Paul J. McAuley (born 23 April 1955) is a British botanist and science fiction author. A biologist by training, McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction. His novels dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternative history/alternative reality, and space travel.
McAuley began with far-future space opera Four Hundred Billion Stars, its sequel Eternal Light, and the planetary-colony adventure Of the Fall. Red Dust, set on a far-future Mars colonized by the Chinese, is a planetary romance featuring many emerging technologies and SF motifs: nanotechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, personality downloads, virtual reality. The Confluence series, set in an even more distant future (about ten million years from now), is one of a number of novels to use Frank J. Tipler's Omega Point Theory (that the universe seems to be evolving toward a maximum degree of complexity and consciousness) as one of its themes.[1] About the same time, he published Pasquale's Angel, set in an alternative Italian Renaissance and featuring Niccolò Machiavegli (Machiavelli) and Leonardo da Vinci as major characters.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings: Fairyland describes a dystopian, war-torn Europe where genetically engineered "dolls" are used as disposable slaves. Since 2001 he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988.[2] Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award[3] and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.[4] "The Temptation of Dr. Stein", won the British Fantasy Award. Pasquale's Angel won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History (Long Form).
Bibliography
Novels
- Red Dust. London: Gollancz, 1993. ISBN 0-575-05488-3
- Pasquale's Angel. London: Gollancz, 1994. ISBN 0-575-05489-1 — Clarke and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 1995,[5] Sidewise Award winner
- Fairyland. London: Gollancz, 1995. ISBN 0-575-06070-0 — BSFA Award nominee, 1995;[5] Clarke Award winner, 1996;[3] Campbell Award winner, 1997[4]
- The Secret of Life. London: Voyager, 2001. ISBN 0-00-225904-4 — BSFA Award nominee, 2001;[6] Clarke Award nominee, 2002[7]
- Whole Wide World. London: Voyager, 2002. ISBN 0-00-225903-6
- White Devils. London: Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 0-7432-3885-0 — Campbell Award nominee, 2005[8]
- Mind's Eye. London: Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0-7432-3887-7 — Campbell Award nominee, 2006[9]
- Players. London: Simon & Schuster, 2007. ISBN 0-7432-7617-5
- Cowboy Angels. London: Gollancz, 2007. ISBN 978-0-575-07934-2
- Austral: London: Gollancz, 2017. ISBN 978-1473217317
- War of the Maps. London: Gollancz, 2020. ISBN 978-1473217348
- Beyond the Burn Line. London: Gollancz, 2022. ISBN 978-1399603713
- Four Hundred Billion Stars series
- Four hundred billion stars. London: Gollancz. 1988. [Philip K. Dick Award winner, 1988][2]
- Secret Harmonies. London: Gollancz, 1989. ISBN 0-575-04580-9. (Published in the United States as Of the Fall)
- Eternal Light. London: Gollancz, 1991. ISBN 0-575-04931-6 — BSFA Award nominee, 1991[10] and Clarke Award nominee, 1992[11]
- The Confluence series
- Child of the River. London: Gollancz, 1997. ISBN 0-575-06427-7
- Ancients of Days. London: Gollancz, 1998. ISBN 0-575-06428-5
- Shrine of Stars. London: Gollancz, 1999. ISBN 0-575-06429-3
- Confluence - The Trilogy. London: Gollancz, 2014. ISBN 0-575-11942-X[12]
- The Quiet War series
- The Quiet War: London, Gollancz, 2008. ISBN 978-0-575-07933-5 — Clarke Award nominee, 2009[13]
- Gardens of the Sun. London: Gollancz, 2009. ISBN 978-0-575-07937-3
- In the Mouth of the Whale. London: Gollancz, 2012. ISBN 978-0-575-10073-2
- Evening's Empires: London, Gollancz, 2013. ISBN 978-0-575-10079-4[14]
- Stories from the Quiet War (2011), a collection of five stories:
- "Making History", first published in 2000
- "Incomers", first published in 2008
- "Second Skin", first published in 1997 in Asimov's
- "Reef", first published in 2000
- "Karyl's War", first published in this collection
- Blade and Bone (2023) (novella)
- The Jackaroo series
- Something Coming Through: London, Gollancz, 2015.[15]
- Into Everywhere. London: Gollancz, 2016.[15]
- Dust (short story) (2006)
- Winning Peace (short story) (2007)
- City of the Dead (short story) (2008)
- Adventure (short story) (2008)
- Crimes and Glory (short story) (2009)
- Bruce Springsteen (short story) (2012)
- The Man (short story) (2012)
- Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was (short story) (2016)
- Maryon's Gift (short story) (2022)
Short fiction
- Collections
- The King of the Hill. London: Gollancz, 1991. ISBN 0-575-05001-2
- The King of the Hill
- Karl and the Ogre
- Transcendence
- The Temporary King
- Exiles
- Little Ilya and Spider and Box
- The Airs of Earth
- The Heirs of Earth
- The Invisible Country. London: Gollancz, 1996. ISBN 0-575-06072-7 — Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 1998[16]
- Little Machines. Harrogate: PS Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-902880-94-3
- The Two Dicks
- Residuals
- 17
- All Tomorrow's Parties
- Interstitial
- How We Lost the Moon, a True Story by Frank W. Allen
- Under Mars
- Danger: Hard Hack Area
- The Madness of Crowds
- The Secret of My Success
- The Proxy
- I Spy
- The Rift
- Alien TV
- Before the Flood
- A Very British History
- Cross Roads Blues
- Little Ilya and Spider and Box
- The Temporary King
- Cross Roads Blues
- Gene Wars
- Prison Dreams
- Children of the Revolution
- Recording Angel
- Second Skin
- All Tomorrow's Parties
- 17
- Sea Change, With Monsters
- How We Lost the Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen
- A Very British History
- The Two Dicks
- Meat
- Rocket Boy
- The Thought War
- City of the Dead
- Little Lost Robot
- Shadow Life
- The Choice
- Stories[b]
| Title | Year | First published | Reprinted/collected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Making history | 2000 | Making history. Harrogate: PS Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-902880-08-0 | Novella | |
| The eye of the tyger | 2003 | The eye of the tyger. Tolworth, Surrey: Telos Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-903889-24-3 (a Doctor Who novella) | Novella | |
| The choice | 2011 | "The choice". Asimov's Science Fiction. February 2011. | The Jackaroo series | |
| Antarctica starts here | 2012 | "Antarctica starts here". Asimov's Science Fiction. 36 (10&11): 48–56. October–November 2012. | ||
| Wild honey | 2015 | McAuley, Paul (August 2015). "Wild honey". Asimov's Science Fiction. 39 (8): 36–45. | ||
| Gravesend, or, everyday life in the Anthropocene | 2023 | Gravesend, or, Everyday Life in the Anthropocene (2023) | Novella |
- "A Brief Guide To Other Histories"
- "Dead Men Walking". Asimov's Science Fiction. 30 (3): 80–93. March 2006.[19]
- "Edna Sharrow"
- "Inheritance"
- "Planet of Fear" (2015) in Old Venus (anthology)[20]
- "Rocket Boy"
- Set in the Jackaroo universe:
- "Winning Peace" (2016), in the collection Galactic Empires by Neil Clarke.
- "Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was" (2016), published as a freebie on Tor.com.[21]
Non-fiction
- McAuley, Paul (2014). Brazil. BFI Film Classics. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Critical studies and reviews of McAuley's work
- Spinrad, Norman (April–May 2013). "Doors to anywhere". On Books. Asimov's Science Fiction. 37 (4&5): 183–191. Reviews Cowboy Angels.
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- Bibliography notes
References
External links
- Paul J. McAuley's official site
- Paul J. McAuley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Infinity Plus profile of Paul J. McAuley
- Profile of Paul McAuley by Michael Swanwick
- Review, The Secret of Life
- Review, The Book of Confluence trilogy Archived 4 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Review, Whole Wide World
- Review, Confluence - trilogy omnibus
- Interview on Actusf
- Complete list of sci-fi award wins and nominations by novel
- Story Behind Quiet War (How I wrote the Quiet War novels and stories) - Online Essay at Upcoming4.me
- Story behind Confluence by Paul McAuley - Collaborating With Myself - Online Essay at Upcoming4.me
