BARNES, Steven (Emory)

(1952-)

   US writer who began publishing with "Moonglow" in Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters (anth 1974) ed Roger ELWOOD, and whose career has been associated since its early days with Larry NIVEN, SB's collaborator on most of his novels, including the first, Dream Park (1981). The Dream Park sequence - the eponymous venue in which it is set houses a wide variety of high-tech role-playing games (GAME-WORLDS; VIRTUAL REALITY) - continues with The Barsoom Project (1989) and Dream Park: The Voodoo Game (1991 UK; vt The California Voodoo Game 1992 US), both also with Niven, and has moments of relatively light-hearted agility, especially perhaps in the second volume, in which a terraformed MARS (see also TERRAFORMING) is advertised, although the action does not leave Earth. Further collaborations include The Descent of Anansi (1982) with Niven; the ongoing Avalon sequence, comprising The Legacy of Heorot (1987 UK) and The Dragons of Heorot (1995 UK) with Niven and Jerry POURNELLE, tales of planet-exploitation based on Beowulf and reflecting many of Pournelle's convictions; and Achilles' Choice (1991) with Niven alone, which returns to a game-world atmosphere, though not it seems advertently, in a tale set at a time when athletes can aspire to join the planet-dominating corporate elite by winning at competitions, the catch being that they must "Boost" to achieve stardom, and that only the winners are saved through real-time computer monitoring of the effects of doing so.SB's solo work has been perhaps less infected by hi-tech gloss. The Aubry Knight sequence - comprisingStreetlethal (1983), its sequel Gorgon Child (1989), and Firedance (dated 1993 but 1994) - are moderately down-to-earth adventure tales set in the kind of CYBERPUNK urban venue - in this case, post-earthquake Los Angeles - that is always said to be gritty, with an abundance of sf instruments involved in keeping the action moving. The Kundalini Equation (1986) invokes its author's long interest in martial arts. It might be said that SB has acquired a good amount of skill and gear, but has yet to speak in his own voice.

   See also: LEISURE; SPACESHIPS.