John C. Wright (born October 22, 1961) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy novels."Wright, John C."
Revised May 13, 2014. ''

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 ...

'' (sf-encyclopedia.com). Retrieved 2014-08-11. Entry by 'JC',

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

. He was a

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 ...

finalist for his fantasy novel ''

Orphans of Chaos ''Orphans of Chaos'' is a 2005 science fantasy novel by John C. Wright. It is the first volume of the Orphans of Chaos trilogy that continues with the novels ''Fugitives of Chaos'' (2006) and '' Titans of Chaos'' (2007). Plot synopsis Five orph ...

''. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' said he "may be this fledgling century's most important new SF talent" when reviewing his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, '' The Golden Age''.''

''. April 24, 2002.

Early life

John C. Wright was born in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh largest city in Southern California, the List of largest California cities by population, fifteenth largest city ...

. He studied the

Great Books A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in 1984. He received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

Marshall-Wythe School of Law The William & Mary Law School, known historically as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, is the professional graduate law school of the College of William & Mary. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the school is the oldest extant law school in t ...

of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

in 1987.

Career

Wright was admitted to the practice of law in three jurisdictions, New York, May 1989;

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, December 1990. Washington, D.C., January 1994. After his law practice was unsuccessful, he went to work for the newspaper ''St. Mary's Today''. Wright later worked as a newspaperman and newspaper editor before venturing into writing genre fiction. When reviewing his

'' The Golden Age'', ''

'' said he "may be this fledgling century's most important new SF talent" Wright also works as a

technical writer A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers researc ...

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 ...

Awards

Wright's ''

'' was nominated for the 2005

for Best Novel, losing to

Joe Haldeman Joe William Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his novel ''The Forever War'' (1974). That novel and other works, including ''The Hemingway Hoax'' (1991) and '' Forever Peace'' (1997), have wo ...

's ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

''. In 2015, as a part of the Rabid Puppies slate, Wright received five Hugo Award nominations, including three in the Best Novella category ("One Bright Star to Guide Them," "The Plural of Helen of Troy," and "Pale Realms of Shade"), a fourth for Best Short Story ("The Parliament of Beasts and Birds"), and a fifth for Best Related Work (''Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth''). All his works were ranked below "No Award". On September 4, 2016, Wright's novel ''Somewhither'' (published by

Castalia House Theodore Robert Beale (born August 21, 1968), also known as Vox Day, is an American far-right politics, far-right activist, writer, publisher, and video game designer. He has been described as a white supremacist, a misogynist, and part of the al ...

) received the first Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

Personal life

At age 42, Wright converted from

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, citing a profound religious experience with visions of the "Virgin Mary, her son, and His Father, not to mention various other spirits and ghosts over a period of several days", and stating that prayers he made were answered. In 2008, he was received into the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, of which he approvingly said: "If

Vulcans Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the '' Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt t ...

had a church, they'd be Catholics." Wright is married to writer L. Jagi Lamplighter, and they have four children.

Novels

The Golden Oecumene

* '' The Golden Age'' (2002) * ''

The Phoenix Exultant ''The Golden Oecumene'' is a science fiction trilogy by the American writer John C. Wright. It consists of three books, ''The Golden Age'', ''The Phoenix Exultant'' and ''The Golden Transcendence''. Plot introduction The author's first novel, it ...

'' (2003) * ''

The Golden Transcendence ''The Golden Oecumene'' is a science fiction trilogy by the American writer John C. Wright. It consists of three books, ''The Golden Age'', ''The Phoenix Exultant'' and ''The Golden Transcendence''. Plot introduction The author's first novel, it ...

'' (2003)

War of the Dreaming

* '' Last Guardian of Everness'' (2004) * '' Mists of Everness'' (2005)

Chronicles of Chaos

* ''

'' (2005) * '' Fugitives of Chaos'' (2006) * '' Titans of Chaos'' (2007)

Count to the Eschaton Sequence

* ''Count to a Trillion'' (2011) * ''The Hermetic Millennia'' (2012) * ''The Judge of Ages'' (2014) * ''Architect of Aeons'' (April 21, 2015) * ''The Vindication of Man'' (November 22, 2016) * ''Count to Infinity'' (December 26, 2017)

Tales of Moth and Cobweb

* ''The Green Knight's Squire'' ** ''Swan Knight's Son'' (2016) ** ''Feast of the Elfs'' (2016) ** ''Swan Knight's Sword'' (2016) * ''The Dark Avenger's Sidekick'' ** ''Daughter of Danger'' (2017) ** ''City of Corpses'' (2017) ** ''Tithe to Tartarus'' (2017) * ''The Mad Scientist's Intern'' (Forthcoming) * ''The Ghostly Father's Novice'' (Forthcoming)

Other novels

* ''Null-A Continuum'' (sequel to

A. E. van Vogt Alfred Elton van Vogt ( ; April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born American science fiction author. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably Philip K. Dick. He was one of the ...

's ''

The World of Null-A ''The World of Null-A'', sometimes written ''The World of Ā'', is a 1948 science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was originally published as a three-part serial in 1945 in ''Astounding Stories''. It incorporates con ...

'', 2008) * ''Somewhither: A tale of the Unwithering Realm'' (2015) * ''The Iron Chamber of Memory'' (2016)

Stories in the Night Land setting

* "Awake in the Night," (novella) ''William Hope Hodgson's Night Lands: Eternal Love'', edited by Andy W. Robertson,

Wildside Press Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade ...

. * "The Cry of the Night Hound," (novella) ''William Hope Hodgson's Night Lands: Nightmares of the Fall'', also edited by Robertson. * "Silence of the Night," as of 2008 only published on Robertson's Nightland.co.uk website. * "The Last of All Suns," (novella) ''William Hope Hodgson's Night Lands: Nightmares of the Fall''. * ''Awake in the Night Land'', Castalia House.

Other publications

* "Farthest Man from Earth", (novella) ''

Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publication ...

'', Vol. 19 # 4 & 5, No.229-230, April 1995. * "Guest Law", (novella) ''

'', Vol. 21 # 6, No.258, June 1997. ** Reprinted in '' Year's Best SF 3'', ed. David G. Hartwell, HarperPrism, 1998, and in '' The Space Opera Renaissance''. * "Not Born a Man", (short story) ''Aberrations'', No. 24, October 1994. ** Reprinted in ''No Longer Dreams'', ed. Danielle McPhail, Lite Circle, 2005. * "Forgotten Causes", (short story) ''

Absolute Magnitude Absolute magnitude () is a measure of the luminosity of a celestial object on an inverse Logarithmic scale, logarithmic Magnitude (astronomy), astronomical magnitude scale. An object's absolute magnitude is defined to be equal to the apparent mag ...

'', No. 16, Summer 2001. ** Reprinted in ''Breach the Hull'', ed. Mike McPhail, Marietta, 2007. * "Father's Monument", (short story) ''No Longer Dreams'', ed. Danielle McPhail, Lite Circle, 2005. * "The Kindred", (short story) ''No Longer Dreams'', ed. Danielle McPhail, Lite Circle, 2005. * "Peter Power Armor", (short story) ''Breach the Hull'', ed. Mike McPhail, Marietta, 2007. * "Choosers of the Slain", (short story) ''Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness'', ed. Mike Allen, Norilana Books, 2008. * "One Bright Star to Guide Them", (short story) ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...

'', Vol. 116, No. 4 & 5, Whole No. 682, April/May 2009. * "The Far End of History", (novella) '' The New Space Opera 2'',

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American people, American science fiction author and editing, editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of ...

and

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

Harper Voyager HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Co ...

, June 2009. * "Guyal the Curator", (short story) ''

Songs of the Dying Earth ''Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance'' is a collection of short fiction and shorter essays composed in appreciation of the science fiction and fantasy author Jack Vance, especially his ''Dying Earth'' series. Edited by Georg ...

'', ed.

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

and Gardner Dozois,

Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...

, July 2009. * "A Random World Of Delta Capricorni Aa, Also Called Scheddi", (flash fiction), Flash Fiction Online, May 2010. * "Judgement Eve", (novelette) ''

Engineering Infinity ''Engineering Infinity'' is a science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. It was nominated for a Locus Award for Best Anthology in 2012. Contents The anthology includes 15 stories: * "Beyond the Gernsback Continuum ..." by Jonathan Stra ...

'', ed. Jonathan Strahan,

Solaris Books Solaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors. The range is owned by Rebellion Developments and distribute ...

, December 2010.

References

External links

* * *
John C. Wright
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, John C. 1961 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American science fiction writers St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni William & Mary Law School alumni American Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism American male short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers