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

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 unive ...

. 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 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 introduction of naval ...

Career

Writing as Jon Williams, he designed the wargame ''Tradition of Victory'' and role-playing game ''Promotions and Prizes'', which were republished by

Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no in-house design teams and relies on submitted material from outside talent. History Founded in the summer of 1975 in Jericho, New York b ...

as ''

Heart of Oak "Heart of Oak" is the official march of the Royal Navy. It is also the official march of several Commonwealth navies, including the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy. It was also the official march of the Royal Australian Navy ...

'' (1982) and ''

Privateers and Gentlemen ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' is a role-playing game by author Walter Jon Williams, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1983. Williams based this game on his own historical nautical adventure novels set in the late 18th century "Age of Fighti ...

'' (1983). A role-playing game sourcebook for ''

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 ...

'' called ''

Hardwired Hardwire or hardwired may refer to: *Electrical wiring *Hardwired control unit, a part of a computer's central processing unit *In computer programming, a kludge to temporarily or quickly fix a problem *Wired communication In arts and entertainme ...

'' (1989) was licensed by

R. Talsorian Games R. Talsorian Games (RTG) is a publisher of role-playing game books and accessories. Originally based in Berkeley, California, but moved to Renton, Washington in 1997. Their titles include the ''Cyberpunk 2020'' series and anime-related titles su ...

, based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Williams. Williams was born in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

and graduated from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

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

Valencia County Valencia County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 76,569. The county seat is Los Lunas. Valencia County is included in the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was a si ...

, south of Albuquerque in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. 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 ** ''

'' (1986) ** '' Solip:System'' (1989; novelette released as a standalone book) ** '' Voice of the Whirlwind'' (1987) * 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 of the Restoration period (1660–1710) that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a gre ...

series about the aristocratic burglar

Drake Maijstral Drake Maijstral is the fictional protagonist of a series of science fiction novels by Walter Jon Williams. He appears in ''The Crown Jewels'' (1987), ''House of Shards'' (1988), and ''Rock of Ages'' (1995) (collected as ''Ten Points for Style'' by t ...

. 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 of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

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 and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

nominee;

nominee *

Dread Empire's Fall ''Dread Empire's Fall'' is a space opera novel series, written since 2002 by the American author Walter Jon Williams. Setting and synopsis The ''Dread Empire's Fall'' series is set in a future in which the powerful Shaa species thousands of years ...

series
A

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...

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

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 digita ...

and

alternate reality games An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players' ideas or actions. The form is defined by inten ...

. ** ''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 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, ...

nominee ** ''

Angel Station ''Angel Station'' is the ninth album released by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, released in 1979. Several line-up changes were made for this album. Ex-Wings drummer Geoff Britton replaced founding drummer Chris Slade and Steve Waller replaced g ...

'' (1989) ** ''Elegy for Angels and Dogs'' (1990) ** ''Days of Atonement'' (1991) ** ''

Aristoi The Aristoi (Greek: ἄριστοι) was the label given to the noblemen in ancient Greek society, and in particular ancient Athens. The term literally means "best", with the denotation of best in terms of birth, rank, and nobility, but also us ...

'' (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 period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

" (1987),

nominee * "Witness" (1987),

nominee * "Surfacing" (1988), Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominee * "Erogenoscape" (1991) * "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 ...

'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 bas ...

'') * "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 wh ...

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 Tang Dynasty Underwater Pyramid" (2004) * "

The Green Leopard Plague "The Green Leopard Plague" is a 2004 science fiction novella by Walter Jon Williams. It was first published in ''Asimov's Science Fiction''. In 2010, Night Shade Books republished it in ''The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories'' (). It also a ...

" (2004), Nebula Award winner, Hugo Award nominee * "Prompt. Professional. Pop!: A Tor.Com Original" (2014)

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 Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

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

Practice for Something Else: Walter Jon Williams
Interview by Jeremy L. C. Jones,

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 2011
Interview With a Writer: Science Fiction Writer Walter Jon Williams
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 OCL ...

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