Hal Duncan (born 21 October 1971, real name Alasdair) is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer. His works have been listed in the New Weird genre, but he prefers not to ascribe his writings to any genre.

Life

Hal Duncan was born in

Kilwinning Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, in 1971 and grew up "in small town

" before relocating to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, where he graduated from

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and where he still resides. Before becoming a full-time writer he used to work as a computer

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

, a job that he quit in 2005. He is openly gay and terms himself a "

Sodomite Sodomite may refer to: * A person who practices sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- ...

". Occasionally he fashions himself as "THE.... Sodomite Hal Duncan" ''(

sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...

)'' after receiving

hate mail Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwise ...

defining him by this expression, as reported on his personal weblog. He is also very outspoken

politically Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and considers himself an " anarcho-socialist who recognizes that democracy's the least of all possible evils" but also "a little bit liberal." He is an active member of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle and he took part in the

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

performance group ''Word Dogs'', organised by some of the members of the Circle. Hal Duncan I9158 C

Works

Hal Duncan listed amongst his inspirations and influences such diverse authors as

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

, H. P. Lovecraft,

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work exp ...

Michael de Larrabeiti Michael de Larrabeiti (18 August 1934 – 18 April 2008) was an English novelist and travel writer. He is best known for writing ''The Borrible Trilogy'', which has been cited as an influence by writers in the ''New Weird'' movement. Early li ...

, Philip K. Dick,

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...

and

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

Prose

''Vellum''

His first novel, '' Vellum – The Book of All Hours'', was released by

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint (trade name), imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the United Kingdom, British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books b ...

in August 2005.Hal Duncan (2005), ''Vellum – The Book of All Hours'', Pan-Macmillan, August 2005, – US edition: Del Rey, April 2006, It was nominated for the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

and the

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 ...

, and won the

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

and the

Tähtivaeltaja Award Tähtivaeltaja Award is an annual prize by Helsingin science fiction seura ry for the best science fiction book released in Finnish. The winners 2016 Margaret Atwood: '' Uusi maa'' (MaddAddam, Otava) Shortlisted books: * Emmi Itäranta: ...

s. It is about a war between

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

and

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

fought in a reality of which

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

is only a fragment; in this reality, called Vellum, live the ''Unkin'' (

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s and

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

s). The events in the novel are described in a non-linear order, with several skips ahead and back in time. The story of the characters is linked to the Sumerian myth of

Inanna Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, Divine law, divine justice, and political p ...

and her

descent to the underworld A katabasis or catabasis ( grc, κατάβασις, from "down" and "go") is a journey to the underworld. Its original sense is usually associated with Greek mythology and Classical mythology more broadly, where the protagonist visits the Gree ...

and to

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

Prometheus Bound ''Prometheus Bound'' ( grc, Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης, ''Promētheús Desmṓtēs'') is an Ancient Greek tragedy traditionally attributed to Aeschylus and thought to have been composed sometime between 479 BC and the terminus ante ...

''. It is divided in two parts dedicated to the seasons of summer (entitled ""The Lost

Deus ''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for "god" or "deity". Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ("divine") are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European *'' deiwos'', "celestial" or "shining", from the same root as '' *Dyēus'', the reconstructed chief g ...

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...

") and fall (entitled "Evenfall Leaves"). ''Vellum'' has been translated amongst others into German (by Hannes Riffel),

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

(by Nina Saikkonen), French (by Florence Dolisi), Spanish (by Luis Gallego Tevar), Italian (by Stefania Di Natale) and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

(by Anna Reszka).

''Ink''

Its sequel, '' Ink – The Book of All Hours 2'', was published in February 2007.Hal Duncan (2007), ''Ink – The Book of All Hours 2'', Pan-Macmillan, February 2007, – US edition: Del Rey, February 2007, Its two parts are linked to the two remaining seasons, winter (entitled "Hinter's

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s") and spring ("Eastern Mourning"), and it continues the narrative (and the style) of the first instalment. The ancient works here referred to are

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

's ''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

'' and the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

. ''Ink'' has been shortlisted for the 2011 Tähtivaeltaja Awards. ''Ink'' has been translated into German by Hannes Riffel,

by Nina Saikkonen, French by Florence Dolisi, Spanish by Luis Gallego Tévar and

by Anna Reszka.

''Escape from Hell!''

In 2008 he published for

Monkeybrain MonkeyBrain Books (MonkeyBrain, Inc.) is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international, or out-of-print content, which show "an academic ...

'' Escape from Hell!'',Hal Duncan (2008), ''Escape from Hell!'', Monkeybrain, Austin (TX), a novella inspired by the 1981 movie ''

Escape from New York ''Escape from New York'' is a 1981 American science fiction action film co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dea ...

'' and the 1990 movie ''

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder ( he, סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב ) is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of th ...

'' in which four characters ("a

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

, a hooker, a

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works. E ...

and a

homo ''Homo'' () is the genus that emerged in the (otherwise extinct) genus ''Australopithecus'' that encompasses the extant species ''Homo sapiens'' ( modern humans), plus several extinct species classified as either ancestral to or closely relate ...

") try to flee from

, here represented as a

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

n version of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in which all the damned see their punishment continuously televised. Duncan has declared that he is planning two sequels for it, ''Assault! On Heaven!'' and ''Battle! For the Planet! Of the Dead!''. It has been translated into French by Florence Dolisi as ''Evadés de l'Enfer!'', being published by

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

in October 2010, and in Finnish by Einari Aaltonen.

''An A–Z of the Fantastic City''

In May 2011 Duncan announced the publication of ''An A–Z of the Fantastic City'', a "

chapbook A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...

" for

Small Beer Press Small Beer Press is a publisher of fantasy and literary fiction, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link in 2000 and publishes novels, collections, and anthologies. It also publishes the zine ''Lady Churc ...

, initially due to be released in February 2012. The volume, illustrated by Eric Schaller, deals with twenty-six cities, both real (

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, London,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

) and imaginary (

Erewhon ''Erewhon: or, Over the Range'' () is a novel by English writer Samuel Butler, first published anonymously in 1872, set in a fictional country discovered and explored by the protagonist. The book is a satire on Victorian society. The firs ...

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

R'lyeh R'lyeh is a fictional lost city that was first mentioned in the H. P. Lovecraft short story "The Call of Cthulhu", first published in ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928. R'lyeh is a sunken city in the South Pacific and the prison of the entity call ...

, Tir-na-Nog,

Urville Urville may refer to: Communes in France: *Urville, Aube, in the Aube ''département'' * Urville, Calvados, in the Calvados ''département'' * Urville, Manche, in the Manche ''département'' * Urville, Vosges, in the Vosges ''département'' *Urv ...

). After some delays, it was published in April 2012 in three formats: a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

, numbered and signed hardcover format (89 copies), trade paperback and

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

''Susurrus On Mars''

In 2017 he published for

Lethe Press Lethe Press is an American book publishing company based in Maple Shade, New Jersey.Delaneyesque novella ''Susurrus On Mars'', set in a far future terraformed Mars. A love story patterned after

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

is interspersed with sections on botany and the mythical origins of plants.

Short Stories

Amongst the short stories he published are ''The Angel of Gamblers'' in ''

Eidolon I ''Eidolon I'' is a 2006 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy G. Byrne. Background ''Eidolon I'' was first published in 2006 by Eidolon Books in trade paperback format. It was a short-list nominee for the 2007 Ditm ...

'', edited by

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

and Jeremy G. Byrne (2006), ''The Last Straw'' in ''

Glorifying Terrorism ''Glorifying Terrorism'' is a 2007 science fiction anthology edited by Farah Mendlesohn, which was compiled in direct response to the Terrorism Act 2006. Every story in the anthology has been specifically designed to be illegal under the Act's p ...

'', edited by

Farah Mendlesohn Farah Jane Mendlesohn (born 27 July 1968) is a British academic historian, writer on speculative fiction, and active member of science fiction fandom. Mendlesohn is best-known for their 2008 book '' Rhetorics of Fantasy'', which classifies fant ...

(2007), and ''The Tower of Morning's Bones'' in '' Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy'', edited by

Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia (born July 9, 1970) is a Russian fantasy writer. She immigrated to the United States and attended college in New Jersey to obtain her Ph.D. Her most famous work is ''The Alchemy of Stone'', a steampunk novel that examines sexism a ...

(2008). ''The Tower of Morning's Bones'' is one of the four previously published stories collected in ''Errata''. He also participated in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's ''Last Drink Bird Head'' (2009), an experiment in which 70 writers were asked the same question ("Who or what is Last Drink Bird Head?"), published by Ministry of Whimsy with the profits donated to the

ProLiteracy Worldwide ProLiteracy, also known as ProLiteracy Worldwide, is an international nonprofit organization that supports literacy programs that help adults learn to read and write. Based in Syracuse, New York, ProLiteracy has slightly less than 1,000 member progr ...

Organization. Three short story collections in Duncan's 'scruffian' sequence, a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

take on the Borribles, have been published: ''Fabbles: 1'' (sic), ''Scruffians!'', and ''A Scruffian Survival Guide''. (''Fabbles: 1'' collects three previously e-published pieces, including ''The Taking of the Stamp''. ''Scruffians!'' collects mostly previously published pieces.)

Poetry

Besides the two poetry collections ''

Sonnets A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

for

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

'' and ''The

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...

Canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...

s'' published in very limited, hand

bound Bound or bounds may refer to: Mathematics * Bound variable * Upper and lower bounds, observed limits of mathematical functions Physics * Bound state, a particle that has a tendency to remain localized in one or more regions of space Geography *B ...

editions (26 and 24 copies) by

Papaveria Press Papaveria Press is an independent British publishing house based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. It specializes in special, limited handbound editions and paperbacks in the fields of fairy tale, myth and poetry. History Papaveria Press was found ...

in 2006 and 2010 respectively, he has made most of his poetry publicly available through his blog, convinced that "there's no money in poetry. If I wanted to be read, I'm just as happy to post online and let people read it there."

''Songs for the Devil and Death''

In July 2011 Papaveria Press published ''Songs for the Devil and Death'', which includes the poems originally published in ''Sonnets for Orpheus'' and ''The Lucifer Cantos'' with the addition of several others.

Other activities

Hal Duncan participated in the album '' Ballads of the Book'' with a poem, "If You Love Me You'd Destroy Me", put in music by

Aereogramme Aereogramme were a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1998, consisting of Craig B. (vocals, guitar), Iain Cook (guitar, programming), Campbell McNeil (bass) and Martin Scott (drums). Prior to their split in 2007, the band ...

. He also wrote a musical, ''Nowhere Town'', that he defines a " punk rock opera" and a "gay punk

". It has been premiered in June 2010 in Chicago by the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

theatre group, directed by Beth Walker. He made the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

and the vocal tracks available for download through his blog. He writes a monthly

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

on BSCreview entitled ''Notes from New Sodom'', keeps a blog called
Notes from the Geek Show
' and i
active
on Twitter. He also regularly uploads on YouTube

video blog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

entries under the

username A user is a person who utilizes a computer or Computer network, network Service (systems architecture), service. A user often has a user account and is identified to the system by a username (or user name). Other terms for username includ ...

br>SodomiteHalDuncan
He contributed to

Dan Savage Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBT community activist. He writes ''Savage Love'', an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husba ...

's ''It Gets Better'' project. He wrote essays related to myth and literature, some of which are available online. He made recordings of some of his readings publicly available through his blog; some can be freely

download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...

ed while others are being sold for a fee. For his activity as a blogger he has been nominated for the 2009/2010 Last Drink Bird Head Award in the field of "Gentle Advocacy" ("In recognition of individuals willing to enter into blunt discourse about controversial issues"), but lost the award to Ay-leen the Peacemaker from
Beyond Victoriana
'. In 2009 he was nominated for the same award but in the category "Expanding Our

Vocabulary A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the la ...

" ("In recognition of writers whose fiction or nonfiction exposes readers to new words and, often, new ideas"). The award went to

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

. On 6 September 2011 Hal Duncan took part in a "

Literary Death Match ''Literary Death Match'' is a reading series co-created in 2006 by Todd Zuniga, Elizabeth Koch, and Dennis DiClaudio. Each event features four readers who read their own writing for seven minutes or less, and are then critiqued by three judg ...

" in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. In the event, organised and hosted by Literary Death Match co-creator

Todd Zuniga Adrian Todd Zuniga (born February 4, 1975) is the founding editor of ''Opium Magazine'', author of the novel ''Collision Theory'', the Writers Guild of America Award-nominated co-writer of ''Longshot'' featured in Madden NFL 18, and the co-creato ...

, he was pitted against

Doug Johnstone Doug Johnstone (born 22 July 1970) is a Scottish crime writer based in Edinburgh. His ninth novel ''Fault Lines'' was published by Orenda Books in May 2018. His 2015 book ''The Jump'' (published by Faber & Faber) was shortlisted for the McIlvann ...

, Sophie Cooke and Katerina Vasiliou. Duncan was declared the winner after a "

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

" against Vasiliou. Duncan was one of the five judges for the 2012

British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to ''The Knight of S ...

Bibliography

Novels

''The Book of All Hours'' series

* ''

Vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

''. London (UK), Pan Macmillan, 2005. * ''

Ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...

''. London (UK), Pan Macmillan, 2007.

Other Novels

* ''Testament'' (2015)

Novellas

* '' Escape from Hell!''.

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

(TX, USA), MonkeyBrain Books, 2008. * ''The Taking of The Stamp''. Los Angeles (CA, USA), LA CASE Books, 2013. * ''Susurrus On Mars''. Maple Shade (NJ, USA), Lethe Press, 2017.

Collections of short stories

* ''An A-Z of the Fantastic City''. Easthampton (MA, USA), Small Beer Press, 2012. * ''Errata''. New Sodom Press, 2013. * ''Fabbles: 1''. New Sodom Press, 2013. * ''Scruffians!''. Maple Shade (NJ, USA), Lethe Press, 2014. * ''A Scruffian Survival Guide''. New Sodom Press, 2017.

Poetry

* ''Sonnets for Orpheus''.

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

(UK), Papaveria Press, 2006. No ISBN (limited edition of 26 copies) * ''The Lucifer Cantos''. Wakefield (UK), Papaveria Press, 2010. No ISBN (limited edition of 24 copies) * ''

Songs for the Devil and Death Hal Duncan (born 21 October 1971, real name Alasdair) is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer. His works have been listed in the New Weird genre, but he prefers not to ascribe his writings to any genre. Life Hal Duncan was born in Ki ...

''. Wakefield (UK), Papaveria Press, 2011.

Anthologies edited

* ''Caledonia Dreamin' - Strange Fiction of Scottish Descent''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Hal 1971 births Living people Alumni of the University of Glasgow Members of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers' Circle People from Kilwinning Gay poets Gay novelists Scottish fantasy writers Scottish poets Scottish science fiction writers 21st-century Scottish novelists Scottish male novelists Scottish LGBT novelists Scottish LGBT poets Scottish gay writers 21st-century Scottish male writers Weird fiction writers