Chris Beckett
Encyclopedia
Chris Beckett is a British
social worker, university lecturer, and science fiction author. He has written several textbooks, dozens of short stories, and two novels.
in Oxford
and Bryanston School
in Dorset
, England
. He holds a BSc (Honours) in Psychology
from the University of Bristol
(1977), a CQSW from the University of Wales
(1981), a Diploma in Advanced Social Work
from Goldsmiths College
, University of London
(1977), and an MA in English Studies
from Anglia Ruskin University
, Cambridge
(2005). He has been a senior lecturer in social work at APU since 2000. He was social worker for eight years and the manager of a children and families social work team for ten years. Beckett has authored or co-authored several textbooks and scholarly articles on social work.
Beckett began writing science fiction
short stories in 2005, and had his first science fiction novel, The Holy Machine, published in 2007. He published his second novel in 2009, Marcher, based on a short story of the same name. (The Holy Machine and Marcher were issued by Cosmos in 2009 as mass market paperbacks.) Paul Di Filippo
reviewed The Holy Machine for Asimov's, calling it "One of the most accomplished novel debuts to attract my attention in some time...", and a review in Interzone
by Tony Ballantyne
declared, "Let’s waste no time: this book is incredible."
Beckett has written over 20 short stories, many of them originally published in Interzone and Asimov's. Several of his short stories have appeared among the top three favorites in Interzone's annual readers' polls. Several have also been selected for republication, including in volumes 9, 19, 20, and 23 of The Year's Best Science Fiction
, volumes 5 and 6 of the Year's Best SF
, Robots
and A.I.s in the Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois Ace anthology series
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
social worker, university lecturer, and science fiction author. He has written several textbooks, dozens of short stories, and two novels.
Background
Beckett was educated at the Dragon SchoolDragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Bryanston School
Bryanston School
Bryanston School is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Blandford, north Dorset, England, near the village of Bryanston. It was founded in 1928...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He holds a BSc (Honours) in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
(1977), a CQSW from the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
(1981), a Diploma in Advanced Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
from Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
(1977), and an MA in English Studies
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
(2005). He has been a senior lecturer in social work at APU since 2000. He was social worker for eight years and the manager of a children and families social work team for ten years. Beckett has authored or co-authored several textbooks and scholarly articles on social work.
Works
Beckett began writing science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short stories in 2005, and had his first science fiction novel, The Holy Machine, published in 2007. He published his second novel in 2009, Marcher, based on a short story of the same name. (The Holy Machine and Marcher were issued by Cosmos in 2009 as mass market paperbacks.) Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo is an American science fiction writer. He has been published in Postscripts...
reviewed The Holy Machine for Asimov's, calling it "One of the most accomplished novel debuts to attract my attention in some time...", and a review in Interzone
Interzone (magazine)
Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
by Tony Ballantyne
Tony Ballantyne
Tony Ballantyne is a British science-fiction author known for his debut trilogy of novels, including Recursion, Capacity and Divergence...
declared, "Let’s waste no time: this book is incredible."
Beckett has written over 20 short stories, many of them originally published in Interzone and Asimov's. Several of his short stories have appeared among the top three favorites in Interzone's annual readers' polls. Several have also been selected for republication, including in volumes 9, 19, 20, and 23 of The Year's Best Science Fiction
The Year's Best Science Fiction
The Year's Best Science Fiction books are a series of science fiction anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois. In 2005 Dozois produced a "Best of the Best" review with a foreword by Robert Silverberg. The series is published by St. Martin's Press ....
, volumes 5 and 6 of the Year's Best SF
Year's Best SF
Year's Best SF is a science fiction anthology series edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. Hartwell started the series in 1996, and has been co-editing it with Cramer since 2002. It is published by HarperCollins under the Eos imprint...
, Robots
Robots (anthology)
Robots is a science fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. It was published in 2005, and includes stories on the theme of "robots" that were originally published from 1985 to 2003, though mostly from the last few years of that range...
and A.I.s in the Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois Ace anthology series
Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois Ace anthology series
Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois have jointly edited a series of themed science fiction and fantasy anthologies, published by Ace Books....
.
Novels
- Dark Eden, PS Publishing, 2010 (forthcoming)
- Marcher, Dorchester Publishing, 2009, ISBN 978-0843961973
- The Holy Machine, Wildside Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1592242085
Short story collections
- The Turing Test, Elastic Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0955318184.
It comprises: "Karel's Prayer", "Dark Eden", "The Perimeter", "Piccadilly Circus", "We Could be Sisters", "Monsters", "The Turing Test", "Snapshots of Apirania", "The Gates of Troy", "The Marriage of Sky and Sea", "Valour", "The Warrior Half-and-Half", "Jazamine in the Green Wood", and "La Macchina".
Short Stories
- "The Famous Cave Paintings on Isolus 9" (forthcoming)
- "Johnny's New Job" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(forthcoming) - "Atomic Truth" — originally published in Asimov's (2009)
- "Greenland" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2008) - "Poppyfields" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2008) - "Rat Island" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2008) - "Karel's Prayer" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2006) - "Dark Eden" — originally published in Asimov's (2006)
- "The Perimeter" — originally published in Asimov's (2005); reprinted in Russian in EsliEsliEsli is a Russian science fiction magazine, concentrating on science fiction in its written form.It won the European Science Fiction Award for best science fiction magazine in 2000.-See also:* Science fiction magazine...
magazine - "Picadilly Circus" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2005); republished in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection is a science fiction anthology edited by Gardner Dozois that was published in 2006...
(2006); reprinted in Russian in EsliEsliEsli is a Russian science fiction magazine, concentrating on science fiction in its written form.It won the European Science Fiction Award for best science fiction magazine in 2000.-See also:* Science fiction magazine...
magazine - "We Could be Sisters" — originally published in Asimov's (2004)
- "Tammy Pendant" — originally published in Asimov's (2004)
- "Monsters" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2003) - "The Turing Test" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2002); republished in A.I.s, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann, Ace Books (2004) - "To Become a Warrior" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2002); republished in The Year's Best Science FictionThe Year's Best Science FictionThe Year's Best Science Fiction books are a series of science fiction anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois. In 2005 Dozois produced a "Best of the Best" review with a foreword by Robert Silverberg. The series is published by St. Martin's Press ....
: Twentieth Annual Collection (2003) - "Watching the Sea" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2001) - "Marcher" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2001); republished in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual Collection is a science fiction anthology edited by Gardner Dozois that was published in 2002...
(2002) - "Snapshots of Apirania" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2000) - "The Welfare Man Retires" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2000) - "The Gates of Troy" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2000) - "The Marriage of Sky and Sea" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(2000); republished in Year's Best SF 6Year's Best SF 6Year's Best SF 6 is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell that was published in 2001. It is the sixth in the Year's Best SF series.-Contents:The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short...
(2001) - "Valour" — originally published in Interzone (1999); republished in Year's Best SF 5Year's Best SF 5Year's Best SF 5 is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell that was published in 2000. It is the fifth in the Year's Best SF series.-Contents:The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short...
(2000) - "The Warrior Half-and-Half" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1995); republished in Year's Best SF 5Year's Best SF 5Year's Best SF 5 is a science fiction anthology edited by David G. Hartwell that was published in 2000. It is the fifth in the Year's Best SF series.-Contents:The book itself, as well as each of the stories, has a short...
(2000); republished in The Ant Men of Tibet, edited by David Pringle, Big Engine Books (2001) - "Jazamine in the Green Wood" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1994) - "The Welfare Man" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1993); republished in The Best of Interzone, edited by David Pringle, Voyager (HarperCollins) (1997); truncated version published in Health and Disease: a Reader, Open University Press (1995) - "The Circle of Stones" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1992) - "The Long Journey of Frozen Heart" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1991) - "La Macchina" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1991); republished in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual CollectionThe Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection is a science fiction anthology edited by Gardner Dozois that was published in 1992...
(1992); republished in Gedanken Fictions: Stories on Themes in Science, Technology and Society, edited by Thomas Easton, Wildside Press (2000); republished in RobotsRobots (anthology)Robots is a science fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. It was published in 2005, and includes stories on the theme of "robots" that were originally published from 1985 to 2003, though mostly from the last few years of that range...
(2005) - "A Matter of Survival" — originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
(1990)
Textbooks
- Essential Theory for Social Work Practice, Sage, 2006
- Values and Ethics in Social Work: An Introduction, Sage, 2005 (co-written with Andrew Maynard)
- Social Work Assessment and Intervention in Social Work, Russell House, 2003 (co-written with Steven Walker)
- Child Protection: An Introduction, Sage, 2003; 2nd Edition, 2007
- Human Growth and Development, Sage, 2002
Interviews
- The October 2008 issue of InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
contains an interview with the author by Andrew Hedgecock. The same issue contains three of his short stories.