Richard Parks (author)

Richard Parks
Born (1955-06-15) June 15, 1955
Newton, Mississippi, USA
Pen name W. J. Everett
Occupation Author
Genre Fantasy, science fiction
Website
Official website

Billy Richard Parks (born June 15, 1955) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror writer. He writes under the names Richard Parks and W. J. Everett, aside from a few early works written as by Rick Parks.[1]

Biography

Parks is a native of Mississippi; he was born in Newton,[1] and more recently resided in Ridgeland.[2] He now lives in central New York with his wife and cats.[3]

Works

Parks "started writing seriously about 1976."[2] His work has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fantasy Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, Tor.com, Weird Tales and other periodicals, as well as various anthologies. Early in his career "[h]is most popular recurring character [was] Eli Mothersbaugh, a high-tech ghost hunter based in the sleepy—and oft haunted—imaginary town of Canemill, Mississippi."[2] More recently he has found success with his historical fantasies featuring Yamada no Goji, a demon hunter of Heian period Japan.

Reception

Parke Godwin called The Ogre's Wife: Fairy Tales For Grownups (2002) "one of the best SF/fantasy collections I've read in years" and wrote of Parks that "[l]ike any fine writer [he] doesn't label easily, which makes him hell for lazy-minded pigeonholers, but his themes are consisten and clear. He uses fantasy to underscore reality: the nature of our humanity and the inescapability of what we are, the choices we make and the price we pay for each, right or wrong. ... [H]e can step imperceptibly from deadpan funny to deeply affecting truth with an utterly transparent style that has the reader racing down the page [and] has the rare ability to say profound things simply."[4]

Charles de Lint of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction praised Parks' "remarkable storytelling" in a voice that is, "sometimes lyrical, sometimes hard-edged; sometimes in a voice that sounds as ancient as the first stories told around our early ancestors' campfires; sometimes in a voice so new that we have yet to hear it."[5]

Recognition

Parks's story "The Ogre's Wife" won the SF Age Reader's Poll for short story in 1995.[2] His writings have also received nominations for the World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award;[3] more specifically, his collection The Ogre's Wife: Fairy Tales For Grownups (2002), described by one reviewer as an "absolute treasure of a collection,"[5] was nominated for the 2003 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection,[6][7] and his novella The Heavenly Fox (2011) was nominated for the 2012 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.[8]

Bibliography

Series

Yamada Monogatari

  1. Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (collection, 2013)
  2. Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate (2014)
  3. Yamada Monogatari: The War God's Son (2015)
  4. Yamada Monogatari: The Emperor in Shadow (2016)
  • "Foxtails" (2005 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007) and Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "Moon Viewing at Shijo Bridge (2006 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010) and Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "A Touch of Hell" (2007 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "Hot Water" (2007 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "The River of Three Crossings" (2009 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "The Mansion of Bones" (2009 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "Sanji's Demon" (2010 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "Lady of the Ghost Willow" (2010 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "The Ghost of Shinoda Forest" (2011 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))
  • "The Bride Doll" (2013 - collected in Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter (2013))

The Laws of Power

  1. The Long Look (2008)
  2. Black Kath's Daughter (2012)
  3. Power's Shadow (2015)

Eli Mothersbaugh

  • "Wrecks" (1998 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "The God of Children" (2000 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "A Respectful Silence" (2001 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "A Hint of Jasmine" (2004 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Voices in an Empty Room" (2004 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Hanagan's Kiyomatsu, 1923" (2007 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Diva" (2007 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007) and Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Beacons" (2011 - collected in Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Muramasa's Rage" (2011 - collected in Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "His Hour Upon the Stage" (2011 - collected in Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "Souvenirs" (2011 - collected in Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • "The Missing Ghost" (2011 - collected in Ghost Trouble (2013))
  • Ghost Trouble: The Casefiles of Eli Mothersbaugh (collection, 2013)

Other novels

Other collections

Short stories

  • "Quest of the Eldbrand" (1981)
  • "The Passing" (1981) (as Rick Parks)
  • "Daughter of the Heartwood" (1987) (as Rick Parks)
  • "Ghostcaller" (1994)
  • "Simple Souls" (1994)
  • "What Power Holds" (1994)
  • "Laying the Stones" (1994)
  • "Coffin.Nail" (1995)
  • "Notes from the Bridge" (1995)
  • "Quiet, Please" (1995)
  • "Revival" (1995)
  • "The Last Waltz" (1995)
  • "The Ogre's Wife" (1995 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "The Third Law of Power" (1995)
  • "They Call Him King" (1995)
  • "A Time for Heroes" (1996 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Eucharist" (1997 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))[9]
  • "Knacker Man" (1997)
  • "Poppa's Children" (1997 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "The Right Sort of Flea" (1997)
  • "My Lord Teaser" (1997 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "A Thing or Two About Love" (1997)
  • "Lord Madoc and the Red Knight" (1997)
  • "Idle Conversation at the End of the World" (1998)
  • "Beauty of Things Unseen" (1999 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "Doppels" (1999 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "Take a Long Step" (1999 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "Thy Golden Stair" (1999)
  • "Borrowed Lives" (1999 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "How Konti Scrounged the World" (2000 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "Crows" (2000 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "The 4th Law of Power" (2000)
  • "Judgment Day" (2000 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "Golden Bell, Seven, and the Marquis of Zeng" (2000 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "A Place to Begin" (2001 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "The Trickster's Wife" (2001 - collected in The Ogre's Wife (2002))
  • "The First Law of Power" (2001)
  • "Keeping Lalande Station" (2001 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "Kallisti" (2002 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Doing Time in the Wild Hunt" (2002)
  • "The End of the Dance, the Beginning" (2002)
  • "Punishment" (2002 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "Some Archival Material on the 2198 Stellar Expedition" (2002 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "The Plum Blossom Lantern" (2003 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Worshipping Small Gods" (2003 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Yamabushi" (2003 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "The Great Big Out" (2004 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "The Right God" (2004 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Lord Goji's Wedding" (2005 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Death, the Devil, and the Lady in White" (2005 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "The Penultimate Riddle" (2005 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Empty Places" (2005)
  • "The Finer Points of Destruction" (2005 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "The Last Romantic" (2006)
  • "Another Kind of Glamour" (2006)
  • "Subversion Clause" (2006)
  • "Brillig" (2006 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Conversation in the Tomb of an Unknown King" (2006)
  • "A Pinch of Salt" (2006 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "A Garden in Hell" (2006 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Directional Drift" (2007 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "Wizard of Wasted Time" (2007 - collected in Worshipping Small Gods (2007))
  • "Hereafter, and After" (2007)
  • "The Man Who Carved Skulls" (2007 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "On the Banks of the River of Heaven" (2008 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Courting the Lady Scythe" (2008 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "The Devil of Details" (2008)
  • "Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris" (2008 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "Skin Deep" (2008 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "A Road Once Traveled" (2009)
  • "Night, in Dark Perfection" (2009)
  • "One Lone Mountain, Shining White" (2010)
  • "The Queen's Reason" (2010)
  • "Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure" (2010)
  • "Signs Along the Road" (2010 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "On the Wheel" (2010 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Soft as Spider Silk" (2010 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "The Feather Cloak" (2010 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "The Twa Corbies, Revisited" (2010 - collected in On the Banks of the River of Heaven (2010))
  • "Bergstryker U: The Face of an Angel" (2011) (as W.J. Everett)
  • "The Swan Troika" (2011)
  • "The Heavenly Fox" (2011)
  • "Passing Zero Point" (2011 - collected in Our Lady of 47 Ursae Majoris (2011))
  • "The Tiger's Turn" (2011)
  • "In the Palace of the Jade Lion" (2012)
  • "Three Little Foxes" (2012)
  • "Beach Bum and the Drowned Girl" (2013)
  • "Cherry Blossoms on the River of Souls" (2013)
  • "The Manor of Lost Time" (2014)
  • "The Sorrow of Rain" (2014)
  • "The God of Small Troubles" (2014 - collected in The God of Small Troubles (2014))
  • "Anchors and Sails" (2014 - collected in The God of Small Troubles (2014))
  • "Olam Drexler's School for Exceptional Children" (2014 - collected in The God of Small Troubles (2014))
  • "Small Deaths" (2014 - collected in The God of Small Troubles (2014))
  • "Miss Jean Takes a Walk" (2014 - collected in The God of Small Troubles (2014))
  • "In Memory of Jianhong, Snake-Devil" (2017)
  • "The Cat of Five Virtues" (2017)

Notes

  1. 1 2 Richard Parks at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hoover, K. Mark. "Interview: Richard Parks," in Strange Horizons #1, April 1, 2002.
  3. 1 2 "About". richard-parks.com. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Godwin, Parke. "THE OGRE'S WIFE: Ghosts, Gods, a Dragon, Assorted Legends and Things That Go Bump in the Heart: An Introduction." In The Ogre's Wife: Fairy Tales For Grownups, Obscura Press, 2002.
  5. 1 2 deLint, Charles (August 2002). "The Ogre's Wife and Other Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups". Fantasy & Science Fiction. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  6. ↑ World Fantasy Convention - List of Nominees for the World Fantasy Award
  7. ↑ "World Fantasy Awards All Nominees". sfadb.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Mythopoeic Awards All Nominees". sfadb.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  9. ↑ Smith, Andrew A. (22 February 1998). "Horror Tales Arent's Bad (book review)". The Commercial Appeal.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.