Alan Dean Foster

Alan Dean Foster

Foster at BayCon in 2007
Born (1946-11-18) November 18, 1946
New York City, New York, United States
Pen name James Lawson[1]
Occupation Fiction writer
Nationality American
Period 1971–present
Genre Science fiction, fantasy
Notable works Humanx Commonwealth and Spellsinger series
Website
alandeanfoster.com

Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, a prolific creator of and contributor to book series as well as the author of more than 20 standalone novels. He is especially prolific in his novelizations of film scripts.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles and currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife.

Writings

He is known for his science fiction novels set in the Humanx Commonwealth, an interstellar ethical/political union of species including humankind and the insectoid Thranx. Many of these novels feature Philip Lynx ("Flinx"), an empathic young man who has found himself involved in something which threatens the survival of the Galaxy. Flinx's constant companion since childhood is a minidrag named Pip, a flying, empathic snake capable of spitting a highly corrosive and violently neurotoxic venom.

One of Foster's better-known fantasy works is the Spellsinger series, in which a young musician is summoned into a world populated by talking creatures where his music allows him to do real magic whose effects depends on the lyrics of the popular songs he sings (although with somewhat unpredictable results).

Many of Foster's works have a strong ecological element to them, often with an environmental twist. Often the villains in his stories experience their downfall because of a lack of respect for other alien species or seemingly innocuous bits of their surroundings. This can be seen in such works as Midworld, about a semi-sentient planet that is essentially one large rainforest, and Cachalot, set on an ocean world populated by sentient cetaceans. Foster usually devotes a large part of his novels to descriptions of the strange environments of alien worlds and the coexistence of their flora and fauna. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is Sentenced to Prism, in which the protagonist finds himself trapped on a world where life is based on silicon rather than carbon, as on Earth.

Star Wars

Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of Star Wars which had been credited solely to George Lucas. After two other writers had declined his offer of a flat fee of $5,000 for the work, Lucas brought to Foster the original screenplay, after which Foster fleshed out the backstory of time, place, planets, races, history and technology in such detail that it became canonical for all subsequent Star Wars novels. However, when asked if it was difficult for him to see Lucas get all the credit for Star Wars, Foster said, "Not at all. It was George's story idea. I was merely expanding upon it. Not having my name on the cover didn't bother me in the least. It would be akin to a contractor demanding to have his name on a Frank Lloyd Wright house."[2]

Foster wrote the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a Star Wars sequel published in 1978, two years prior to the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Foster's story relied heavily on abandoned concepts that appeared in Lucas's early treatments for the first film. Foster was stunned when Return of the Jedi revealed the characters of Luke and Leia as brother and sister; in Splinter, the characters exhibit quite a bit of romantic and sexual energy. Although Splinter was contradicted by later entries in the Star Wars film canon, it was the first "Star Wars expanded universe" entry written (although not the first published—a Marvel Comics story holds that honor).

Foster was later announced as the author of the novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[3]

Star Trek

Foster has the story credit for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He also wrote 10 books based on episodes of the animated Star Trek, the first six books each consisting of three linked novella-length episode adaptations, and the last four being expanded adaptations of single episodes that segued into original story. In the mid-seventies, he wrote original Star Trek stories for the Peter Pan-label Star Trek audio story records. He later wrote the novelization of the 2009 film Star Trek, his first Star Trek novel in over 30 years.[4] He later wrote the novelization for Star Trek's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.[5]

Awards

Foster won the 2008 Grand Master award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.[6]

Bibliography

Humanx Commonwealth Universe

Pip and Flinx

Novels are listed in chronological order. Foster comments, in a foreword to a re-issued edition of Bloodhype, that it is the eleventh novel in the series, and should fall between Running from the Deity and Trouble Magnet[7]

  1. For Love of Mother-Not (1983) ISBN 0-345-30511-6
  2. The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972) ISBN 0-345-29232-4
  3. Orphan Star (1977) ISBN 0-345-25507-0
  4. The End of the Matter (1977) ISBN 0-345-25861-4
  5. Flinx in Flux (1988) ISBN 0-345-34363-8
  6. Mid-Flinx (1995) ISBN 0-345-38374-5
  7. Reunion (2001) ISBN 0-345-41867-0
  8. Flinx's Folly (2003) ISBN 0-345-45038-8
  9. Sliding Scales (2004) ISBN 0-345-46156-8
  10. Running from the Deity (2005) ISBN 0-345-46159-2
  11. Bloodhype (1973) ISBN 0-345-25845-2
  12. Trouble Magnet (2006) ISBN 0-345-48504-1
  13. Patrimony (2007) ISBN 978-0-345-48507-6
  14. Flinx Transcendent (2009) ISBN 978-0-345-49607-2

Founding of the Commonwealth

  1. Phylogenesis (1999) ISBN 0-345-41862-X
  2. Dirge (2000) ISBN 0-345-41864-6
  3. Diuturnity's Dawn (2002) ISBN 0-345-41865-4

Icerigger Trilogy

  1. Icerigger (1974) ISBN 0-345-23836-2
  2. Mission to Moulokin (1979) ISBN 0-345-27676-0
  3. The Deluge Drivers (1987) ISBN 0-345-33330-6

Standalone Commonwealth novels

In chronological order:

  1. Nor Crystal Tears (1982) ISBN 0-345-29141-7
  2. Voyage to the City of the Dead (1984) ISBN 0-345-31215-5
  3. Midworld (1975) ISBN 0-345-35011-1
  4. "The Emoman" (1972) short story
  5. "Surfeit" (1982) short story
  6. Drowning World (2003) ISBN 0-345-45035-3
  7. Quofum (2008) ISBN 978-0-345-49605-8
  8. "Mid-Death" (2006) short story
  9. The Howling Stones (1997) ISBN 0-345-38375-3
  10. Sentenced to Prism (1985) ISBN 0-345-31980-X
  11. Cachalot (1980) ISBN 0-345-28066-0

The Damned Trilogy

  1. A Call to Arms (1991) ISBN 0-345-35855-4
  2. The False Mirror (1992) ISBN 0-345-35856-2
  3. The Spoils of War (1993) ISBN 0-345-35857-0

Dinotopia Universe

Journeys of the Catechist

  1. Carnivores of Light and Darkness (1998) ISBN 0-446-52132-9
  2. Into the Thinking Kingdoms (1999) ISBN 0-446-52136-1
  3. A Triumph of Souls (2000) ISBN 0-446-52218-X

Marexx

  1. Maude (unpublished)

Spellsinger series

  1. Spellsinger (1983) ISBN 0-446-97352-1
  2. The Hour of the Gate (1984) ISBN 0-446-90354-X
  3. The Day of the Dissonance (1984) ISBN 0-446-32133-8
  4. The Moment of the Magician (1984) ISBN 0-446-32326-8
  5. The Paths of the Perambulator (1985) ISBN 0-446-32679-8
  6. The Time of the Transference (1986) ISBN 0-932096-43-3
  7. Son of Spellsinger (1993) ISBN 0-446-36257-3
  8. Chorus Skating (1994) ISBN 0-446-36237-9

The Taken trilogy

  1. Lost and Found (2004) ISBN 0-345-46125-8
  2. The Light-Years Beneath My Feet (2005) ISBN 0-345-46128-2
  3. The Candle of Distant Earth (2005) ISBN 0-345-46131-2

The Tipping Point trilogy

Montezuma Strip

Standalone novels

Collections

Anthologies edited

Novelizations

Star Trek Universe

Star Trek: The Animated Series
  1. Star Trek Log One (1974) ISBN 0-345-24014-6
  2. Star Trek Log Two (1974) ISBN 0-345-25812-6
  3. Star Trek Log Three (1975) ISBN 0-345-24260-2
  4. Star Trek Log Four (1975) ISBN 0-345-24435-4
  5. Star Trek Log Five (1975) ISBN 0-345-33351-9
  6. Star Trek Log Six (1976) ISBN 0-345-24655-1
  7. Star Trek Log Seven (1976) ISBN 0-345-24965-8
  8. Star Trek Log Eight (1976) ISBN 0-345-25141-5
  9. Star Trek Log Nine (1977) ISBN 0-345-25557-7
  10. Star Trek Log Ten (1978) ISBN 0-345-27212-9
Star Trek movies

Star Wars Universe

Alien Nation

Alien Universe

Novelizations of the films.

  1. Alien (1979) ISBN 0-446-82977-3
  2. Aliens (1986) ISBN 0-446-30139-6
  3. Alien 3 (1992) ISBN 0-446-36216-6
  4. Alien: Covenant (2017) ISBN 1-785-65478-0

Terminator Universe

Transformers

Standalone novelizations

References

  1. ↑ This pen name was used for the first publication of many of the Montezuma Strip stories
  2. ↑ Bently, Lionel; Biron, Laura (2014). "The author strikes back: Mutating authorship in the expanded universe". Law and Creativity in the Age of the Entertainment Franchise. Cambridge University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-107-03989-6.
  3. ↑ Osborn, Alex (18 April 2015). "Star Wars Celebration: Alan Dean Foster Writing The Force Awakens Novelization".
  4. ↑ "Alan Dean Foster Writing Star Trek Movie Adaptation". Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  5. ↑ "Gallery To Release Star Trek Into Darkness Novel". Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  6. ↑ IAMTW 2008 awards
  7. ↑ Bloodhype foreword, Del Rey, March 2002.
  8. ↑ "The human blend". WorldCat. Online Computer Library Center. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Osborn, Alex (18 April 2015). "Star Wars Celebration: Alan Dean Foster Writing The Force Awakens Novelization".
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