DOZOIS, Gardner (Raymond)

(1947-)

   US writer, anthologist and, from 1985 (with the Jan 1986 issue), editor of ISAAC ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE, winning 5 HUGOS between 1988 and 1992; he is married to Susan CASPER. He began publishing sf in 1966 with "The Empty Man" for If, but it was not until after military service (in which he worked as a military journalist) that he began producing such stories as "A Special Kind of Morning" (1971) and "Chains of the Sea" (1972), which made him a figure of some note in the latter-day US NEW WAVE, causing some misapplied criticism of his "pessimism" and general lack of interest in storytelling; both stories are included in The Visible Man (coll 1977), which assembles his best early work, and reappear inGeodesic Dreams: The Best Short Fiction of Gardner Dozois (coll 1992).His first novel, Nightmare Blue (1975) with George Alec EFFINGER, a fast-paced adventure, demonstrates a dangerous facility on both authors' parts. Much more important - and less "professional" - is his first solo novel, STRANGERS (1974 New Dimensions; exp 1978), an intense and well told love story between a human male and an ALIEN female, set on her home planet, in a Galaxy humans signally do not dominate; her death from bearing his child is biologically inevitable (the plot's derivation from Philip Jose FARMER's THE LOVERS [1961] can be seen as homage) and stems from a mutual incomprehension rooted in culture and the intrinsic solitude of beings (see also SEX). Never a prolific author, though fluently capable as an editor, GD has collaborated frequently with associates in the writing of stories, many of which are assembled in Slow Dancing through Time (coll 1990) with Susan CASPER, Jack DANN, Jack C. HALDEMAN II and Michael SWANWICK. The Peacemaker (1983 IASFM; 1991 chap) won a NEBULA for 1983 and "Morning Child" a Nebula for 1984.GD has written considerable sf criticism, and in The Fiction of James Tiptree, Jr (1977 chap) he constructed an analysis which was not to be disqualified by Alice Sheldon's revelation that she was TIPTREE. An anthology, Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy: Twenty Dynamic Essays by Today's Top Professionals (anth 1991) co-edited with Tina Lee, Stanley Schmidt, Ian Randal Strock and Sheila Williams, extols dynamic professionalism. His first fiction anthologies, intelligently edited and of continuing interest, are A Day in the Life (anth 1972), Future Power (anth 1976) with Dann, and Another World (anth 1977). Subsequent anthologies, all ed with Dann (except as noted), are Aliens! (anth 1980), Unicorns! (anth 1982), Magicats! (anth 1984), Bestiary! (anth 1985), Mermaids! (anth 1985), Sorcerers! (anth 1986), Demons! (anth 1987), Dogtales! (anth 1988), Ripper! (anth 1988; vt Jack the Ripper 1988 UK) with Casper, Seaserpents! (anth 1989), Dinosaurs! (anth 1990), Magicats II (anth 1991), Little People! (anth 1991) and Horses! (anth 1994). Later singleton anthologies were The Best of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (anth 1988), Time Travelers (anth 1989), Transcendental Tales from Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (anth 1989), Isaac Asimov's Aliens (anth 1991), Isaac Asimov's Robots (anth 1991) with Sheila Williams, and The Legend Book of Science Fiction (anth 1991 UK; vt Modern Classics of Science Fiction 1992 US), Isaac Asimov's SF Lite (anth 1993), Isaac Asimov's War (anth 1993), Modern Classic Short Novels of Science Fiction (anth 1994) and Isaac Asimov's Cyberdreams (anth 1994).In 1977 GD took over an ongoing year's-best anthology from Lester DEL REY and edited several Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year ANTHOLOGIES: Sixth Annual Collection (anth 1977), Seventh Annual Collection (anth 1978), Eighth Annual Collection (anth (1979), Ninth Annual Collection (anth 1980) and Tenth Annual Collection (anth 1981). After the termination of this series, he launched a further ongoing sequence, The Year's Best Science Fiction: First Annual Collection (anth 1984), Second Annual Collection (anth 1985), Third Annual Collection (anth 1986), Fourth Annual Collection (anth 1987; vt The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 1987 UK), Fifth Annual Collection (anth 1988; vt Best New SF 2 1988 UK), Sixth Annual Collection (anth 1989; vt Best New SF 3 1989 UK) Seventh Annual Collection (anth 1990; vt Best New SF 4 1990 UK), Eighth Annual Collection (anth 1991; vt Best New SF 5 1991 UK), Ninth Annual Collection (anth 1992), Tenth Annual Collection (anth 1993; vt Best New SF 7 1993 UK) and Eleventh Annual Collection (anth 1994).

   JC

   See also: CONCEPTUAL BREAKTHROUGH; CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL WORKS ABOUT SF; CYBERPUNK; HISTORY OF SF; INVISIBILITY; OMNI; PARASITISM AND SYMBIOSIS; POLLUTION; SHARECROP.