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› Unlabelled › Alan Dean Foster

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, a prolific creator of and contributor to book series as well as the author of more than 20 single novels. He is especially prolific in his novelizations of film scripts.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles and currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife.

§Writings


Alan Dean Foster

He is best known for his science fiction novels set in the Humanx Commonwealth, an interstellar ethical/political union of species including humankind and the insectoid Thranx. Many of these novels feature Philip Lynx ("Flinx"), an empathic young man who has found himself involved in something which threatens the survival of the Galaxy. Flinx's constant companion since childhood is a minidrag named Pip, a flying, empathic snake capable of spitting a highly corrosive and violently neurotoxic venom.

One of Foster's best-known fantasy works is the Spellsinger series, in which a young musician is summoned into a world populated by talking creatures where his music allows him to do real magic whose effects depends on the lyrics of the popular songs he sings (although with somewhat unpredictable results).

Many of Foster's works have a strong ecological element to them, often with an environmental twist. Often the villains in his stories experience their downfall because of a lack of respect for other alien species or seemingly innocuous bits of their surroundings. This can be seen in such works as Midworld, about a semi-sentient planet that is essentially one large rainforest, and Cachalot, set on an ocean world populated by sentient cetaceans. Foster usually devotes a large part of his novels to descriptions of the strange environments of alien worlds and the coexistence of their flora and fauna. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is Sentenced to Prism, in which the protagonist finds himself trapped on a world where life is based on silicon rather than carbon, as on Earth.

§Star Wars

Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of Star Wars which had been credited solely to George Lucas. After two other writers had declined his offer of a flat fee of $5,000 for the work, Lucas brought to Foster the original screenplay, after which Foster fleshed out the backstory of time, place, planets, races, history and technology in such detail that it became canonical for all subsequent Star Wars novels. However, when asked if it was difficult for him to see Lucas get all the credit for Star Wars, Foster said "Not at all. It was George's story idea. I was merely expanding upon it. Not having my name on the cover didn't bother me in the least. It would be akin to a contractor demanding to have his name on a Frank Lloyd Wright house."

Foster wrote the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a Star Wars sequel published in 1978, two years prior to the release of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Foster's story relied heavily on abandoned concepts that appeared in Lucas's early treatments for the first film. Foster was stunned when Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi revealed the characters of Luke and Leia as brother and sister; in Splinter, the characters exhibit quite a bit of romantic and sexual energy. Although Splinter was contradicted by later entries in the Star Wars film canon, it was the first "expanded universe" entry written (although not the first publishedâ€"a Marvel Comics story holds that honor).

§Star Trek

Foster has the story credit for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He also wrote 10 books based on episodes of the animated Star Trek, the first six books each consisting of three linked novella-length episode adaptations, and the last four being expanded adaptations of single episodes that segued into original story. In the mid-seventies, he wrote original Star Trek stories for the Peter Pan-label Star Trek audio story records. He later wrote the novelization of the 2009 film Star Trek, his first Star Trek novel in over 30 years. He later wrote the novelization for Star Trek's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.

§Awards


Alan Dean Foster

Foster won the 2008 Grand Master award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

§Bibliography


Alan Dean Foster

§Humanx Commonwealth Universe

§Pip and Flinx

In chronological order. Note that Foster says in the recently republished Bloodhype that it is the 11th in the series, and should fall between Running from the Deity and Trouble Magnet. (Bloodhype foreword, Del Rey, March, 2002).

  1. For Love of Mother-Not (1983) ISBN 0-345-30511-6
  2. The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972) ISBN 0-345-29232-4
  3. Orphan Star (1977) ISBN 0-345-25507-0
  4. The End of the Matter (1977) ISBN 0-345-25861-4
  5. Flinx in Flux (1988) ISBN 0-345-34363-8
  6. Mid-Flinx (1995) ISBN 0-345-38374-5
  7. Reunion (2001) ISBN 0-345-41867-0
  8. Flinx's Folly (2003) ISBN 0-345-45038-8
  9. Sliding Scales (2004) ISBN 0-345-46156-8
  10. Running from the Deity (2005) ISBN 0-345-46159-2
  11. Bloodhype (1973) ISBN 0-345-25845-2
  12. Trouble Magnet (2006) ISBN 0-345-48504-1
  13. Patrimony (2007) ISBN 978-0-345-48507-6
  14. Flinx Transcendent (2009) ISBN 978-0-345-49607-2

§Founding of the Commonwealth

  1. Phylogenesis (1999) ISBN 0-345-41862-X
  2. Dirge (2000) ISBN 0-345-41864-6
  3. Diuturnity's Dawn (2002) ISBN 0-345-41865-4

§Icerigger Trilogy

  1. Icerigger (1974) ISBN 0-345-23836-2
  2. Mission to Moulokin (1979) ISBN 0-345-27676-0
  3. The Deluge Drivers (1987) ISBN 0-345-33330-6

§Standalone Commonwealth novels

In chronological order:

  1. Nor Crystal Tears (1982) ISBN 0-345-29141-7
  2. Voyage to the City of the Dead (1984) ISBN 0-345-31215-5
  3. Midworld (1975) ISBN 0-345-35011-1
  4. "The Emoman" (1972) short story
  5. "Surfeit" (1982) short story
  6. Drowning World (2003) ISBN 0-345-45035-3
  7. Quofum (2008) ISBN 978-0-345-49605-8
  8. "Mid-Death" (2006) short story
  9. The Howling Stones (1997) ISBN 0-345-38375-3
  10. Sentenced to Prism (1985) ISBN 0-345-31980-X
  11. Cachalot (1980) ISBN 0-345-28066-0

§The Damned Trilogy

  1. A Call to Arms (1991) ISBN 0-345-35855-4
  2. The False Mirror (1992) ISBN 0-345-35856-2
  3. The Spoils of War (1993) ISBN 0-345-35857-0

§Dinotopia Universe

  • Dinotopia Lost (1996) ISBN 1-57036-279-3
  • The Hand of Dinotopia (1997) ISBN 1-57036-396-X

§Journeys of the Catechist

  1. Carnivores of Light and Darkness (1998) ISBN 0-446-52132-9
  2. Into the Thinking Kingdoms (1999) ISBN 0-446-52136-1
  3. A Triumph of Souls (2000) ISBN 0-446-52218-X

§Marexx

  1. Maude (unpublished)

§Spellsinger series

  1. Spellsinger (1983) ISBN 0-446-97352-1
  2. The Hour of the Gate (1984) ISBN 0-446-90354-X
  3. The Day of the Dissonance (1984) ISBN 0-446-32133-8
  4. The Moment of the Magician (1984) ISBN 0-446-32326-8
  5. The Paths of the Perambulator (1985) ISBN 0-446-32679-8
  6. The Time of the Transference (1986) ISBN 0-932096-43-3
  7. Son of Spellsinger (1993) ISBN 0-446-36257-3
  8. Chorus Skating (1994) ISBN 0-446-36237-9

§The Taken trilogy

  1. Lost and Found (2004) ISBN 0-345-46125-8
  2. The Light-Years Beneath My Feet (2005) ISBN 0-345-46128-2
  3. The Candle of Distant Earth (2005) ISBN 0-345-46131-2

§The Tipping Point trilogy

  • The Human Blend (2010) ISBN 978-0-345-51197-3
  • Body, Inc. (2012) ISBN 978-0-345-51199-7
  • The Sum of Her Parts (2012) ISBN 978-0-345-51202-4

§Standalone novels

  • The Man Who Used the Universe (1983) ISBN 0-446-90353-1
  • The I Inside (1984) ISBN 0-446-32027-7
  • Slipt (1984) ISBN 0-425-07006-9
  • Into the Out Of (1986) ISBN 0-446-51337-7
  • Glory Lane (1987) ISBN 0-441-51664-5
  • Maori (1988) ISBN 0-441-51925-3
  • To the Vanishing Point (1988) ISBN 0-446-51338-5
  • Quozl (1989) ISBN 0-441-69454-3
  • Cyber Way (1990) ISBN 0-441-13245-6
  • Cat-a-lyst (1991) ISBN 0-441-64661-1
  • Codgerspace (1992) ISBN 0-441-71851-5
  • Greenthieves (1994) ISBN 0-441-00104-1
  • Design for Great-Day (1995) ISBN 0-312-85501-X, with Eric Frank Russell)
  • Life Form (1995) ISBN 0-441-00218-8
  • Jed the Dead (1997) ISBN 0-441-00399-0
  • Parallelities (1998) ISBN 0-345-42461-1
  • Primal Shadows (2001) ISBN 0-312-87771-4
  • Interlopers (2001) ISBN 0-441-00847-X
  • Kingdoms of Light (2001) ISBN 0-446-52667-3
  • The Mocking Program (2002) ISBN 0-446-52774-2
  • Sagramanda (2006) ISBN 1-59102-488-9

§Collections

  • With Friends Like These ... (1977) ISBN 0-345-25701-4
  • ... Who Needs Enemies? (1984) ISBN 0-345-31657-6 (includes Gift of a Useless Man among other stories)
  • The Metrognome and Other Stories (1990) ISBN 0-345-36356-6
  • Montezuma Strip (1995) ISBN 0-446-60207-8
  • Mad Amos (1996) ISBN 0-345-39362-7, collection of the "Mad Amos" short stories
  • Impossible Places (2002) ISBN 0-345-45041-8
  • Exceptions to Reality (2008) ISBN 0-345-49604-3

§Anthologies edited

  • Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves (1991) with Martin H. Greenberg
  • Betcha Can't Read Just One (1993)
  • Short Stories from Small Islands: Tales Shared in Palau (2005)
  • Untold Adventures: A Dungeons & Dragons Anthology (2011) with Mike Resnick, R. A. Salvatore, Mark Sehestedt, Lisa Smedman, Kevin J. Anderson, John Shirley, Jay Lake and Sarah Zettel

§Novelizations

§Star Trek Universe

§Star Trek: The Animated Series
  1. Star Trek Log One (1974) ISBN 0-345-24014-6
  2. Star Trek Log Two (1974) ISBN 0-345-25812-6
  3. Star Trek Log Three (1975) ISBN 0-345-24260-2
  4. Star Trek Log Four (1975) ISBN 0-345-24435-4
  5. Star Trek Log Five (1975) ISBN 0-345-33351-9
  6. Star Trek Log Six (1976) ISBN 0-345-24655-1
  7. Star Trek Log Seven (1976) ISBN 0-345-24965-8
  8. Star Trek Log Eight (1976) ISBN 0-345-25141-5
  9. Star Trek Log Nine (1977) ISBN 0-345-25557-7
  10. Star Trek Log Ten (1978) ISBN 0-345-27212-9
§Star Trek movies
  • Star Trek (2009) ISBN 1-4391-5886-X, movie novelization
  • Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Novelization (2013)

§Star Wars Universe

  • Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976) ISBN 0-345-26079-1, novelization of Star Wars ghost writing as George Lucas
  • Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978) ISBN 0-345-27566-7
  • The Approaching Storm (2002) ISBN 0-345-44300-4

§Alien Nation

  • Alien Nation (1988) ISBN 0-446-35264-0, movie novelization

§Alien Universe

Novelizations of the films.

  1. Alien (1979) ISBN 0-446-82977-3
  2. Aliens (1986) ISBN 0-446-30139-6
  3. Alien 3 (1992) ISBN 0-446-36216-6

§Terminator Universe

  • Terminator Salvation (2009) ISBN 1-84856-085-0, movie novelization

§Transformers

  • Transformers (2007) ISBN 0-345-49799-6
  • Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday (2007) ISBN 0-345-49798-8
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) ISBN 978-0-345-51593-3
  • Transformers: The Veiled Threat (2009) ISBN 0-345-51592-7

§Standalone novelizations

  • Dark Star (1974) ISBN 0-345-24267-X, movie novelization
  • Luana (Italian film) (1974) ISBN 0-345-23793-5, movie novelization
  • The Black Hole (1979) ISBN 0-345-28538-7, movie novelization
  • Clash of the Titans (1981) ISBN 0-446-93675-8, movie novelization
  • Outland (1981) ISBN 0-446-95829-8, movie novelization
  • The Thing (1981) ISBN 0-553-20477-7, movie novelization
  • Krull (1983) ISBN 0-446-30642-8, movie novelization
  • The Last Starfighter (1984) ISBN 0-425-07255-X, movie novelization
  • The Last Starfighter Storybook (1984) with Lynn Haney and Jonathan Betuel
  • Shadowkeep (1984) ISBN 0-446-32553-8, also a computer game (1984)
  • Starman (1984) ISBN 0-446-32598-8, movie novelization
  • Pale Rider (1985) ISBN 0-446-32767-0, movie novelization
  • The Dig (1995) ISBN 0-446-51853-0, also a computer game
  • The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) ISBN 0-345-46839-2, movie novelization

§References


Alan Dean Foster

§External links


Alan Dean Foster
  • Official website
  • Alan Dean Foster at the Internet Movie Database
  • Alan Dean Foster at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  • Alan Dean Foster: An Illustrated Bibliography at SFandFantasy.co.uk
  • Alan Dean Foster at Library of Congress Authorities, with 103 catalog records
  • Interview at SFFWorld.com (2000)
  • Interview at AvP Galaxy (2006)
  • Interviews at The Future And You (2006-2009)
  • Interview with Michael A. Ventrella (2009)
  • Interview at The Dig Museum (2010)

Alan Dean Foster
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