Walter Jon Williams (born October 28, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

. Previously he wrote nautical adventure fiction under the name Jon Williams, in particular, ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' (1981–1984), a series of historical novels set during the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...

Career

Writing as Jon Williams, he designed the war game ''Tradition of Victory'' and role-playing game ''Promotions and Prizes'', which were republished by Fantasy Games Unlimited as '' Heart of Oak'' (1982) and '' Privateers and Gentlemen'' (1983). A role-playing game sourcebook for ''

Cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

'' called '' Hardwired'' (1989) was licensed by R. Talsorian Games, based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Williams. Williams was born in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

and graduated from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

, where he received his BA degree in 1975. He currently lives in

Valencia County, New Mexico Valencia County () is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,205. The county seat is Los Lunas. Valencia County is included in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was a ...

, about 22 miles south of Albuquerque. In 2006, Williams founded the Taos Toolbox, a two-week writer's workshop for fantasy and science fiction writers. In 2017, Williams was the Guest of Honor at the

75th World Science Fiction Convention The 75th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Worldcon 75, was held on 9–13 August 2017 at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre in Helsinki, Finland. The convention chair was Jukka Halme, and the vice-chairs wer ...

, held in Helsinki.

Publications

Novels

* Hardwired series ** '' Hardwired'' (1986) ** '' Solip:System'' (1989), novelette released as a standalone book ** '' Voice of the Whirlwind'' (1987) ** "Wolf Time" (1987), novelette * Drake Maijstral series
An SF

comedy of manners In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society. ...

series about the aristocratic burglar Drake Maijstral. Collected as an omnibus, ''Ten Points for Style'' (1995) ** ''The Crown Jewels'' (1987) ** ''House of Shards'' (1988) ** ''Rock of Ages'' (1995) * Metropolitan series ** '' Metropolitan'' (1995),

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 Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...

nominee ** '' City on Fire'' (1997),

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 (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...

nominee;

nominee * Dread Empire's Fall series
A

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction and military fiction that depicts the use of science fiction technology, including spaceships and science fiction weapons, weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...

series. ** ''The Praxis'' (2002) ** ''The Sundering'' (2003) ** ''Conventions of War'' (2005) ** ''Investments'' (2008), novella ** ''Impersonations'' (2016) ** ''The Accidental War'' (2018) ** ''Fleet Elements'' (2020) ** ''Imperium Restored'' (2022) * Privateers and Gentlemen series, as Jon Williams ** ''To Glory Arise'', originally ''The Privateer'' (1981) ** ''The Tern Schooner'', originally ''The Yankee'' (1981) ** ''Brig of War'', originally ''The Raider'' (1981) ** ''The Macedonian'' (1981) ** ''Cat Island'' (1981) * Dagmar Shaw series
A sci-fi thriller series involving

crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...

and alternate reality games. ** ''This Is Not a Game'' (2009) ** ''Deep State'' (2011) ** ''The Fourth Wall'' (2012) ** "Diamonds from Tequila" (2014), short story published in '' Rogues'' * Quillifer series ** ''Quillifer'' (2017) ** ''Quillifer The Knight'' (2019) ** ''Lord Quillifer'' (2022) * Other novels ** ''Ambassador of Progress'' (1984) ** ''Knight Moves'' (1985), Philip K. Dick Award nominee ** '' Angel Station'' (1989) ** ''Elegy for Angels and Dogs'' (1990) ** ''Days of Atonement'' (1991) ** '' Aristoi'' (1992) ** '' The Rift'' (1999), as by Walter J. Williams ** '' The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way'' (2002) ** '' Implied Spaces'' (2008)

Short fiction collections

* ''Facets'' (1990) * ''Frankensteins and Foreign Devils'' (1998) * ''The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories'' (Trade Hardcover: Night Shade Books, 2010, )

Notable short fiction

* "

Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

" (1987),

nominee * "Witness" (1987),

nominee * "Surfacing" (1988), Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominee * "Prayers on the Wind" (1991), Nebula Award nominee * "Wall, Stone, Craft" (1993), Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominee * "Red Elvis" (1994) (collected in

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 mag ...

's alternate history anthology ''

Alternate Outlaws ''Alternate Outlaws'' is an alternate history anthology edited by Mike Resnick, published in the United States by Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company ...

'') * "Foreign Devils" in '' War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches'' (1996),

Sidewise Award for Alternate History The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year. Overview The awards take their name from the 1934 short story " Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in w ...

winner * "Lethe" (1999), Nebula Award nominee * "Daddy's World" (2000), Nebula Award winner * "Argonautica" (2001), Nebula Award nominee * "The Last Ride of German Freddie", in ''Worlds That Weren't'' (2002),

nominee * " The Green Leopard Plague" (2004), Nebula Award winner, Hugo Award nominee

References

External links

* with blog *
Critical profile and bibliography
in ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

'' *
Walter Jon Williams discussion at theforce.net Message Boards

Practice for Something Else: Walter Jon Williams
Interview by Jeremy L. C. Jones, Clarkesworld Magazine, January 2011 * , Interview by Tom Chandler, Writer Underground blog, April 2011 *
Jon Williams
at LC Authorities – undifferentiated name; 6 of 7 catalog records belong to this Jon Williams
Jon Williams
at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

(Privateers and Gentlemen, among works by other Jon Williams) {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Walter Jon 1953 births 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American fantasy writers American male novelists American male short story writers American people of Finnish descent American role-playing designers American science fiction writers American thriller writers Living people Nautical historical novelists Nebula Award winners People from Los Lunas, New Mexico Sidewise Award winners University of New Mexico alumni