Patricia Oren Kearney Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is a British-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 ...

, whose work is most often identified with the

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...

movement. Her novels and short stories often explore the relationship between the human mind and technology. Her debut novel, '' Mindplayers'', was nominated for the

Philip K. Dick Award The Philip K. Dick Award is an American science fiction award given annually at Norwescon and sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and (since 2005) the Philip K. Dick Trust. Named after science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, ...

in 1988.

Early years

Cadigan was born in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, and grew up in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...

. In the 1960s Cadigan and a childhood friend "invented a whole secret life in which we were twins from the planet Venus", she told

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

"came to us for advice about their songs and how to deal with fame and other important matters," Cadigan says. "On occasion, they would ask us to use our highly developed

shape-shifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherite ...

ability to become them, and finish recording sessions and concert tours when they were too tired to go on themselves." The Venusian twins had other

superpowers A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural s ...

, that they would sometimes use to help out

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

and other heroes, she said. Cadigan was educated in theater at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

and studied science fiction and science fiction writing at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

(KU) under science fiction author and editor

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker and executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1997). He then began working as a directo ...

. Cadigan met her first husband, Rufus Cadigan, while in college; they divorced shortly after she graduated from KU in 1975. That same year, Cadigan joined the convention committee for

MidAmeriCon The 34th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as MidAmeriCon (abbreviated "MAC"), was held on 2–6 September 1976 at the Radisson Muehlebach Hotel and nearby Hotel Phillips, Phillips House hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, Unit ...

, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention being held in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, over the 1976

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend; she served on the committee as the convention's guest liaison to writer guest of honor

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 ...

, as well as helped to develop programming for the convention. At the same time, she also worked for fantasy writer

Tom Reamy Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a characte ...

at his Nickelodeon Graphics Arts Service studio, where she daily typset various jobs. She also prepared the type galleys for MidAmeriCon's various publications, including the convention's hardcover program book. Following Reamy's death on 4 November, 1977, Cadigan went to work as a writer for Kansas City, MO's

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...

company. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she also edited the

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

fantasy and science fiction magazines ''Chacal'' and later ''Shayol'' with her second husband, Arnie Fenner. Cadigan emigrated to London in 1996, where she is married to her third husband, Christopher Fowler (not to be confused with the author of the same name). She became a UK citizen in late 2014.

Writing career

Cadigan sold her first professional science fiction story in 1980. Her success as an author encouraged her to become a full-time writer in 1987. Cadigan's first novel, '' Mindplayers'', introduces what becomes the common theme to all her works: her stories blur the line between reality and perception by making the human mind a real, explorable place. Her second novel, ''Synners'', expands upon the same theme; both feature a future where direct access to the mind via technology is possible. While her stories include many of the gritty, unvarnished characteristics of the cyberpunk genre, she further specializes in this exploration of the speculative relationship between technology and the perceptions of the human mind. Cadigan has won a number of awards, including the 2013

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 " The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi" in the Best Novelette category, and the

Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...

in 1992 and 1995 for her novels ''Synners'' and ''Fools''.

dedicated his 1982 novel ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

'' in part to Cadigan following her being the guest liaison to him at the 34th

Worldcon 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 ...

in Kansas City. Pat Cadigan in 2018

Health

In 2013, Cadigan announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer.Why I've Decided to Talk About My Cancer
archived from the original a

by Pat Cadigan, at

LiveJournal LiveJournal (russian: Живой Журнал), stylised as LiVEJOURNAL, is a Russian-owned social networking service where users can keep a blog, journal, or diary. American programmer Brad Fitzpatrick started LiveJournal on April 15, 1999, as ...

; published June 27, 2013; retrieved September 10, 2017 She underwent surgery after an early diagnosis, suffered a relapse some years after, and recovered after extensive chemotherapy.

Bibliography

From the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Series

Deadpan Allie

#'' Mindplayers'', (Bantam Spectra Aug. 1987)/(Gollancz Feb. 1988); revised and expanded from the following linked stories: #*"The Pathosfinder", (nv) The Berkley Showcase: New Writings in Science Fiction & Fantasy, ed. John Silbersack & Victoria Schochet, Berkley July 1981 #*"Nearly Departed", (ss) ''Asimov's'' June 1983
read online
#*"Variation on a Man", (ss) ''Omni'' Jan. 1984 #*"Lunatic Bridge", (nv) The Fifth Omni Book of Science Fiction, ed. Ellen Datlow, Zebra Books April 1987 #"Dirty Work", (nv) Blood Is Not Enough, ed. Ellen Datlow, Morrow 1989 #"A Lie for a Lie", (nv) Lethal Kisses, ed. Ellen Datlow, Millennium Dec. 1996

Dore Konstantin (TechnoCrime, Artificial Reality Division)

#'' Tea from an Empty Cup'', (Tor Oct. 1998); loosely based on the following linked novellas: #*"Death in the Promised Land", (na) ''Omni Online'' March 1995 / ''Asimov’s'' Nov. 1995 #*"Tea from an Empty Cup", (na) ''Omni Online'' Oct. 1995 / Black Mist and Other Japanese Futures, ed. Orson Scott Card & Keith Ferrell, DAW Dec. 1997 #''Dervish is Digital'', (Macmillan UK Oct. 2000) / (Tor July 2001)

The Web

*''The Web: Avatar'', (Dolphin April 1999); novella

Other novels

*''Synners'', (Bantam Spectra Feb. 1991) / (HarperCollins UK/Grafton Oct. 1991) *''Fools'', (Bantam Spectra Nov. 1992) / (HarperCollins UK March 1994)

Chapbooks

*''My Brother's Keeper'', (Pulphouse July 1992); novelette, reprinted from ''Asimov's'' Jan. 1988 *''Chalk'', (This is Horror Nov. 2013); novelette

Collections

''Patterns'', (Ursus Sep. 1989) *''Introduction,

Bruce Sterling Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the ''Mirrorshades'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the cyberpunk subgenre. Sterling's first ...

'' (in) *"Patterns", (ss) ''Omni'' Aug. 1987 *"Eenie, Meenie, Ipsateenie", (ss) Shadows #6, ed. Charles L. Grant, Doubleday 1983 *"Vengeance Is Yours", (ss) ''Omni'' May 1983 *"The Day the Martels Got the Cable", (ss) ''F&SF'' Dec. 1982 *"Roadside Rescue", (ss) ''Omni'' July 1985 *"Rock On", (ss) Light Years and Dark, ed. Michael Bishop, Berkley 1984 *"Heal", (vi) ''Omni'' April 1988 *"Another One Hits the Road", (nv) ''F&SF'' Jan. 1984 *"My Brother's Keeper", (nv) ''Asimov's'' Jan. 1988 *"Pretty Boy Crossover", (ss) ''Asimov's'' Jan. 1986 *"Two", (nv) ''F&SF'' Jan. 1988 *"Angel", (ss) ''Asimov's'' May 1987
read online
*"It Was the Heat", (ss) Tropical Chills, ed. Tim Sullivan, Avon 1988 *"The Power and the Passion", (ss) ''Home By the Sea'', (WSFA Press May 1992) *''Introduction,

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct ...

'' (in) *"Dirty Work", (nv) Blood Is Not Enough, ed. Ellen Datlow, Morrow 1989 *"50 Ways to Improve Your Orgasm", (ss) ''Asimov's'' April 1992 *"Dispatches from the Revolution", (nv) ''Asimov's'' July 1991
read online
(collected in Mike Resnick's alternate history anthology ''

Alternate Presidents ''Alternate Presidents'' is an alternate history anthology edited by Mike Resnick, published in the United States by Tor Books. There are 28 stories in the anthology, including Resnick's own "The Bull Moose at Bay". The other remaining storie ...

'') *"Home by the Sea", (nv) A Whisper of Blood, ed. Ellen Datlow, Morrow 1991
Read online
*''A Cadigan Bibliography'', (bi) ''Dirty Work'', (Mark V. Ziesing Sep. 1993) *''Introduction,

Storm Constantine Storm Constantine (12 October 1956 – 14 January 2021) was a British science fiction and fantasy author, primarily known for her Wraeththu series,Encyclopedia of Science Fictio"Constantine, Storm" Retrieved 2010-01-21. which began as one trilog ...

'' (in) *"Dirty Work", (nv) ''Blood Is Not Enough'', ed. Ellen Datlow, Morrow 1989 *"Second Comings—Reasonable Rates", (ss) ''F&SF'' Feb. 1981 *"The Sorceress in Spite of Herself", (ss) ''Asimov's'' Dec. 1982 *"50 Ways to Improve Your Orgasm", (ss) ''Asimov's'' April 1992 *"Mother's Milt", (ss) OMNI Best Science Fiction Two, ed. Ellen Datlow, OMNI Books 1992 *"True Faces", (nv) ''F&SF'' April 1992 *"New Life for Old", (ss) Aladdin: Master of the Lamp, ed. Mike Resnick & Martin H. Greenberg, DAW 1992 *"The Coming of the Doll", (ss) ''F&SF'' June 1981 *"The Pond", (ss) Fears, ed. Charles L. Grant, Berkley 1983 *"The Boys in the Rain", (ss) ''Twilight Zone'' June 1987 *"In the Dark", (ss) When the Music's Over, ed. Lewis Shiner, Bantam Spectra 1991 *"Johnny Come Home", (ss) ''Omni'' June 1991 *"Naming Names", (nv) Narrow Houses, ed. Peter Crowther, Little Brown UK 1992 *"A Deal with God", (nv) Grails: Quests, Visitations and Other Occurrences, ed. Richard Gilliam, Martin H. Greenberg & Edward E. Kramer, Unnameable Press 1992 *"Dispatches from the Revolution", (nv) ''Asimov's'' July 1991
read online
*"No Prisoners", (nv)

Alternate Kennedys ''Alternate Kennedys'' is an alternate history anthology edited by Mike Resnick, published in the United States by Tor Books. There are 26 stories in the anthology, including Resnick's own "Lady in Waiting". The remaining stories by various autho ...

, ed. Mike Resnick, Tor 1992 *"Home by the Sea", (nv) A Whisper of Blood, ed. Ellen Datlow, Morrow 1991
Read online
*"Lost Girls", (ss)

Anthologies

* ''Letters from Home'', (Women's Press Aug. 1991) * ''The Ultimate Cyberpunk'', (ibooks Sep. 2002)

Media novelizations/companion novels

* ''Lost in Space: Promised Land'' (HarperEntertainment April 1999/Thorndike Press July 1999; original novel/sequel to the movie ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'') * ''

Upgrade Upgrading is the process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same product. In computing and consumer electronics an upgrade is generally a replacement of hardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version, in order to ...

& Sensuous Cindy'' (Black Flame April 2004;

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of two episodes from ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'') * ''Cellular'' (Black Flame Aug. 2004; novelization of the movie ''

Cellular Cellular may refer to: *Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics * Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more * ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie *Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands *Cell ...

'') * ''Jason X'' (Black Flame Feb. 2005; novelization of the movie ''

Jason X ''Jason X'' is a 2001 American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac, written by Todd Farmer and starring Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, and Kane Hodder in his fourth and final cinematic appearance as Jason Voorhees. It is ...

'') * ''Jason X: The Experiment'' (Black Flame February 2005; original novel/sequel to the movie ''

'') * ''Alita: Battle Angel—Iron City'' (Titan Books, November 2018; original novel/prequel to the movie '' Alita: Battle Angel'') * ''Alita: Battle Angel—The Official Movie Novelization'' (Titan Books, February 2019; novelization of the movie '' Alita: Battle Angel'') * ''Alien 3: The Unproduced Screenplay'' (Titan Books, August 2021; novelization of the screenplay 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, his ...

) * ''Ultraman: The Official Novelization'' (Titan Books, March 2023; novelization of the series ''

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'').

Media tie-in non-fiction

* ''The Making of Lost in Space'' (HarperPrism, May 1998; book on the making of the movie ''

'') * ''Resurrecting the Mummy: The Making of the Movie'' (Ebury Press June 1999; book on the making of the movie ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

'')

References

External links

*
Ceci N'est Pas Une Blog
��Pat Cadigan on

Story behind Chalk by Pat Cadigan
��Online Essay at Upcoming4.me ; Interviews

at ''The Hardcore''

at ''SF Site''

at ''SF Site''
2019 Interview with Cadigan
at ''Cyberpunks.com'' *

at ''SFsite.com''
2009 interview with Cadigan
at ''The Hathor Legacy''
2010 video interview with Cadigan
at ''Salon Futura''
Driving through a Cloud with Pat Cadigan (interview)
at ''

Clarkesworld Magazine ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabe ...

'', January 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cadigan, Pat 1953 births 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century British novelists American science fiction writers American speculative fiction editors American women novelists American women short story writers British science fiction writers British short story writers British speculative fiction editors British women short story writers Cyberpunk writers Hugo Award-winning writers Living people Novelists from New York (state) Postmodern writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Writers from Schenectady, New York