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Stephen Baxter | |
|---|---|
 Baxter at the63rd World Science Fiction Convention, 2005 | |
| Born | 1957 (age 68–69) Liverpool, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Hard science fiction Alternate history |
| Website | |
| www | |
Stephen Baxter (born 1957) is an Englishhard science fiction author. He has degrees inmathematics andengineering.
Stephen Baxter was born inLiverpool, England, in 1957.[1]
He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics atUniversity of Cambridge, and went on to obtain a doctorate in engineering atUniversity of Southampton.[2] He later received an MBA fromHenley Management College.
Baxter taught maths, physics, and information technology before becoming a full-time author in 1995.
Strongly influenced by science fiction pioneerH. G. Wells, Baxter has been vice-president of the internationalH. G. Wells Society since 2006. His fiction falls into three main categories of original work plus a fourth category, extending other authors' writing; each has a different basis, style, and tone.[according to whom?][citation needed]
Baxter's "Future History"[3] mode is based on research intohard science. It encompasses theXeelee Sequence, which consists of nine novels (including theDestiny's Children trilogy and Vengeance/Redemption duology that is set in alternate timeline), plus three volumes collecting the 52 short pieces (short stories and novellas) in the series, all of which fit into a single timeline stretching fromthe Big Bang singularity of the past to hisTimelike Infinity (1993) singularity of the future.[4] These stories begin in the present day and end when theMilky Way galaxy collides withAndromeda five billion years in the future.[4] The central narrative is that of humanity rising and evolving to become the second most powerful race in the universe, next to the god-likeXeelee. Character development tends to be secondary to the depiction of advanced theories and ideas, such as the true nature of theGreat Attractor,naked singularities and the great battle betweenbaryonic anddark matter lifeforms. TheManifold Trilogy is another example of Baxter's future history mode, even more conceptual than the Xeelee sequence. Each novel is focused on a potential explanation of theFermi paradox. The two-part disaster seriesFlood andArk (followed by three additional stories, "Earth III," "Earth II," and "Earth I") which also fits into this category, where catastrophic events unfold in the near future and humanity must adapt to survive in three radically different planetary environments. In 2013, Baxter released his short story collectionUniverses which featured stories set in Flood/Ark, Jones & Bennet and Anti-Ice universes.[5] Baxter signed a contract for two new books,Proxima andUltima, both of which are names of planets, and they were released in 2013 and 2014, respectively.[6]
A second category in Baxter's work is based on readings in evolutionary biology and human/animal behaviour.[citation needed] Elements of this appear in his future histories (especially later works like theDestiny's Children series andFlood/Ark), but here it is the focus. The major work in this category isEvolution, which imagines the evolution of humanity in the Earth's past and future.The Mammoth Trilogy, written for young adults, shares similar themes and concerns as it explores the present, past, and future of a small herd ofmammoths found surviving on an island in theArctic Ocean.[citation needed]
A third category of Baxter's fiction isalternative history, based on research into history. These stories are more human, with characters portrayed with greater depth and care. This includes hisNASA Trilogy, which incorporates research intoNASA and its history; and theTime's Tapestry series, which features science-fictional interventions into our past from an alternative-history future. The novelAnti-Ice is an earlier example of Baxter's blending of alternate history with science fiction. A more recent work in this direction is theNorthland Trilogy, an alternate prehistory that begins withStone Spring, set ten thousand years ago in theStone Age, followed byBronze Summer andIron Winter, set in alternative versions of theBronze Age and theIron Age. In 2009, Baxter became a judge for theSidewise Award for Alternate History, the first former winner among the panel.[7]
Another category, outside of the main body of Baxter's independent work, is sequels and instalments of science-fiction classics. His first novel to achieve wide recognition (winning three literary awards) wasThe Time Ships, an authorised sequel to H. G. Wells'The Time Machine.[8] TheTime Odyssey series, a trilogy co-authored withArthur C. Clarke, is connected to Clarke's fourSpace Odyssey novels. The trilogy consists ofTime's Eye,Sunstorm, andFirstborn. Another novel is based on a synopsis written by Clarke,The Light of Other Days. Baxter has also published aDoctor Who novel,The Wheel of Ice.The Massacre of Mankind is an authorised sequel to H. G. Wells'The War of the Worlds.[9]
In 2010, Baxter began working on a new series withTerry Pratchett.[10] This collaboration produced five books,The Long Earth,The Long War,The Long Mars,The Long Utopia andThe Long Cosmos.
Baxter has written non-fiction essays and columns for such publications asCritical Wave and the British SF Association'sMatrix.[citation needed]
Baxter is achartered engineer and fellow of theBritish Interplanetary Society.[1]
Baxter's story "Last Contact" was nominated for the 2008Hugo Award for best short story.[citation needed]
Liverpool-born Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research).
