William Sanders (April 28, 1942 - June 29, 2017) was an American speculative fiction writer, primarily of

short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, and was the senior editor of the now defunct online science fiction magazine ''

Helix SF ''Helix SF'' was a quarterly American speculative fiction online magazine edited by William Sanders and Lawrence Watt-Evans. The poetry editor was Bud Webster. History and profile Sanders began the magazine in 2006 as "a place where writers coul ...

'' Sanders wrote several novels, including ''Journey to Fusang'' (1988), ''The Wild Blue and the Gray'' (1991) and ''The Ballad of Billy Badass & the Rose of Turkestan'' (1999). The first two are

alternate histories Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alter ...

with a humorous bent while the last is a fantasy novel. He also wrote a number of

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novels, including a series featuring

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

writer Taggart Roper beginning with ''The Next Victim'' (St. Martin's Press 1993), as well as novels marketed by the publisher as Action/Adventure, beginning with ''Hardball'' (Berkley Jove 1992). In an author's afterword to his short story "Ninekiller and the Neterw", included in the Roger Zelazny tribute collection "

Lord of the Fantastic ''Lord of the Fantastic'' is a 1998 anthology honoring the work of science fiction writer Roger Zelazny. The title is both a play off his novel ''Lord of Light'' and an homage to Zelazny. Many authors and friends of Roger's came together to write ...

", Sanders credits

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for ''The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomin ...

for talking Sanders into returning to writing SF/F stories with American Indian themes. Sanders, a former

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

dancer, is best known for his use of American Indian themes and his dry, often

cynical Cynicism is an attitude characterized by a general distrust of the motives of "others". A cynic may have a general lack of faith or hope in people motivated by ambition, desire, greed, gratification, materialism, goals, and opinions that a cynic ...

sense of humor. His most-anthologized and perhaps best known work is " The Undiscovered", an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

in which

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

is transported to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and writes "

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

" for the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

tribe. The story won the

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 wh ...

in 1997. Sanders won a second Sidewise Award for his story ''Empire'' in 2002. Sanders said that he considers his best story to be ''Dry Bones''. A stickler for detail and accuracy, Sanders studied history, which led to the publication in 2003 of ''Conquest: Hernando de Soto and the Indians, 1539-1543'', a book begun some two decades earlier and researched by travelling extensively in the southeastern quarter of the US, by motorcycle and small boat and on foot, retracing de Soto's probable routes. As a non-fiction writer, he wrote numerous articles on the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

and

outdoor sports Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

, as well as books on

bicycle racing Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling s ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

, and

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

. As Sundown Slim he wrote a humor column for "Competitive Cycling", a bike racing magazine in the mid 1970s. He also contributed to Bike World Magazine in the same period. Sanders and his wife lived in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century ...

. Sanders died after a prolonged illness on June 29, 2017.

Bibliography

*''The Bicycle Racing Book''. Domus Books, 1979. (non-fiction) *''Guide to Inflatable Canoes and Kayaks''. World Publications, 1979. (non-fiction) *''Backcountry Bikepacking''. Stackpole Books, 1982. (non-fiction) *''Kayak Touring''. Stackpole Books, 1984. (non-fiction) *''Journey to Fusang''. Warner Books, 1988. (comic alternative history) *''Pockets of Resistance''. Warner Books, 1990. written under Will Sundown pseudonym (speculative fiction) *''The Hellbound Train''. Popular Library, 1991. written under Will Sundown pseudonym (speculative fiction) *''The Wild Blue and the Gray''. Warner Books, 1991. (alternative history) *''Steel Wings''. Jove Books, 1991. (mystery) *''Hardball''. Diamond Books, 1992. Hardball series (action/adventure) *''Aryan Legion''. Diamond Books, 1992. Hardball series (action/adventure) *''Skorpion''. Diamond Books, 1992. Hardball series (action/adventure) *''The Next Victim''. St. Martin's Press, 1993. Taggart Roper series (mystery) *''A Death on 66''. St. Martin's Press, 1994. Taggart Roper series (mystery) *''Blood Autumn''. St. Martin's Press, 1995. Taggart Roper series (mystery) *''Billy Mitchell's Overt Act''.

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 ...

, 1998 (short story), (collected in

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...

's anthology ''

Alternate Generals Bibliography of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and nonfiction writer Harry Turtledove: Writing as Eric Iverson ''Elabon'' * ''Wereblood'' (1979) * ''Werenight'' (1979, revised in 1994 to include ''Wereblood'') * ''Prince of the North ...

'') *''The Ballad of Bill Badass and the Rose of Turkestan''. Yandro House, 1999. (modern fantasy) *''The Bernadette Operation''. Xlibris Corporation, 2000. (thriller) *''J.'' iPublish.com, 2001. (speculative fiction) *''Smoke''. Wildside Press, 2002. (mystery) *''Are We Having Fun Yet? American Indian Fantasy Stories''. Wildside Press, 2002. (short story collection) *''Empire''. Baen Books, 2002 (short story), (collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology '' Alternate Generals II'') *''Conquest: Hernando de Soto and the Indians, 1539-1543''. Wilside Press, 2003. (non-fiction) *''Is It Now Yet?'' Wildside Press, 2005. (short story collection) *''Not Fade Away''. Baen Books, 2005 (short story), (collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology ''

Alternate Generals III Bibliography of science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and nonfiction writer Harry Turtledove: Writing as Eric Iverson ''Elabon'' * ''Wereblood'' (1979) * ''Werenight'' (1979, revised in 1994 to include ''Wereblood'') * ''Prince of the North ...

'') *''East of the Sun and West of Fort Smith''. Noeilana Books, 2008. (short story collection)

References

External links

*William "Sundown" Sanders's personal page at http://www.mrbadexample.com/sanders/ * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, William 1942 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers Native American writers Sidewise Award winners 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers