Stark Holborn | |
|---|---|
 Stark Holborn at Cymera Festival in 2024 | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Sci-fi Space opera Space Western |
| Notable works | Nunslinger (2014), Triggernometry (2021) |
Stark Fairweather Holborn is a British pseudonymous writer of Western films and science fictions. She is known for her work, Nunslinger (2014) [1] and the British Fantasy Award shortlisted Triggernometry (2021).
Holborn cites influence from Tamora Pierce, J. R. R. Tolkien, Philip K. Dick, Halo Jones, and Alan Garner. [2] She has also cited classic sci-fi films including Aliens and The Thing . [3]
Holborn started writing at 19. After four years of drafting an unpublished book, she began writing Nunslinger.[ citation needed ] The novel was first published as series and later in a single volume. [4] The Guardian praised her work as "Witty and atmospheric, with a cliffhanger every few chapters." [5] She wrote and self published Triggernometry, which was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 2021. [6] It was followed by Ten Low (2021), and subsequently a sequel, Hel's Eight (2023). [7]
Holborn is a games writer for BBC, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Games, and the lead writer of Shadows of Doubt .[ citation needed ] In 2024 she was one of the judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. [8]
Themes in Holborn's work include: choices, guilt and redemption, and how decision making becomes harder under duress, [9] as well as the issues of free will and the 'importance of atonement'. [10] There is a strong feminist theme to her work, and a challenging of traditional gender roles. [11] 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.' [12]
Holborn's novels have been variously described as space westerns, [13] weird fiction, horror, fantasy, and with literary elements. [14] They have been praised for their experimental structure, strong writing and fast-paced style. [15] 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.' [16] Author Joanne Harris described Hel's Eight as: 'a wonderful fusion of Firefly and Joanna Russ, with an Ennio Morricone soundtrack'. [17]
Since the publication of Nunslinger, Holborn's true identity has remained elusive. In 2014, The Guardian speculated that the author was probably male. [5] The Herald makes the same assumption. [18] 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?' [19]
Holborn lives in Bristol with her partner. [20]
Triggernometry
Factus Sequence
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