Richard C. Meredith
Encyclopedia
Richard Carlton Meredith (October 21, 1937 – March 8, 1979)
, also known as Richard C. Meredith, was a science fiction
author
.
, West Virginia
in the United States
, the first son of Joseph and LaVon Meredith. During World War II
the family moved to St. Albans, West Virginia
, where his father was employed as a technician in an industrial laboratory which worked synthetic gum, used at that time to replace natural one, whose sources were monopolized by the Japanese.
During these years, while attending high school and then first year at university, Meredith approached science fiction literature for the first time, and started reading novels by Robert A. Heinlein
. In 1950 he bought his first copy of Astounding, of which he collected all issues until death of the editor John W. Campbell
, in 1971. In this period he also wrote his first short stories, but his intention was to become an astronomer.
In 1956, owing to an illness suffered by his younger sister Sandra, the family moved to Florida
, where, not finding a job, Meredith joined the Army, and had the chance to attend courses and achieve specific technical skills. He became a microwave
-systems technician and also was a theory-of-communication and air-navigation trainer. Back in civilian life, he reached his family in Pensacola
and got back to University. This was the time he wrote his first action short stories, which were published in magazines for men only. His first daughter, Kira Chimene, was born in 1965, from his second marriage with Joy Gates.
In 1969, when he was father of three more sons (two twins, Jefferson Conan and Derek Carlton, and another boy, Rand Calvin), Ballantine Books
bought and published his first two novels, The Sky is Filled with Ships and We All Died at Breakaway Station.
In 1970, to maintain his numerous family, Meredith started working also as a graphic designer at a weekly magazine in Florida, the Press Gazette, where he was in charge of the comic-strip page. It was in the same year at DeepSouthCon
8, known as "Agacon '70" in Atlanta, Georgia
that he was awarded the very first Phoenix Award
for professional contributions to southern science fiction fandom
.
In 1973 his first paperback novel At the Narrow Passage was published by Playboy Press. He was also a mainstream writer, and author of erotic poems; he collaborated with other magazines and TV channels and was an oil painter as well.
In 1975 Meredith had to face the tragedy of the death of his son Jeff, who drowned in the bathtub at age 9. He was only 41 when he died from brain hemorrhage in 1979.
and its struggle with a non-human rival ("We All Died at Breakaway Station") or with independence-seeking human subjects ("The Sky Is Filled with Ships"); a theocratic
dictatorship, nuclear
and biological warfare
, and the effort to change history by time travel
("Run, Come See Jerusalem!"); or the "sidewise" travel into alternate histories and the savage struggle for control over a multitude of divergent timeline
s (The "Timeliner" trilogy).
Whatever the specific situation, Meredith's protagonists tend to be highly motivated and devoted people, wholeheartedly taking up Earth- or Universe-shaking Causes to which they give their all - and often eventually discovering that they had been duped into serving an evil cause, or that an action taken with the best of intentions actually makes a bad situation even worse. A reader opening a Meredith book can by no means count on a happy ending
- indeed, some of the books can be classed as dystopia
s. At best, Meredith's protagonists need to rest content with a partial or conditional victory, the merely temporary aversion of disaster.
, also known as Richard C. Meredith, was a 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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Biography
Meredith was born on October 21, 1937, in AldersonAlderson, West Virginia
Alderson, a town in the US State of West Virginia, is split geographically by the Greenbrier River, with portions in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties. Although split physically by the river, the town functions as one entity, including that of town government...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the first son of Joseph and LaVon Meredith. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the family moved to St. Albans, West Virginia
St. Albans, West Virginia
St. Albans is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers. The population was 11,044 at the 2010 census.St. Albans was laid out in 1816...
, where his father was employed as a technician in an industrial laboratory which worked synthetic gum, used at that time to replace natural one, whose sources were monopolized by the Japanese.
During these years, while attending high school and then first year at university, Meredith approached science fiction literature for the first time, and started reading novels by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
. In 1950 he bought his first copy of Astounding, of which he collected all issues until death of the editor John W. Campbell
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction , from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in...
, in 1971. In this period he also wrote his first short stories, but his intention was to become an astronomer.
In 1956, owing to an illness suffered by his younger sister Sandra, the family moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where, not finding a job, Meredith joined the Army, and had the chance to attend courses and achieve specific technical skills. He became a microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
-systems technician and also was a theory-of-communication and air-navigation trainer. Back in civilian life, he reached his family in Pensacola
Pensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
and got back to University. This was the time he wrote his first action short stories, which were published in magazines for men only. His first daughter, Kira Chimene, was born in 1965, from his second marriage with Joy Gates.
In 1969, when he was father of three more sons (two twins, Jefferson Conan and Derek Carlton, and another boy, Rand Calvin), Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
bought and published his first two novels, The Sky is Filled with Ships and We All Died at Breakaway Station.
In 1970, to maintain his numerous family, Meredith started working also as a graphic designer at a weekly magazine in Florida, the Press Gazette, where he was in charge of the comic-strip page. It was in the same year at DeepSouthCon
DeepSouthCon
The DeepSouthCon is an annual science fiction convention, which is hosted in different cities in the Southern United States. Site selection is by vote of the membership of a given DSC, for the convention to be held 2 years in the future. DSC is often, but not always, held in conjunction with an...
8, known as "Agacon '70" in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
that he was awarded the very first Phoenix Award
Phoenix Award
The Phoenix Award is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication....
for professional contributions to southern science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
.
In 1973 his first paperback novel At the Narrow Passage was published by Playboy Press. He was also a mainstream writer, and author of erotic poems; he collaborated with other magazines and TV channels and was an oil painter as well.
In 1975 Meredith had to face the tragedy of the death of his son Jeff, who drowned in the bathtub at age 9. He was only 41 when he died from brain hemorrhage in 1979.
Themes
Meredith's works take up with considerable originality many familiar SF themes: A human Galactic empireGalactic empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fiction and science fantasy, particularly in space opera. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background, or written about the growth or decline of such an empire...
and its struggle with a non-human rival ("We All Died at Breakaway Station") or with independence-seeking human subjects ("The Sky Is Filled with Ships"); a theocratic
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
dictatorship, nuclear
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
and biological warfare
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
, and the effort to change history by 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...
("Run, Come See Jerusalem!"); or the "sidewise" travel into alternate histories and the savage struggle for control over a multitude of divergent timeline
Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
s (The "Timeliner" trilogy).
Whatever the specific situation, Meredith's protagonists tend to be highly motivated and devoted people, wholeheartedly taking up Earth- or Universe-shaking Causes to which they give their all - and often eventually discovering that they had been duped into serving an evil cause, or that an action taken with the best of intentions actually makes a bad situation even worse. A reader opening a Meredith book can by no means count on a happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
- indeed, some of the books can be classed as dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
s. At best, Meredith's protagonists need to rest content with a partial or conditional victory, the merely temporary aversion of disaster.
Novels and Novellas
- The Sky is Filled with Ships, (1969)
- We All Died at Breakaway Station (1969, serialized in Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
and published as a novel) - The Timeliner Trilogy:
- At the Narrow Passage (1973, revised 1979)
- No Brother, No Friend (1976, revised 1979)
- Vestiges of Time (1978, revised 1979)
- The Timeliner Trilogy (1987, omnibus)
- Run, Come See Jerusalem! (1976)
- The Awakening (1979)
Short Stories
- "The Renegades" (1962)
- "The Slugs" (1962)
- "Choice of Weapons" (1966)
- "To the War is Gone" (1966)
- "The Fifth Columbiad" (1967)
- "The Longest Voyage" (1967)
- "Hired Man" (1970)
- "Earthcoming" (1970)
- "Time of the Sending" (1971)
- "Cold the Stars are, Cold the Earth" (1978)
External links
- Richard C. Meredith - A Brief Biography and Illustrated Bibliography
- Richard C. Meredith at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction