Lewis Shiner (born December 30, 1950 in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census ...
) is an American writer.
Shiner began his career as a
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
writer, and then identified with
cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian Futurism, futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of low-life, lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial in ...
. He later wrote more mainstream novels, albeit often with
magical realism
Magical is the adjective for magic. It may also refer to:
* Magical (horse) (foaled 2015), Irish Thoroughbred racehorse
* "Magical" (song), released in 1985 by John Parr
* '' Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations'', ...
and
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving 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 literature and drama ...
elements. He was formerly a resident of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
(and a member of the
Turkey City Writer's Workshop Turkey City Writer's Workshop is a peer-to-peer, professional science fiction writer's workshop in Texas. Founded in 1973 and still ongoing today, it was consciously modeled after the east coast Milford Writer's Workshop.[North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...]
.
Life and career
Shiner graduated from
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = " The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, pr ...
in 1973.
Several of his novels have
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...
as a theme or main focus, especially the musicians of the late 1960s; for example, Shiner's 1993 novel ''Glimpses'' considers the great never-recorded albums of
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
,
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
and
Jimi Hendrix. ''Say Goodbye: The Laurie Moss Story'' (1999) focuses on a fictional up-and-coming female musician and her subsequent fall back down. ''Slam'' (1990) is immersed in
skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skater subculture and punk rock subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, skate punk evolved into a m ...
and
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...
culture. Perhaps because novels with music as a major theme are not generally considered mainstream genre material, his work has frequently been overlooked.
He is a contributing author to the
George R. R. Martin-edited anthology ''
Wild Cards
''Wild Cards'' is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels. They are written by a collection of more than forty authors (referred to as the "Wild Cards Trust") and are edited by George ...
'', notably creating that universe's most powerful character, the tantric sex magic wielding pimp,
Fortunato.
In July 2007 Shiner created the web site Fiction Liberation Front (FLF) as a venue for his short stories. The stories are released under the
Creative Commons license
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted "work".A "work" is any creative material made by a person. A painting, a graphic, a book, a song/lyric ...
and are available in
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
and
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
formats.
Since 2006, Shiner has been a card-carrying member of the radical labor union, the
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines gener ...
.
On July 22, 2007,
The News & Observer
''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...
began publishing a weekly column by Shiner, titled "Graphic Scenes", about
comics.
Bibliography
Novels
*''Frontera''. Riverdale, NY, USA: Baen, 1984 (paper).
*''Deserted Cities of the Heart''. New York, NY, USA: Doubleday, 1988.
*''Slam''. New York, NY, USA: Doubleday, 1990.
*''Glimpses''. New York, NY, USA: William Morrow & Co., 1993. (
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
winner)
*''Say Goodbye''. New York, NY, USA: St Martin's, 1999.
*''Black & White''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2008.
*''Dark Tangos''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2011.
*''Outside the Gates of Eden''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2019.
Collections
*''Nine Hard Questions about the Nature of the Universe''. Eugene, OR, USA:
Pulphouse Publishing
Pulphouse Publishing was an American small press publisher based in Eugene, Oregon, and specializing in science fiction and fantasy. It was founded by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch in 1988. The press was active until 1996. Over that ...
, 1991. No ISBN (''Author's Choice Monthly'' #4)
*''The Edges of Things''. Baltimore, WA, USA: Washington Science Fiction Association, 1991.
*''Twilight Time''. Eugene, OR, USA: Pulphouse Publishing, 1991. No ISBN
*''Private Eye Action As You Like It'' with
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer and martial arts instructor.
A prose writer in a variety of genres - Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense - he's also written comic books and screenplays. Se ...
. Holyoke, MA, USA: Crossroads Press, 1998.
*''Love in Vain''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2001.
*''Shades of Gray'' (chapbook available with the signed, numbered limited edition of ''Black and White''). Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2008.
*''Love in Vain'' (Australian edition, includes previously uncollected novellas "Perfidia" and "Primes"). Greenwood, WA, Australia:
Ticonderoga Publications
Ticonderoga Publications is an Australian independent publishing house founded by Russell B. Farr in 1996 and now run by Farr and Liz Grzyb. The publisher specializes in collections of science fiction short stories.
History and current
Tico ...
, 2009.
*''Collected Stories''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2009.
*''Widows & Orphans'' (chapbook available with the signed, numbered limited edition of ''Collected Stories''). Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2009.
*''Heroes and Villains''. Burton, MI, USA: Subterranean Press, 2017.
Wild Cards
*
Wild Cards I: Wild Cards - contains the short stories "The Long Dark Night of Fortunato" and "Epilogue: Third Generation" written by Shiner in 1986
*
Wild Cards II: Aces High - contains the short story "Pennies from Hell" written by Shiner in 1987
*
Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild - contains segments of the character "Fortunato" written by Shiner in 1987
*
Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad - contains the short story "Zero Hour" written by Shiner in 1988
Editor
*''Modern Stories #1'' (April, 1983): A self-published
fanzine
A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...
featuring original fiction by
William Gibson
William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...
,
Howard Waldrop
Howard Waldrop (born September 15, 1946) is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2021.
Personal life
Though born in Houston, Mississippi, Waldrop has spent ...
, and
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer and martial arts instructor.
A prose writer in a variety of genres - Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense - he's also written comic books and screenplays. Se ...
, among others.
*''When The Music's Over'' (
anthology featuring alternatives to
war) (Nominated for the
World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology)
Comics
*
''Time Masters'' (with Bob Wayne) Art by
Art Thibert and
Jose Marzan Jr. (
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
February 1990 - September 1990)
*"Scales" Art by Carlos Kastro (adaptation of the short story of the same name) in ''Omnibus: Modern Perversity'' (Blackbird Comics January 1992)
*''
The Hacker Files'' Art by
Tom Sutton
Thomas F. Sutton (April 15, 1937 – May 1, 2002)
He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school in 1955, and worked on art projects while stationed at Fort Francis E. Warren, near Laramie, Wyoming. Later, stationed at Itam ...
(
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
August 1992 - July 1993)
*"Steam Engine Time" Art by Doug Potter (adaptation of the short story of the same name) in ''Wild West Show'' (
Mojo Press 1996)
References
External links
Official WebpageFiction Liberation Front (FLF)*
''Austin Chronicle'' article about the Fiction Liberation FrontInterview on The Next Track podcastInterview on sfss.space
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiner, Lewis
1950 births
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American science fiction writers
Living people
American atheists
American male novelists
Cyberpunk writers
Industrial Workers of the World members
Novelists from North Carolina
World Fantasy Award-winning writers
Chapbook writers
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers