Katherine MacLean (b.1925) died on September 1st. MacLean began publishing science fiction in 1949 when her short story “Defense Mechanism” appeared in the October issue of Astounding. Her first novel, Cosmic Checkmate, was co-written with Charles V. De Vet, and appeared in 1962 with her first solo novel, The Man in the Bird Cage, appearing in 1971. Although […]
Melisa C. Michaels (b.1946) died on August 30. Michaels began publishing with the 1979 short story “In the Country of the Blood, No One Can See,” which appeared in the January issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. She followed up with a handful of short stories and the first two novels of her five volume Skyrider […]
Brad Linaweaver (b.1952) died after a lengthy battle with cancer on August 29. Linaweaver began publishing science fiction in 1980 with the short story “The Competitor.” His second published story, the novella “Moon of Ice” was nominated for the Nebula Award in 1983 and Linaweaver later expanded it to novel length, for which he won his first […]
Scientist Jack Cohen (b.1933) died on May 6.
Allan Cole, international best-selling author, screenwriter and former prize-winning newsman, died March 29, 2019, of cancer in Boca Raton, FL. He was 75. Cole was probably best known for the Sten science fiction series, which he co-authored with his late partner Chris Bunch, as well as the critically acclaimed Vietnam novel “A Reckoning for Kings” […]
SFWA Grand Master Gene Wolfe (b.1931) died on April 14. Wolfe is widely considered to be one of science fiction and fantasy’s greatest stylists, writing complex and intelligent novels and short stories, while letting his wry wit show through. After service in the Korean War, Wolfe earned a degree and became the senior editor of […]
Nebula Award winning author Vonda N. McIntyre (b.1948) died on April 1. McIntyre began publishing in 1970 with the short story “Breaking Point,” which appeared in the February issue of Venture. In 1974, McIntyre short story “Wings” appeared on both the Nebula and the Hugo ballot. That same year, her novelette “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” also […]
Author and screenwriter Russell L. Bates (b.1941) died on April 9, 2018. Bates attended Clarion in 1973, by which time he had already published the short stories “Legion,” “Get with the Program,” and “A Modest Proposal.” Bates also sold the story “ Search Cycle: Beginning and Ending 1. The Last Quest; 2. Fifth and Last Horseman” to […]
Janet Asimov (b. Janet O. Jeppson, 1926) died on February 25. Along with writing, Jeppson has had a long and successful career as a psychiatrist, publishing numerous scientific articles under the name Janet O. Jeppson, and serving as a popular science columnist for the L.A. Times. Her first story was published in The Saint Mystery Magazine […]
by John Walters
I have been reading a dynamic new book called The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America From 1890 to the Present, and I thought about my Native American friend Russell Bates and wondered what he might think of the book. I hadn’t been in touch with him since I moved back to the States from Greece, so I ran a search to see if I might find a recent email address or Facebook page where I could re-contact him.That’s when I came across his obituary. It said that he died on April 19, 2018, after a brief illness. He was seventy-six years old.
In these stories, love pushes us to revenge, to reach beyond the boundaries of life and death. To rescue a family member. To fight the good fight without even knowing it, or to risk everyone and everything to save someone who may not be worthy.
Katherine lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and has a day job in IT. She’s been publishing short fiction since 2005. Her work has appeared in Electric Velocipede and Escape Pod. She’s currently working on a novel, and has a short fiction collection.
