Charles Sheffield (25 June 1935 – 2 November 2002), an English-born mathematician, physicist 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 univers ...

writer, served as a 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 ...

and of the

American Astronautical Society Formed in 1954, the American Astronautical Society (AAS) is an independent scientific and technical group in the United States dedicated to the advancement of space science and space exploration. AAS supports NASA's Vision for Space Exploration ...

. His novel ''

The Web Between the Worlds ''The Web Between the Worlds'' is the second science fiction novel by Charles Sheffield. It was first published as a trade paperback by Ace Books in 1979, by the first UK edition in hardcover by Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd the following year. Furthe ...

'', featuring the construction of a

space elevator A space elevator, also referred to as a space bridge, star ladder, and orbital lift, is a proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system, often depicted in science fiction. The main component would be a cable (also called a tether) anc ...

, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel on the subject, ''

The Fountains of Paradise ''The Fountains of Paradise'' is a 1979 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This "orbital tower" is a giant structure rising from the ground ...

'' - a coincidence that amused them both. Excerpts from both Sheffield's ''

'' and Clarke's ''

'' have appeared recently in a space-elevator anthology, '' Towering Yarns''. Sheffield served as Chief Scientist of

Earth Satellite Corporation Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat), an American company, was a pioneer in the commercial use of Earth observation satellites. Founded in 1969, EarthSat was first headquartered in Washington, D.C., and later moved its offices to Bethesda, Mary ...

, a company that processed remote-sensing satellite data. The association gave rise to many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, ''Earthwatch'' (1981) and ''Man on Earth'' (1983), both collections of false-colour and enhanced images of Earth from space. He won the

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

and

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

awards for his 1993 novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...

for his 1992 novel ''

Brother to Dragons A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

''. Sheffield was

Toastmaster Toastmaster is a general term, prevalent in the United States in the mid-20th century, referring to a person in charge of the proceedings of a public speaking event. The toastmaster is typically charged with organization of the event, arrangin ...

BucConeer The 56th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as BucConeer, was held on 5–9 August 1998 at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor, the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor, the Omni Inner Harbor Baltimore ( ...

, the 1998

World Science Fiction Convention Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Before he died, he was writing a column for the

Baen Books Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...

web-site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.

Personal life

Charles Sheffield attended

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, where he graduated with a Double First in Mathematics and Physics. During his studies he met and later married his first wife, Sarah Sanderson, whose death in 1977 became the catalyst for his writing career. They had a son, Charles Christopher ("Kit"), and a daughter, Ann Elizabeth. The family soon after moved to the United States, where Sheffield began working in the field of practical physics, a career that would lead him to a consultancy with NASA and the role of chief scientist at the

in Washington. In response to the traumatic grief from the death of his wife Sarah to cancer (in 1977), Sheffield began a second career as a science fiction author, winning both the prestigious Nebula and Hugo awards and serving as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (1984–1986). He maintained two successful careers, consulting for various scientific corporations while earning fame for his "

Hard SF Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novem ...

". During this period he lived in Washington, DC, and met and married

Linda Zall Linda Zall is an environmental scientist who previously worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. While at the CIA she was responsible for establishing in 1992 a task force named Medea, which specialized in using spy satellite images to produce e ...

, a fellow scientist, and had two daughters, Elizabeth Rose and Victoria Jane. At the time of his death, he was married to writer

Nancy Kress Nancy Anne Kress (born January 20, 1948) is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo- and Nebula-winning 1991 novella ''Beggars in Spain'', which became a ...

, and lived with his children in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Fiction

Series

Behrooz Wolf

#''Sight of Proteus'', Ace September 1978; revised, NEL January 1989 – book version of the following linked stories: #*"Sight of Proteus", ''Amazing'' May 1978 #*"Legacy", ''Galaxy'' June 1977 #*"The Grooves of Change", reprinted in ''Amazing'' Feb. 1979 #''Proteus Unbound'', ''Analog'' August 1988 / NEL Jan. 1989 / Ballantine Del Rey March 1989 #''

Proteus in the Underworld Charles Sheffield (25 June 1935 – 2 November 2002), an English-born mathematician, physicist and science-fiction writer, served as a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronautical Society. ...

'', Baen May 1995 Volumes 1 and 2 were reprinted in omnibus version ''Proteus Manifest'' (SFBC July 1989) and later in a revised omnibus version ''Proteus Combined'' (Baen May 1994)

The Heritage Universe

#'' Summertide'', Ballantine Del Rey Feb. 1990 – loosely based on #*"Summertide", ''Destinies'', August 1981 #''

Divergence In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the quantity of the vector field's source at each point. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the ...

'', Ballantine Del Rey, February 1991 #'' Transcendence'', Ballantine Del Rey, April 1992 #''

Convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen * "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that united the four Wei ...

'', Baen April 1997 #'' Resurgence'', Baen November 2002 Volumes 1, 2 and 3 were reprinted in omnibus version ''The Heritage Universe'' (SFBC October 1992); Volumes 1 and 2 were reprinted in revised omnibus version ''Convergent Series'' (Baen October 1998); Volumes 3 and 4 were reprinted in revised omnibus version ''Transvergence'' (Baen November 1999)

Cold as Ice

#'' Cold as Ice'', Tor June 1992 #''

The Ganymede Club ''The Ganymede Club'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Charles Sheffield, published in 1995. A mystery and a thriller, the story unravels in the same universe that Sheffield imagined in ''Cold as Ice (novel), Cold as Ice''. Shortly ...

'', Tor December 1995 #''Dark as Day'', Tor March 2002

Chan Dalton

#''The Mind Pool'', Baen, April 1993 – revised and expanded from an earlier version: #*'' The Nimrod Hunt'', Baen, August 1986 #''The Spheres of Heaven'', Baen, February 2001

Jupiter (Young Adult Novels)

#''

Higher Education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

'' (with

Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...

), ''Analog'' February 1996 / Tor June 1996 – revised and expanded from #*"Higher Education", Charles Sheffield &

, ''Future Quartet: Earth in the Year 2042: A Four-Part Invention'',

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of '' Analog Science Fiction and F ...

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

, Jerry Pournelle and Charles Sheffield, AvoNova 1994 #''

The Billion Dollar Boy ''The Billion Dollar Boy'' is a 1997 science fiction novel by Charles Sheffield. The story takes place centuries in the future where asteroid mining is a major industry. Earth's population is 14 billion, most of whom live in poverty. The protagon ...

'', Tor April 1997 #''Putting Up Roots'', Tor September 1997 #'' The Cyborg from Earth'', Tor March 1998

Supernova Alpha

*''Aftermath'', Bantam Spectra Aug. 1998 *''Starfire'', Bantam Spectra October 1999

Arthur Morton McAndrew

*''The Compleat McAndrew'', Baen April 2000 – a collection of linked stories: **"Killing Vector", ''Galaxy'' March 1978
read online
**"Moment of Inertia", ''Analog'' October 1980

**"All the Colors of the Vacuum", ''Analog'' 2 February 1981 **"Manna Hunt", ''Analog'' September 1982 **"The Hidden Matter of McAndrew", ''Analog'' June 1992 **"The Invariants of Nature", ''Analog'' April 1993 **"Rogueworld", ''F&SF'' May 1983 **"With McAndrew, Out of Focus", ''Science Fiction Age'' March 1999 **"McAndrew and the Fifth Commandment", ''Analog'' September 1999 ''The Compleat McAndrew'' was preceded by two earlier versions: ''The McAndrew Chronicles'', (Tor, June 1983) and ''One Man’s Universe'' (Tor, December 1993); also, Sheffield later wrote an additional McAndrew story: *"McAndrew and THE LAW", ''Cosmic Tales: Adventures in Sol System'', ed. T. K. F. Weisskopf, Baen June 2004

''Waldo Burmeister and Henry Carver, Space Attorneys''

Sheffield wrote about this series: #''Space Suits'' (Fox Acre Press, August 2001); a collection of linked stories: #*"Marconi, Mattin, Maxwell", ''Galaxy'' May 1977

#*"Dinsdale Dissents", ''Galaxy'' July 1977 #*"The Deimos Plague", ''Stellar'' No. 4, ed. Judy-Lynn del Rey, Ballantine 1978

#*"Perfectly Safe, Nothing to Worry About", ''Galaxy'' August 1977 #*"The Decline of Hyperion", ''Analog'' mid-Dec. 1992 #*"The Dalmatian of Faust", ''Galaxy'' September 1978 #*"A Certain Place in History", ''Galaxy'' October 1977 #*"Parasites Lost", ''Proteus: Voices for the 80s'', ed. Richard S. McEnroe, Ace May 1981 #*"Fifteen-Love on the Dead Man’s Chest", ''Amazing'' May 1993 #*"With the Knight Male", ''The Chick is in the Mail'', ed. Esther Friesner, Baen October 2000 #*"Space Opera", ''Analog'' mid-December 1988

Erasmus Darwin (Grandfather of Charles Darwin)

#''The Amazing Dr. Darwin'', Baen June 2002 – a collection of linked stories: #*"The Devil of Malkirk", ''F&SF'' June 1982

#*"The Heart of Ahura Mazda", ''AHMM'' November 1988 #*"The Phantom of Dunwell Cove", ''Asimov's'' August 1995 #*"The Lambeth Immortal", ''AHMM'' June 1979 #*"The Solborne Vampire", ''AHMM'' January 1998 #*"The Treasure of Odirex", ''Fantastic'' July 1978 #*''Appendix- Erasmus Magister: Fact and Fiction'', Erasmus Magister, Ace 1982 ''The Amazing Dr. Darwin'' was preceded by an earlier version, ''Erasmus Magister'' (Ace June 1982); also, Sheffield later wrote an additional Erasmus Darwin story: *"The Demon of E Staircase", ''AHMM'' January 2003

Other novels

*''

,'' Ace August 1979, revised Baen Feb. 2001 *''The Selkie'' (with

David Bischoff David F. Bischoff (December 15, 1951 – March 19, 2018) was an American science fiction and television writer. General background Born in Washington D.C., Bischoff wrote science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. He beg ...

), Macmillan March 1982 / Signet May 1983 *'' My Brother's Keeper,'' Ace August 1982 *'' Between the Strokes of Night,'' (n) ''Analog'' March 1985 (+3) / Baen July 1985 / significantly revised & expanded: Baen Nov. 2002 *''Trader’s World,'' Ballantine Del Rey November 1988 – book version of linked stories: **"Trader’s Blood," (na) ''Analog'' April 1986 **"Trader’s Partner," (nv) ''Analog'' July 1987 **"Trader’s Cross," (nv) ''Analog'' March 1987 **"Trader’s Secret," (nv) ''Analog'' August 1985 *''Brother to Dragons,'' Baen Nov. 1992 **Winner of the

of 1992 *''Godspeed,'' Tor November 1993 *''The Judas Cross'' (with

), Warner Aspect December 1994 *'' Tomorrow and Tomorrow,'' Bantam Spectra January 1997 – revised and expanded from **"At the Eschaton," (na) Far Futures, ed. Gregory Benford, Tor December 1995

Other collections

*''Vectors'', Ace December 1979 **"What Song the Sirens Sang", ''Galaxy'' April 1977
read online
**"Fixed Price War", ''Analog'' May 1978

**"Marconi, Mattin, Maxwell", ''Galaxy'' May 1977

**"Power Failure", ''Fantastic'' April 1978 **"Killing Vector", ''Galaxy'' March 1978

**"Dinsdale Dissents", ''Galaxy'' July 1977 **"We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident", ''Fantastic'' December 1977 **"Skystalk", ''Destinies'' August 1979 **"How to Build a Beanstalk" (article), ''Destinies'' August 1979 **"Transition Team", ''Destinies'' November 1978 **"Bounded in a Nutshell", ''Analog'' July 1978 **"The Long Chance", ''Galaxy'' November 1977 **"The Treasure of Odirex", ''Fantastic'' July 1978 **"The Dalmatian of Faust", ''Galaxy'' September 1978 *''Hidden Variables'', Ace July 1981 **"The Man Who Stole the Moon", ''Destinies'' Summer 1980

**"The Deimos Plague", ''Stellar'' No. 4, ed. Judy-Lynn del Rey, Ballantine 1978

**"Forefather Figure", ''A Spadeful of Spacetime'', ed. Fred Saberhagen, Ace 1981

**"Moment of Inertia", ''Analog'' October 1980

**"The New Physics: The Speed of Lightness, Curved Space, and Other Heresies", ''Analog'' September 1980 **"From Natural Causes", ''Amazing'' August 1978 **"Legacy", ''Galaxy'' June 1977 **"The Softest Hammer", ''F&SF'' February 1981 **"Hidden Variable", ''Destinies'' Fall 1980 **"A Certain Place in History", ''Galaxy'' October 1977 **"All the Colors of the Vacuum", ''Analog'' 2 February 1981 **"Perfectly Safe, Nothing to Worry About", ''Galaxy'' Aug. 1977 **"Summertide", ''Destinies'' v3 #2 1981 **"The Marriage of True Minds", ''F&SF'' November 1980 *''Dancing with Myself'', Baen September 1993 **"Out of Copyright", ''F&SF'' May 1989 **"Tunicate, Tunicate, Wilt Thou Be Mine?", ''Asimov’s'' June 1985 **"Counting Up" (article), ''New Destinies'', Vol. VI, ed. Jim Baen, Baen 1988 **"A Braver Thing", ''Asimov’s'' February 1990 **"The Grand Tour", ''Analog'' May 1987 **"Classical Nightmares and Quantum Paradoxes" (article), ''New Destinies'', Vol. VII, ed. Jim Baen, Baen 1989 **"Nightmares of the Classical Mind", ''Asimov’s'' Aug. 1989 **"The Double Spiral Staircase", ''Analog'' January 1990 **"The Unlicked Bear-Whelp" (article), ''New Destinies'', Vol. IX, ed. Jim Baen, Baen 1990 **"The Seventeen-Year Locusts", ''Asimov’s'' January 1983 **"The Courts of Xanadu", ''Asimov’s'' April 1988 **"C-change", ''Analog'' November 1992 **"Unclear Winter" (article), ''New Destinies'', Vol. IV, ed. Jim Baen, Baen 1988 **"Godspeed", ''Analog'' July 1990 **"Dancing with Myself", ''Analog'' August 1989 **"Something for Nothing: A Biography of the Universe" (article) *''Georgia on My Mind and Other Places'', Tor February 1995 **"The Feynman Saltation", ''The Ultimate Dinosaur'', ed. Byron Preiss & Robert Silverberg, Bantam Spectra 1992

**"The Bee's Kiss", ''Asimov's'' November 1994 **"Millennium" **"Fifteen-Love on the Dead Man's Chest", ''Amazing'' May 1993 **"Deep Safari", ''Asimov's'' March 1992 **"Beyond the Golden Road", ''Arabesques'' 2, ed. Susan Shwartz, Avon 1989 **"Health Care System", ''Asimov's'' Sep. 1990 **"Humanity Test", ''Analog'' March 1989 **"That Strain Again", ''Microcosmic Tales'', ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph D. Olander, Taplinger 1980 **"Destroyer of Worlds", ''Asimov's'' February 1989 **"The Fifteenth Station of the Cross", ''Science Fiction Age'' July 1993 **"Trapalanda", ''Asimov's'' June 1987 **"Obsolete Skill", ''F&SF'' December 1987 **"

Georgia on My Mind "Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that same year by Hoagy Carmichael. However, the song has been most often associated with soul singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U. ...

", ''Analog'' Jan. 1993 ***Winner of the

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

for Best Novelette of 1993 ***Winner of the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

for Best Novelette of 1993 *''The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature'', Gale Group/Five Star June 2002 **"The Lady Vanishes", ''Science Fiction Age'' Nov. 1996 **"The Peacock Throne", ''Asimov's'' February 1996 **"Brooks Too Broad for Leaping", ''Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction'', ed. Nicola Griffith & Steven Pagel, White Wolf 1998 **"The Art of Fugue", ''Asimov’s'' June 2000 **"The Whole Three Yards" **"Cloud Cuckoo", ''Asimov’s'' July 1996 **"Packing Fraction", ''Packing Fraction & Other Tales of Science & Imagination'', ed. Julie E. Czerneda, Trifolium Books 1998 **"Nuremberg Joys", ''Asimov’s'' March 2000 **"What Would You Like to Know?", ''Science Fiction Age'' March 1997 **"Waiting for the Riddlers", ''Analog'' March 1997 **"Phallicide", ''Science Fiction Age'' September 1999

Anthologies

* ''How to Save the World,'' ed. Charles Sheffield, Tor September 1995

Short stories

* "

Humanity Test Humanity most commonly refers to: * Humankind the total population of humans * Humanity (virtue) Humanity may also refer to: Literature * ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights * ''Humanity: A Moral History of ...

" (1989) * "

The Double-Spiral Staircase ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" (1990?) * " A Braver Thing" (1990) * "

" (1993) (

) * "Tunicate, Tunicate, Wilt Thou Be Mine" (1989) * " Dies Irae" (1985) * "Brooks Too Broad For Leaping" (1998) * "

The Diamond Drill Charles Sheffield (25 June 1935 – 2 November 2002), an English-born mathematician, physicist and science-fiction writer, served as a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronautical Society. ...

" (2002) * "The Demon of E Staircase" (2003)

Non-fiction

* ''Earthwatch, A Survey of the World from Space,'' (Macmillan 1981) * ''Man on Earth: How Civilization and Technology Changed the Face of the World – A Survey from Space,'' (Macmillan 1983) / (Sidgwick & Jackson 1983) * ''Space Careers'' (with Carol Rosin), (William Morrow Sep. 1984) * ''Borderlands of Science: How to Think like a Scientist and Write Science Fiction,'' (Baen Nov. 1999) * ''Interstellar Travel and Multi-Generational Space Ships'' (with

Yoji Kondo was a Japanese-born American astrophysicist who also wrote science fiction under the pseudonym Eric Kotani. He edited '' Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master'' (1992), and contributed to '' New Des ...

, Frederick Bruhweiler &

John H. Moore John Hartwell Moore (27 February 1939 – 10 August 2016) was an American anthropologist. He was born in Williston, North Dakota, and raised in Paragould, Arkansas. He earned a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Arkansas, t ...

), (Apogee Books July 2003)

References

External links

Charles Sheffield yahoogroup
("study and appreciation", est. 2005) *

in the ''Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections'', Galactic Central (philsp.com)

Charles Sheffield Papers
at th
University of South Florida
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, Charles English science fiction writers English non-fiction writers English science writers Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American science fiction writers American science writers Hugo Award-winning writers Nebula Award winners 1935 births 2002 deaths Place of death missing Place of birth missing American male short story writers English male novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Maryland