and the search for redemption", and praises Holborn's ability to create "an immersive world". [19] Author Joanne Harris described Hel's Eight as: 'a wonderful fusion of Firefly and Joanna Russ, with an Ennio Morricone soundtrack'. [16]
Since the publication of Nunslinger, Holborn's identity has remained elusive. In 2014, The Guardian speculated that the author was probably male, [7] with The Herald making the same assumption. [20] The Irish Times commented on Holborn's mysterious identity, saying: "What is it with creatives from Bristol...? First Banksy, now Stark, hiding their true identities? Mind you, with work this good, who cares?" [21]
Holborn lives in Bristol with her partner. [22]
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