All Topics  
Stephen Baxter

 
Stephen Baxter

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Stephen Baxter



 
 
Stephen Baxter (born 13 November 1957) is a British hard science fiction
Hard science fiction

Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both....
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
. He was born and raised Roman Catholic. He has degrees in mathematics
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 and engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
.

ngly influenced by SF pioneer H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells , known by his pen name H. G. Wells, was an England author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction"....
, Baxter has been a distinguished Vice-President of the international H. G. Wells Society
H. G. Wells Society

The H.G. Wells Society, founded in 1960, is an international association composed of people interested in the life, work and thought of the British writer and thinker H....
 since 2006 .

His fiction falls into three main categories, each with a very different style and tone.

His Xeelee Sequence
Xeelee Sequence

The Xeelee Sequence is a series of novels and short stories by United Kingdom science fiction author Stephen Baxter. The novels span several billions of years, describing the future expansion of Mankind, its war with its arch-nemesis , and the Xeelee's own war with dark matter entities called photino birds....
 stories are set in the far future, where humans are rising to become the second most powerful race in the universe, next to the god-like Xeelee.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Stephen Baxter'
Start a new discussion about 'Stephen Baxter'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Recent Posts









Quotations


This gets us to Stephen Baxter's Mayflower II, published last year in a limited edition from PS Publishing. In one of the great tragedies of publishing, it was not a limited enough edition and so I have read it.

(James Nicoll, 2005)





Encyclopedia


Stephen Baxter (born 13 November 1957) is a British hard science fiction
Hard science fiction

Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both....
 author
Author

An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
. He was born and raised Roman Catholic. He has degrees in mathematics
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
 and engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
.

Writing style

Strongly influenced by SF pioneer H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells , known by his pen name H. G. Wells, was an England author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction"....
, Baxter has been a distinguished Vice-President of the international H. G. Wells Society
H. G. Wells Society

The H.G. Wells Society, founded in 1960, is an international association composed of people interested in the life, work and thought of the British writer and thinker H....
 since 2006 .

His fiction falls into three main categories, each with a very different style and tone.

His Xeelee Sequence
Xeelee Sequence

The Xeelee Sequence is a series of novels and short stories by United Kingdom science fiction author Stephen Baxter. The novels span several billions of years, describing the future expansion of Mankind, its war with its arch-nemesis , and the Xeelee's own war with dark matter entities called photino birds....
 stories are set in the far future, where humans are rising to become the second most powerful race in the universe, next to the god-like Xeelee. Character development in these stories takes second place to the depiction of advanced theories and ideas, such as the true nature of the Great Attractor
Great Attractor

The Great Attractor is a gravity anomaly in intergalactic space within the range of the Centaurus Supercluster that reveals the existence of a localised concentration of mass equivalent to tens of thousands of Milky Ways, observable by its effect on the motion of galaxies and their associated clusters over a region hundreds of millions of li...
, naked singularities
Naked singularity

In general relativity, a naked singularity is a gravitational singularity without an event horizon. The singularities inside black holes are always surrounded by event horizon, and therefore cannot be directly observed....
 and the great battle between Baryon
Baryon

Baryons are the family of composite particle subatomic particle made of three quarks, as opposed to the mesons which are the family of composite particles made of one quark and one antiquark....
ic and Dark matter
Dark matter

In astronomy and physical cosmology, dark matter is Hypothesis matter that is undetectable by its emitted electromagnetic radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravity effects on visible matter....
 lifeforms. Examples of novels written in this style: Ring, Timelike Infinity
Timelike Infinity

Timelike Infinity is a 1992 science fiction book by Stephen Baxter. The second book in the Xeelee sequence, Timelike Infinity introduces a universe of powerful alien species and technologies which manages to maintain a realistic edge due to Baxter's physics background; it largely sets the stage for the magnum opus of the Xeelee Se...
.

Baxter Stephen
His present-day Earth stories are much more human, with characters portrayed with greater depth and care. They typically indulge in "if only" whimsy or outright alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)

Alternate history or alternative history is a Genre of speculative fiction and historical fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world....
, dreaming about what humanity could achieve in the exploration of space. NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
 features prominently, and a great deal of research has obviously been done into its internal structuring and methods.

However, these novels have a much darker tone than any of his other stories and do not often portray much hope for humanity as a moral species. Examples of novels written in this style include Voyage (winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History
Sidewise Award for Alternate History

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year.The awards take their name from the 1934 short story "Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with their analogs from other timelines....
), Titan, and Moonseed.

Each novel of the Manifold trilogy is focused on a potential explanation of the Fermi paradox
Fermi paradox

The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of Extraterrestrial life and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations....
.

His "Evolution" stories are a later development and show an increasing interest in the evolution of humanity. These seem to have their origins in stories of his other writing styles, such as Mammoth and Manifold: Origin. The novel Evolution is an example of this style.

Baxter also covers numerous other styles: his Mammoth stories, ostensibly for children, are often of great delight to adults, while The Time Ships
The Time Ships

The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication....
 (an authorised sequel to The Time Machine
The Time Machine

The Time Machine is a novella by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 and later directly adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations....
) is generally taken to be one of his greatest novels. It won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Campbell award (best novel)

This page describes the award for best science fiction novel; for other awards, see Campbell Award .The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel has been awarded every year since 1973, except in 1994....
, the Philip K. Dick Award, the BSFA Award
BSFA award

The British Science Fiction Association annually presents four awards based on a vote of BSFA members and recently also members of the Eastercon.2008:Novel: Brasyl by Ian McDonald 2007:Novel: End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood2006:Novel: Air by Geoff Ryman:Short Fiction: Magic for Beginners by K...
, and was nominated for other major science fiction awards, including the Hugo Award
Hugo Award for Best Novel

Winners of the Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy novel, along with all the nominees, are presented here. Awards given in one year are for works published during the previous calendar year....
.

In February 2007, Baxter was announced as the author of what was to be the 100th story for Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions

Big Finish Productions is a United Kingdom company that produces books and radio dramas based on British cult television science fiction properties....
' Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British Science fiction on television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien Time travel known as "Doctor " who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box....
 audio series. Earthstorm was originally scheduled to be released in late September 2007, but has been delayed indefinitely, according to a May 2007 announcement on the company's website.

Baxter has also written non-fiction essays and columns for such publications as Critical Wave
Critical Wave

Critical Wave, later sub-titled "The European Science Fiction & Fantasy Review", is a British science fiction fanzine, initially published and co-edited by Steve Green and Martin Tudor during the period 1987-96....
 and the British SF Association's Matrix.

Literary awards

Award NameYearFor bookShort stories printed in
BSFA Award
BSFA award

The British Science Fiction Association annually presents four awards based on a vote of BSFA members and recently also members of the Eastercon.2008:Novel: Brasyl by Ian McDonald 2007:Novel: End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood2006:Novel: Air by Geoff Ryman:Short Fiction: Magic for Beginners by K...
 SF Novel
1995The Time Ships
The Time Ships

The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication....
 
Sidewise Award
Sidewise Award for Alternate History

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year.The awards take their name from the 1934 short story "Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with their analogs from other timelines....
 for Best Short Form Alternate History
1995Brigantia's AngelsTraces
Traces

Traces is a collection of short stories written by United Kingdom sci-fi author Stephen Baxter. Unlike similar collections such as Vacuum Diagrams and Phase Space , it is not related to any particular series by Baxter ....
John W. Campbell Award1996The Time Ships
The Time Ships

The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication....
 
Philip K. Dick Award1996The Time Ships
The Time Ships

The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication....
 
Sidewise Award
Sidewise Award for Alternate History

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year.The awards take their name from the 1934 short story "Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with their analogs from other timelines....
 for Best Long Form Alternate History
1996Voyage 
British Science Fiction Award Short Fiction1997War BirdsPhase Space
SF Chronicle Award Best Novelette1998Moon Six
Moon Six

"Moon Six" is a short story by Stephen Baxter. It originally appeared in Science Fiction Age in the March 1997 issue."Moon Six" concerns an American astronaut named Bado....
Traces
Traces

Traces is a collection of short stories written by United Kingdom sci-fi author Stephen Baxter. Unlike similar collections such as Vacuum Diagrams and Phase Space , it is not related to any particular series by Baxter ....
Analog Award Best Short Story1998Moon-CalfPhase Space
Philip K. Dick Award1999Vacuum Diagrams
Vacuum Diagrams

Vacuum Diagrams is a collection of science fiction short stories written by Stephen Baxter. The collection connects the novels of the Xeelee Sequence and also shows the history of mankind in the Xeelee universe, and ultimately the universe....
 
Analog Award Best Short Story2000Sheena 5Phase Space
Locus Poll Award Best Novelette2000HuddlePhase Space
Asimov's Readers' Poll Novelette2001On the Orion LineResplendent
British Science Fiction Award Non-Fiction2001Omegatropic 
Analog Award Best Short Story2002The Hunters of PangaeaEvolution & The Hunters of Pangaea
British Science Fiction Award Short Fiction2004Mayflower IIResplendent


Baxter's story Last Contact is nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award
Hugo Award

The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories....
 for best short story.

Bibliography

All ISBNs are for the first edition.

Xeelee Sequence
Xeelee Sequence

The Xeelee Sequence is a series of novels and short stories by United Kingdom science fiction author Stephen Baxter. The novels span several billions of years, describing the future expansion of Mankind, its war with its arch-nemesis , and the Xeelee's own war with dark matter entities called photino birds....
 

TitleYearISBNNotes
Raft
Raft (novel)

Raft is a 1991 science fiction book by author Stephen Baxter. Raft is both Baxter's first novel and first book in the Xeelee Sequence, although the Xeelee are not present....
1991ISBN 0-246-13706-1 
Timelike Infinity
Timelike Infinity

Timelike Infinity is a 1992 science fiction book by Stephen Baxter. The second book in the Xeelee sequence, Timelike Infinity introduces a universe of powerful alien species and technologies which manages to maintain a realistic edge due to Baxter's physics background; it largely sets the stage for the magnum opus of the Xeelee Se...
1992ISBN 0-00-224016-5 
Flux
Flux (novel)

Flux is a 1993 science fiction novel by British author Stephen Baxter. It is the third book in Baxter's Xeelee Sequence....
1993ISBN 0-00-224025-4 
Ring1993ISBN 0-00-224026-2 
Vacuum Diagrams
Vacuum Diagrams

Vacuum Diagrams is a collection of science fiction short stories written by Stephen Baxter. The collection connects the novels of the Xeelee Sequence and also shows the history of mankind in the Xeelee universe, and ultimately the universe....
1997ISBN 0-00-225425-5Short story collection.
Reality Dust
Reality Dust

Reality Dust is the 6th work in Stephen Baxter's Xeelee Sequence series. The novella was released in 2000 by PS Publishing.The plot begins not very long after the Third Expansion began ....
2000ISBN 1-902880-11-0Novella (collected in Resplendent)
Riding the Rock
Riding the Rock

Riding the Rock is a 60-page Stephen Baxter novella ; it is the seventh novel/novella in the Xeelee Sequence; it was published in 2002, and is a chronologically remote sequel to Reality Dust...
2002ISBN 1-902880-59-5Novella (collected in Resplendent)


NASA Trilogy
NASA Trilogy

The NASA Trilogy consists of three hard science fiction novels written by British science fiction author Stephen Baxter. These books explore the possibilities of the American space program if the circumstances had been different....
 

TitleYearISBNNotes
Voyage1996ISBN 0-00-648037-3 
Titan1997ISBN 0-06-105713-4 
Moonseed1998ISBN 0-06-105903-X 


The Web Series

See The Web (series)
The Web (Series)

SeriesThe Web is a series of 12 books for young adults, novellas about the internet of the future, edited by Simon Spanton, written by well-known science fiction and fantasy authors like Stephen Baxter, Stephen Bowkett, Eric Brown , Pat Cadigan, Maggie Furey, Peter F....


Manifold Trilogy
Manifold Trilogy

The Manifold Trilogy is a series of science fiction books by Stephen Baxter. It consists of three novels and an anthology of short stories relating to the three....
 

TitleYearISBNNotes
Manifold: Time
Manifold: Time

Manifold: Time is a 1999 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. It is the first of Baxter's Manifold trilogy , although the books can be read in any order because the series takes place in a Parallel universe ....
1999ISBN 0-345-43076-X 
Manifold: Space
Manifold: Space

Manifold: Space is a science fiction book by author Stephen Baxter, first published in the United Kingdom in 2000, then released in the United States in 2001....
2000ISBN 0-345-43077-8 
Manifold: Origin
Manifold: Origin

Manifold: Origin is a science fiction novel by author Stephen Baxter from the Manifold Trilogy.This is the third instalment in Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy....
2001ISBN 0-345-43079-4 
Phase Space2002ISBN 0-00-651185-6Short story collection.


The Mammoth Trilogy
The Mammoth Trilogy

The Mammoth Trilogy is a series of books by hard science fiction author Stephen Baxter. The books in it were published between 1999 and 2001. It contains Silverhair, Longtusk and Icebones...
 

TitleYearISBNNotes
Silverhair
Silverhair

Silverhair is a 1999 Stephen Baxter science-fiction novel from The Mammoth Trilogy.It is the first book of the trilogy.This story is about a female Mammoth named Silverhair....
1999ISBN 0-06-105132-2 
Longtusk
Longtusk

Longtusk is a 1999 novel by Stephen Baxter. It is in The Mammoth Trilogy....
1999ISBN 0-380-81898-1 
Icebones
Icebones

Icebones is a 2001 novel by Stephen Baxter. It is in The Mammoth Trilogy....
2001ISBN 0-380-81899-X 
Behemoth
Behemoth

Behemoth , , is a biblical creature mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. The word is most likely a plural form of , meaning beast or large animal....
2004ISBN 0-575-07604-6Omnibus of the Mammoth trilogy


Destiny's Children
Destiny's Children

Destiny's Children is a science-fiction series by Stephen Baxter. It takes place within his larger series, the Xeelee Sequence. Like his previous Manifold Trilogy, the books are not direct sequels to one another, but are instead thematically linked by the appearance of concepts, themes, and sometimes characters in multiple books....
 

TitleYearISBNNotes
Coalescent
Coalescent

Coalescent is a science-fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. It is part one of the Destiny's Children series.The novel is set in two different time periods: modern Britain, when George Poole finds that he has a previously unknown sister and follows a trail to a mysterious and ancient organisation in Rome ; and the time of Regina, a girl...
2003ISBN 0-345-45786-2 
Exultant2004ISBN 0-345-45788-9 
Transcendent
Transcendent (novel)

Transcendent is the third science fiction novel in the Destiny's Children series by Stephen Baxter....
2005ISBN 0-345-45792-7 
Resplendent2006ISBN 0-575-07896-0Short story collection.


A Time Odyssey
A Time Odyssey

A Time Odyssey is a series of novels co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. , the series consists of:*Vol. 1 – Time's Eye ...
 (Co-authored with Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke

Sri Lankabhimanya Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, Order of the British Empire was a British people science fiction author, inventor, and Futurology, most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey , written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, a collaboration which also produced the 2001: A Space Odyssey ; and as a host and comment...
)

TitleYearISBNNotes
Time's Eye2003ISBN 0-345-45248-8 
Sunstorm
Sunstorm (novel)

Sunstorm is a 2005 science fiction novel co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. It is the second book in the series "A Time Odyssey"....
2005ISBN 0-345-45250-X 
Firstborn2007ISBN 978-0-345-49157-2 


Time's Tapestry series

TitleYearISBNNotes
Emperor
Emperor (Stephen Baxter)

Emperor is a science-fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. It is part one of the Time's Tapestry series....
2006ISBN 0-575-07432-9 
Conqueror2007ISBN 0-575-07673-9 
Navigator 2007ISBN 978-0-441-01559-7 
Weaver
Weaver (Stephen Baxter)

Weaver is an alternate history science fiction work authored by Stephen Baxter. It is the fourth and final novel in his Times Tapestry quartet, which deals with psionic broadcast of history-altering content within trans-temporal lucid dreams....
2008ISBN 978-0-575-08204-5 


Un-named disaster series

TitleYearISBNNotes
Flood (2008 novel)2008ISBN 978-0575080584 
ArkPlanned for 2009ISBN 


Unrelated novels

TitleYearISBNNotes
Anti-Ice
Anti-Ice

Anti-Ice is a science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. Published in 1993, it can be classified as an alternate history for its portrayal of 19th century Europe and the changes resulting, particularly in United Kingdom, from an explosive scientific discovery made in the 1850s....
1993ISBN 0-06-105421-6Alternate History
The Time Ships
The Time Ships

The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication....
1995ISBN 0-06-105648-0Alternate History. An authorised sequel to H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells , known by his pen name H. G. Wells, was an England author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction"....
's The Time Machine
The Time Machine

The Time Machine is a novella by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 and later directly adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations....
The Light of Other Days
The Light of Other Days

The Light of Other Days is a 2000 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter, which explores the development of wormhole technology to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the space-time continuum....
2000ISBN 0-312-87199-6Co-authored with Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke

Sri Lankabhimanya Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, Order of the British Empire was a British people science fiction author, inventor, and Futurology, most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey , written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, a collaboration which also produced the 2001: A Space Odyssey ; and as a host and comment...
.
Evolution2003ISBN 0-345-45783-8 
The H-Bomb Girl2007ISBN 0-571-23279-5Young adult


Unrelated collections

TitleYearISBNNotes
Traces
Traces

Traces is a collection of short stories written by United Kingdom sci-fi author Stephen Baxter. Unlike similar collections such as Vacuum Diagrams and Phase Space , it is not related to any particular series by Baxter ....
1998ISBN 0-00-649814-0Short story collection.
The Hunters of Pangaea2004ISBN 1-886778-49-318 stories and five essays on science and science fiction.


Non-fiction

TitleYearISBNNotes
Deep Future2001ISBN 1-85798-844-2Mainly articles on science.
Omegatropic2001ISBN 0-95407-881-0Mainly science fiction criticism.
Revolutions in the Earth
Ages in Chaos
2003 (UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
)

2004 (US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
)
ISBN 0-29782-975-0
ISBN 0-76531-238-7
James Hutton
James Hutton

James Hutton Doctor of Medicine was a Scotland geologist, physician, Natural history, chemist and experimental Agriculture. He is considered the father of modern geology....
 and the True Age of the World
James Hutton and the Discovery of Deep Time
Deep time

Deep time is the concept of Geologic time scale first recognized in the 11th century by the Islamic geography and polymath, Avicenna , and the History of science and technology in China and polymath Shen Kuo ....


External links

  • (where fans of Mr. Baxter can interact and discuss his work)