Jack McDevitt
| Born: | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Novelist, Short story writer |
| Nationality: | |
| Writing period: | 1981 - present |
| Genres: | Science Fiction |
| Debut works: | "The Emerson Effect" (1981), The Hercules Text (1986) |
| Influences: | Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke |
| Website: | Jack McDevitt's Home Page |
Jack McDevitt (born 1935) is an award-winning American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with 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 that was once teeming with intelligent life, but contains only their 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). The mystery surrounding the destructive "Omega Clouds" (which are introduced in The Engines of God) is left unexplored until Omega.[1]
McDevitt's novels frequently raise questions which he does not attempt to answer. He prefers to leave ambiguities to puzzle and intrigue his readers: "Some things are best left to the reader's very able imagination." [2]
His novel Seeker won the 2006 Nebula award, given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He has been nominated for the Nebula award thirteen times; this is his first win. [3]
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 on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Bibliography
Novels, series
- Academy Series - Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins
- The Engines of God (1995)
- Deepsix (2001) Author's comments
- Chindi (2002) Author's comments
- Omega (2003)
- Odyssey (2006) Author's comments
- Cauldron (scheduled for 2007)[1]
- Alex Benedict
- A Talent for War (1989)
- Polaris (2004) Author's comments
- Seeker (2005) - winner of Nebula award
Novels, stand-alone
- The Hercules Text (Ace Special, No 7) (1986)
- Ancient Shores(1996) Author's comments
- Eternity Road (1998) Author's comments
- Moonfall (1999)
- Infinity Beach (2000) (variant title (UK) Slow Lightning) Author's comments
Short stories
(partial list)
- The Emerson Effect (1981)
- 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)
Collections
- Standard Candles (Tachyon Press, 1996)
- Hello Out There (Meisha Merlin, 2000) (omnibus edition of A Talent for War and The Hercules Text) Author's foreword
- Ships in the Night (AAB, 2005)
- Outbound (ISFiC Press, 2006) Author's comments
Introductions
- Pellucidar (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (2002)
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 Travelers 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 winner (2006) : Seeker
See also
Notes
External links
-
- Ten Favorite Novels, literary influences
- 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 | |
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