Paul J. McAuley (born 23 April 1955) is a British botanist and science fiction author. A biologist by training, McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction. His novels dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternative history/alternative reality, and space travel.

McAuley began with far-future space opera Four Hundred Billion Stars, its sequel Eternal Light, and the planetary-colony adventure Of the Fall. Red Dust, set on a far-future Mars colonized by the Chinese, is a planetary romance featuring many emerging technologies and SF motifs: nanotechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, personality downloads, virtual reality. The Confluence series, set in an even more distant future (about ten million years from now), is one of a number of novels to use Frank J. Tipler's Omega Point Theory (that the universe seems to be evolving toward a maximum degree of complexity and consciousness) as one of its themes. About the same time, he published Pasquale's Angel, set in an alternative Italian Renaissance and featuring Niccolò Machiavegli (Machiavelli) and Leonardo da Vinci as major characters.

McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings: Fairyland describes a dystopian, war-torn Europe where genetically engineered "dolls" are used as disposable slaves. Since 2001 he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.

Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel. "The Temptation of Dr. Stein", won the British Fantasy Award. Pasquale's Angel won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History (Long Form).

Bibliography

Novels

  • Red Dust. London: Gollancz, 1993. ISBN 9780575054882
  • Pasquale's Angel. London: Gollancz, 1994. ISBN 9780575054899 — Clarke and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 1995, Sidewise Award winner
  • Fairyland. London: Gollancz, 1995. ISBN 9780575060708 — BSFA Award nominee, 1995; Clarke Award winner, 1996; Campbell Award winner, 1997
  • The Secret of Life. London: Voyager, 2001. ISBN 9780002259040 — BSFA Award nominee, 2001; Clarke Award nominee, 2002
  • Whole Wide World. London: Voyager, 2002. ISBN 9780002259033
  • White Devils. London: Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 9780743238854 — Campbell Award nominee, 2005
  • Mind's Eye. London: Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN 9780743238878 — Campbell Award nominee, 2006
  • Players. London: Simon & Schuster, 2007. ISBN 9780743276177
  • Cowboy Angels. London: Gollancz, 2007. ISBN 9780575079342
  • Austral: London: Gollancz, 2017. ISBN 9781473217317
  • War of the Maps. London: Gollancz, 2020. ISBN 9781473217348
  • Beyond the Burn Line. London: Gollancz, 2022. ISBN 9781399603713
Four Hundred Billion Stars series
  • Four Hundred Billion Stars. London: Gollancz. 1988. [Philip K. Dick Award winner, 1988]
  • Secret Harmonies. London: Gollancz, 1989. ISBN 9780575045804. (Published in the United States as Of the Fall)
  • Eternal Light. London: Gollancz, 1991. ISBN 9780575049314 — BSFA Award nominee, 1991 and Clarke Award nominee, 1992
The Confluence series
  • Child of the River. London: Gollancz, 1997. ISBN 9780575064270
  • Ancients of Days. London: Gollancz, 1998. ISBN 9780575064287
  • Shrine of Stars. London: Gollancz, 1999. ISBN 9780575064294
  • Confluence - The Trilogy. London: Gollancz, 2014. ISBN 9780575119420
The Quiet War series
  • The Quiet War. London, Gollancz, 2008. ISBN 9780575079335 — Clarke Award nominee, 2009
  • Gardens of the Sun. London: Gollancz, 2009. ISBN 9780575079373
  • In the Mouth of the Whale. London: Gollancz, 2012. ISBN 9780575100732
  • Evening's Empires: London, Gollancz, 2013. ISBN 9780575100794
  • Stories from the Quiet War (2011), a collection of five stories:
    • "Making History", first published in 2000
    • "Incomers", first published in 2008
    • "Second Skin", first published in 1997 in Asimov's
    • "Reef", first published in 2000
    • "Karyl's War", first published in this collection
  • Blade and Bone (2023) (novella)
The Jackaroo series
  • Something Coming Through: London, Gollancz, 2015.
  • Into Everywhere. London: Gollancz, 2016.
  • Dust (short story) (2006)
  • Winning Peace (short story) (2007)
  • City of the Dead (short story) (2008)
  • Adventure (short story) (2008)
  • Crimes and Glory (short story) (2009)
  • Bruce Springsteen (short story) (2012)
  • The Man (short story) (2012)
  • Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was (short story) (2016)
  • Maryon's Gift (short story) (2022)

Short fiction

  • The King of the Hill. London: Gollancz, 1991. ISBN 9780575050013
  • The Invisible Country. London: Gollancz, 1996. ISBN 9780575060722 — Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 1998
  • Little Machines. Harrogate: PS Publishing, 2005. ISBN 9781902880945
  • A Very British History. Harrogate: PS Publishing, 2013.
Stories
  • "A Brief Guide to Other Histories"
  • "Dead Men Walking". Asimov's Science Fiction. 30 (3): 80–93. March 2006.
  • "Edna Sharrow"
  • "Inheritance"
  • "Planet of Fear" (2015) in Old Venus (anthology)
  • "Rocket Boy"
  • Set in the Jackaroo universe:
    • "Winning Peace" (2016), in the collection Galactic Empires by Neil Clarke.
    • "Something Happened Here, But We're Not Quite Sure What It Was" (2016), published as a freebie on Tor.com.


Non-fiction

  • McAuley, Paul (2014). Brazil. BFI Film Classics. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Bibliography notes

Critical studies and reviews of McAuley's work

  • Spinrad, Norman (April–May 2013). "Doors to anywhere". On Books. Asimov's Science Fiction. 37 (4&5): 183–191. Reviews Cowboy Angels.

References

External links

  • Paul J. McAuley's official site
  • Paul J. McAuley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  • Infinity Plus profile of Paul J. McAuley
  • Profile of Paul McAuley by Michael Swanwick
  • Review, The Secret of Life
  • Review, The Book of Confluence trilogy Archived 4 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  • Review, Whole Wide World
  • Review, Confluence - trilogy omnibus
  • Interview on Actusf
  • Complete list of sci-fi award wins and nominations by novel
  • Story Behind Quiet War (How I wrote the Quiet War novels and stories) - Online Essay at Upcoming4.me
  • Story behind Confluence by Paul McAuley - Collaborating With Myself - Online Essay at Upcoming4.me

Burnt body of British activist Paul McAuley found in Peru hostel

Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley Near Fine Hardcover (1996) 1st Edition

Locus Online Paul J. McAuley interview

Paul J McAuley signing Red Dust UK and

Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley Near Fine Hardcover (1996) 1st Edition