Esther Friesner

Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner (born July 16, 1951) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. She is best known for her humorous style of writing, both in the titles and the works themselves.

Life

Friesner attended the Hunter College High School, a public magnet high school in New York City, as well as Vassar College. She holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and was a college professor at Yale University before becoming a writer.^[1]

Career

In addition to short stories, Friesner has published a number of novels and is a prolific editor of anthologies. Among her recent books are Nobody's Princess, which takes the Greek legend of Helen of Sparta and gives it a new beginning, and its sequel, Nobody's Prize. She is a frequent guest of honor at science fiction conventions, having appeared at Bubonicon, Arisia, Boskone, Baycon and Albacon in the 1990s and into the 21st century.

Friesner is credited as one of the founders of a parody movement in the 1980s called cyberprep.^[2]

Awards

Friesner was named Outstanding New Fantasy Writer by Romantic Times in 1986.^[1] She won the Skylark Award in 1994.^[3] She has been nominated a number of times for the Hugo and Nebula awards, winning the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1995 and 1996 for, respectively, "Death and the Librarian" and "A Birth Day".

Bibliography

Becca of Wiserways (Psalms) series

1. The Psalms Of Herod (1996)
2. The Sword Of Mary (1996)

Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms series

1. Mustapha and His Wise Dog (1985)
2. Spells of Mortal Weaving (1986)
3. The Witchwood Cradle (1987)
4. The Water King's Laughter (1989)

Demons series

1. Here Be Demons (1988)
2. Demon Blues (1989)
3. Hooray For Hellywood (1990)

Gnome Man's Land series

1. Gnome Man's Land (1991)
2. Harpy High (1991)
3. Unicorn U (1992)

Majyk series

1. Majyk by Accident (1993)
2. Majyk by Hook Or Crook (1994)
3. Majyk by Design (1995)

Men in Black novelizations

• Men in Black II (2002)

New York by Knight series

1. New York by Knight (1986)
2. Elf Defense (1988)
3. Sphynxes Wild (1989)

Princesses of Myth series

Official website is http://princessesofmyth.com/

Helen of Troy

1. Nobody's Princess (2007)
2. Nobody's Prize (2008)

Nefertiti

1. Sphinx's Princess (2009)
2. Sphinx's Queen (2010)

Himiko

1. Spirit's Princess (2012)
2. Spirit's Chosen (2013)

Maeve

1. Deception's Princess (2014)
2. Deception's Pawn (2015)

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

• #11 Prisoner of Cabin 13
• #22 Witchopoly (1999)

Star Trek universe

• Warchild (1994), #7 in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series^[4]
• To Storm Heaven (1997) #46 in Star Trek: The Next Generation numbered series^[5]

Standalones

• Harlot's Ruse (1986)
• The Silver Mountain (1986)
• Druid's Blood (1988)
• Yesterday We Saw Mermaids (1992)
• Split Heirs (1993) with Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Wishing Season (1993)
• The Sherwood Game (1995)
• Child of the Eagle: A Myth of Rome (1996)
• Playing with Fire (1997)
• E.Godz (2003) with Robert Asprin
• Temping Fate (2006)
• Threads and Flames (2010)

Collections

• It's Been Fun (1991)
• Up The Wall & Other Tales of King Arthur and His Knights (2000)
• Death and the Librarian and Other Stories (2002)

Anthologies

These are collections of short stories edited by Friesner and contributed by multiple authors, usually including Friesner herself.

Chicks in Chainmail

1. Chicks in Chainmail (1995)
2. Did You Say Chicks?! (1998)
3. Chicks 'n Chained Males (1999)
4. The Chick is in the Mail (2000)
5. Turn the Other Chick (2004)
6. Chicks and Balances (2015)
7. Chicks Ahoy! (2010) Omnibus edition of first three volumes

Supernatural Suburbia

1. Witch Way to the Mall (2009)
2. Strip Mauled (2009)
3. Fangs for the Mammaries (2010)

Poems

• The Shield-Maiden's Honeymoon (1984)
• Chivalry (1985)
• A Gaming Son (1985)
• The Vampire of Gretna Green (1985)
• A Short Slew of SF Clerihews (1986)
• More SF Clerihews (1986)
• Yet More SF Clerihews (1986)
• The Sincere Symbiote (1986)
• Spell for a Nuclear Witch (1988)
• Who Made the Stew on Betelgeuse II? (1988)
• Cat-Tech-Ism (1988)
• Food for Thought (1989)
• Confessio (1989)
• The Hobbyist (1989)
• Lovers (1994)
• For Sale: One Moonbase, Never Used (2009)

Short fiction

• "The Stuff of Heroes" (1982)
• "Write When You Get Work" (1983)
• "Godgifu and Aelfgifu" (1983)
• "Simpson's Lesser Sphynx" (1984)
• "But Wait! There's More!" (1984) with Walter J. Stutzman
• "The Jester's Tale" (1985)
• "Primary" (1985)
• "The Death of Nimuë" (1985)
• "The Monk's Tale" (1985)
• "A Friendly Game of Crola" (1985)
• "The Sailor's Bride" (1985)
• "Billingsgate Molly" (1985)
• "Dragonet" (1986)
• "Taverna" (1986)
• "The Old Club Tie" (1986)
• "The Apothecary's Tale" (1986)
• "Honeycomb" (1987)
• "A Winter's Night" (1988)
• "A New Chantey" (1988)
• "An Eye for the Ladies" (1988)
• "Wake-Up Call" (1988)
• "Black Butterflies" (1989)
• "The Houri's Mirror" (1989)
• "Do I Dare to Ask Your Name?" (1989)
• "The Doo-Wop Never Dies: A Christmas Fable" (1989)
• "Poe White Trash" (1989)
• "Articles of Faith" (1990)
• "The Weavers" (1990)
• Cthulhu Mythos series:
  • "Love's Eldritch Ichor" (1990)
• "In the Can" (1990)
• "Sweet, Savage Sorcerer" (1990)
• "Up the Wall" (1990)
• "The Curse of Psamlahkithotep" (1990)
• "Saint Willibald's Dragon" (1990)
• "Whammy" (1990)
• "A Matter of Taste" (1990)
• "Blunderbore" (1990)
• "Mad at the Academy" (1991)
• "Ecce Hominid" (1991)
• "The Shoemaker and the Elves" (1991)
• "The Whiskaway Children and the Big Bang" (1991)
• "Tunnel Vision" (1991)
• "Claim-Jumpin' Woman, You Got A Stake in My Heart" (1991)
• "Pride and Prescience" (1991)
• "A Little Learning" (1991)
• "Told You So" (1992)
• "Such a Deal" (1992)
• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (1992)
• "Her American Cousin" (1992)
• "Split Heirs" (Excerpt) (1992) with Lawrence Watt-Evans
• "Dead Ringer" (1992) with Walter J. Stutzman
• "All Vows" (1992)
• "Puss" (1993)
• Riverworld series:
  • "Legends" (1993)
• "The Blood-Ghoul of Scarsdale" (1993)
• "You Can't Make an Omelet" (1993)
• "Jane's Fighting Ships" (1993)
• "Five-Finger Exercise" (1993)
• "Three Queens" (1993)
• "Sugar Daddy" (1993)
• "Baby Face" (1993)
• "Lowlifes" (1993)
• "One Quiet Day in the Suburbs" (1993)
• "'White!' Said Fred" (1993)
• "The Broad in the Bronze Bra" (1993)
• "Titus!" (1994)
• "Royal Tiff Yields Face of Jesus!" (1994)
• "Bargaining Chip" (1994)
• "It's a Gift" (1994)
• "Two Lovers, Two Gods, and a Fable" (1994)
• "Jesus at the Bat" (1994)
• "A Beltaine and Suspenders" (1994)
• "Patterns" (1994)
• "Death and the Librarian" (1994)
• "In the Garden" (1994)
• "Le Roi S'amuse" (1995)
• "Goldie, Lox, and the Three Excalibearers" (1995)
• "Chance" (1995)
• "Down by the Old Mainstream" (1995)
• "Un tour de cochon" (1995)
• "A Pig's Tale" (1995)
• "A Few Good Menehune" (1995)
• "A Birthday" (1995)
• "The Way to a Man's Heart" (1995)
• "Tea" (1996)
• "And Thereby Hangs" (1996)
• "A Life in the Theatre" (1996)
• "Sparrow" (1996)
• "The Strange Case of Ludwig the Unspeakable" (1996)
• "Moonlight in Vermont" (1996)
• "Death Swatch" (1996)
• "That's Entertainment: The Tale of Salacious Crumb" (1996)
• "Just Wait Until You Have Children of Your Own" (1996)
• "Silent Love" (1997)
• "Lonelyhearts" (1997)
• "King of the Cyber Trifles" (1997)
• "Prey" (1997)
• "Miss Thing" (1997)
• "What Really Killed the Dinosaurs" (1997)
• "No Bigger Than My Thumb" (1997)
• "Give a Man a Horse He Can Ride" (1997)
• "True Believer" (1997)
• "Claim-Jumpin' Woman Got a Stake in My Heart" (1997)
• "Won't You Take Me Dancing?" (1997)
• "Mortal Things" (1997)
• "To Storm Heaven" (Excerpt) (1997)
• "A Big Hand for the Little Lady" (1998)
• "The Littlest Maenad" (1998)
• "Mrs. Lurie and the Rapture" (1998)
• "How It All Began" (1998)
• "Twelve-Steppe Program" (1998)
• "A Hamster of No Importance" (1998) with Walter J. Stutzman
• "Brown Dust" (1998)
• "Ivy" (1998)
• "In the Realm of Dragons" (1998)
• "Totally Camelot" (1998)
• "Chestnut Street" (1998)
• "An Old Man's Summer" (1998)
• "Repro Man" (1999) with Anne Elizabeth Stutzman
• "Love, Crystal and Stone" (1999)
• "Fashion Victim" (1999)
• "How to Make Unicorn Pie" (1999)
• "Jolene's Motel" (1999)
• "Chanoyu" (1999)
• "Case #285B" (1999)
• "Sea-Section" (1999)
• Zoli of the Brazen Shield series:

1. "Cross CHILDREN Walk" (1999) aka "Cross Children Walk"
2. "Troll by Jury" (2000)

• "Miranda's Muse" (2000)
• "Big Hair" (2000)
• "Hallowmass" (2000)
• "The Shunned Trailer" (2000)
• "Cora" (2000)
• "The Godsman and the Goblin" (2000)
• "Gunsel and Gretel" (2001)
• "Auntie Elspeth's Halloween Story, or the Gourd, the Bad and the Ugly" (2001)
• "Werotica" (2001)
• "Warts and All" (2001)
• "Came the Dawn" (2001)
• "Ilion" (2002)
• "Labor Relations" (2002)
• "Men in the Rain" (2002)
• "Grain" (2002)
• "Just Another Cowboy" (2002)
• "In Days of Old" (2002)
• "Why I Want to Come to Brewer College" (2002)
• "Homework" (2002)
• "I Killed Them in Vegas" (2003)
• "Giants in the Earth" (2004)
• "Au Purr" (2004)
• "The Dead Don't Waddle" (2004)
• "Johnny Beansprout" (2004)
• "Child's Play" (2004)
• "Last Man Standing" (2005)
• "Marriage a la Modred" (2005)
• "The Fraud" (2005)
• "Cook's Turing" (2005)
• "The Beau and the Beast" (2005)
• "First, Catch Your Elephant" (2005)
• "One for the Record" (2005)
• "Helen Remembers The Stork Club" (2005)
• "Thunderbolt" (2005)
• "Abductio Ad Absurdum" (2006)
• "The Really Big Sleep" (2006)
• "An Autumn Butterfly" (2006)
• "Benny Comes Home" (2006)
• "Cubby Grumbles Makes a Change" (2006)
• "Crumbs" (2006)
• "The Wedding of Wylda Serene" (2006)
• "If Looks Could Kill" (2007)
• "Seeking the Master" (2007)
• "A Sacred Institution" (2007)
• "At These Prices" (2007)
• "Roomies" (2007)
• "The Bones of Mammoth Malone" (2007)
• "Stocks and Bondage" (2007)
• "Edra's Arrow" (2007)
• "A Rosé for Emily" (2007)
• "Home for the Holidays" (2008)
• "In a Dark Wood, Dreaming" (2008)
• "How Thorvald the Bloody-Minded Saved Christmas" (2008)
• "The Face Is Familiar" (2008)
• "You Got Served" (2008)
• "Mummy Knows Best" (2008)
• "Gut Feeling" (2008)
• "Isn't That Special" (2009)
• "No Children, No Pets" (2010)
• "Long in the Tooth" (2010)
• "The One That Got Away" (2011)
• "Rutger and Baby Do Jotenheim" (2011)
• "Dance with the Devil" (2012)

References

External links

• Author homepage
• Esther M. Friesner at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database