Catherine Asaro

Catherine Asaro is an American science fiction and fantasy author. She is best known for her books about the Ruby Dynasty set in the Skolian Empire.

Biography

Catherine Asaro was born in Oakland, California. She has a B.S. in chemistry from UCLA and an M.A. in physics and a Ph.D. in chemical physics from Harvard University. She was a physics professor until 1990, after which she established "Molecudyne Research" for her scientific consulting.

A former ballerina, Catherine Asaro has performed with ballets and in musicals on both coasts and in Ohio. She founded and served as artistic director and a principal dancer for two dance groups at Harvard: Mainly Jazz and the Harvard University Ballet. After she graduated, her undergraduate students took over Mainly Jazz and made it into a club at the college.

When not writing and making appearances at conventions and signings, Catherine also teaches a math. She has coached various nationally ranked teams with home, private, and public school students, in particular the Howard Area Homeschoolers and the Chesapeake team for the American Regional Mathematics League (ARML). Her students have placed a the top levels in numerous national competitions, including the USA Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO) and the USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS). Her husband is John Kendall Cannizzo, an astrophysicist at NASA. They have one daughter, a ballet dancer and mathematician.

The author's official website is at http://www.catherineasaro.net/.

Saga of the Skolian Empire Series

The Saga of the Skolian Empire series of books details the adventures of main characters from two competing empires. The plot of the book revolves around political intrigues, but also contains interesting subplots regarding physics, bio-enhancements, virtual computer networks, and romance.

These novels, each telling a segment of a story that unfolds over several generations of characters, is one of a power struggle between two interstellar empires.

Political Background

The Ruby Dynasty, (ancient rulers of the Skolian Empire) while possessing empathic and telepathic abilities enhanced by tiny "pico" and "nano" technology, comprise a monarchy plagued by internal struggle and conflict with the elected Assembly.

The Eubian Traders, on the other hand, while larger in number and more successful economically, comprise a society built entirely of a slave hierarchy run by amoral Aristos, who, through genetic engineering gone astray have no capability for compassion, but rather experience pleasure in the form of "transcendence" through the projected suffering of powerful psions that have been kidnapped from the Skolian Imperialate.

A third but much smaller group, the Allieds, are an extension of a present-day Earth civilization who enter space travel only to find all worlds are already inhabited and thriving under either the Skolian or Eubian Empires. Their role in the series is that of a neutral party, interested only in the cessation of hostilities.

Awards (list incomplete)

*Her novel "The Quantum Rose" was the winner of the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
*"Catch the Lightning," winner, Sapphire Award, best novel, 1997
*"Catch the Lightning," winner, UTC Readers Choice Award, best novel, 1997
*"The Veiled Web," winner, HOMer Award, best novel, 2000
*"The Veiled Web," winner, Prism Award, best novel, 2000
*"The Veiled Web," winner, National Reader's Choice Award, 2000
*"The Radiant Seas," winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 1999
*"Aurora in Four Voices," winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 1999 (also Hugo and Nebula nominee)
*"Aurora in Four Voices," winner, HOMer Award, best novella
*"Aurora in Four Voices," winner Sapphire Award, best novella
*"Ascendant Sun," winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 2003
*"A Roll of the Dice," winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 2001 (also Hugo and Nebula nominee)
*"A Roll of the Dice," winner, HOMer, 2001
*"Skyfall," winner, RT Book Club Reviewer's Choice Award, Best Science Fiction Novel 2003
*"Walk in Silence," winner, AnLab (Analog Reader's Poll), 2004 (also Hugo and Nebula nominee)
*"Walk in Silence," winner, Prism Award, best novella, 2004
*Outstanding Achievement Award, WRW, Washington D.C., 2005
*"The City of Cries," winner, Prism Award, Best Novella, 2006
*"The City of Cries," winner, Prism Award, The Best of the Best, 2006
*"The City of Cries," winner, Book Buyers Best, novella, 2006

Published works

Saga of the Skolian Empire in Order of Publication

# "Light and Shadow" (novelette appearing in "Analog, ed Stanley Schmidt) (1994)
#"Primary Inversion" (1995) - Ir can be read free and legally online on [http://www.webscription.net/p-811-primary-inversion.aspx WebScription's web] .
#"Catch the Lightning" (1996)
#"The Last Hawk" (1997)
#"The Radiant Seas" (1998)
#* "Aurora in Four Voices" (novella appearing in "Analog, ed Stanley Schmidt) (1998)
#"Ascendant Sun" (2000)
#* "A Roll of the Dice" (novella appearing in "Analog, ed Stanley Schmidt) (2000)
#"The Quantum Rose" (2000) (also serialized in "Analog, ed Stanley Schmidt) (1999)
#* "Ave de Paso" (novella appearing in anthology "Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction," ed Al Sarrantonio) (2001)
#"Spherical Harmonic" (2001)
#"The Moon's Shadow" (2003)
#"Skyfall" (2003)
#* "Stained Glass Heart" (novella appearing in anthology "Irresistible Forces," ed Catherine Asaro) (2004)
#* "Walk in Silence" (novella appearing in "Analog, ed Stanley Schmidt) (2004)
#"Schism" (2004)
#* "The Edges of Never-Haven" (short story appearing in anthology "Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy," ed Al Sarrantonio) (2004)
#* "The City of Cries" (novella appearing in "Down These Dark Spaceways," ed Mike Resnick) (2005)
#* "The Shadowed Heart" (novelette appearing in anthology "The Journey Home," ed Mary Kirk) (2005)
#"The Final Key" (2005)
#* "The Ruby Dice" (novella appearing in "Baen's Universe," ed Eric Flint) (2006)
#"The Ruby Dice" (novel, 2008)
#"Diamond Star" (due in 2009)

Reading Order by Chronology

Note: name(s) between the parentheses denotes the main character; at the back of every Skolian Empire book is a chronology and a family tree

#"Skyfall" (Roca Skolia, Eldrinson Althor Valdoria)
#"The City of Cries" (Major Bhaaj, P.I.)
#"Stained Glass Heart" (Havyrl Torcellei Valdoria)
#"Schism" (Sauscony Lahaylia Valdoria)
#"The Final Key" (Sauscony Lahaylia Valdoria/rest of her family)
#"The Edges of Never-Haven" (Denric Winward Valdoria)
#"Light and Shadow" (Kelricson Garlin Valdoria)
#"Aurora in Four Voices" (Sauscony Lahaylia Valdoria)
#"Walk in Silence" (Jess Fernandez)
#"The Last Hawk" (Kelricson Garlin Valdoria)
#"Primary Inversion" (Sauscony Lahaylia Valdoria) (This was the first published book)
#"The Radiant Seas" (Sauscony Lahaylia Valdoria/rest of her family)
#'The Shadowed Heart" (Jason Harrick)
#* Aftermath of Radiant War - the following stories have a great deal of overlap but follow different characters
##"Ascendant Sun" (Kelricson Garlin Valdoria)
##"The Quantum Rose" (Kamoj Argali, Havyrl Torcellei Valdoria)
##"Spherical Harmonic" (Dyhianna Selei)
##"The Moon's Shadow" (Jaibriol Qox Skolia)
#"Diamond Star" (Del-Kurj Arden Valdoria)
#"A Roll of the Dice" (Jeremiah Coltman)
#"The Ruby Dice" (novella, Kelric Garlin Valdoria)
#"The Ruby Dice" (full length novel, Jaibriol Qox Skolia and Kelricson Garlin Valdoria)
#"Ave de Paso" (Akushtina Santis Pulivok)
#"Catch the Lightning" (Akushtina Santis Pulivok, Althor Vyan Selei)

Other works

* "The Veiled Web" (1999)
* "The Phoenix Code" (2000)
* "The Charmed Sphere" (2004)
* "Sunrise Alley" (2004)
* "Misted Cliffs" (2005)
* "Alpha" (2006)
* "The Dawn Star" (2006)
* "The Fire Opal" (2007)
* "The Night Bird" (2008)
* "The Space-Time Pool" (Analog novella, 2008)
* "The Topaz Desert" ("Lace and Blade," ed Deborah Ross, 2008)

Collections, including stories from other authors

*"Charmed Destinies" (2003)
*"Irresistible Forces" (2004)
*"The Journey Home" (2005)
*"Down These Dark Spaceways" (2005)

External links

* [http://www.catherineasaro.net/ Catherine Asaro's official site]
* [http://www.thefutureandyou.libsyn.com/?search_string=asaro&Submit=Search&search=1 All of Catherine Asaro's audio interviews on the podcast "The Future And You"] (in which she describes her expectations of the future)
*isfdb name|id=Catherine_Asaro|name=Catherine Asaro
* [http://scifan.com/writers/aa/AsaroCatherine.asp Bibliography] on SciFan
* [http://freesfonline.de/authors/asaro.html Catherine Asaro's online fiction] at [http://freesfonline.de/ Free Speculative Fiction Online]
* [http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/books/asaro_000204.html] "Catherine Asaro: Space Opera = Physics + Romance" article
* [http://ofearna.us/books/asaro.html Catherine Asaro: The Skolian Empire]