Barbara Hambly
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| Born: | August 28, 1951 San Diego, California |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Novelist, short story author, screenwriter |
| Genres: | Science fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Historical Fiction |
| Debut works: | Time of the Dark |
| Influences: | L. Frank Baum, J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Website: | http://www.barbarahambly.com/ |
Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an award winning and prolific American novelist and screenwriter within the genres of fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction. Her writing includes novels occurring within worlds of her own creation (generally occurring within an explicit multiverse), as well as within previously existing mythos (notably Star Trek and Star Wars).
[edit] Biography
Hambly was born in San Diego, California and grew up in Montclair, California. Her parents, Edward Everett Hambly Sr. and Florence Morowski Hambly, are from a coal-mining town in eastern Pennsylvania. She has an older sister, Mary Ann Saunders, and a younger brother, Edward Everett Hambly Jr. In her early teens, Hambly read and was transfixed by J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and affixed images of dragons to her bedroom door. She early-on became interested in costumery, and has been a long-time participant in Society for Creative Anachronism activities. In the mid-1960's, the Hambly family spent a year in Australia.
Hambly has a Masters in Medieval History from the University of California at Riverside, completing her degree in 1975 and spending a year in Bordeaux as part of her studies. Her first novel to be published was Time of the Dark in 1982 by Del Rey. Previous to becoming a writer, Hambly chose occupations that allowed her time to write;[1] all of her novels contain a biography paragraph with a litany of jobs familiar to her readers - high school teacher, model, waitress, technical editor, all-night liquor store clerk, and karate instructor. Hambly served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 1994 to 1996. Her works have been nominated for many awards in the fantasy and horror fiction categories, winning a Locus Award for Best Horror Novel Those Who Hunt the Night (1989) and the Lord Ruthven award for fiction for its sequel, Travelling With the Dead (1996).[2]
Hambly was married for some years to fellow science fiction writer George Alec Effinger before his death in 2002. She now lives in Los Angeles. Hambly has admitted to suffering from seasonal affective disorder, which was undiagnosed for years.[3]
[edit] Themes within fantasy
Given Hambly's diverse portfolio, there are only a few themes that run throughout all of her novels. She has a penchant for unusual characters within the fantasy genre,[4] such as the menopausal witch and reluctant scholar-lord in the Winterlands trilogy, or philologist secret service agent in the vampire novels. Her writing is filled with rich descriptions and actors whose actions bear consequences for both their lives and relationships, suffusing her series with a brooding sense of melancholy and regret;[3] Hambly's characters experience the pain of frustrated aspirations to a degree that is uncommon in most fantasy novels.[5] Though using many standard clichés and plot devices of the fantasy genre, her works depart from the norm through an exploration of the ethical implications of the consequences of these devices, and what their impact is for the characters, were they real people. In avoiding the "...easy consolatory self-identification of genre fantasy"[5] (p. 449) and refusing to let her work be guided more explicitly by conventions and the desires of her audience, Hambly may have missed out on the remunerative success and acclaim that she is due.[5]
Hambly heavily researches her settings, either in person or through books, frequently drawing upon her degree in medieval history for background and depth.[6] Particularly cited was her work within the Star Wars universe, where she was praised for capturing the voices of Luke and Leia.[7][8]
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] The Darwath Trilogy
- The Time of the Dark (1982)
- The Walls of Air (1983)
- The Armies of Daylight (1983)
[edit] Standalone Darwath Novels
- Mother of Winter (1996; Locus award nominee 1997)
- Icefalcon's Quest (1998)
[edit] Sun Wolf and Starhawk
- The Ladies of Mandrigyn (1984; Locus award nominee, 1985)
- The Witches of Wenshar (1987; Locus award nominee, 1988)
- The Dark Hand of Magic (1990)
[edit] Winterlands
- Dragonsbane (1985; Locus award nominee, 1986 and 1987)
- Dragonshadow (1999; Locus award nominee, 2000)
- Knight of the Demon Queen (2000; Locus award nominee, 2001)
- Dragonstar (2002)
[edit] The Windrose Chronicles
- The Silent Tower (1986)
- The Silicon Mage (1988)
- Dog Wizard (1993; Locus award nominee, 1994)
- Stranger at the Wedding/Sorcerer's Ward (1994) - [Does not include Antryg Windrose or Joanna Sheraton]
[edit] Star Trek
- Ishmael (1985)
- Ghostwalker (1991)
- Crossroad (1994)
[edit] Vampire Novels
- Those Who Hunt The Night (1988; Locus award winner for Best Horror Novel in 1989)
- Traveling With The Dead (1995; Locus award nominee, 1996, winner of the Lord Ruthven award, 1996)
[edit] Beauty and the Beast
- Beauty and the Beast novelisation (1989)
- Song of Orpheus (1990)
[edit] Sun-Cross
- The Rainbow Abyss (1991; Locus award nominee, 1992)
- The Magicians of Night (1992; Locus award nominee, 1993)
[edit] Star Wars
- Children of the Jedi (1995)
- Planet of Twilight (1997)
[edit] The Benjamin January Mysteries
- A Free Man of Color (1997)
- Fever Season (1998)
- Graveyard Dust (1999)
- Sold Down the River (2000)
- Die upon a Kiss (2001)
- Wet Grave (2002)
- Days of the Dead (2003)
- Dead Water (2004)
[edit] Raven Sisters
- Sisters of the Raven (2002)
- Circle of the Moon (2005)
[edit] Other Fiction
- Bride of the Rat God (1994; Locus award nominee, 1995)
- Magic Time (2002) (with Marc Zicree)
- Renfield (2006)
[edit] Historical Fiction
- Search the Seven Hills/Quirinal Hill Affair (1983)
- The Emancipator's Wife (2005; finalist for the Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in a Civil War Novel, 2006)
- Patriot Hearts (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ Biography of Barbara Hambly
- ^ Books and awards
- ^ a b Interview with Andromeda Spaceways
- ^ Review of female characters in Barbara Hambly novels
- ^ a b c Clute, J. & Grant, J. (1999). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Orbit: London (UK)
- ^ Review of Barbara Hambly as an author
- ^ Review of Hambly's Star Wars series
- ^ Interview with Barbara Hambly regarding her two Star Wars novels
