Jack McDevitt
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| Born: | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Novelist, Short story writer |
| Nationality: | American |
| Writing period: | 1981 - present |
| Genres: | Science Fiction |
| Debut works: | "The Emerson Effect" (1981) |
| Influences: | Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke |
| Website: | http://www.sfwa.org/members/McDevitt/JMinfo.html |
Jack McDevitt (born 1935) is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races and archaeology (or xenoarchaeology).
McDevitt's first published story was "The Emerson Effect" in Twilight Zone in 1981. Two years later, he published his first novel, The Hercules Text, about the discovery of an intelligently-conceived signal whose repercussions threaten human civilization. This novel set the tone for many of McDevitt's following novels, which focused on making first contact. Frequently this theme is mixed with both trepidation before the unknown and a sense of wonder at the universe.
With The Engines of God (1994), McDevitt introduced the idea of a universe which was once teeming with intelligent species, but only contains abandoned artifacts by the time humans arrive on the scene. Although it was initially written as a standalone novel, the main character of The Engines of God, pilot Priscilla Hutchins, has since appeared in four more books, Deepsix (2001), Chindi (2002), Omega (2003), and Odyssey (2006). Despite two intervening volumes, the mystery surrounding the destructive Omega Clouds (which are introduced in The Engines of God) is left unexplored until Omega.
McDevitt's novels frequently raise questions which he does not attempt to answer, and drop them in favor of other plotlines which are of more interest to the author.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
McDevitt went to LaSalle College, where a short story of his won the annual Freshman Short Story Contest and was published in the school's literary magazine, Four Quarters. As McDevitt explained in an interview, "I was on my way. Then I read David Copperfield and realized I could never write at that level, and therefore I should find something else to do. I joined the Navy, drove a cab, became an English teacher, took a customs inspector's job on the northern border, and didn't write another word for a quarter-century." He returned to writing when his wife, Maureen, encouraged him to try his hand at it in 1980. As of 2007, McDevitt lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Novels, series
- Academy Series - Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins
- The Engines of God (1995)
- Deepsix (2001)
- Chindi (2002)
- Omega (2003)
- Odyssey (2006)
- Cauldron (scheduled for 2007)[1]
- Alex Benedict
- A Talent for War (1989)
- Polaris (2004)
- Seeker (2005)
[edit] Novels, stand-alone
- The Hercules Text (Ace Special, No 7) (1986)
- Ancient Shores (1996)
- Eternity Road (1998)
- Moonfall (1999)
- Infinity Beach (2000) (Also titled Slow Lightning)
[edit] Short stories
(partial list)
- Cryptic (1983)
- Promises to Keep (1984)
- Tidal Effects (1984)
- In the Tower (1987)
- The Fort Moxie Branch (1988)
- Time's Arrow (1989)
- Whistle (1989)
- Lake Agassiz (1991)
- "Ships in the Night" (1993)
- Midnight Clear (1993)
- Talk Radio (1993)
- Time Travelers Never Die (1996)
- Dead in the Water (1999)
- Good Intentions (1999) (with Stanley Schmidt)
- Oculus (2002)
[edit] Collections
- Standard Candles (1996)
- Hello Out There (2000) (omnibus edition of A Talent for War and The Hercules Text)
- Ships in the Night (2005)
- Outbound (2006)
[edit] Introductions
- Pellucidar (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (2002)
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Nebula Best Short Story nominee (1983) : "Cryptic"
- Philip K. Dick Award (special citation) (1986) : "The Hercules Text"
- Nebula Best Short Story nominee (1988) : "The Fort Moxie Branch"
- Hugo Best Short Story nominee (1989) : "The Fort Moxie Branch"
- International UPC Science Fiction Award winner (1993) : "Ships in the Night" (first English language winner)[2]
- Nebula Best Novella nominee (1996) : "Time Travellers Never Die"
- Hugo Best Novella nominee (1997) : "Time Travelers Never Die"
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (1997) : Ancient Shores
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (1998) : Moonfall
- Nebula Best Novelette nominee (1999) : "Good Intentions" (co-writer Stanley Schmidt)
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (2000) : Infinity Beach
- Nebula Best Short Story nominee (2002) : "Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City"
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (2003) : Chindi
- Campbell Award winner (2004) : Omega
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (2004) : Omega
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (2005) : Polaris
- Nebula Best Novel nominee (2006) : Seeker
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Jack McDevitt's Home Page
- Official forum at The Internet Book Database of Fiction
- Jack McDevitt's Short Story Bibliography
- Jack McDevitt at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | McDevitt, Jack |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American novelist, Short story writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
