Gareth Lyn Powell (born 1970) is a British author of science fiction. His works include the Embers of War trilogy, the Continuance series, the Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy, Light Chaser (co-written with Peter F. Hamilton), and About Writing, a guide for aspiring authors. He has also co-written stories with authors Peter F. Hamilton and Aliette de Bodard.
He has twice won the BSFA Award for Best Novel, for Ack-Ack Macaque in 2013 and Embers of War in 2019. Ack-Ack Macaque also became a finalist of the 2016 Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work. [1] He has also been shortlisted for the Locus Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Canopus Award. [2]
Powell's short stories have appeared in a host of magazines and anthologies, including Interzone, Solaris Rising 3, and The Year's Best Science Fiction, and his story "Ride The Blue Horse" made the shortlist for the 2015 BSFA Award. Many of his shorter works have been brought together in the collections, The Last Reef (2008) and Entropic Angel (2017)
Born and brought up in the West Country, Powell started writing sci-fi stories at an early age. [3] He studied humanities and creative writing at the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales), where he cites Diana Wynne Jones and Helen Dunmore as early mentors. He has given guest lectures on creative writing at Bath Spa University, Aberystwyth University and Buckingham New University and has written a series of non-fiction articles on science fiction for The Irish Times.
His first four novels were favourably reviewed in The Guardian by Eric Brown. His Embers of War series is currently being adapted into a television series, which will be directed by Breck Eisner. [4]
Powell's first book was a collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories. It compiles much of his short fiction from before 2008, including the Interzone reader's choice poll winner "Ack-Ack Macaque".
Silversands was Powell's debut novel. It was initially produced in a run of three hundred hardcover copies and an ebook edition, featuring the additional short story "Memory Dust", was made available by Anarchy Books. The reception was mostly favourable, including reviews from Interzone and Eric Brown in The Guardian. Brown regarded the novel as a "fine hi-tech romp" but was critical of what he called "a rushed and melodramatic dénouement." [5]
The Recollection is the second novel by Powell. The novel received mostly favourable reviews, including reviews from Locus [6] and Powell's second review from Eric Brown in his column in The Guardian. Brown said that the novel's set-pieces were "brilliantly realised" and that the book balanced its high concepts with the human story. He ended his review with "If you read only one space opera this year, it's got to be The Recollection". [7]
In 2012, Powell released his third novel via Solaris Books, Ack-Ack Macaque, based on the short story of the same name. A sequel, Hive Monkey, followed in 2014. The third volume of the trilogy, Macaque Attack, was released in January 2015.
Titan Books published his sixth novel Embers of War in 2018. A sequel, Fleet of Knives, followed in 2019; the trilogy was concluded with Light of Impossible Stars in 2020. A news series, Also from Titan Books, began in 2022 with Stars and Bones and continued in 2023 with Descendant Machine. All five of these novels were finalists for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best novel, and Embers of War and Fleet of Knives were both finalists for the Locus Award.
Powell is married to the American SFF author Jendia Gammon, [8] who also writes under the name J. Dianne Dotson.
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Elastic Press |
Publication date | August 2008 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
ISBN | 978-0-9553181-7-7 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Pendragon Press |
Publication date | 10 April 2008 |
Media type | Print ( Hardcover) |
Pages | 160 |
ISBN | 978-1906864064 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | September 2011 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 400 |
ISBN | 978-1907519994 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | December 2012 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 405 |
ISBN | 978-1781080603 |
Followed by | Hive Monkey |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | January 2014 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 384 |
ISBN | 978-1-78108-165-5 |
Preceded by | Ack-Ack Macaque |
Followed by | Macaque Attack |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | January 2015 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 347 |
ISBN | 978-1-78108-285-0 |
Preceded by | Hive Monkey |
Gareth Lyn Powell (born 1970) is a British author of science fiction. His works include the Embers of War trilogy, the Continuance series, the Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy, Light Chaser (co-written with Peter F. Hamilton), and About Writing, a guide for aspiring authors. He has also co-written stories with authors Peter F. Hamilton and Aliette de Bodard.
He has twice won the BSFA Award for Best Novel, for Ack-Ack Macaque in 2013 and Embers of War in 2019. Ack-Ack Macaque also became a finalist of the 2016 Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work. [1] He has also been shortlisted for the Locus Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Canopus Award. [2]
Powell's short stories have appeared in a host of magazines and anthologies, including Interzone, Solaris Rising 3, and The Year's Best Science Fiction, and his story "Ride The Blue Horse" made the shortlist for the 2015 BSFA Award. Many of his shorter works have been brought together in the collections, The Last Reef (2008) and Entropic Angel (2017)
Born and brought up in the West Country, Powell started writing sci-fi stories at an early age. [3] He studied humanities and creative writing at the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales), where he cites Diana Wynne Jones and Helen Dunmore as early mentors. He has given guest lectures on creative writing at Bath Spa University, Aberystwyth University and Buckingham New University and has written a series of non-fiction articles on science fiction for The Irish Times.
His first four novels were favourably reviewed in The Guardian by Eric Brown. His Embers of War series is currently being adapted into a television series, which will be directed by Breck Eisner. [4]
Powell's first book was a collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories. It compiles much of his short fiction from before 2008, including the Interzone reader's choice poll winner "Ack-Ack Macaque".
Silversands was Powell's debut novel. It was initially produced in a run of three hundred hardcover copies and an ebook edition, featuring the additional short story "Memory Dust", was made available by Anarchy Books. The reception was mostly favourable, including reviews from Interzone and Eric Brown in The Guardian. Brown regarded the novel as a "fine hi-tech romp" but was critical of what he called "a rushed and melodramatic dénouement." [5]
The Recollection is the second novel by Powell. The novel received mostly favourable reviews, including reviews from Locus [6] and Powell's second review from Eric Brown in his column in The Guardian. Brown said that the novel's set-pieces were "brilliantly realised" and that the book balanced its high concepts with the human story. He ended his review with "If you read only one space opera this year, it's got to be The Recollection". [7]
In 2012, Powell released his third novel via Solaris Books, Ack-Ack Macaque, based on the short story of the same name. A sequel, Hive Monkey, followed in 2014. The third volume of the trilogy, Macaque Attack, was released in January 2015.
Titan Books published his sixth novel Embers of War in 2018. A sequel, Fleet of Knives, followed in 2019; the trilogy was concluded with Light of Impossible Stars in 2020. A news series, Also from Titan Books, began in 2022 with Stars and Bones and continued in 2023 with Descendant Machine. All five of these novels were finalists for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best novel, and Embers of War and Fleet of Knives were both finalists for the Locus Award.
Powell is married to the American SFF author Jendia Gammon, [8] who also writes under the name J. Dianne Dotson.
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Elastic Press |
Publication date | August 2008 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
ISBN | 978-0-9553181-7-7 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Pendragon Press |
Publication date | 10 April 2008 |
Media type | Print ( Hardcover) |
Pages | 160 |
ISBN | 978-1906864064 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | September 2011 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 400 |
ISBN | 978-1907519994 |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | December 2012 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 405 |
ISBN | 978-1781080603 |
Followed by | Hive Monkey |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | January 2014 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 384 |
ISBN | 978-1-78108-165-5 |
Preceded by | Ack-Ack Macaque |
Followed by | Macaque Attack |
Author | Gareth L. Powell |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Solaris Books |
Publication date | January 2015 |
Media type | Print ( Paperback) |
Pages | 347 |
ISBN | 978-1-78108-285-0 |
Preceded by | Hive Monkey |