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Justina Robson

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Justina Robson
Born(1968-06-11)June 11, 1968(age 56)
Leeds,England
GenreSpeculative fiction
Notable worksQuantum Gravity Series
Notable awardsArthur C Clarke (nominee), BSFA (nominee), John W Campbell (nominee)

Justina Robson(born 11 June 1968 in Leeds, England) is a science fiction author fromLeeds,England.

Biography and publishing history[edit]

Justina Robson was born in Leeds on 11 June 1968,[1]and studied philosophy and linguistics at theUniversity of York.She worked in a variety of jobs – including secretary, technical writer, and fitness instructor – until becoming a full-time writer.[2]

Robson attended theClarion West Writing Workshopand was first published in 1994 in the British small press magazineThe Third Alternative,but is best known as a novelist. Her debut novelSilver Screenwas shortlisted for both the Arthur C Clarke Award and the BSFA Award in 2000. Her second novel,Mappa Mundi,was also shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award in 2001. It won the 2000 Amazon.co.uk Writer's Bursary. In 2004,Natural History,Robson's third novel, was shortlisted for the BSFA Award, and came second in the John W Campbell Award.

Robson's novels have been noted for sharply-drawn characters, and an intelligent and deeply thought-out approach to the tropes of the genre. She has been described as "one of the very best of the new British hard SF writers".[3]

Living Next-Door to the God of Loveis a loose sequel toNatural History,inasmuch as it is set in the same universe.Keeping It Realmarks the beginning of a series, the Quantum Gravity Books.

On 27 July 2008, shespokeon BBC Radio 3 aboutDoctor Whoand various other science fiction shows for 25 minutes during the interval of theDoctor Who Prom.

Robson was announced in November 2008 as the guest of honour at the following year'sNovacon.

Robson was announced in April 2010 as an international guest of honour at Swancon 36 to be held 21 to 25 April 2011 in Perth Australia.

Robson announced in November 2010 the forthcoming publication of her first story collection,Heliotrope,to be published in April 2011[needs update]by Australian independent publisherTiconderoga Publications.

Bibliography[edit]

Novels[edit]

Name Published ISBN Notes
Silver Screen London: Macmillan, 1999 (paper) ISBN0-333-75437-9 British Science Fiction Award nominee, 1999;[4]
Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 2000;[5]
Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 2005[6]
Mappa Mundi London: Macmillan, 2001 (paper) ISBN0-333-75438-7 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 2002[7]
Glorious Angels London: Gollancz, March 2015 ISBN978-0-575-13401-0 British Science Fiction Award nominee, 2015
The Switch London: Gollancz, Mai 2018 ISBN978-0-575-13407-2

Natural History(Stuff Universe)series

Name Published ISBN Notes
Natural History London: Macmillan, 2003 ISBN0-333-90745-0 British Science Fiction Award nominee, 2003;[8]
Campbell Award nominee, 2004;[9]
Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 2005[6]
Living Next-Door to the God of Love London: Macmillan, 2005 ISBN1-4050-2116-0 British Science Fiction Award nominee, 2005;[6]
Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 2006;[10]
Campbell Award nominee, 2007[11]

Quantum Gravityseries

Name Published ISBN Notes
Keeping It Real London: Gollancz, 2006 ISBN0-575-07861-8
Selling Out London: Gollancz, 2007 ISBN0-575-07863-4
Going Under London: Gollancz, 2008 ISBN0-575-07866-9
Chasing the Dragon London: Gollancz, August 2009 ISBN978-1-59102-746-1
Down to the Bone London: Gollancz, January 2011 ISBN978-0-575-08565-7

Transformers Aligned Continuity family

Name Published ISBN Notes
Transformers: The Covenant of Primus 47North, December 2013 ISBN978-1477805992 Historical backdrop material

Story collection[edit]

Name Published ISBN Notes
Heliotrope Greenwood: Ticonderoga Publications, April 2011 ISBN978-0-9807813-3-5

Literary universes[edit]

Natural History (Stuff) universe[edit]

Based onM-Theory,the Unity lives in all 11 dimensions and watches our 4 dimensions for individual intelligences to entice into the Unity aggregate. It reads mental attitudes, desires, and intentions and can alter 4-D reality by action in the other 7 dimensions. While a mind is never truly lost translating into Unity, its identity is soon subsumed into the collective.

Abouttranslationinto Unity: "Nobody has died. They are allwithin,every life perfectly recorded, every experience distributed. "" Translated individuals remain alive in the sense they are able to continue the natural process of consciousness. "" the Translated were in a state of superposition, being both themselves and alive and conscious, but also unified with all other conscious beings within Unity. "[12]Physical bodies are gone from 4-D, but theoretically can be re-manifest as they were.

Stuff is Unity's manifestation in 4-D, appearing as an atomically undistinguishable mass that responds to intense thought and adapts itself to satisfy implicit need or desire. For example, Stuff appears as an instantaneous transfer FTL engine to a stranded inter-stellar ship, and transforms into a weapon needed by a scientist to defend himself against torture.[13]

Physical contact with Stuff can bleed one's intellect into Unity, normally transferring consciousness into 7-D after several uses unless Unity agrees otherwise. Strong personalities with disciplined minds can resist longer, or minds can voluntary translate immediately. While Unity purports to be benevolent and respectful, it has arbitrarily translated million-plus sized groups of individuals.

Sidebar pocket realities have been negotiated with Unity, who manifests them in Stuff and moves 4-D people between them and mainline human reality. They are maintained by Unity created engines, similar to today's computer games which implement a rule based virtual reality. Sidebars includeMetropolis(theDC ComicsJustice League of America), Dindsenchas (historical Celtic), Sankhara (BuddhistSaṅkhāra).

An ancient galactic race boot-strapped itself into 11-D and Unity, leaving a mechanism built of stuff as two artificial moons around an earth-like planet. The continued existence/operation of these is probably essential to Unity. The Unity mechanism allows for multiple unconnected Unities, whose uncoordinated actions in 11-D can destroy the conditions that permit the existence of expanded 4-D space-times.

Quantum Gravity universe[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Justinar - Profile".Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2008.Retrieved1 February2009.
  2. ^Justina Robson bio
  3. ^"Meat vs machine".The Guardian.London. 7 June 2003.Retrieved7 May2010.
  4. ^"1999 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  5. ^"2000 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  6. ^abc"2005 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  7. ^"2002 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  8. ^"2003 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  9. ^"2004 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  10. ^"2006 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  11. ^"2007 Award Winners & Nominees".Worlds Without End.Retrieved5 July2009.
  12. ^Robson, Justina (2006).Living Next Door to the God of Love,p. 90, 98. Bantam Dell, US.ISBN978-0-553-58742-5.
  13. ^Robson, Justina (2003).Natural History

External links[edit]