Kage Baker
Encyclopedia
Kage Baker was an American
science fiction
and fantasy
writer.
, California
and lived there and in Pismo Beach
most of her life. Before becoming a professional writer she spent many years in theater, including teaching Elizabethan English as a second language. Her unusual first name is a combination of the names of her two grandmothers, Kate and Genevieve.
She is best known for her "Company
" series of historical time travel
science fiction. Her first stories were published in Asimov's Science Fiction
in 1997, and her first novel
, In the Garden of Iden
, by Hodder & Stoughton
in the same year. Other notable works include Mendoza in Hollywood
(novel, 2000) and "The Empress of Mars
" (novella, 2003), which won the Theodore Sturgeon Award
and was nominated for a Hugo Award
.
In 2008, she donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University
.
In 2009, her short story "Caverns of Mystery" and her novel House of the Stag were both nominated for World Fantasy Award
s, but neither piece won.
In January 2010, it was reported that Baker was seriously ill with cancer
. She died from uterine cancer
at approximately 1:00 a.m. on January 31, 2010 in Pismo Beach, California
.
In 2010, Baker's The Women of Nell Gwynne's was nominated for a Hugo Award
and a World Fantasy Award
in the Best Novella categories. On May 15, 2010, that work was awarded the 2009 Nebula Award
in the Best Novella
category.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
writer.
Biography
Baker was born in HollywoodHollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and lived there and in Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...
most of her life. Before becoming a professional writer she spent many years in theater, including teaching Elizabethan English as a second language. Her unusual first name is a combination of the names of her two grandmothers, Kate and Genevieve.
She is best known for her "Company
Dr. Zeus Inc.
Dr. Zeus Inc., also known simply as The Company, is a fictional entity in a series of time travel science fiction stories by Kage Baker....
" series of historical time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
science fiction. Her first stories were published in Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction
Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
in 1997, and her first novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, In the Garden of Iden
In The Garden of Iden
In the Garden of Iden is a 1997 science fiction novel by Kage Baker. Although it is set entirely in the 16th century, in Spain and England, it is a science fiction story revolving around the activities of a group of immortal cyborgs, individuals who appear human but have been transformed by high...
, by Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
in the same year. Other notable works include Mendoza in Hollywood
Mendoza in Hollywood
Mendoza in Hollywood is the third novel in the science fiction and time travel series by Kage Baker, concerning the activities of The Company. In the UK it was published as At the Edge of the West.-Plot introduction:...
(novel, 2000) and "The Empress of Mars
The Empress of Mars
"The Empress of Mars" is a science fiction novella published in 2003 by Kage Baker. It won the 2004 Sturgeon Award and was nominated for the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Novella as well as the 2004 Nebula Award for Best Novella. The novella was expanded into a novel published in 2009.-Plot summary:The...
" (novella, 2003), which won the Theodore Sturgeon Award
Theodore Sturgeon Award
The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is given each year for the best science fiction short story of the year and is the short fiction counterpart of the Campbell award , published in English....
and was nominated for a Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
.
In 2008, she donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
.
In 2009, her short story "Caverns of Mystery" and her novel House of the Stag were both nominated for World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
s, but neither piece won.
In January 2010, it was reported that Baker was seriously ill with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. She died from uterine cancer
Uterine cancer
The term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
at approximately 1:00 a.m. on January 31, 2010 in Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...
.
In 2010, Baker's The Women of Nell Gwynne's was nominated for a Hugo Award
Hugo Award for Best Novella
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
and a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
in the Best Novella categories. On May 15, 2010, that work was awarded the 2009 Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
in the Best Novella
Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.-Winners and other nominees:-External links:**...
category.
Novels of The Company
- In the Garden of IdenIn The Garden of IdenIn the Garden of Iden is a 1997 science fiction novel by Kage Baker. Although it is set entirely in the 16th century, in Spain and England, it is a science fiction story revolving around the activities of a group of immortal cyborgs, individuals who appear human but have been transformed by high...
(1997) - Sky CoyoteSky CoyoteSky Coyote is a science fiction novel of The Company by Kage Baker. It is the second in the series which began with In The Garden of Iden and continues with Mendoza in Hollywood.-Plot introduction:...
(1999) - Mendoza in HollywoodMendoza in HollywoodMendoza in Hollywood is the third novel in the science fiction and time travel series by Kage Baker, concerning the activities of The Company. In the UK it was published as At the Edge of the West.-Plot introduction:...
(2000) (Published in the UK as At the Edge of the West) - The Graveyard GameThe Graveyard GameThe Graveyard Game is the fourth installment in the series of science fiction time travel novels by Kage Baker concerning the exploits of The Company.-Plot introduction:...
(2001) - The Life of the World to ComeThe Life of the World to ComeThe Life of the World to Come is the fifth installment in the series of science fiction time travel novels by Kage Baker concerning the exploits of The Company.-Plot introduction:...
(2004) - The Children of the CompanyThe Children of the CompanyThe Children of the Company is a science fiction novel by Kage Baker. It is another in the series concerned with the exploits of The Company, a 24th century cabal which exploits history for profit with the aid of immortal cyborgs living in the past....
(2005) - The Machine's ChildThe Machine's ChildThe Machine's Child is a science fiction novel by Kage Baker. It is the seventh book in the series concerning the exploits of Dr. Zeus Inc., otherwise known as The Company.- Plot introduction :...
(2006) - The Sons of HeavenThe Sons of HeavenThe Sons of Heaven is a science fiction novel written by Kage Baker. It is the last in her series of novels about The Company.The Company, formally known as Dr. Zeus Inc., exists in the 24th century but employs immortal cyborgs to recover and save valuable artifacts in the past...
(2007) - Not Less than Gods (2010) ISBN 978-0765318916
Company story collections
- Black Projects, White Knights: The Company DossiersBlack Projects, White KnightsBlack Projects, White Knights is a collection of short stories written by Kage Baker and published by small-press science fiction publisher Golden Gryphon Press, assembling various short stories set in the universe of The Company series, which comprises the bulk of her published fiction...
(2002) - Gods and PawnsGods and PawnsGods and Pawns is a collection of stories written by Kage Baker and published by Tor Books. The stories are set in the universe of her series about The Company.-Background:...
(2007)
Standalone Company novellas
- The Angel in the Darkness (limited edition chapbookChapbookA chapbook is a pocket-sized booklet. The term chap-book was formalized by bibliophiles of the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera , popular or folk literature. It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, poetry, folk tales,...
, 2003) - Rude Mechanicals (2007)
- The Empress of MarsThe Empress of Mars"The Empress of Mars" is a science fiction novella published in 2003 by Kage Baker. It won the 2004 Sturgeon Award and was nominated for the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Novella as well as the 2004 Nebula Award for Best Novella. The novella was expanded into a novel published in 2009.-Plot summary:The...
(2009) - The Women of Nell Gwynne's (limited edition, 2009)
Other works
- The Anvil of the World (2003)
- Mother Ægypt and Other Stories (2004) - title story features the Company
- Dark Mondays (2006)
- The House of the Stag (2008)
- Where the Golden Apples Grow (2006) Novella
- Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key (2008)
- The Hotel Under the Sand (2009) Juvenile
- The Bird of the River (July 2010)
External links
- Kage Baker's official homepage - main page, with bibliography
- Kage Baker, entry at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 3rd edition (draft)
- Kage Baker's online fiction at Free Speculative Fiction Online
- Memorial and tribute by David Hartwell
- Review, In the Garden of Iden
- Review, Sky Coyote
- Review, The Anvil of the World
- Kage Baker interviewed by Jeff VandermeerJeff VanderMeerJeffrey Scott VanderMeer is an American writer, editor and publisher.He is best known for his contributions to the New Weird and his stories about the city of Ambergris, in books like City of Saints and Madmen.-Biography:...
for Clarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld Magazine is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. The first issue was published October 1, 2006 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Sarah Monette, Catherynne Valente, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin R...
(March 2007) - Kathleen, Kage & the Company Kage's sister Kathleen's blog about continuing Kage's legacy