Two giants in science fiction and fantasy died last week

Character and Community - Shelf Awareness

Two giants in science fiction and fantasy died last week: Frederik Pohl, 93, whose first contribution to the field was a poem in Amazing Stories magazine in 1937, and A.C. Crispin, 63, the author of, among other things, tie-ins that fleshed out familiar characters from Star Wars, Star Trek, V, Alien and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Crispin wrote 23 novels, including the StarBridge series, and her movie and TV tie-in work, which culminated with a long novel that told the history of young Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean. For many authors and fans, she emphasized, as Ryan Britt wrote in an obituary, "the possibility of a multi-faceted character." She was also deeply involved in the industry: she was a v-p of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and, in what may be her most enduring legacy for fellow authors, she co-founded Writers Beware, an SFWA site that warns aspiring writers about scams and con artists.

Over the course of his long life, Pohl won 16 major writing awards, including six Hugos and three Nebulas. His best-known titles include Jem (which won an American Book Award), The Space Merchants (co-written with Cyril Kornbluth), Man Plus and Gateway. Fittingly for a representative of the golden age of science fiction, his memoir was called The Way the Future Was, which Pohl regularly updated on thewaythefuture. But Pohl was more than "merely" an author. He was also a literary agent, a book and magazine editor, a science writer, a futurist, an early organizer of sff fan clubs and conventions and was president of the SFWA.

One of our favorite comments by Pohl highlights the best of science fiction and fantasy--and writing in general. The New York Times quoted him saying in 1980: "I am a sort of preacher. I like to talk to people and get them to change their views when I think their views are wrong. Why else would anyone write a book?"