Richard Allen Lupoff (February 21, 1935 – October 22, 2020) was an American
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 ...
and
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'' ( ...
author, who also wrote humor, satire, nonfiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He was an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and had an equally strong interest in H. P. Lovecraft. He also co-edited the non-fiction anthology ''All in Color For a Dime'' (with Don Thompson), which has been described as "the very first published volume dedicated to comic book criticism"; as well as its sequel, ''The Comic-Book Book.''
Early life and education
Born February 21, 1935, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, into a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family, Lupoff studied at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
, where he continued a career as a freelance journalist that began when he was 14.
Mike Glyer
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
File 770
''File 770'' is a long-running science fiction fanzine, newszine, and blog site published/administered by Mike Glyer. It has been published every year since 1978, and has won a record eight Hugo Awards for Best Fanzine, with the first win in ...
'', October 22, 2020, retrieved October 23, 2020.
Technology career
After completion of his degree and military service, Lupoff worked as a technical writer at
Sperry Univac
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation. Later the name was applied to a division of the Remington Rand company and ...
for five years, then at IBM for seven years, where his duties centered on directing informational films. The recession of the late 1970s caused him to return temporarily to employment in technology.
Writing career
He began his writing career in science-fiction fandom in the early 1950s, producing eight mimeographed copies of his own fanzine, ''SF52'', and later working on others, including reviews for ''
Algol
ALGOL (; short for "Algorithmic Language") is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in 1958. ALGOL heavily influenced many other languages and was the standard method for algorithm description used by the ...
'' and in the early 1960s, editing '' Xero'' with his wife Pat and
Bhob Stewart
Robert Marion Stewart, known as Bhob Stewart (November 12, 1937 – February 24, 2014) was an American writer, editor, cartoonist, filmmaker, and active fan who contributed to a variety of publications over a span of five decades. His articles a ...
James Blish
James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...
,
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
,
Avram Davidson
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...
Tachyon Publications
Tachyon Publications is an independent press specializing in science fiction and fantasy books. Founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Jacob Weisman, Tachyon books have tended toward high-end literary works, short story collections, and anthologies ...
. It was, in turn, nominated for the Hugo Award.
Lupoff was an editor of Edgar Rice Burroughs for Canaveral Press, and in 1965, at the request of the company's owners, wrote a biography of Burroughs, ''Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure'', his first book.Richard Lupoff "SF Recollections" Timebinders: '' Omni'' Online, January 1995, via ''Timebinders''.
Science fiction
He began publishing fiction in 1967 with the novel ''One Million Centuries'', and became a full-time writer in 1970. His next novels were ''Sacred Locomotive Flies'' (1971) and ''Into the Aether'' (1974); he is credited with more than 50 books, plus short fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs. He sometimes wrote under pseudonyms, such as Addison E. Steele, which he used for
Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...
novels, and Ova Hamlet, which he frequently used for parodies, collected in ''The Ova Hamlet Papers'' in 1975."Richard A. Lupoff (1935-2020)" ''
Locus
Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to:
Entertainment
* Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front
* ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine
** ''Locus Award' ...
'', October 22, 2020, retrieved October 23, 2020. Pastiche of other authors' styles and story settings and use of other authors and friends as characters are features of his writing.
Among his best-known novels are the duology '' Circumpolar!'' (1984) and ''Countersolar!'' (1987). His novel ''Sword of the Demon'' was nominated for the 1977 Nebula Award."The ''Locus'' Index to SF Awards" on February 9, 2010.
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Gr ...
described it as "a strange and austerely beautiful fable that cuts across genre lines."
His short fiction, which has often been collected and anthologized, includes the 1973 short story " 12:01 PM", which was adapted into both the Oscar-nominated short film '' 12:01 pm'' (1990) and the TV movie '' 12:01'' (1993). Lupoff appeared in both films as an extra. The major plot device is a
time loop
The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...
, and bears great similarity to that of 1993's '' Groundhog Day''. Lupoff and Jonathan Heap, director of the 1990 film, were "outraged" by the apparent theft of the idea, but after six months of lawyers' conferences, they decided to drop the case against Columbia Pictures.
His novelette "After the Dreamtime" and his short story "Sail the Tide of Mourning" received Hugo Award nominations in 1975 and 1976.Steve Stiles and his collaborative
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
''The Adventures of Professor Thintwhistle and his Incredible Aether Flyer'', originally a series of comic strips in '' Heavy Metal'', is considered a forerunner of steampunk.
Mystery
Returning to full-time writing, he turned, instead, to mystery. ''The Comic Book Killer''. published in 1988, has several sequels. His first collection of short mystery stories is ''Quintet: The Cases of Chase and Delacroix'' (2008).
Radio program: ''Probabilities''
Starting in 1977, Lupoff co-hosted a program on Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
, that featured book reviews and interviews, primarily with science-fiction and mystery authors. Originally an occasional one-hour program called ''Probabilities Unlimited'', after several months it became a regular weekly, half-hour program called simply ''Probabilities'', which aired until 1995, and was relaunched that year as ''Cover to Cover''; Lupoff left in 2001 to focus on his writing career, and the program was then again renamed to ''Bookwaves''. Among the notable authors interviewed by Lupoff and his co-host, Richard Wolinsky, were
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...
,
Octavia Butler
Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship ...
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...
, and
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...
.
Personal life
Richard and Pat Lupoff were married from 1958 until her death in 2018, and had three children. They lived in Westchester County and then in Manhattan, and later in Northern California. He died in Oakland, CA on October 22, 2020.
Bibliography
Novels
*''One Million Centuries'' (1967)
*''Sacred Locomotive Flies'' (1971)
*''Into the Aether'' (1974)
*''The Crack in the Sky'' t Fool's Hill (1978 UK)1976)
*''Sandworld'' (1976)
*''Lisa Kane'' (1976)
*''The Triune Man'' (1976)
*''Sword of the Demon'' (1977)
*''The Return of SkullFace'' (1977)
*''
Space War Blues
''Space War Blues'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Richard A. Lupoff. It is a fixup of several previously published pieces, the longest of which, "With The Bentfin Boomer Boys On Little Old New Alabama" (hereinafter “WTBBB”), ...
'' (1978)
*'' Lovecraft's Book'' (1985)
*''The Forever City'' (1988)
*''The Comic Book Killer'' (1988)
*''The Adventures of Professor Thintwhistle and His Incredible Aether Flyer'' (1991) with Steve Stiles
*''Night of the Living Gator'' (1992)
*''Marblehead'' (
Ramble House
Ramble House is a small American publisher founded by Fender Tucker and Jim Weiler in 1999. The press specializes in reprints of long-neglected and rare crime fiction novels, modern crime fiction, 'weird menace' / 'shudder pulps' - short story co ...
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
The Black Tower
''The Black Tower'' is an Adam Dalgliesh novel by P.D. James, published in 1975.
Plot synopsis
Adam Dalgliesh, recovering from a serious gun wound, is tired of death, and goes to the Toynton Grange care home to see an old friend. But his friend ...
'' (1988)
*Sixth book: ''The Final Battle'' (1990)
;''Sun's End''
*'' Sun's End'' (1984)
*''Galaxy's End'' (1988)
;''Twin Planets''
*''Circumpolar!'' (1984)
*''Countersolar!'' (1985)
;''Detective Fiction''
*''The Comic Book Killer'' (1988)
*''The Classic Car Killer'' (1992)
*''The Bessie Blue Killer'' (1994)
*''The Sepia Siren Killer'' (1994)
*''The Cover Girl Killer'' (1995)
*''The Silver Chariot Killer'' (1996)
*''The Radio Red Killer'' (1997)
*''One Murder at a Time'' (associated short fiction) (2001)
*''The Emerald Cat Killer'' (2012)
*''Rookie Blues'' (one-off) (2012)
Short fiction
*''Nebogipfel at the End of Time'' (1978/1979)
;Collections
*''The Ova Hamlet Papers'' (1979)
*''The Digital Wristwatch of Philip K. Dick'' / Hyperprism (1994)
*''Before ... 12:01 ... and After'' (1996) Fedogan & Bremer, pub. Introduction by Robert Silverberg.
*''Jubilee'' (1997) (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 ma ...
's alternate history anthology "
Alternate Tyrants
''Alternate Tyrants'' is a 1997 Tor alternate history anthology, edited by Mike Resnick. The anthology contains 20 short stories, with each story by a different author, and presents a scenario where an individual becomes a tyrant or dictato ...
")
*''Claremont Tales'' (2001)
*''Claremont Tales II'' (2002)
*''Terrors'' (2005)
*'' Quintet: The Cases of Chase and Delacroix'' (2006).
Crippen & Landru
Crippen & Landru Publishers is a small publisher of mystery fiction collections, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Sandi and Douglas G. Greene in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is named af ...
, (2006)
*''The Compleat Ova Hamlet'' (2007)
*''Deep Space'' (2009)
*''Visions'' (2009)
*''Dreams'' (2011)
*''Killer's Dozen'' (2013)
*''Dreamer's Dozen'' (2015)
;Anthologies
*''What If? Volume 1, Stories That Should Have Won The Hugo'', (1980), stories from 1952–1958.
*''What If? Volume 2, Stories That Should Have Won The Hugo'', (1981).
*''The Best of Xero'', (2005), selections from ''Xero''
*''What If? Volume 3'' (2014)
Nonfiction
Books
*'' Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs'' (1965, a 2005 reprint in the Bison Frontiers of Imagination series)
*''All in Color for a Dime'' (co-ed w/Don Thompson) (1970)
*''The Comic-Book Book'' (co-ed w/Don Thompson) (1973)
*''Barsoom: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Martian Vision'' (1976)
*''Writer at Large'' (1998)
*''The Great American Paperback'' (2001)
*''The Best of Xero'' (w/Pat Lupoff) (2005)
*''WRITER: Volume 1'' (2010)
*''WRITER: Volume 2'' (2010)
*''WRITER: Volume 3'' (2016)
*''Where Memory Hides: A Writer's Life'' (2016)
Articles
* "What's Left of the Science Fiction Market?," '' The Writer'', May 1956