John Barnes (author)

John Barnes (born 1957) is a prolific American science fiction author, whose stories often explore questions of individual moral responsibility within a larger social context. Social criticism is woven throughout his plots. The four novels in his "Thousand Cultures" series pose serious questions about the effects of globalization on isolated societies. Barnes holds a doctorate in theatre and for several years taught in Colorado, where he still lives.

Personal life and his work

Barnes has been married twice, the second time to author Kara Dalkey. In the second and third books of the "Thousand Cultures" series, the protagonist Giraut Leones endures difficult marital tensions. It has been widely claimedwho that these reflect the author's own frustration with the disintegration of his second marriage, but Barnes dispels this assumption in the acknowledgments for "The Armies of Memory", the fourth book in the series: "This is improbable, at the least, since I don't seem to have the foresight to plan till the end of the week, and for "Earth Made of Glass" to have been about my second divorce would require about four years of foresight." [cite book
title= The Armies of Memory
chapter=Acknowledgments
author=John Barnes
date=2006
id=ISBN 0765342243] Barnes points out that the novel was effectively finished in 1996 and first published in 1998, while the events that led to the divorce happened in 2000.

Bibliography

Century Next Door series

*"Orbital Resonance" (1991)
*"Kaleidoscope Century" (1996)
*"Candle" (2000)
*"The Sky So Big and Black" (2002)

Thousand Cultures series

*"A Million Open Doors" (1993)
*"Earth Made of Glass" (1999)
*"The Merchants of Souls" (2002)
*"The Armies of Memory" (2006)

Time Raider series

*"Wartide" (1992)
*"Battle Cry" (1992)
*"Union Fires" (1992)

Timeline Wars series

*"Patton's Spaceship" (1997)
*"Washington's Dirigible" (1997)
*"Caesar's Bicycle" (1997)
*"Timeline Wars" (1997) (omnibus volume)

Jak Jinnaka series

*"Duke of Uranium" (2002)
*"A Princess of the Aerie" (2003)
*"In the Hall of the Martian King" (2003)

Other

*"The Man Who Pulled Down the Sky" (1987)
*"Sin of Origin" (1988)
*"Mother of Storms" (1995)
*"Encounter With Tiber", with Buzz Aldrin (1996)
*"One For the Morning Glory" (1996)
*"Apostrophes and Apocalypses" (1998) (collection)
*"Finity" (1999)
*"The Return", with Buzz Aldrin (2001)
*"Gaudeamus" (2004)
*"Payback City" (2007) (thriller, written in 1997, self-published e-book)
*"Tales of the Madman Underground" (forthcoming, 2009)(non-genre novel)

Awards

*Nebula Award Best Novel nominee (1992) : Orbital Resonance
*Nebula Award Best Novel nominee (1993) : A Million Open Doors
*Hugo Award Best Novel nominee (1995) : Mother of Storms
*Nebula Award Best Novel nominee (1996) : Mother of Storms

ee also

* One True
* Political ideas in science fiction
* Religious ideas in science fiction
* space opera

References

External links

* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/id/A3GL35KHVDHAKG Barnes occasional blog through the Amazon Connect program]
* [http://collectiblejohnbarnes.blogspot.com Barnes blog discussing sales of his drafts and other writing materials]
*isfdb name|id=John_Barnes|name=John Barnes
* [http://www.locusmag.com/2002/Reviews/Horton10_YA.html Review, "The Sky So Big and Black" and "The Duke of Uranium"]
* [http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/gaudeamus.htm Meta-review, "Gaudeamus"]
* [http://www.sfsite.com/04a/fin78.htm Review, "Finity"]
* [http://www.hardsf.net/?mode=8&id=7 Interview conducted by Roger Deforest at HardSF.net (2008)]