Peter Watts (author): Difference between revisions
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==Detention by US border guards== |
==Detention by US border guards== |
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In December of 2009, Dr. Watts was detained at the US/Canadian border by American border guards while attempting to re-enter Canada after reportedly visiting friends. Watts has alleged |
In December of 2009, Dr. Watts was detained at the US/Canadian border by American border guards while attempting to re-enter Canada after reportedly visiting friends. Watts has alleged to have assaulted a Customs Officer after refusing a lawful direction to return to his vehicle. Watts was repoted to be verbally abusive towards the US CBP Officers prior to choking one of the Officers. Watts was turned over to local authorities to face charges; he was subsequently released, but remains charged with assaulting an officer. According to Watts, he was assaulted, punched in the face, pepper-sprayed and thrown in jail for the night <ref> [http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20091212/NEWS01/912120305/1002/Writer-faces-assault-charge Writer faces assault charge]</ref> <ref> [http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/738193--war-of-words-ends-in-author-s-arrrest-at-border "War of words ends in author's arrest at border - Toronto science fiction writer accused of assault following `altercation' at U.S. border crossing"]</ref>. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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Revision as of 18:13, 13 December 2009
Peter Watts is a Canadian science fiction author and marine-mammal biologist.
His first novel Starfish (2000) introduced Lenie Clarke, a deep-ocean power-station worker physically altered for underwater living and the main character in the sequels: Maelstrom (2001), Behemoth: β-Max (2004) and Behemoth: Seppuku (2005). The last two volumes comprise one novel, published split in two for commercial considerations.[1] Starfish, Maelstrom and Behemoth comprise a trilogy usually referred to as "Rifters" after the modified humans designed to work in deep-ocean environments.
His latest book, Blindsight, was released in October 2006 and was nominated for a Hugo Award. The novel has been described by Charles Stross thus: "Imagine a neurobiology-obsessed version of Greg Egan writing a first contact with aliens story from the point of view of a zombie posthuman crewman aboard a starship captained by a vampire, with not dying as the boobie prize."[2] Watts is currently writing two novels: Sunflowers[3][4] and State of Grace, a "sidequel" about what happened on Earth during Blindsight.[5]
Watts has made his novels and some short fiction available on his website under Creative Commons licence. He believes that doing so has "actually saved [his] career outright, by rescuing Blindsight from the oblivion to which it would have otherwise been doomed."[6]
In addition to his novels and short stories, Watts has also worked in other media. He was the Supervising Writer on the animated science fiction film and television project Strange Frame. He also worked briefly with Relic Entertainment on one of the early drafts of the story that would eventually, years later, become Homeworld 2. However, the draft Watts worked on bears little resemblance to the one used for the released game. More recently, he has been recruited[7] by Crytek as a writer and art consultant on Crysis 2. Technological elements from Blindsight have been referenced in the fictional Crysis 2 "Nanosuit Brochure".[8]
Bibliography
Novels
- Rifters Trilogy
- Starfish (1999) (available online)
- Maelstrom (2001) (available online)
- Behemoth: β-Max and Seppuku (2004/2005) (available online)
- Blindsight (2006) (available online)
Collections
- Ten Monkeys, Ten Minutes (2000)
Short stories
- A Niche (1990)
- Nimbus (1994)
- Flesh Made Word (1994)
- Fractals (1995)
- Bethlehem (1996)
- The Second Coming of Jasmine Fitzgerald (1998)
- Home (1999)
- Bulk Food (2000) with Laurie Channer
- Ambassador (2001)
- A Word for Heathens (2004)
- Mayfly (2005) with Derryl Murphy
- Repeating the Past (2007)
- The Eyes of God (2008)
- The Island (2009)
Awards
The novel Blindsight was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel of 2007 (official announcement) and was longlisted (on the preliminary ballot) for the Nebula Award in January 2008 (preliminary ballot).
His short story "A Niche" tied with "Breaking Ball" by Michael Skeet for the Aurora Award in 1992.
Detention by US border guards
In December of 2009, Dr. Watts was detained at the US/Canadian border by American border guards while attempting to re-enter Canada after reportedly visiting friends. Watts has alleged to have assaulted a Customs Officer after refusing a lawful direction to return to his vehicle. Watts was repoted to be verbally abusive towards the US CBP Officers prior to choking one of the Officers. Watts was turned over to local authorities to face charges; he was subsequently released, but remains charged with assaulting an officer. According to Watts, he was assaulted, punched in the face, pepper-sprayed and thrown in jail for the night [9] [10].
Notes
- ^ The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > Chronicle: Science Fiction: Across the Universe
- ^ http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/296494.html?thread=2957102
- ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/01/stop-me-if-youve-heard-this-one-before.html
- ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/01/farewell-to-gerbils.html
- ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/02/petepourri.html
- ^ http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=213
- ^ http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=557
- ^ Nanosuit Brochure (page 7)
- ^ Writer faces assault charge
- ^ "War of words ends in author's arrest at border - Toronto science fiction writer accused of assault following `altercation' at U.S. border crossing"
External links
- http://www.rifters.com – personal website
- http://www.rifters.com/real/newscrawl_2007.htm – old weblog
- http://www.rifters.com/crawl – new weblog
- 2004 Interview at The Agony Column
- 2007 interview at SF Diplomat
- Peter Watts at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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