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Stephen Baxter (born in Liverpool, 13 November, 1957) is a British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.
His writings fall into three main categories, each with a very different style and tone.
His Xeelee Sequence stories are set in the far future, where human beings are rising to become the second most powerful race in the universe, next to the god-like Xeelee. Character development in these stories takes second place to the depiction of advanced theories and ideas, such as the true nature of the Great Attractor, naked singularities and the great battle between Baryonic and Dark matter lifeforms. Examples of novels written in this style: Ring, Timelike Infinity.
His present-day Earth stories are much more human, with characters portrayed with greater depth and care. They typically indulge in "if only" whimsy or outright alternate history, dreaming about what humanity could achieve in the exploration of space. NASA features prominently, and a great deal of research has obviously been done into its internal structuring and methods.
However, these novels have a much darker tone than any of his other stories and do not often portray much hope for humanity as a moral species. Examples of novels written in this style include Voyage, winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History; Titan; and Moonseed.
Each novel of the Manifold trilogy is focused on a potential explanation of the Fermi paradox.
His "Evolution" stories are a later development and show an increasing interest in the evolution of humanity. These seem to have their origins in stories of his other writing styles, such as Mammoth and Manifold: Origin. The novel Evolution is an example of this style.
Baxter also covers numerous other styles: his Mammoth stories, ostensibly for children, are often of great delight to adults, while The Time Ships (an authorised sequel to The Time Machine) is generally taken to be one of his greatest novels. It won the John W. Campbell award, the BSFA Award, and was nominated for other major science fiction awards.
Literary Awards
| Award Name | Year | For book | Short stories printed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewise Award for Best Short Form Alternate History | 1995 | Brigantia's Angels | Traces |
| Sidewise Award for Best Long Form Alternate History | 1996 | Voyage | |
| Philip K. Dick Award | 1996 | The Time Ships | |
| Philip K. Dick Award | 1999 | Vacuum Diagrams | |
| SF Chronicle Award Best Novelette | 1998 | Moon Six | Traces |
| Locus Poll Award Best Novelette | 2000 | Huddle | Phase Space |
| John W. Campbell Award | 1996 | The Time Ships | |
| British Science Fiction Award SF Novel | 1995 | The Time Ships | |
| British Science Fiction Award Short Fiction | 1997 | War Birds | Phase Space |
| British Science Fiction Award Non-Fiction | 2001 | Omegatropic | |
| British Science Fiction Award Short Fiction | 2004 | Mayflower II | |
| Asimov's Readers' Poll Novelette | 2001 | On the Orion Line | |
| Analog Award Best Short Story | 1998 | Moon-Calf | Phase Space |
| Analog Award Best Short Story | 2000 | Sheena 5 | Phase Space |
| Analog Award Best Short Story | 2002 | The Hunters of Pangaea | Evolution |
Bibliography
Books
All ISBNs are for the first edition.External links
- The Manifold (an unofficial but up-to-date fan site)
- The Baxterium (a semi-official Baxter site)
- Stephen Baxter Yahoo! Groups (fan discussion group)
- Stephen Baxter Fantastic Fiction
- Stephen Baxter Book Reviews on The SF Site
- Interview with Steven Baxter on The SF Site
- Steven Baxter Infinity Plus Profile
1957 births | British science fiction writers | Liverpudlians | Living people | Sidewise Award winning authors
Стивън Бакстър | Stephen Baxter | Stephen Baxter | Stephen Baxter | Stephen Baxter | Stīvens Beksters | Stephen Baxter | スティーヴン・バクスター | Stephen Baxter | Stephen Baxter
"Stephen Baxter"