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Fred Saberhagen

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Fred Saberhagen
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
Period1964 - 2005
GenreFantasy, Science Fiction
Notable worksBerserker series
Website
http://www.berserker.com/

Fred Thomas Saberhagen (May 18, 1930–June 29, 2007[1][2]) was a Chicago-born American science fiction and fantasy fiction author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction stories.

He also wrote a series of vampire novels in which the vampires (including the famous Dracula) are the protagonists, and a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular Empire of the East and continuing through a long series of Swords and Lost Swords novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[3]

Published works

Dracula sequence

Saberhagen's Dracula novels are based on the premise that vampires are morally equal to normal humans: they have the power to do good or evil, it is their choice. The first in the series "The Dracula Tape" is the story of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" told from Dracula's point of view. As the continuation of the series makes obvious, in this version, Dracula survives the best efforts of Harker, Van Helsing and company, who are portrayed largely as bungling fools. In later novels, Dracula interacts with other literary characters including Sherlock Holmes and Merlin. This series was often listed in Ace promotional materials as "The New Dracula". His success with this series was such that he was hired to write the novelization of the movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula.

1. The Dracula Tapes (1975)

2. The Holmes-Dracula File (1978)

3. An Old Friend of the Family (1979)

4. Thorn (1980)

5. Dominion (1982)

  • "From the Tree of Time" (1982) (short story)

6. A Matter of Taste (1990)

7. A Question of Time (1992)

8. Seance for a Vampire (1994)

9. A Sharpness on the Neck (1996)

  • Vlad Tapes (2000) (omnibus of 2 previous books)
  • "Box Number Fifty" (2001) (short story)

10. A Coldness in the Blood (2002)

Ardneh sequence

Empire of the East trilogy

  1. The Broken Lands (1968)
  2. The Black Mountains (1971)
  3. Changeling Earth (1973) also as Ardneh's World
  • Ardneh's Sword (May 2006)

Volumes 1-3 were also published in a heavily-revised omnibus form as Empire of the East in 1979, 1990, and 2005.

Books of Swords

  1. The First Book of Swords (1983)
  2. The Second Book of Swords (1983)
  3. The Third Book of Swords (1984)

Books of Lost Swords

  1. Woundhealer's Story (1986)
  2. Sightblinder's Story (1987)
  3. Stonecutter's Story (1988)
  4. Farslayer's Story (1989)
  5. Coinspinner's Story (1989)
  6. Mindsword's Story (1990)
  7. Wayfinder's Story (1992)
  8. Shieldbreaker's Story (1994) (actually subtitled The Last Book of Swords)

Short story anthologies

  1. An Armory of Swords (1995) (original anthology edited by Saberhagen)
    1. Blind Man's Blade by Fred Saberhagen
    2. Woundhealer by Walter Jon Williams
    3. Fealty by Gene Bostwick
    4. Dragon Debt by Robert E. Vardeman
    5. The Sword of Aren-Nath by Thomas Saberhagen
    6. Glad Yule by Pati Nagle
    7. Luck of the Draw by Michael A. Stackpole
    8. Stealth and the Lady by Sage Walker

Berserker sequence

The Berserker stories tell about an ongoing war between humanity and the Berserkers. Saberhagen's Berserkers are self-replicating war machines programmed with one main objective: Destroy all life. After destroying both their creators and the opposing side in a long-ago galactic war, the self-replicating Berserkers have continued to wipe out all forms of life that they encounter in the Milky Way, which leads to the cooperation and coordination of most of the sentient races in major attempts to defeat them. Humankind, although relatively new to the galactic scene, is a major player because of their aggressive nature. The series spans a large range of both time and space, and so has less plot continuity than Saberhagen's other series.

1. Berserker (1967) (short fiction collection)

2. Brother Assassin (1969) a.k.a. Brother Berserker;(available online) as a Baen Free Sample from the Berserker Man omnibus

3. Berserker's Planet (magazine serialization 1974; 1975)

4. Berserker Man (1979)

5. The Ultimate Enemy (1979) (short fiction collection) a.k.a. Berserkers: The Ultimate Enemy

  • The Berserker Wars (1981) (short fiction collection; only 2 original/uncollected stories);

(available online) as a Baen Free Sample from Berserker Death omnibus

6. Berserker Base (1985) Anthology with several guest authors, Saberhagen wrote the overarching story in segments between the others.

7. The Berserker Throne (1985); (available online) from the Baen Free Library

8. Berserker: Blue Death (1985)

  • The Berserker Attack (1987) (short fiction collection; no original/uncollected stories)
  • Berserker Lies (1991) (short fiction collection; one original story)

9. Berserker Kill (1993)

10. Berserker Fury (1997)

11. Shiva in Steel (1998)

  • Berserkers: The Beginning (1998) (omnibus of 2 previous collections)

12. Berserker's Star (2003)

13. Berserker Prime (2003)

  • Berserker Man: Mega Book (2004) (omnibus of 4 previous books)
  • Berserker Death: Mega Book (2005) (omnibus of 3 previous books)

14. Rogue Berserker (2005)

Books of the Gods

  1. The Face of Apollo (1998)
  2. Ariadne's Web (1999)
  3. The Arms of Hercules (2000)
  4. God of the Golden Fleece (2001)
  5. Gods of Fire and Thunder (2002)

Boris Brazil series

  • "Planeteer" (1961)
  1. The Golden People (1964, heavily revised 1984)
  2. The Water of Thought (1965, heavily revised 1981)

Pilgrim, the Flying Dutchman of Time series

  1. Pyramids (1987)
  2. After the Fact (1988)
  • Pilgrim (1997) (omnibus of both novels)

Non-series novels

  • The Veils of Azlaroc (1978)
  • Love Conquers All (magazine serialization 1974-1975; 1979)
  • The Mask of the Sun (1981)
  • The Golden People
  • Coils (with Roger Zelazny) (1981)
  • Specimens (1981)
  • Octagon (1981)
  • A Century of Progress (1983)
  • The Frankenstein Papers (1986)
  • The White Bull (1988) front cover incorrectly suggests that this is third Pilgrim novel
  • The Black Throne (with Roger Zelazny) (1990)
  • Bram Stoker's Dracula (with James V. Hart) (1992) Novelization of the Francis Ford Coppola film.
  • Dancing Bears (1995)
  • Merlin's Bones (1995)
  • The Arrival (Earth Final Conflict) (1999)

Non-series collections

  • The Book of Saberhagen (1975)
  • Earth Descended (1981)
  • Saberhagen: My Best (1987)

Non-series anthologies

  • A Spadeful of Spacetime (1981) (reprint anthology)
  • Pawn to Infinity (1982) (reprint anthology, with Joan Saberhagen)
  • Machines That Kill (1984) (reprint anthology, with Martin H. Greenberg)

References

  1. ^ "Locus Online". 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-07-02. SF and fantasy writer Fred Saberhagen, born 1930, died June 29, 2007, at the age of 77. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "New Mexico Author Dies". KOAT-TV. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-07-03. Noted Albuquerque author Fred Saberhagen has died.
  3. ^ Associated Press (2007-07-04). "Science fiction, fantasy writer dead at 77". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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