Robert Sheckley
Encyclopedia
Robert Sheckley was a Hugo
- and Nebula
-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction
magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist
and broadly comical.
Sheckley was named Author Emeritus
by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
in 2001.
, New York. In 1931 the family moved to Maplewood, New Jersey
. Sheckley attended Columbia High School
, where he discovered science fiction
. He graduated in 1946 and hitchhiked to California
the same year, where he tried numerous jobs: landscape gardener, pretzel salesman, barman, milkman, warehouseman, and general labourer in a hand-painted necktie studio. Finally, still in 1946, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Korea. During his time in the army he served as a guard, an army newspaper editor, a payroll clerk and guitarist in an army band. He left the service in 1948.
Sheckley then attended New York University
, where he received an undergraduate degree in 1951. The same year he married for the first time, to Barbara Scadron. The couple had one son, Jason. Sheckley worked in an aircraft factory and as an assistant metallurgist for a short time, but his breakthrough came quickly: in late 1951 he sold his first story, Final Examination, to Imagination
magazine. He quickly gained prominence as a writer, publishing stories in Imagination, Galaxy
, and other science fiction magazines. The 1950s saw the publication of Sheckley's first four books: short story collections Untouched by Human Hands (Ballantine
, 1954), Citizen in Space (1955), and Pilgrimage to Earth (Bantam
, 1957), and a novel, Immortality, Inc.
(first published as a serial in Galaxy, 1958).
Sheckley and Scadron divorced in 1956. The writer then married journalist Ziva Kwitney in 1957. The newly married couple lived in Greenwich Village. Their daughter, Alisa Kwitney
, born in 1964, would herself become a successful writer. Applauded by critic Kingsley Amis
, Sheckley was now selling many of his deft, satiric stories to mainstream magazines such as Playboy
. In addition to his science fiction stories, in 1960s Sheckley started writing suspense fiction. More short story collections and novels appeared in the 1960s, and a film adaptation of an early story by Sheckley, The 10th Victim
, was released in 1965.
Sheckley spent the bigger part of 1970s living on Ibiza
. He divorced Kwitney in 1972 and the same year married Abby Schulman, whom he had met in Ibiza. The couple had two children, Anya and Jed. In 1980, the writer returned to the United States and became fiction editor of the newly established OMNI
magazine. Sheckley left OMNI in 1981 with his fourth wife, Jay Rothbell, and they subsequently traveled widely in Europe, finally ending up in Portland, Oregon,
where they separated. He married Gail Dana of Portland in 1990. Sheckley continued publishing further science fiction and espionage/mystery stories, and collaborated with other writers such as Roger Zelazny
and Harry Harrison
.
During a 2005 visit to Ukraine
for the Ukrainian Sci-Fi Computer Week, an international event for science fiction
writers, Sheckley fell ill and had to be hospitalized in Kiev
on April 27. His condition was very serious for one week, but he appeared to be slowly recovering. Sheckley's official website ran a fundraising campaign to help cover Sheckley's treatment and his return to the United States. Sheckley settled in northern Dutchess County, New York, to be near his daughters Anya and Alisa. On November 20 he had surgery for a brain aneurysm
; he died in a Poughkeepsie
hospital on December 9, 2005.
, after the film), stories in shared universe
s such as Heroes in Hell
, and collaborations with other writers. He was best known for his several hundreds of short stories, which he published in book form as well as individually. Typical Sheckley stories include "Bad Medicine" (in which a man is mistakenly treated by a psychotherapy machine intended for Martians), "Protection" (whose protagonist is warned of deadly danger unless he avoids the common activity of "lesnerizing", a word whose meaning is not explained), and "The Accountant" (in which a family of wizards learns that their son has been taken from them by a more sinister trade—accountancy). In many stories Sheckley speculates about alternative (and usually sinister) social orders, of which a good example is the story "A Ticket to Tranai" (that tells of a sort of Utopia
designed for human nature as it actually is, which turns out to have terrible drawbacks).
One of the most famous of Sheckley's stories was the AAA Ace Series involving a series of stories involving two partners in the far future encountering various unusual problems.
In the 1990s Sheckley wrote a series of three mystery novels featuring detective Hob Draconian, as well as novels set in the worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
and Alien
. Before his death Sheckley had been commissioned to write an original novel based upon the TV series The Prisoner
for Powys Media, but died before completing the manuscript.
His novel Dimension of Miracles
is often cited as an influence on Douglas Adams
's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
, although in an interview for Neil Gaiman
's book Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion
, Adams said he had not read it until after writing the Guide.
short story "Seventh Victim", was the basis for the film The 10th Victim
, also known by the original Italian title La decima vittima. The film starred Marcello Mastroianni
and Ursula Andress
. A novelization of the film, also written by Sheckley, was published in 1966. The story may also have been the inspiration for the role-playing game Assassin
.
Sheckley's novel Immortality, Inc.
—about a world in which the afterlife could be obtained via a scientific process—was very loosely adapted into a film, the 1992 Freejack
, starring Mick Jagger
, Emilio Estevez
, Rene Russo
, and Anthony Hopkins
.
The 1954 story "Ghost V" and the 1955 story "The Lifeboat Mutiny" were adapted into two episodes of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World.
The 1958 short story "The Prize of Peril" was adapted in 1970 as the German TV movie Das Millionenspiel, and again in 1983 as the French movie Le Prix du Danger
. Written about a man who goes on a TV show in which he must evade people out to kill him for a week in order to win a large cash prize, it is perhaps the first-ever published work predicting the advent of reality television
. There are many similarities between Sheckley's story and Stephen King's novel, "The Running Man
", published in 1982, of which a film adaptation was later made.
The short story "Watchbird" was adapted for the short-lived TV series Masters of Science Fiction
. It never aired in the US, but was reported to have aired in Canada. It was included on the DVD set for the series.
A number of Sheckley's works, both as Sheckley and as Finn O'Donnevan, were also adapted for the radio show X Minus One
in the late 1950s, including the above-mentioned "Seventh Victim", "Bad Medicine" and "Protection". The radio show Tales of Tomorrow
also in the late 1950s did a version of "Watchbird" and South Africa radio did their version of "Watchbird" on the series SF68.
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...
- and Nebula
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...
-nominated American author. First published in the 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...
magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
and broadly comical.
Sheckley was named Author Emeritus
Author Emeritus
Author Emeritus award is an honorary title bestowed by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. It was created "as a way to recognize and appreciate senior writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy who have made significant contributions to our field but who are no longer...
by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
in 2001.
Biography
Robert Sheckley was born to a Jewish family in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. In 1931 the family moved to Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 23,867.-History:...
. Sheckley attended Columbia High School
Columbia High School (New Jersey)
Columbia High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school located at 17 Parker Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, which serves students in grades nine through twelve within the South Orange-Maplewood School District, which includes Maplewood and South Orange Townships...
, where he discovered 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...
. He graduated in 1946 and hitchhiked to 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...
the same year, where he tried numerous jobs: landscape gardener, pretzel salesman, barman, milkman, warehouseman, and general labourer in a hand-painted necktie studio. Finally, still in 1946, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Korea. During his time in the army he served as a guard, an army newspaper editor, a payroll clerk and guitarist in an army band. He left the service in 1948.
Sheckley then attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he received an undergraduate degree in 1951. The same year he married for the first time, to Barbara Scadron. The couple had one son, Jason. Sheckley worked in an aircraft factory and as an assistant metallurgist for a short time, but his breakthrough came quickly: in late 1951 he sold his first story, Final Examination, to Imagination
Imagination (magazine)
Imagination was an American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in October 1950 by Raymond Palmer's Clark Publishing Company. The magazine was sold almost immediately to Greenleaf Publishing Company, owned by William Hamling, who published and edited it from the third issue,...
magazine. He quickly gained prominence as a writer, publishing stories in Imagination, Galaxy
Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
, and other science fiction magazines. The 1950s saw the publication of Sheckley's first four books: short story collections Untouched by Human Hands (Ballantine
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...
, 1954), Citizen in Space (1955), and Pilgrimage to Earth (Bantam
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
, 1957), and a novel, Immortality, Inc.
Immortality, Inc.
Immortality, Inc. is a 1959 science fiction novella by American writer Robert Sheckley, about a fictional process whereby a human's consciousness may be transferred into a brain-dead body. A striking foreshadowing in the novel is its description of random killings of strangers by people who intend...
(first published as a serial in Galaxy, 1958).
Sheckley and Scadron divorced in 1956. The writer then married journalist Ziva Kwitney in 1957. The newly married couple lived in Greenwich Village. Their daughter, Alisa Kwitney
Alisa Kwitney
Alisa Kwitney is an American author.Kwitney was born in New York City. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Columbia University's Master of Fine Arts Fiction Writing Program. Kwitney was also an editor for Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC...
, born in 1964, would herself become a successful writer. Applauded by critic Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
, Sheckley was now selling many of his deft, satiric stories to mainstream magazines such as Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. In addition to his science fiction stories, in 1960s Sheckley started writing suspense fiction. More short story collections and novels appeared in the 1960s, and a film adaptation of an early story by Sheckley, The 10th Victim
The 10th Victim
The 10th Victim is a 1965 Italian/French international co-production science fiction film directed by Elio Petri. It is based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim". Sheckley later published a novelization of the film in 1966.-Plot:...
, was released in 1965.
Sheckley spent the bigger part of 1970s living on Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. He divorced Kwitney in 1972 and the same year married Abby Schulman, whom he had met in Ibiza. The couple had two children, Anya and Jed. In 1980, the writer returned to the United States and became fiction editor of the newly established OMNI
Omni (magazine)
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction...
magazine. Sheckley left OMNI in 1981 with his fourth wife, Jay Rothbell, and they subsequently traveled widely in Europe, finally ending up in Portland, Oregon,
where they separated. He married Gail Dana of Portland in 1990. Sheckley continued publishing further science fiction and espionage/mystery stories, and collaborated with other writers such as Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
and Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
.
During a 2005 visit to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
for the Ukrainian Sci-Fi Computer Week, an international event for 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...
writers, Sheckley fell ill and had to be hospitalized in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
on April 27. His condition was very serious for one week, but he appeared to be slowly recovering. Sheckley's official website ran a fundraising campaign to help cover Sheckley's treatment and his return to the United States. Sheckley settled in northern Dutchess County, New York, to be near his daughters Anya and Alisa. On November 20 he had surgery for a brain aneurysm
Cerebral aneurysm
A cerebral or brain aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.- Signs and symptoms :...
; he died in a Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
hospital on December 9, 2005.
Works
Sheckley was a prolific and versatile writer. His works include not only original short stories and novels, but also TV series episodes (Captain Video and His Video Rangers), novelizations of works by others (Babylon 5: A Call to ArmsBabylon 5: A Call to Arms
A Call To Arms is the fourth feature-length film set in the Babylon 5 universe . It was written by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Mike Vejar, and originally aired January 3, 1999.-Summary:...
, after the film), stories in shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
s such as Heroes in Hell
Heroes in Hell
Heroes in Hell is a series of shared world fantasy books, within the genre Bangsian fantasy, created and edited by Janet Morris and written by her, Chris Morris, C. J. Cherryh and others...
, and collaborations with other writers. He was best known for his several hundreds of short stories, which he published in book form as well as individually. Typical Sheckley stories include "Bad Medicine" (in which a man is mistakenly treated by a psychotherapy machine intended for Martians), "Protection" (whose protagonist is warned of deadly danger unless he avoids the common activity of "lesnerizing", a word whose meaning is not explained), and "The Accountant" (in which a family of wizards learns that their son has been taken from them by a more sinister trade—accountancy). In many stories Sheckley speculates about alternative (and usually sinister) social orders, of which a good example is the story "A Ticket to Tranai" (that tells of a sort of Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
designed for human nature as it actually is, which turns out to have terrible drawbacks).
One of the most famous of Sheckley's stories was the AAA Ace Series involving a series of stories involving two partners in the far future encountering various unusual problems.
In the 1990s Sheckley wrote a series of three mystery novels featuring detective Hob Draconian, as well as novels set in the worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
and Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
. Before his death Sheckley had been commissioned to write an original novel based upon the TV series The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
for Powys Media, but died before completing the manuscript.
His novel Dimension of Miracles
Dimension of Miracles
Dimension of Miracles is a 1968 satirical science-fiction novel by Robert Sheckley.The novel concerns the odyssey of Tom Carmody, a New Yorker who wins a prize in the Intergalactic Sweepstakes.-Plot summary:...
is often cited as an influence on Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
, although in an interview for Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's book Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion
Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion
Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion is a book by Neil Gaiman about Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
, Adams said he had not read it until after writing the Guide.
Film and TV adaptations
One of Sheckley's early works, the 1953 GalaxyGalaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
short story "Seventh Victim", was the basis for the film The 10th Victim
The 10th Victim
The 10th Victim is a 1965 Italian/French international co-production science fiction film directed by Elio Petri. It is based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim". Sheckley later published a novelization of the film in 1966.-Plot:...
, also known by the original Italian title La decima vittima. The film starred Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...
and Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
. A novelization of the film, also written by Sheckley, was published in 1966. The story may also have been the inspiration for the role-playing game Assassin
Assassin (game)
Assassin is a live-action game...
.
Sheckley's novel Immortality, Inc.
Immortality, Inc.
Immortality, Inc. is a 1959 science fiction novella by American writer Robert Sheckley, about a fictional process whereby a human's consciousness may be transferred into a brain-dead body. A striking foreshadowing in the novel is its description of random killings of strangers by people who intend...
—about a world in which the afterlife could be obtained via a scientific process—was very loosely adapted into a film, the 1992 Freejack
Freejack
Freejack is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo, Jonathan Banks, Grand L. Bush and Anthony Hopkins. Upon its release in the United States, the film received mostly negative reviews. The story was adapted from Immortality, Inc., a...
, starring Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
, Rene Russo
Rene Russo
- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
, and Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
.
The 1954 story "Ghost V" and the 1955 story "The Lifeboat Mutiny" were adapted into two episodes of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World.
The 1958 short story "The Prize of Peril" was adapted in 1970 as the German TV movie Das Millionenspiel, and again in 1983 as the French movie Le Prix du Danger
Le Prix du Danger
Le Prix du Danger is a 1983 French-Yugoslav science fiction movie, directed by Yves Boisset. It is based on Robert Sheckley's The Prize of Peril, published in 1958.-Story:...
. Written about a man who goes on a TV show in which he must evade people out to kill him for a week in order to win a large cash prize, it is perhaps the first-ever published work predicting the advent of reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. There are many similarities between Sheckley's story and Stephen King's novel, "The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books...
", published in 1982, of which a film adaptation was later made.
The short story "Watchbird" was adapted for the short-lived TV series Masters of Science Fiction
Masters of Science Fiction
Masters of Science Fiction is an American television anthology series by the same creators as Masters of Horror. The show debuted on ABC on August 4, 2007 at 10PM for a run of four episodes...
. It never aired in the US, but was reported to have aired in Canada. It was included on the DVD set for the series.
A number of Sheckley's works, both as Sheckley and as Finn O'Donnevan, were also adapted for the radio show X Minus One
X Minus One
X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio drama series broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC.-Overview:...
in the late 1950s, including the above-mentioned "Seventh Victim", "Bad Medicine" and "Protection". The radio show Tales of Tomorrow
Tales of Tomorrow
Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others...
also in the late 1950s did a version of "Watchbird" and South Africa radio did their version of "Watchbird" on the series SF68.
Opinions on Sheckley's work
- "Robert Sheckley: the best short-story writer the field has produced." — Alan Dean FosterAlan Dean FosterAlan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
- "I had no idea the competition was so terrifyingly good." — Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
- "Sheckley at his best is VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
and Soda." — Brian W. Aldiss - "Probably the best short-story writer during the 50s to the mid-1960s working in any field." — Neil GaimanNeil GaimanNeil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
- "Always he crackles with ideas." — Kingsley AmisKingsley AmisSir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
- "[Robert Sheckley is] witty and ingenious... a draught of pure Voltaire and tonic." — J. G. BallardJ. G. BallardJames Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
- "If the Marx BrothersMarx BrothersThe Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
had been literary rather than thespic fantasists ... they would have been Robert Sheckley." — Harlan EllisonHarlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media... - "Journey of Joenes is a mid-20th century version of Voltaire’s Candide." — James LovelockJames LovelockJames Lovelock, CH, CBE, FRS is an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurologist who lives in Devon, England. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the biosphere is a self-regulating entity with the capacity to keep our planet healthy by controlling...
Novels
- Immortality, Inc.Immortality, Inc.Immortality, Inc. is a 1959 science fiction novella by American writer Robert Sheckley, about a fictional process whereby a human's consciousness may be transferred into a brain-dead body. A striking foreshadowing in the novel is its description of random killings of strangers by people who intend...
(1958) - The Status CivilizationThe Status CivilizationThe Status Civilization is a science fiction novel by Robert Sheckley, first published in 1960.The Status Civilization concerns Will Barrent, a man who finds himself, without memory of any crime or, indeed, of his previous life, being shipped across space to the planet Omega.Omega, used to imprison...
, also known as Omega (1960) - Journey Beyond TomorrowJourney Beyond TomorrowJourney Beyond Tomorrow, reprinted with the title Journey of Joenes, is a 1962 science fiction/satire novel by American writer Robert Sheckley, first published by Victor Gollancz.- Synopsis :...
, also known as Journey of Joenes (1963) - The 10th VictimThe 10th VictimThe 10th Victim is a 1965 Italian/French international co-production science fiction film directed by Elio Petri. It is based on Robert Sheckley's 1953 short story "Seventh Victim". Sheckley later published a novelization of the film in 1966.-Plot:...
(1966) - Mindswap (1966)
- Dimension of MiraclesDimension of MiraclesDimension of Miracles is a 1968 satirical science-fiction novel by Robert Sheckley.The novel concerns the odyssey of Tom Carmody, a New Yorker who wins a prize in the Intergalactic Sweepstakes.-Plot summary:...
(1968) - Options (1975)
- The Alchemical Marriage of Alistair Crompton, also known as Crompton Divided (1978)
- Dramocles (1983)
- Pop Death (1986)
- Victim Prime (1987)
- Hunter / Victim (1988)
- On The Planet of Bottled Brains (with Harry HarrisonHarry HarrisonHarry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
, 1990) - Minotaur Maze (short novel, 1990)
- Watchbird (short, 1990)
- Xolotl (short, 1991)
- Alien Starswarm (short, 1991)
- Millennial Contest series (with Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
):- Bring Me the Head of Prince CharmingBring Me the Head of Prince CharmingBring Me the Head of Prince Charming is a fantasy novel by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley.-Introduction:Every millennia a big contest is waged between the forces of good, and the forces of evil, a contest that determines the turn of events in the upcoming millennia...
(1991) - If at Faust You Don't Succeed (1993)
- A Farce to Be Reckoned With (1995)
- Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Laertian Gamble (1995)
- Aliens: Alien Harvest (1995)
- Godshome (1997)
- Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (1999)
- The Grand-Guignol of the Surrealists (2000)
- Dimension of Miracles Revisited (2000; self-published)
Short story collections
- Untouched by Human HandsUntouched by Human HandsUntouched by Human Hands is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1954 by Ballantine Books...
(1954) - Citizen in SpaceCitizen in SpaceCitizen in Space is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1955 by Ballantine Books...
(1955) - Pilgrimage to EarthPilgrimage to EarthPilgrimage to Earth is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1957 by Bantam Books...
(1957) - Notions: UnlimitedNotions: UnlimitedNotions: Unlimited is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1960 by Bantam Books. It includes the following stories :...
(1960) - Store of InfinityStore of InfinityStore of Infinity is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1960 by Bantam Books. It includes the following stories:# "The Prize of Peril"# "The Humours"# "Triplication"# "The Minimum Man"...
(1960) - Shards of SpaceShards of SpaceShards of Space is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1962 by Bantam Books. It includes the following stories :...
(1962) - The People TrapThe People TrapThe People Trap is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1968 by Dell...
(1968) - Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Robert Sheckley, published in December 1971 by Doubleday. It was also published by Pan Books under title The Same To You Doubled...
(also known as The Same to You Doubled) (1972) - The Robot Who Looked Like MeThe Robot Who Looked Like MeThe Robot Who Looked Like Me is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1978 by Sphere Books...
(1978) - Uncanny TalesUncanny Tales (Sheckley)Uncanny Tales is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 2003 and includes an introduction and the following stories:# "A Trick Worth Two of That" # "The Mind-Slaves of Manitori"...
(2003)
Short story compilations
- The Wonderful World of Robert Sheckley (1979)
- The Sheckley Omnibus (1979)
- Is THAT What People Do?Is THAT What People Do?Is THAT What People Do? is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1984 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. The collection contains new as well as previously published works...
(1984; 23 previously published stories and 16 new) - The Collected Short Fiction of Robert Sheckley (1991; 5 volumes, vol. 5 includes new material)
- The Masque of Mañana (2005)
Mystery and espionage
- The Game of X (1965) was loosely adapted as the 1981 Disney film, CondormanCondormanCondorman is a 1981 comedy/adventure film from Walt Disney Productions starring Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed. Inspired by Robert Sheckley's The Game of X, Condorman follows comic book illustrator Woodrow Wilkins' attempts to assist in the defection of a female Soviet KGB agent.-Plot:Woodrow...
: Sheckley also wrote the novelization of this film. - Stephen Dain series:
- Calibre .50 (1961)
- Dead Run (1961)
- Live Gold (1962)
- White Death (1963)
- Time Limit (1967)
- Hob Draconian series:
- The Alternative Detective (1993)
- Draconian New York (1996)
- Soma Blues (1997)
External links
- Official site
- Obituaries at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
site - Sheckley Obituary Obituary by Edward SummerEdward SummerEdward Summer has been an award winning painter, motion picture director, screenwriter, internet publisher, magazine editor, journalist and science writer, comic book writer, novelist, book designer, actor, cinematographer, motion picture editor, documentary film maker, film festival founder, and...
- Sheckley Reads His Work at www.Martin-Olson.com
- Large collection of pictures of Sheckley in Europe from 1999 to 2005 - From the private collection of Roberto QuagliaRoberto QuagliaRoberto Quaglia is an Italian science fiction writer. Many of his works have been translated and published in Romania, and some have also been translated into English, Russian, Czech, Hungarian and Dutch.-Life and career:...