Robert Joseph Shea (February 14, 1933 – March 10, 1994) was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

and former

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

best known as co-author with

Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilso ...

of the

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scient ...

trilogy '' Illuminatus!'' It became a cult success and was later turned into a marathon-length stage show put on at the British National Theatre and elsewhere. In 1986 it won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. Shea went on to write several action novels based in exotic historical settings.

Other works

Shea wrote several historical action novels, including '' Shike'' (1981), a two-volume novel set in Ancient Japan about the warrior monk Jebu and his love Lady Shima Taniko, '' All Things Are Lights'' (1986), and '' The Saracen'', a novel published in two volumes in 1989 depicting the struggle between a blond Muslim warrior called Daoud ibn Abdullah and his French crusader adversary, Simon de Gobignon. His last published book was the Native American tale ''Shaman'' (1991). '' All Things Are Lights'' and the outline for the unfinished novel '' Children of Earthmaker'' have been released under a

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

license and are available to read and copy at Robert Shea's website. ''Lady Yang'' was finished but never published; a Creative Commons online version is in the works by Shea's son Michael. Three of his lectures and two panel discussions he participated in were recorded when he was a featured speaker at both the

Starwood Festival The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival, taking place every July in the United States of America. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects. T ...

and the WinterStar Symposium (both with and without Robert Anton Wilson) and produced by the

Association for Consciousness Exploration The Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC (ACE) is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/sp ...

. For several years, Shea edited the anarchist

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...

'' No Governor''. The title comes from a quote attributed to Zhuangzi, "There is no governor anywhere." The zine was mentioned in and read by one of the characters in ''Illuminatus!''. Clipped from the Robert J. Shea Tribute page: :Robert Joseph Shea attended Manhattan Prep,

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

and

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

and worked as a magazine editor in New York and Los Angeles. In the 60's he edited the Playboy Forum where he met Robert Anton Wilson, with whom he collaborated on Illuminatus! After publishing Illuminatus!, Bob left Playboy to become a full time novelist. His novels include: ''Shike'', set in medieval Japan; ''All Things Are Lights'', a story that entwines the fate of Cathars of southern France with the occult traditions of Courtly Love and the

troubadours A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobai ...

; ''The Saracen'', describing the intricate politics of medieval Italy through the eyes of an Islamic warrior; ''Shaman'', tracing the fate of the survivors of the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...

in 19th century

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

; ''Lady Yang'', a tragic story of an idealistic empress of medieval China. Shea was a resident of

Glencoe, Illinois Glencoe () is a lakefront village in northeastern Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,849. Glencoe is part of Chicago's North Shore and is located within the New Trier High School District. Glen ...

He was survived by his son, Michael E. Shea, and his second wife, author Patricia Monaghan.NNDB Website
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Bibliography

* '' The Illuminatus! Trilogy'' (with

) Full Trilogy printed December 1, 1983 by Dell: , ** ''The Eye in the Pyramid'' (1975) Dell ** ''The Golden Apple'' (1975) Dell ** ''Leviathan'' (1975) ISBN Dell * '' Shike'' (January 13, 1992) Two in One version: Ballantine Books ** ''Time of the Dragons'' (June 1, 1981) Jove ** ''Last of the Zinja'' (July 1, 1981) Jove * ''All Things Are Lights'' (April 12, 1986) Ballantine Books

* '' From No Man's Land to Plaza del Lago'' (October 1987) Amer References , * '' The Saracen'' - both books available as free downloads from Project Gutenber

an

** ''Land of the Infidel'' (February 13, 1989) Ballantine Books, ** ''The Holy War'' (March 13, 1989) Ballantine Books * ''Shaman'' (February 20, 1991) Ballantine Books - Available as a free download from Project Gutenber

Recorded lectures & panel discussions

* ''A Meeting With Robert Shea'', ACE * ''Writing and Mysticism'', ACE * ''Magic in the Central Empire'', ACE * ''The Once and Future Legend'' (panel discussion with Ariana Lightningstorm, Patricia Monaghan, Jeff Rosenbaum, Rev. Ivan Stang, and

), ACE * ''What IS the Conspiracy, Anyway?'' (Panel Discussion with Anodea Judith, Jeff Rosenbaum, Rev. Ivan Stang, and Robert Anton Wilson), ACE

References

External links

Robert Shea's Official Website
Robert J. Shea's official website maintained by his son, Michael E. Shea. The site includes creative commons licensed versions of ''All Things Are Lights'' and other works. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, Robert Novels by Robert Shea 1933 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American novelists American anarchists American historical novelists American male novelists Manhattan College alumni Playboy people 20th-century American male writers