Elizabeth Moon

Elizabeth Moon

Moon at the 2013 National Book Festival
Born March 7, 1945
McAllen, Texas, USA
Occupation Novelist
Nationality American
Period June 1, 1988 – present
Genre Military science fiction, science fiction, fantasy
Spouse Richard Sloan Moon (1969–present)
Website
sff.net/people/Elizabeth.Moon/

Elizabeth Moon (born March 7, 1945) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer.[1] Her novel The Speed of Dark won the 2003 Nebula Award.

Biography

Moon was born Susan Elizabeth Norris and grew up in McAllen, Texas. She started writing when she was a child and first tried a book, which was about her dog, at age six. She was inspired to write creatively, and says that she began writing science fiction in her teens, considering it a sideline.[2]

She earned a Bachelor's degree in History from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1968 and later earned a second B.A. in Biology. In 1968 she joined the United States Marine Corps as a computer specialist, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant while on active duty.[3] She married Richard Sloan Moon in 1969 and they have a son, Michael, born in 1983.[2]

Moon at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention, Glasgow, August 2005

Moon began writing professionally in her mid-thirties and had a newspaper column in a county weekly newspaper. In 1986 she published her first science fiction in the monthly magazine Analog and the anthology series Sword and Sorceress.[4] Her stories appeared regularly in Analog the next few years. Her first novel The Sheepfarmer's Daughter (1988)[4] won the Compton Crook Award and inaugurated the Paksennarrion series.[3]

Most of her work has military science fiction themes, although biology, politics and personal relationships also feature strongly. The Serrano Legacy is a space opera. Her Nebula-winning novel The Speed of Dark (2003) is a near-future story told from the viewpoint of an autistic computer programmer, inspired by her own autistic son Michael.[5]

Elizabeth Moon has many interests beside writing. She has a musical background, having played the accordion during her university days[6] and sung in choirs.[2][6] She is an accomplished fencer, and captain of the SFWA Musketeers, a group of published speculative fiction authors who also fence.[7]

Moon is also an experienced paramedic and has served in various capacities in local government.

On September 11, 2010, she wrote a blog entry "Citizenship" about assimilation and an Islamic group that wanted to build a memorial center at/near the site of the 9/11 attack,[8] which was "perceived by many as derogatory toward Muslims and immigrants".[9] Because it "dismayed, angered and offended" the co-chairs and other people associated with WisCon 35, a feminist science fiction convention to be held in May 2011,[10] her invitation to be a guest of honor was rescinded by WisCon's parent body.[9][11]

Awards

Moon was awarded the 2007 Robert A. Heinlein Award, which honors "outstanding published works in hard science fiction or technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space".[13][14]

Works

Paksenarrion

The Deed of Paksenarrion novels

  1. Sheepfarmer's Daughter (June 1988)
  2. Divided Allegiance (October 1988)
  3. Oath of Gold (January 1989)
“Those Who Walk in Darkness” (March 1990)—short story set during Oath of Gold, included in the collections Lunar Activity and Phases
The Deed of Paksenarrion (February 1992)—paperback omnibus
The Deed of Paksenarrion (October 2003)—hardcover omnibus
The Deed of Paksenarrion (January 2010)—paperback omnibus

The Legacy of Gird novels

  1. Surrender None (June 1990)—prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion
  2. Liar's Oath (May 1992)—sequel to Surrender None
The Legacy of Gird (September 1996)—paperback omnibus
to be available as A Legacy of Honour (paperback omnibus) in November 2010

Paladin's Legacy novels

  1. Oath of Fealty (March 2010)—sequel to Oath of Gold
  2. Kings of the North (March 2011)
  3. Echoes of Betrayal (February 2012)
  4. Limits of Power (June 2013)
  5. Crown of Renewal (May 2014)

Familias Regnant universe

Heris Serrano (July 2002)—Baen omnibus edition of Hunting Party, Sporting Chance and Winning Colors
The Serrano Legacy: Omnibus One (December 2006)—Orbit GB omnibus
The Serrano Connection: Omnibus Two (September 2007)—Orbit GB omnibus
The Serrano Connection (October 2008)—Baen omnibus edition
The Serrano Succession: Omnibus Three (February 2008)—Orbit GB omnibus

Vatta's War

Main article: Vatta's War

Planet Pirates

The Planet Pirates trilogy is based on two books by Anne McCaffrey, Dinosaur Planet and Dinosaur Planet Survivors (1978 and 1984, jointly reissued as The Ireta Adventure in 1985 and The Mystery of Ireta in 2004), which also form the core of The Death of Sleep. ISFDB catalogs all five novels as the Ireta series.[15]

Omnibus edition: The Planet Pirates (Baen, October 1993), McCaffrey, Moon, and Nye[15]

Other novels

Collections

Elizabeth Moon’s list of her own short fiction

both include “Those Who Walk in Darkness”—a Paksenarrion short story

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nawotka, Edward (April 24, 2008). "Nebula Awards puts Austin and Texas writers at center of science fiction world". Dallas Morning News.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Moon, Elizabeth. Biographical information. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ebbers, A.F. (April 13, 1989). "Writer wins award; Marine Corps tour helped publish book". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Elizabeth Moon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  5. ↑ Meats, Jessica (June 8, 2011). "An interview with: Elizabeth Moon". Plot Twister: Adventures in the world of fiction. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dow, Christopher. Elizabeth Moon's Path to the Stars, Rice University's alumni magazine, The Sallyport. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  7. ↑ SFWA Musketeers. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
  8. ↑ Moon, Elizabeth (September 11, 2010). "Citizenship". Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "WisCon Withdraws Moon's GOH Invitation". Locus Magazine Online News. October 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  10. ↑ "WisCon eCube -- Vol. 35, No. 3". September 21, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Elizabeth Moon". Society for the Furtherance & Study of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  12. ↑ "The Compton Crook Award". Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  13. ↑ Heinlein Award Announcement. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  14. ↑ Elizabeth Moon. The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ireta series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved 2014-03-04. Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elizabeth Moon.

Interviews