John Thomas Sladek (December 15, 1937 – March 10, 2000) was an American

science fiction author This is a list of noted science-fiction authors (in alphabetical order): A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) *Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan Abn ...

, known for his satirical and surreal novels.

Life and work

Born in

Waverly, Iowa Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,394 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The sister ci ...

, in 1937, Sladek was in England in the 1960s for the New Wave movement and published his first story in the magazine'' New Worlds''. His first

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 uni ...

novel, published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

by Gollancz as '' The Reproductive System'' and in the United States as '' Mechasm'', dealt with a project to build machines that build copies of themselves, a process that gets out of hand and threatens to destroy humanity. In '' The Müller-Fokker Effect'', an attempt to preserve human personality on tape likewise goes awry, giving the author a chance to satirize big business, big religion, superpatriotism, and men's magazines, among other things. ''

Roderick Roderick, Rodrick or Roderic (Proto-Germanic ''* Hrōþirīks'', from ''* hrōþiz'' "fame, glory" + ''* ríks'' "king, ruler") is a Germanic name, recorded from the 8th century onward.Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856)740 Its Old Hi ...

'' and ''

Roderick at Random ''Roderick at Random'' is a novel by John Sladek published in 1983. It is the sequel to '' Roderick, or The Education of a Young Machine'' (1980); both novels were reissued together in 2001 as ''The Complete Roderick''. Plot summary ''Roderick at R ...

'' offer the traditional satirical approach of looking at the world through the eyes of an innocent, in this case a robot. Sladek revisited robots from a darker point of view in the

BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

winning novel '' Tik-Tok'', featuring a

sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

robot who lacks any moral " asimov circuits", and '' Bugs'', a wide-ranging satire in which a hapless technical writer (a job Sladek held for many years) helps to create a robot who quickly goes insane. Sladek was also known for his parodies of other science fiction writers, such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and

Cordwainer Smith Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966), better known by his pen-name Cordwainer Smith, was an American author known for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a US Army officer, a noted East Asia scholar, and a ...

. These were collected in ''

The Steam-Driven Boy and other Strangers ''The Steam-Driven Boy and other strangers'' is a science fiction short story collection by John Sladek, published in 1973. Contents *"The Secret of the Old Custard" (1966) (also known as "The Babe in the Oven") *"The Aggressor" (1969) *"The B ...

'' (1973). Under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of "James Vogh", Sladek wrote ''

Arachne Rising Arachne (; from , cognate with Latin ) is the protagonist of a tale in Greek mythology known primarily from the version told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE), which is the earliest extant source for the story. In Book Six of his ...

'', which purports to be a nonfiction account of a thirteenth sign of the zodiac suppressed by the scientific establishment, in an attempt to demonstrate that people will believe anything. In the 1960s he also co-wrote two pseudonymous novels with his friend Thomas M. Disch, the Gothic ''The House that Fear Built'' (1966; as "Cassandra Knye") and the satirical thriller '' Black Alice'' (1968; as "Thom Demijohn"). Another of Sladek's notable parodies is of the anti-Stratfordian citation of the ''

hapax legomenon In corpus linguistics, a ''hapax legomenon'' ( also or ; ''hapax legomena''; sometimes abbreviated to ''hapax'', plural ''hapaxes'') is a word or an expression that occurs only once within a context: either in the written record of an entire ...

'' in '' Love's Labour's Lost'' "

honorificabilitudinitatibus Honorificabilitudinitatibus (''honōrificābilitūdinitātibus'', ) is the dative and ablative plural of the medieval Latin word ''honōrificābilitūdinitās'', which can be translated as "the state of being able to achieve honours". It is ment ...

" as an anagram of ''hi ludi, F. Baconis nati, tuiti orbi'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "these plays, F. Bacon's offspring, are preserved for the world", "proving" that

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

wrote the play. Sladek noted that "honorificabilitudinitatibus" was also an anagram for ''I, B. Ionsonii, uurit

rit Rit is a brand of dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied i ...

a lift'd batch'', thus "proving" that Shakespeare's works were written by

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

. Sladek returned from England to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, in 1986, where he lived until his death in 2000 from

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

. He was married twice, to Pamela Sladek, which ended in divorce in 1986, and to Sandra Gunter whom he married in 1994. He had a daughter from his first marriage.

Skepticism

A strict materialist, Sladek subjected the occult and

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...

to merciless scrutiny in ''The New Apocrypha''. The book critically examined the claims of

dowsing Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, claimed radiations ( radiesthesia),As translated from one preface of the Kassel experiments, "roughly 10,000 active dowsers in ...

, homeopathy,

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

, perpetual motion and

Ufology Ufology ( ) is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial alien visitors). While there are instances of government, private, and ...

Bibliography

Science fiction novels

* '' The Reproductive System'' Gollancz 1968, Equinox/Avon SF Rediscovery 3 1977, Gollancz Classic SF #8 1986; as '' Mechasm'' Ace Special 1969, Pocket 1980 * '' The Müller-Fokker Effect'' Hutchinson 1970; William Morrow 1971, Panther 1972, Pocket 1973, Carrol & Graf 1990 * ''

'' Granada 1980; Carroll & Graf 1987 * ''

'' Granada 1983, Carroll & Graf 1988 * '' Tik-Tok'' Gollancz 1983, Corgi 1984, DAW 1985 Gollancz 2001; winner of the

British Science Fiction Association The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British academics, science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to promote the writing, criticism, and study of science fiction ...

Best Novel award in 1984; * ''Love Among the Xoids'' Chris Drumm (chapbook) 1984;Reginald 1992, p. 905. * '' Bugs'' Macmillan UK 1989, Paladin 1991 * ''Blood and Gingerbread'' Cheap Street (chapbook) 1990; * ''Wholly Smokes'' Wildside 2003.

Science fiction collections

* ''

'' Panther 1973, Wildside 2005 * '' Keep the Giraffe Burning'' Panther 1977, Wildside 2004 * ''The Best of John Sladek'' Pocket 1981 * ''Alien Accounts'' Granada 1982, Wildside 2005 * '' The Lunatics of Terra'' Gollancz 1984, Wildside 2005 * '' Maps: The Uncollected John Sladek'', edited by

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

(2002).

Omnibus editions

* ''The Complete Roderick'' comprising ''Roderick'' and ''Roderick at Random'' Gollancz SF Masterworks #45 2001, Overlook Press 2004 * ''The Reproductive System'' / ''The Müller-Fokker Effect'' / ''Tik-Tok'' Gollancz 2013

Mystery novels and stories

* ''The Castle and the Key'' (as by Cassandra Knye) Paperback Library 1967 * "By an Unknown Hand", the first story featuring the detective Thackeray Phin, which was awarded the first prize in The Times Detective Story Competition in 1972, and published in ''The Times Anthology of Detective Stories'' (now included in the collection ''Maps'', edited by David Langford (2002)); * ''Black Aura'' Jonathan Cape 1974, Panther 1975, a Phin novel; * "It Takes Your Breath Away", a Phin short story, originally printed in theatre programmes for a London play, 1974 (now included in ''Maps''); * ''Invisible Green'' Gollancz 1977, the second Phin novel. Both Phin novels are locked room mysteries.

Nonfiction

* ''The New Apocrypha: A Guide to Strange Science and Occult Beliefs'' Stein and Day 1973, Panther 1978 * ''Arachne Rising: The Search for the Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac'' (1977) (as James Vogh) * ''The Cosmic Factor'' (1978) (as James Vogh) * ''Judgement of Jupiter'' (1980) (as Richard A. Tilms)Clute 1995, p. 186. * ''The Book of Clues'' (1984)

With Thomas M. Disch

* ''The House that Fear Built'' (1966) * ''Black Alice'' (1968)

Selected short stories

* " The Happy Breed" * "Elephant With Wooden Leg" * " The Great Wall of Mexico" *
The Discovery of the Nullitron
(with Thomas M. Disch)

References

;Citations * *

External links

Guardian newspaper obituary
by David Langford
John Sladek at Ansible Editions
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sladek, John 1937 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers American skeptics Critics of alternative medicine Critics of parapsychology People from Waverly, Iowa 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers