Robert Lynn Asprin | |
|---|---|
 Asprin in 1993 | |
| Born | (1946-06-28)June 28, 1946 St. Johns, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 2008(2008-05-22) (aged 61) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Pen name | Bob Asprin |
| Occupation | Fiction writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Period | 1977–2008 |
| Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
| Notable awards | Inkpot Award (1988)[1] |
Robert Lynn Asprin (June 28, 1946 – May 22, 2008)[2] was an American science fiction andfantasy author andactive fan, known best for his humorous seriesMythAdventures andPhule's Company.
Robert Asprin was born inSt. Johns, Michigan, and attended theUniversity of Michigan atAnn Arbor, Michigan from 1964 through 1965. From 1965 through 1966 he served in theUnited States Army. He was married, twice, and had two children. He was active inscience fiction fandom and in the early years of theSociety for Creative Anachronism using the name "Yang the Nauseating", and co-initiated the societyGreat Dark Horde during 1971. He was also the initiator and an influential member of theDorsai Irregulars.[3] In 1976, he was nominated for theHugo Award forBest Dramatic Presentation forThe Capture, acartoonslide show written by Asprin and drawn byPhil Foglio.[4]
Asprin's first novel,The Cold Cash War, an expansion of an earlier short story of the same title, was published in 1977.
During the next few years, he created and edited (with his then-wife,Lynn Abbey) theThieves' World series ofshared world anthologies, credited as the first project of its type. Many of the included authors later produced novels and stories of the theme which were not included in the anthologies, beginning withBeyond Sanctuary byJanet Morris, the first "authorized" Thieves World novel, published in 1985. Janet Morris andChris Morris later produced two more authorized Thieves' World novels and a series of related novels about their character Tempus andthe Sacred Band of Stepsons.[5] A series ofgraphic novels followed during the mid-1980s, and several other authors, includingAndrew J. Offutt andDavid Drake, published novels about their characters. In 2002, Lynn Abbey revived the series with the novelSanctuary.
During 1978, Asprin began the "MythAdventures" series, chronicling the comic adventures of Skeeve and Aahz, with the bookAnother Fine Myth. Illustrated originally byFrank Kelly Freas, and later byPhil Foglio, thepun-rich books concern a "demon" magician who has lost his powers and his inexperienced human apprentice as they travel through a variety of worlds. Some of the early "Myth" novels were adapted later as comic books byFoglio and others. The Myth books have been published by three publishing companies over the years:Donning Starblaze,Meisha Merlin and, as of 2008,Wildside Press.
During the 1990s, Asprin's "Phule" novels concerned the humorous science-fiction exploits of a rag-tag "Space Legion" and its wealthy and iconoclastic commander, Willard Phule.
Due to a series of personal and financial problems, Asprin published little during the 1990s, although he had two books onThe New York Times Best Seller list, which piqued the interest of fans and theInternal Revenue Service. He eventually negotiated an agreement with the IRS[6] that encouraged him to resume writing, and during the early 2000s he published several novels, mostly in collaboration with authorsPeter Heck,Jody Lynn Nye, andLinda Evans. These novels included continuations of the series "Myth Adventures" and "Phule's Company" as well as works of new series.
One of Asprin's last projects wasNO Quarter, originally co-authored with Eric Del Carlo, and later edited by Teresa Patterson. It is a dark fantasy/suspense/murder mystery novel set in the author's beloved New Orleans French Quarter. Although the novel's fantasy elements (voodoo and black magic, tarot readings and precognition, ghosts and mysticism) are secondary to the brutal murder that is the emphasis of the plot, it is set in the same milieu as Asprin's Griffen McCandles novels (Dragons series),Dragons Luck andDragons Wild. The two protagonists ofNO Quarter, Maestro and Bone, also appear as minor characters of theDragons novels. Maestro, the mysterious professional pool player and fencing master inNO Quarter, is fictionalized but based recognizably on the author.NO Quarter was published November 2009 by DarkStar Books.
Asprin's ofttimes co-author,Jody Lynn Nye, has completed one further Griffen McCandles novel,Dragons Deal, and continued theMyth Adventures series.Dragons Deal was published by Ace in December 2010.
Asprin died on May 22, 2008, of heart failure at his home in New Orleans.[7][8] He was found lying on a sofa with aTerry Pratchett novel still open in his hands.[9] He was to have been the Guest of Honor at Marcon that weekend.[10]
During 2008, his heirs donated[11] his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections atNorthern Illinois University.[12]
A series of three graphic novels published byStarblaze Graphics.
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