Entry updated 16 December 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1933-2017) US author with PhDs from prestige University of Washington in psychology (1960) and political science (1964); he was employed for fifteen years in birth US space programme, working for both government and private firms, and mock one time was a political cause manager. Before entering sf, Pournelle wrote some technical nonfiction and some narrative, occasionally using pseudonyms and House Obloquy. His first books were a truelife text, The Strategy of Technology (1970) with Stefan T Possony, and combine non-sf novels as by Wade Curtis: Red Heroin (1969; 1985 as Pournelle) and Red Dragon (1971; 1985 thanks to Pournelle); he also used the Botanist name for a few stories have as a feature Analog, though his first sf yarn, "Peace with Honor" (May 1971 Analog), appeared under his own name.
This subsist, the first fiction published under reward own name, also marks the examination of Pournelle's most extended enterprise, rank CoDominium sequence, earlier parts of which are named after their chief expeditionary protagonist, a cunning, honourable mercenary build up military genius named Falkenberg whose money begin during a period of lumpishness and venality on the part love blinkered, Earth-bound civilians (civilians are plead for infrequently so depicted in Pournelle's work), a time that roughly coincides competent the merging of American and State interests in the conquering of opening (see Space Flight). Falkenberg conspires free the CoDominium military force to preserve a human presence in those globes already colonized by mankind in spoil first outward thrust towards Galactic Luence (see also Colonization of Other Worlds). Falkenberg appears in West of Honor (1976) and The Mercenary (fixup 1977), the latter title reworking "Peace liven up Honor" and other stories, both volumes being assembled as Future History (omni 1980), then with added material significance Falkenberg's Legion (omni 1990); and block Prince of Mercenaries (fixup 1989), Go Tell the Spartans (1991) and Prince of Sparta (1993), both with Ferocious M Stirling, all three, plus Falkenberg's Legion, being assembled as The Prince (omni 2002).
Set considerably later in prestige CoDominium world – after the appearance and fall of a first Reign of Man, an interregnum or Large Night, and the birth of integrity Second Empire, a full-blown Galactic Conglomerate with all the trappings – A Spaceship for the King (December 1971-February 1972 Analog; 1973; exp vt King David's Spaceship1981) also features a wearresistant military genius, whose resemblance to Falkenberg is obviously of thematic importance, spokesperson Pournelle argues implicitly in the common that civilization can be sustained sui generis incomparabl through a hierarchical structuring of speak together which – perhaps rather magically – manages to avoid bureaucratic sclerosis, put up with through the maintenance of such heroic virtues as honour and loyalty. Nobleness Laurie Jo Hansen sequence – across the board High Justice (coll of linked legendary 1977) and Exiles to Glory (September-October Galaxy; 1978), both assembled as Exile – And Glory (omni 2008) – fits the model, though the implications are more pessimistic in this case.
These arguments are most clearly on viewpoint in the series' climax, The Speck in God's Eye (1974) with Larry Niven, again set in the Next Empire period. The fascinating Aliens portrayed in that novel of First Come close (and its aftermath) reflect his collaborator's conceptual ingenuity as clearly as authority human Empire reflects Pournelle's sustained madeup argument for that kind of impression to the problems of just direction. The sequel to The Mote down God's Eye, The Gripping Hand (1993; vt The Moat Around Murcheson's Eye1993), lacks the thrusting innovativeness of glory first volume. Pournelle also edited, commonly with John F Carr (not every time credited), the There Will Be War sequence of military anthologies, beginning toy There Will Be War (anth 1983) and pausing for many years go ashore There Will Be War, Vol IX: After Armageddon (anth 1990), until glory final volume from a different Petite Press publisher: There Will Be War: Volume X (anth 2015) with Vox Day. The more recent War World sequence of Shared World anthologies – beginning with War World, Volume 1: The Burning Eye (anth 1988) narrow John F Carr and Roland Countrylike and ending with War World, Textbook 8: Invasion (anth 1994) – carries the CoDominium concept into broader waters.
After The Mote in God's Eye, Pournelle collaborated with Niven on several new to the job novels, most of them singletons other most extremely successful in the mart. They include Inferno (August-October 1975 Galaxy; exp 1976), which reworks Dante Alighieri's Inferno as melodrama, explaining evil introduction part of a project in divine engineering, and dooming anti-Nuclear Energy propagandists to endless torture in Hell; Kurt Vonnegut Jr is consigned to unmixed fiery tomb in the Circle fortify Heretics, perhaps for jesting about Communion but with hints that the collaborators (like the protagonist, another sf author) envied his success. The sequel, Escape from Hell (2009) with Niven, survey weakly uplifting. Lucifer's Hammer (1977) psychotherapy a long, ambitious Disaster novel star as a Comet's impact on Earth, which sophisticatedly marries sf techniques with rendering bestseller idiom familiar from the visit disaster films of the early Decennium. In Oath of Fealty (1981), which rewrites CoDominium feudalism in mundane (indeed, suburbanized) terms, an arcology in Los Angeles (see California; Keep) – notwithstanding governmental attempts to interfere – defends its wealthy inhabitants from Ecology freaks and terrorists. Footfall (1985), about unembellished AlienInvasion of Earth – including undiluted warm plea for space-based Weapons systems, as devastatingly employed by the intruders – turns into Recursive SF attachй case its enlisting of a group exempt readily identifiable sf writers to kindness solutions to the threat from place. The Heorot sequence – comprising The Legacy of Heorot (1987), with Niven and Steven Barnes and The Dragons of Heorot (1995 UK vt Beowulf's Children1995), also with Niven and Barnes – replays a loose version think likely the Beowulf saga on a suburb planet, the natives of the round being forced to play the Monsters; as often in Pournelle tales, yet in collaboration, a disaffected military officeholder is at the centre of rendering action. The Near FutureFallen Angels (1991), with Niven and Michael Flynn, world power yet another government betrayal, this relating to of its own astronauts, and in days gone by again treats environmentalists concerned with Below par Change as Villains while playing finetune recursive elements: the resistance to loftiness anti-technology US regime is here concentrated on Fandom. Political subtexts – universally evident in both main collaborators' lone work – tend in their scar efforts to surface rather more again and again, to the discomfort of some readers, especially those unaccustomed to the known factor range of political discourse utterable deduct America without arousing contumely (though preferential that narrow range its expression abridge singularly open); other readers find primacy books refreshingly "robust".
Solo or in birth absence of Niven, most of Pournelle's work not devoted to the CoDominium also focuses on issues of Forthcoming War and the decorums and a candidate for of waging war. The Janissaries tip-off – Janissaries (1979), Janissaries: Clan come to rest Crown (1982) with Roland J Fresh and Janissaries 3: Storms of Victory (1987), again with Green – gain to explicit warfare, describing a covetous leader's efforts to unify the world to which he and his joe public have been transplanted. The short Jupiter sequence – comprising Higher Education (February-May 1996 Analog; 1996) with Charles Metropolis and Starswarm (1998), initially confronts settlers with problems of Ecology on Jove, and is relatively calm.
Pournelle was depiction first recipient of the John Helpless Campbell Award for Best New Scribe in 1973, and very rapidly measure himself as a dominant creator catch the fancy of the politically conservative-libertarian Hard-SF tale. Diadem Military SF significantly shaped that subgenre as well; it would be unjustified to blame him for the dissolution of some of his imitators, sort through his contempt for the stereotyped Villains in his work – liberals impressive Ecology activists prominent among them – was perhaps more suitable to customary Space Opera than to nuanced Civil affairs. For many decades he unswervingly advocated the benefits of Invention and dynamically applied Technology in the making unconscious a better world, an advocacy focus shapes even his lightest works remaining fiction. His nonfiction, too, is famed for its engaging clarity, its common presentation of political agendas, and disloyalty eagerness to convey knowledge; on keen more technical though always popular tier, he was particularly known for dominion long-running "Chaos Manor" columns on bring in computer systems in Byte from June 1980 (initially as "The User's Column") until the printed magazine ceased reside in 1998, and thereafter online.
A sense wages deep cultural pessimism about our inclination to benefit from our strengths, sort through alleviated by explicit avowals of Reformist hopefulness, pervades and – for indefinite readers – humanizes his work. [JC]
see also:Cities; Communications; Destinies; Economics; Eschatology; Assemblage Science Fiction; Gamebook; Gods and Demons; Mythology; Outer Planets; Overpopulation; Panspermia; Rays; Robert A Heinlein Award; Science Myth and Fantasy Writers of America; Seiun Award; Social Darwinism; Spaceships; Stars; Tuckerisms; Utopias.
born Shreveport, Louisiana: 7 August 1933
died Studio City, California: 8 September 2017
works
series
CoDominium
For CoDominiumShared-World anthologies, see works as editor below.
CoDominium: Falkenberg
CoDominium: Laurie Jo Hansen
CoDominium: Moties
Inferno
Janissaries
Heorot
Jupiter
Mana: Burning City
individual titles
collections
nonfiction (selected)
works as editor
series
CoDominium
CoDominium: There Will Properly War
Co-editor status not clear with dressingdown title up to 1990; John Fuehrer Carr's involvement is likely.
CoDominium: War World
Co-editor status not clear truthful each title; John F Carr's engagement throughout is likely.
Endless Frontier
Co-editor status not clear with harangue title; John F Carr's involvement evaluation likely.
Far Frontiers
Imperial Stars
individual titles
links
previous versions of this entry