Christopher Samuel Youd, 89, better known by his pseudonym John Christopher, died February 3, 2012 in Bath England. As Christopher he wrote the classic SF catastrophe novel The Death of Grass (1956; in the US as No Blade of Grass, 1957), and the YA trilogy Tripods, which began in 1967. His first publication of genre [...]

SF writer Ardath Mayhar, 81, has reportedly died in Nacogdoches TX. Mayhar wrote poetry in the 1940s and published pseudonymous Westerns and mainstream books before turning to SF and fantasy with “The Cat with the Sapphire Eyes” (1973). Her first SF novel, How the Gods Wove in Kyrannon (1979) was one of more than 60 books [...]

Former Clarion director Lister Matheson, 63, died January 19, 2012 of complications from a form of aplastic anemia. Born May 19, 1948 in Glasgow, Scotland, Matheson spent nearly a decade as director of the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers’ Workshop when it was held at Michigan State University in East Lansing MI. He retired [...]

Agent, editor, and publisher Glenn Lord, 80, died December 31, 2011 in Pasadena TX. Lord is best known as a champion of the works of Robert E. Howard, and acted as agent for the Howard estate starting in 1965. Lord worked tirelessly to keep Howard’s work available, and brought many of his unpublished works into [...]

Long-time fan James “Rusty” Hevelin, 89, died December 27, 2011 at the VA Hospital Hospice Center in Dayton OH. Hevelin was born February 16, 1922, and became active in fandom beginning in the 1930s, and remained involved for the rest of his life. He was a fanzine publisher (notably of H-1661), contributor, collector, and huckster. He was fan guest [...]

French science fiction writer Richard Bessière died in his hometown of Béziers December 22, 2011, at the age of 88. Bessière began publishing in 1951 with a series of pulpy SF stories, Conquérants de l’Univers [Conquerors of the Universe]. He went on to publish other adventure series, and a number of stand-alone novels blending horror [...]

Louis Thirion, French science fiction writer, died December 9, 2011 in Paris. He was 88. Thirion was born October 25, 1923, and published his first novel, Waterloo, morne plaine [Waterloo, Sad Plain] in 1964. During his 40-year career he wrote over 30 novels characterized by their humor and surrealist aesthetic, several radio dramas for Théâtre [...]

Thomas J. Bassler, 79 who wrote SF as T.J. Bass, died December 13, 2011. He began publishing as Bass with “Star Itch” in If (1968), and in addition to several stories, he wrote two novels nominated for Nebula Awards: fix-up Half Past Human (1970) and The Godwhale (1974). He ceased writing SF in the ’70s, [...]

Writer Russell Hoban, 86, died December 13, 2011 in London. Hoban was a celebrated children’s author, best known for his series of books about Frances the Badger (beginning with Bedtime for Frances, 1960), and for his classic The Mouse and His Child (1967). He also did many adult works of SF interest, particularly post-holocaust novel [...]

Scottish writer, critic, and translator Gilbert Adair, 66, died December 8, 2011 in London. Adair was born December 29, 1944 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is best known for his non-fiction work on contemporary culture, including books like Myths and Memories: A Dazzling Dissection of British Life and Culture (1986), The Postmodernist Always Rings Twice: Reflections on Culture [...]