Karen Traviss is a

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 uni ...

author from

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England. She is the author of the ''

Wess'Har ''The Wess'har Wars'' series is a six-book science fiction novel series written by author Karen Traviss and is set several hundred years in the future. It involves humanity's contact with a number of alien species with conflicting interests and bel ...

'' series, and has written tie-in material based on '' Star Wars'', '' Gears of War'', ''

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

'', ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

'' and the newest ''

Nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

'' Series working with Nick Cole and Jason Anspach. Her work crosses various forms of media including novels, short stories, comics, and video games.

Biography

Traviss is originally from the

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

area. She worked as both a journalist and defence correspondent before turning her attention to writing fiction, and has served in both the Territorial Army and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service. Traviss is a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy workshop. Her first published novel, ''

City of Pearl ''City of Pearl'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Karen Traviss. Published in March, 2004, it is the first book of the Wess'Har Series ''The Wess'har Wars'' series is a six-book science fiction novel series written by author Karen T ...

'' (2004), centred on the clash of several distinct alien civilizations, several hundred years in the future. It was shortlisted for the

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...

and the Philip K. Dick Award. She has since written five sequels to ''City of Pearl'': ''

Crossing the Line Crossing the Line may refer to: Films * ''Crossing the Line'', an alternate US title for the film ''The Big Man'', by David Leland * ''Crossing the Line'', an alternate UK title for the film ''Little Woods'', by Nia DaCosta * ''Crossing the Li ...

'' (2004), '' The World Before'' (2005), ''

Matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general En ...

'' (2006), ''

Ally An ally is a member of an alliance. Ally may also refer to: Place names * Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France * Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Ally, Haute-Loire, a commun ...

'' (2007), and '' Judge'' (2008). In 2014, Traviss published ''Going Grey'', a

techno-thriller A techno-thriller or technothriller is a hybrid genre drawing from science fiction, thrillers, spy fiction, action, and war novels. They include a disproportionate amount (relative to other genres) of technical details on their subject matter ( ...

and the first novel in a series called ''Ringer''.

Media tie-in works

''Star Wars''

In addition to creating her own fictional settings, Traviss has written novels using existing

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

—particularly in the '' Star Wars'' universe. Traviss wrote the ''Republic Commando'' series, beginning with '' Hard Contact'' in 2004 and continuing with '' Triple Zero'' (2006), '' True Colors'' (2007), and '' Order 66'' (2008). In 2009, a related novel featuring the same characters was released ('' Star Wars Imperial Commando: 501st''). In addition to the ''Republic Commando'' Series, Traviss was one of three authors retained by Lucasfilm and

Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It ...

to pen a nine novel series called ''

Legacy of the Force In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

'' (the other two authors were

Aaron Allston Aaron Dale Allston (December 8, 1960 – February 27, 2014) was an American game designer and author of many science fiction books, notably ''Star Wars'' novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for role-playing games, severa ...

and

Troy Denning Troy Denning is an American fantasy and science fiction author and game designer who has written more than two dozen novels. Background Denning grew up in the mountain town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. An avid reader of science fiction and fan ...

). Her three contributions to the series are '' Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines'' (2006), '' Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice'' (2007) and '' Legacy of the Force: Revelation'' (2008). Thematically, her work within the ''Star Wars'' universe has frequently centered on

Mandalorian Mandalorians are fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore in the ''Star Wars'' universe and franchise created by George Lucas. Their most distinct cultural features are their battle helmets, chest armor, wrist gauntlets, and often ...

s and their culture. In particular, her ''Republic Commando'' novels have explored themes of identity with regards to clone troopers, their Mandalorian heritage, and their interaction with

Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi ...

leadership. Traviss has since parted from Del Rey due to creative differences.

''Gears of War''

In addition to ''Star Wars'' novels, Traviss also wrote a '' Gears of War'' prequel novel, '' Gears of War: Aspho Fields'' which was released on 28 October 2008. She then went on to write the sequels '' Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant'', released on 28 July 2009, '' Gears of War: Anvil Gate'', released on 31 August 2010 and '' Gears of War: Coalition's End'', released on 2 August 2011, and '' Gears of War: The Slab'', released in May 2012. She also served as the lead writer for ''

Gears of War 3 ''Gears of War 3'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the third installment of the Gears of War, ''Gears of War'' series. Originally due for re ...

''.

''Halo''

She wrote, with

Eric Nylund Eric S. Nylund (born November 12, 1964) is an American novelist and professional technical writer. His wife, Syne Mitchell, is also a science fiction writer. He holds a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a ...

and Tobias S. Buckell and other authors, the short story collection '' Halo Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe'', which was released in November 2009. On 21 July 2010 Traviss announced on her blog that she had signed a multi-book deal to write novels set in the

universe. The first book is set after the events of '' Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'', and is a continuation of that story line. Explaining why she had agreed to write in the Halo universe, Traviss said that "Believe it or not, I really have found the backbone to turn down other series featuring heavily armoured, unfeasibly cannoned-up chaps struggling to find their place in an unfriendly world. I'm not a soft touch for any old bloke with a codpiece, people. But this is Halo. There's an awkward and upsetting moral dilemma at the heart of the story, and if there's something I can't resist more than money, it's exploring moral dilemmas. (With big weapons, naturally.) You haven't spotted it? Pay attention at the back, there. There is a story." Traviss has written comic books as well. She began with a stint on '' Gears of War'' before moving on to '' Batman: Arkham Unhinged''. In 2014 she began writing

comics for IDW Publishing.

Bibliography

''The Wess'har Wars''

*''

'' (March 2004) *''

'' (September 2004) *'' The World Before'' (October 2005) *''

'' (October 2006) *''

'' (March 2007) *'' Judge'' (March 2008)

''Star Wars'' novels

*Republic Commando **'' Hard Contact'' (November 2004) **'' Triple Zero'' (February 2006) **'' True Colors'' (October 2007) **'' Order 66'' (September 2008) **'' 501st'' (October 2009), Book 1 of the Imperial Commando series *The Clone Wars **'' The Clone Wars'' (July 2008) (novelization of '' The Clone Wars'' film) **''No Prisoners'' (May 2009) *Legacy of the Force **'' Bloodlines'' (August 2006), Book 2 of

(follows ''

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...

''; followed by ''

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

'') **'' Sacrifice'' (May 2007), Book 5 of Legacy of the Force (follows '' Exile''; followed by ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'') **''

Revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

'' (February 2008), Book 8 of Legacy of the Force (follows '' Fury''; followed by ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

'')

''Gears of War'' series

*'' Aspho Fields'' (October 2008) *'' Jacinto's Remnant'' *'' Anvil Gate'' *'' Coalition's End'' (August 2011) *'' The Slab'' (May 2012)

''Halo'' novels

*Kilo-Five Trilogy **'' Halo: Glasslands'', a sequel to '' Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'' (25 October 2011) **'' Halo: The Thursday War'' (2 October 2012) **'' Halo: Mortal Dictata'' (21 January 2014)

''Ringer'' series

*''Going Grey'' (2014) *''Black Run'' (2017)

''Star Wars'' short stories

*"Omega Squad: Targets", in ''

Star Wars Insider ''Star Wars Insider'' is the official ''Star Wars'' magazine. It began in 1987 as the official magazine of ''The Lucasfilm Fan Club'', and was renamed in 1994 to coincide with the release of '' Star Wars: TIE Fighter''. Its contents include st ...

81'' (reprinted in '' Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero'') *"In His Image", in ''Vader: The Ultimate Guide'' (reprinted in paperback edition of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Betrayal) *"A Two-Edged Sword", sequel to ''In His Image'', in ''

85'' (reprinted in paperback edition of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Betrayal) *"Odds" in ''

87'' (reprinted in '' Star Wars Republic Commando: True Colors'') *" Boba Fett: A Practical Man" e-novella (2006) (reprinted in paperback edition of '' Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice'')

Comics

*'' Gears of War'' #15-24 (February 2011 - June 2012) *'' Batman: Arkham Unhinged'' #44-58 (September 2012 - January 2013) * ''G.I. Joe'' (IDW Publishing) #1-8 (September 2014 - April 2015) *

Sensation Comics ''Sensation Comics'' is the title of an American comic book anthology series published by DC Comics that ran for 109 issues between 1942 and 1952. For most of its run, the lead feature was Wonder Woman, a character which had been introduced in ''Al ...

Featuring Wonder Woman (DC Comics) #14 (September 2015)

Essays

*"I Gotta Get Me One of Those", in the essay anthology ''Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science & Daemonology in Philip Pullman's

His Dark Materials ''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), '' The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and '' The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follo ...

'' (Smart Pop Series,

BenBella Books BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. BenBella was founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001. It specializes in nonfiction books on popular culture, business, health, and nutrition, along with books on science, politics, ...

, August 2005) *"Driving GFFA 1: or How Star Wars Loosened My Corsets", in ''Star Wars on Trial : Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time'' (ed.

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has won the Hugo,Star Wars Insider ''Star Wars Insider'' is the official ''Star Wars'' magazine. It began in 1987 as the official magazine of ''The Lucasfilm Fan Club'', and was renamed in 1994 to coincide with the release of '' Star Wars: TIE Fighter''. Its contents include st ...

84'' (with co-author Ryan Kaufman) *"The Mandalorians: People and Culture" in ''

86'' *"Sprinting the Marathon" in ''

Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...

''. Traviss explains why she writes spin-off fiction

References

* ''See also'' John Hickman. "Implacable Justice: Arguing Politics and Theories of Law via the Encounter with Powerful Alien Species." ''Extrapolation''. (September 2007) 48(2): 302-313. ''Available at'' http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1421/is_2_48/ai_n29374468/.

External links

*
Karen Traviss' blog on Starwars.com

SF Encyclopedia entry

''Omega Squad: Targets'' fan made audio drama
produced & directed by Dany Pépin.
New Gears 2 info from Comic-Con- The Truth cont.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Traviss, Karen English science fiction writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Portsmouth English women novelists Women science fiction and fantasy writers