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John F. Moore (born June 15, 1959) is an American
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
and a writer 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 ...
and
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 ...
primarily under the short name John Moore.


Biography

John Moore grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. After high school, he moved to Texas and attended the University of Houston at night. He spent ten years working towards a diploma in chemical engineering. While studying he worked in the oilfields and as a truck driver, and began his writing career. In 1989 he finally received his engineering degree and began working as an engineer. He currently lives and works in
Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
."Contact the Author"
. John Moore (SFF.net/people/john.moore).


Works

At college Moore became interested in ''Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'', and after a year decided to write a story and send it to the magazine. It was not accepted, but he did receive a letter from assistant editor
Darrell Schweitzer Darrell Charles Schweitzer (born August 27, 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror fiction, horror, although he does also work in science fictio ...
from which he learned of fanzine and science fiction conventions. Moore joined the Fandom Association of Central Texas (FACT), began attending workshops for writers participating in the
Writers of the Future Writers of the Future (WOTF) is a science fiction and fantasy story contest that was established by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. A sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, presents awards for science fiction art. Hubbard characterized th ...
contest, and wrote his first serious fiction. Moore's early stories were mostly science fiction thrillers. These include the techno-thriller ''Heat Sink'', written in 1991 but only published in 2010 as an e-book. It describes a near future in which Canadian and Russian scientists try to melt the polar ice to gain access to new oil fields. Moore's earliest published story in the
ISFDB The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...
catalog is "Bad Chance", a two-page item in the January 1986 issue of ''
Space and Time Space and Time or Time and Space, or ''variation'', may refer to: * ''Space and time'' or ''time and space'' or ''spacetime'', any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single interwoven continuum * Philosophy of space and time Sp ...
''. His short works have also seen print in '' Aboriginal SF'', '' New Destinies'', ''
Realms of Fantasy ''Realms of Fantasy'' was a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (wit ...
'', ''
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine ''Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine'' was a quarterly fantasy magazine founded and initially edited by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. Fifty issues appeared from summer 1988 through December 2000. It was published by MZB Enterprises ...
'', ''Tomorrow'', ''Writers of the Future'', and elsewhere. Beginning with ''Slay and Rescue'' (1993), most of Moore's longer works have been light, humorous fantasies set in the mythical "Twenty Kingdoms." These have been compared to the writings of
Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...
and
Robert Asprin Robert Lynn Asprin (June 28, 1946 – May 22, 2008) was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, known best for his humorous series '' MythAdventures'' and '' Phule's Company''. Background Robert Asprin was born in St. J ...
. He was influenced to use humor in his fiction by comedian
Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—wa ...
when both were students at the University of Houston. At the
Comedy Workshop The Comedy Workshop and the attached ''Comix Annex'' was a comedy club in Houston, Texas. Opened in 1978 It was quite popular in the 1980s and the breeding ground for a group of influential comics, once known as the ''Texas Outlaw Comics'' that i ...
, Moore studied the techniques of performers like Hicks,
Sam Kinison Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distinc ...
, and
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...
to develop his own sense of comic timing and pacing. His fantasies have been published in a number of languages other than English, notably German,
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...
and
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
. The Czech version of his novel ''The Unhandsome Prince'' was actually published before the first edition in English.''Heroics for Beginningers''
(review). Thomas M. Wagner. 2004. sfReviews.net.
As for his other novels, ''Slay and Rescue'' is available in all three languages; ''The Unhandsome Prince'' in Czech and Russian, and ''Heroics for Beginners'' in Czech and German. ''Heroics for Beginners'' and '' Bad Prince Charlie'' were also published in Poland.


Works

The
Internet Speculative Fiction Database The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...
(ISFDB) is a source for all listings except where noted otherwise.


Novels


The Twenty Kingdoms

*'' Slay and Rescue'' (1993), *'' The Unhandsome Prince'' (Czech edition 2004; US edition 2005) *'' Heroics For Beginners'' (2004), *'' Bad Prince Charlie'' (2006), *'' A Fate Worse Than Dragons'' (May 2007),


Other novels

*''
Heat Sink A heat sink (also commonly spelled heatsink) is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium, often air or a liquid coolant, where it is dissipated away from the device, th ...
'' (2010)"Books by John Moore"
. John Moore (SFF.net/people/john.moore).
*''The Lightning Horse'' (2014)


Short stories

*"Bad Chance" (''Space and Time'', #69, Winter 1986) (as by John F. Moore) (ISFDB). Retrieved 2014-07-27. *"Sight Unseen" (''Aboriginal SF'', October 1986) *"Trackdown" (''Aboriginal SF'', February–March 1987) (as by John F. Moore) *"Lineage" (''Salarius: New Age Science Fiction and Fantasy Talent'', May 1987) (as by John F. Moore) *"Freeze Frame" (''New Destinies, Volume VI'', Winter 1988) *"If Jesus Loves You" (''Nøctulpa'' #3, February 1988) *"High Fast Fish" (''L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume IV'', June 1988) *"Mindset" (''Beyond'' #14, 1989) (as by John F. Moore) *"Bio-Inferno" (''Starshore'', Summer 1990) *"The Great Pickle Caper" (''Starshore'', Fall 1990) *"A Match on the Moon" (''Figment'' #3, April 1990) *"The Worgs" (''Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy'', Summer 1990) (as by John F. Moore) *"Hell on Earth" (''Aboriginal Science Fiction'', January–February 1991) *"Sacrificial Lamb" (''Aboriginal Science Fiction'', Summer 1992) *"A Job for a Professional" (''Tomorrow Speculative Fiction'', October 1993) *"Excerpts from the Diary of Samuel Pepys" (''Realms of Fantasy'', April 1995) *"Doorway to Hell" (''The Anthology from Hell: Humorous Tales from WAY Down Under'', March 2012)


Nonfiction

*"Wastelandian Symbolism in
Rory Harper Rory Harper (born 1950) is an American science fiction writer and community activist living in College Station, Texas. Life and career He was born in Beaumont, Texas, and attended the University of Houston but did not graduate. He was one of t ...
's '' Petrogypsies''" (1989) *"An Archaeology of the Future: Ursula Le Guin and Anarcho-Primitivism" (1995) *"Shifting Frontiers: Mapping Cyberpunk and the American South" (1996) *"Miracle Stalker: Personal and Social Transformation in Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's ''
Roadside Picnic ''Roadside Picnic'' (Russian: , ''Piknik na obochine'', ) is a philosophical science fiction novel by Soviet-Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, written in 1971 and published in 1972. It is the brothers' most popular and most widely tran ...
''" (1997)


References


External links


Text of the novel ''Heat Sink''
*
"Slay and Rescue" (1993)
in the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Online Catalog – select "Moore, John" for works, including his first five novels, by this and other John Moores whom LC has not yet differentiated (2014-07-27) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, John Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 1959 births American male writers