John Kenneth Muir

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John Kenneth Muir, born December 3, 1969, is the author of nineteen reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres. He has written a book about Kevin Smith, entitled An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2002), a study of Sam Raimi entitled The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2004) and another on the works of comedian Christopher Guest and his repertory company, titled Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2004).

Muir began his full-time writing career in 1996, writing several books for the North Carolina-based publisher of scholarly reference books, McFarland and Company Inc., Publisher. Among John's titles for McFarland are award-winners The Encyclopedia of Superhero on Film and Television (2004), Horror Films of the 1970s (2002) and Terror Television (2001). Other John Kenneth Muir titles from McFarland include Eaten Alive At a Chainsaw Massacre: The Films of Tobe Hooper (2003), The Films of John Carpenter and Wes Craven: The Art of Horror. In the field of television, John K. Muir has written several monographs about SF-TV, including Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to Battlestar Galactica (1998), A Critical History of Dr. Who on TV (1999), A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7 (1999) and An Analytical Guide to TV's One Step Beyond (2001).

Muir's first novel was published by Powys Media in 2003, an officially licensed continuation of The Space:1999 saga, entitled The Forsaken. This is the second in the Powys line of Space:1999 books, following William Latham's Resurrection. John's other fiction credits to date include two short-stories for The Official Farscape Magazine. In issue # 6, in May of 2002, his story "That Old Voodoo" was featured. In issue #8, from August of 2002, his other story, "Make a Wish," was published.

The author of articles for magazines including Cinescape, Filmfax and Collectors News, Muir has appeared on TV on The E! True Hollywood Story: "Curse of The Exorcist" TV Ontario's Saturday Night at the Movies [1], and on the premiere episode of Sciography, seen on The Sci-Fi Channel. On the radio, he has been a guest on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, NiteShift, Good Morning Charlotte, and The Mitch Albom Show

Muir maintains an Internet presence writing a monthly column at Far Sector. He also manages a home-page, and a blog, John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/tv, which features posts on film, TV, pop-culture, collectibles and nostalgia.

In 2006, Muir wrote and directed seven half-hour episodes of an original science fiction series[2] entitled [[The House Between]][3], to be broadcast online. The House Between's first episode, "Arrived" premiered at Fantasci V [4]in Chesapeake, VA, on July 29, 2006.

[edit] Books

The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia" (Applause Theater and Cinema Books, 2007)

Horror Films of the 1980s (McFarland, 2007)

Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2006)

Singing a New Tune: The Re-Birth of the Modern Film Musical, from Evita to De-Lovely and Beyond (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2005)

Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest & Company (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2004)

The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2004)

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television [McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 2004)

Space:1999 - The Forsaken (Powys Media, 2003)

Eaten Alive At A Chainsaw Massacre: The Films of Tobe Hooper (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 2003)

An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, 2002)

Horror Films of the 1970s (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 2002)

An Analytical Guide to Television's One Step Beyond, 1959-1961 (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001)

Terror Television: American Series, 1970-1999 (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001)

The Films of John Carpenter (McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 2000)

A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7, the 1978-1981 British Television Space Adventure (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 1999)

A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 1999)

An Analytical Guide to Television's Battlestar Galactica (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 1999)

Wes Craven: The Art of Horror (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 1998)

Exploring Space:1999 - An Episode Guide and Complete History of the Mid-1970s Science Fiction Television Series (McFarland and Company Inc., Publishers, 1997)

[edit] Awards

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television: A New York Public Library's "Best of Reference" Selection, 2005.

Horror Films of the 1970s: A Booklist Editor's Choice for 2002; An Outstanding Reference Source for 2003 by RUSA (Reference Users Service Association), and a "Best of the Best" Reference Book for 2002 by the ALA (American Library Association).

Terror Television: A Booklist Editor's Choice for 2001.

[edit] External links

• Far Sector
• John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/tv
• NYPL Best of Reference, 2005
• Booklist Editor's Choice, 2002
• Booklist Editor's Choice, 2001
• John Kenneth Muir Home Page
• Internet Movie Database Entry
• Library Journal Q & A
• Charlotte Magazine "Film Buff"
• Richmond.com
• Enquirer Journal
• Geek Philosophy
• Paperback Reader