Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

within the genres of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

, and

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

. She is the author of the bestselling Benjamin January mystery series featuring a

free man of color In the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, free people of color (French: ''gens de couleur libres''; Spanish: ''gente de color libre'') were primarily people of mixed African, European, and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Na ...

, a musician and physician, in New Orleans in the antebellum years. She also wrote a novel about

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

. Her science fiction novels occur within an explicit

multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...

, as well as within previously existing settings (notably as established by ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' and ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'').

Early life and education

Hambly was born in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

and grew up in Montclair,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Her parents, Everett Edward Hambly Jr. and Florence Elizabeth (Moraski) Hambly, are from Fall River, Massachusetts; and Scranton, Pennsylvania (respectively). She has an older sister, Mary Ann Sanders, and a younger brother, Everett Edward Hambly, III. In her early teens, after reading

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'', she affixed images of dragons to her bedroom door. She became interested in costumery from an early age, and has been a long-time participant in

Society for Creative Anachronism The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes ...

activities. In the mid-1960s, the Hambly family spent a year in Australia. Hambly has a Master's in

Medieval History In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

from the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

. She completed her degree in 1975 and spent a year in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

as part of her studies.

Career

She chose work that allowed her time to write; all of her novels contain a biography paragraph with a litany of jobs: high school

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

, waitress, technical editor, all-night liquor store clerk, and Shotokan

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

instructor. Her first published novel was ''

The Time of the Dark ''The Time of the Dark'' is a novel by Barbara Hambly published in 1982. First part of Barbara Hambly#The Darwath Trilogy, The Darwath Trilogy. Plot summary ''The Time of the Dark'' is the first of a three part series of novels set in Darwath, a m ...

'' (1982). Hambly served as President of the

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While ...

from 1994 to 1996. Her works have been nominated for many awards in the

and

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

categories, winning a

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

for Best Horror Novel ''

Those Who Hunt the Night ''Those Who Hunt the Night'' is a 1988 horror/mystery novel by American writer Barbara Hambly. It was first published in paperback by the British publisher Unwin Paperbacks in November 1988 under the title ''Immortal Blood''. The first American e ...

'' (1989) (released in the UK as ''Immortal Blood'') and the

Lord Ruthven Award The Lord Ruthven Award is an annual award presented by the Lord Ruthven Assembly, a group of academic scholars specialising in vampire literature and affiliated with the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA). The award is ...

for fiction for its sequel, ''

Traveling with the Dead ''Traveling with the Dead'' is a 1995 horror/mystery novel by American writer Barbara Hambly. It was first published in hardcover by Del Rey/Ballantine in September 1995, with a paperback edition following from the same publisher in November 199 ...

'' (1996).

Marriage and personal life

Hambly was married for some years to

George Alec Effinger George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Writing career Effinger was a part of the Clarion class of 1970 and had three stories in the first Clarion anthology ...

, a science fiction writer. He died in 2002. She lives in Los Angeles. Hambly speaks freely of suffering from

seasonal affective disorder Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder subset, in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year. Common symptoms include sleeping too much, having li ...

, which was undiagnosed for some time.

Themes within fantasy

Hambly's work has several themes. She has a penchant for unusual characters within the fantasy genre, such as the menopausal witch and reluctant scholar-lord in the ''Winterlands'' trilogy, or the

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

secret service agent in the vampire novels. Her writing is filled with rich descriptions and characters whose actions bear consequences for both their lives and relationships, suffusing her series with a sense of loss and regret. Hambly's characters suffer the pain of frustrated aspirations to a degree that is uncommon in most fantasy novels.Clute, J. & Grant, J. (1999). ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy''. Orbit: London (UK) Though using many standard clichés and plot devices of the fantasy genre, her works explore the ethical implications of the consequences of these devices, and what their effect is for the characters, were they real people. In avoiding the "...easy consolatory self-identification of genre fantasy" (p. 449) and refusing to let her work be guided more explicitly by conventions and the desires of her audience, Hambly may have missed out on more remunerative success and acclaim. Although magic exists in many of her settings, it is not used as an easy solution but follows rules and takes energy from the wizards. The unusual settings are generally rationalized as alternative universes. Hambly heavily researches her settings, either in person or through books, frequently drawing upon her degree in medieval history for background and depth.Review of Barbara Hambly as an author
, Future Fiction website

Bibliography

Benjamin January mysteries

This

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

series begins with ''A Free Man of Color'' (1997) and features Benjamin January, a brilliant, classically educated, free colored surgeon and musician living in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

during the

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

years of the 1830s. At the time, New Orleans had a large and prosperous population of free people of color. Born a slave, as his mother was enslaved, January was freed as a young child by his mother's lover, under the

plaçage Plaçage was a recognized extralegal system in French and Spanish slave colonies of North America (including the Caribbean) by which ethnic European men entered into civil unions with non-Europeans of African, Native American and mixed-race descen ...

system. Provided with an excellent education, he gained fluency in several classical and modern languages, and was thoroughly versed in the whole of classical Western learning and arts. He studied medicine in Paris, where he trained as a surgeon. He returned to Louisiana to escape the memory of his late wife, a woman from North Africa. As a free black in Louisiana, he cannot find work as a surgeon. He earns a modest living by his exceptional talent as a musician. *''A Free Man of Color'' (1997) *''Fever Season'' (1998) *''Graveyard Dust'' (1999) *''Sold Down the River'' (2000) *''Die upon a Kiss'' (2001) *''Wet Grave'' (2002) *''Days of the Dead'' (2003) *''Dead Water'' (2004) *''Dead and Buried'' (2010) *''The Shirt On His Back'' (2011) *''Ran Away'' (2011) *''Good Man Friday'' (2013) *''Crimson Angel'' (2014) *''Drinking Gourd'' (2016) *''Murder in July'' (2017) *''Cold Bayou'' (2018) *''Lady of Perdition'' (2019) *''House of the Patriarch'' (2020) *''Death and Hard Cider'' (Hardcover – June 7, 2022)

Short stories

* "Libre" (2006, short story in ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', November 2006, Salute to New Orleans issue. Available on Hambly's website.) * "There Shall Your Heart Be Also" (2007, short story in ''New Orleans Noir'', ed. Julie Smith. Available on Hambly's website.) * "A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven" (2010, short story starring Rose and Dominique, and taking place while Benjamin is away (plot of ''The Shirt on His Back''). Available on Hambly's website.)

Historical fiction

* ''Search the Seven Hills'' riginally ''The Quirinal Hill Affair''(1983) * ''The Emancipator's Wife'' (2005; finalist for the Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in a Civil War Novel, 2006) * ''Patriot Hearts'' (2007) * ''Homeland: A Novel'' (2009)

Abigail Adams Mysteries (written as Barbara Hamilton)

* ''The Ninth Daughter'' (2009) * ''A Marked Man'' (2010) * ''Sup with the Devil '' (2011)

Sherlock Holmes short story pastiches

* "The Adventure of the Antiquarian’s Niece" (2003, ''Shadows Over Baker Street'', ed. Michael Reaves & John Pelan, narrated by Dr. Watson) * "The Dollmaker of Marigold Walk" (2003, ''My Sherlock Holmes'', ed. Michael Kurlan, narrated by Mrs. Mary Watson) * "The Lost Boy" (2008, ''Gaslight Grimoire'', ed. J. R. Campbell and Charles Prepolec, narrated by Mrs. Mary Watson) * "The Adventure of the Sinister Chinaman" (2010, ''Sherlock Holmes: Crossovers Casebook'', ed. Howard Hopkins, narrated by Dr. Watson)

Anne Steelyard: The Garden of Emptiness

* ''An Honorary Man'' (2008, graphic novel) * ''The Gate of Dreams and Starlight'' (2009, graphic novel) * ''A Thousand Waters'' (2011, graphic novel)

Darwath

The Darwath Trilogy

*''

'' (1982) *'' The Walls of Air'' (1983) *''The Armies of Daylight'' (1983)

Darwath novels

* ''Mother of Winter'' (1996; Locus award nominee 1997) * ''Icefalcon's Quest'' (1998) * "Pretty Polly" (2010, original short story available on Hambly's website.)

Sun Wolf and Starhawk

*'' The Ladies of Mandrigyn'' (1984; Locus award nominee, 1985) *''

The Witches of Wenshar ''The Witches of Wenshar'' is a novel by Barbara Hambly published in 1987. Plot summary ''The Witches of Wenshar'' is a novel in which former mercenary Sun Wolf seeks training as a mage. Reception Dave Langford reviewed ''The Witches of Wenshar'' ...

'' (1987; Locus award nominee, 1988) *''The Unschooled Wizard'' (''The Ladies of Mandrigyn'' & ''The Witches of Wenshar'' omnibus; 1987) *''The Dark Hand of Magic'' (1990) * "A Night with the Girls" (2010, an original short story available on Hambly's website.) * "Fairest In The Land" (2011, an original short story available on Hambly's website.) * "Nanya of the Butterflies" (2015) * "Hazard" (2017) * "Gwenael" (2018)

Winterlands

*'' Dragonsbane'' (1985; Locus Award nominee, 1986 and 1987) *''Dragonshadow'' (1999; Locus Award nominee, 2000) *''Knight of the Demon Queen'' (2000; Locus Award nominee, 2001) *''Dragonstar'' (2002) *''Princess'' (2010, novella starring John Aversin. Now available on Hambly's website.)

The Windrose Chronicles

* ''The Silent Tower'' (1986) * ''The Silicon Mage'' (1988) * ''Darkmage'' (1988, omnibus of ''The Silent Tower'' and ''The Silicon Mage'') * ''

Dog Wizard ''Dog Wizard'' is a fantasy novel by Barbara Hambly and published by Del Rey Books in February, 1993. The book was a 1994 Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy ...

'' (1993; Locus Award nominee, 1994) * ''Stranger at the Wedding'' (also published as ''Sorcerer's Ward''; 1994)—not the same main characters, but set in the same universe Windrose novellas/novelettes: * "Firemaggot" (2010, an original short story available on Smashwords) * "Corridor" (2011, an original short story available on Smashwords) * "Plus-One" (2012, an original short story available on Smashwords) * "Personal Paradise" (2014, an original short story available on Smashwords) * "Zénobie" (July 2015, an original short story available on Smashwords) * "...Pretty Maids All in a Row" (October 2015) * "Karate Masters vs the Invaders from Outer Space" (December 2017)

Star Trek Universe

* ''

Ishmael Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

'' (1985) * ''Ghost-Walker'' (1991) * ''Crossroad'' (1994)

James Asher, Vampire novels

# ''

'', AKA ''Immortal Blood'' (UK title) (1988; Locus Award winner for Best Horror Novel in 1989) # ''

'' (1995; Locus Award nominee, 1996, winner of the

, 1996) # ''Blood Maidens'' (2010) # ''Magistrates of Hell'' (2012) # ''The Kindred of Darkness'' (2014) # ''Darkness on His Bones'' (2015) # ''Pale Guardian'' (U.K. 2016, U.S. 2017) # ''Prisoner of Midnight'' (U.S. 2019) The short story "Sunrise on Running Water" (2007, published in the anthology ''Dark Delicacies II: Fear'') is set in the world of the James Asher novels but does not feature Asher himself.

Beauty and the Beast

* ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

'' novelization (1989) * ''Song of Orpheus'' (1990)

Sun-Cross

*''The Rainbow Abyss'' (1991; Locus Award nominee, 1992) *'' The Magicians of Night'' (1992; Locus Award nominee, 1993)

Star Wars Universe

* ''

Children of the Jedi The Callista trilogy is a series of three '' Star Wars'' novels featuring the ex-Jedi character Callista Ming; while not officially branded as a trilogy, they are often regarded as such. They take place beginning several months after the ''Jed ...

'' (1995) * "Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale" (1995, short story in the anthology ''

Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina ''Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina'' (1995) is an anthology of short stories set in the fictional '' Star Wars'' universe. The book is edited by Kevin J. Anderson. It is based on characters seen in the Mos Eisley cantina, a shady bar filled wi ...

'') * "Taster's Choice: The Tale of Jabba's Chef" (1996, short story from the anthology ''

Tales from Jabba's Palace ''Tales from Jabba's Palace'' is an anthology of short stories set in the fictional '' Star Wars'' universe. The book was edited by Kevin J. Anderson and published on December 1, 1995 by Bantam Spectra. Contents * Introduction # "A Boy and ...

'') * "Murder in Slushtime" (1997, short story published in ''Star Wars Adventure Journal'' 14) * ''

Planet of Twilight The Callista trilogy is a series of three ''Star Wars'' novels featuring the ex-Jedi character Callista Ming; while not officially branded as a trilogy, they are often regarded as such. They take place beginning several months after the ''Jedi ...

'' (1997)

Raven Sisters

*''Sisters of the Raven'' (2002) *''Circle of the Moon'' (2005)

Silver Screen Historical Mystery Series

*''Scandal in Babylon'' (2021)

Standalone works

* ''Bride of the Rat God'' (1994; Locus Award nominee, 1995) and (sequel) ''Castle of Horror'' (April 2016, Amazon/Kindle) * ''Magic Time'' (2002) (with Marc Zicree. The first of a trilogy. The other two volumes are by other authors: ''Angelfire'' by Marc Scott Zicree and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, and ''Ghostlands'' by Marc Scott Zicree and Robert Charles Wilson.) * ''Renfield: Slave of Dracula'' (2006) * "Someone Else's Shadow" (short story in the ''Night's Edge'' anthology)

Television credits

* ''

Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors ''Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors'' (French: ''Jayce et les Conquérants de la Lumière'') is an animated TV show which was first broadcast on TF1 on September 9, 1985 on the block ''Salut les p'tits loups !'', and eventually on September 16 in ...

'' (1985) * ''

M.A.S.K. M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) is a media franchise created by Kenner. The main premise revolved around the fight between the titular protagonist underground task force and the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network o ...

'' (1985) * '' She-Ra: Princess of Power'' (1986) * '' The Centurions'' (1986) * '' Starcom: The U.S. Space Force'' (1987)

References

External links

*
Bibliography
at SciFan * *
Podcast interview

Barbara Hamilton
(pseudonym) at LC Authorities, with 3 records {{DEFAULTSORT:Hambly, Barbara 1951 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American women short story writers American women novelists Living people Writers from Riverside, California Writers of historical mysteries University of California, Riverside alumni Women science fiction and fantasy writers Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Women historical novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers