Elizabeth Moon

Elizabeth Moon
Moon at the 2013 National Book Festival
Born (1945-03-07) March 7, 1945 (age 81)
McAllen, Texas, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Spouse
Richard Sloan Moon
​
(m. 1969)​
Writing career
Period1988–present
GenresMilitary science fiction, science fiction, fantasy
Websitewww.elizabethmoon.com Edit this at Wikidata

Elizabeth Moon (born March 7, 1945) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her other writing includes newspaper columns and opinion pieces. Her novel The Speed of Dark won the 2003 Nebula Award. Prior to her writing career, she served in the United States Marine Corps.

Early life

Moon was born Susan Elizabeth Norris and grew up in McAllen, Texas. She started writing when she was a child and first tried a book, which was about her dog, at age six. She was inspired to write creatively, and says that she began writing science fiction in her teens, considering it a sideline.

She earned a Bachelor's degree in History from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1968 and later earned a second B.A. in Biology. In 1968, she joined the United States Marine Corps as a computer specialist, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant while on active duty. She married Richard Sloan Moon in 1969 and they have a son, Michael, born in 1983.

Moon at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention, Glasgow, August 2005

Writing career

Moon began writing professionally in her mid-thirties and had a newspaper column in a county weekly newspaper. In 1986, she published her first science fiction in the monthly magazine Analog and the anthology series Sword and Sorceress. Her stories appeared regularly in Analog the next few years. Her first novel Sheepfarmer's Daughter (1988) won the Compton Crook Award and inaugurated the Paksenarrion series.

Most of her work has military science fiction themes, although biology, politics, and personal relationships also feature strongly. The Serrano Legacy is a space opera. Her Nebula-winning novel The Speed of Dark (2003) is a near-future story told from the viewpoint of an autistic data analyst, inspired by her own autistic son Michael.

Other interests

Elizabeth Moon has many interests besides writing. She has a musical background, having played the accordion during her university days and sung in choirs. She is an accomplished fencer, and captain of the SFWA Musketeers, a group of published speculative fiction authors who also fence.

Moon is also an experienced paramedic and has served in various capacities in local government.

Awards and nominations

Works

Paksenarrion

The Deed of Paksenarrion

  1. Sheepfarmer's Daughter (June 1988)
  2. Divided Allegiance (October 1988)
  3. Oath of Gold (January 1989)
Those Who Walk in Darkness” (March 1990)—short story set during Oath of Gold, included in the collections Lunar Activity and Phases

In addition, several omnibus editions (1992, 2003, 2010) entitled The Deed of Paksenarrion have been released.

The Legacy of Gird

  1. Surrender None (June 1990)—prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion
  2. Liar's Oath (May 1992)—sequel to Surrender None

Omnibus editions: The Legacy of Gird (September 1996); A Legacy of Honour (November 2010)

Paladin's Legacy or Legend of Paksenarrion

  1. Oath of Fealty (March 2010)—sequel to Oath of Gold
  2. Kings of the North (March 2011)
  3. Echoes of Betrayal (February 2012)
  4. Limits of Power (June 2013)
  5. Crown of Renewal (May 2014)

Dragon's Paladin

  1. Horngard (October 2026)

Paksenarrion World Chronicles

  1. Deeds of Honor (2014) includes "Point of Honor", "Falk's Oath", "Cross Purposes", "Torre's Ride", "A Parrion of Cooking", "Vardan's Tale", "Those Who Walk in Darkness", and "The Last Lesson".
  2. Deeds of Youth (2023) includes "A Bad Day at Duke's East", "The Dun Mare's Grandchild", "Dream's Quarry", "Gifts", "First Blood", "Mercenary's Honor", and "Consequences"
  3. Deeds of Wisdom (2025) includes "In the Valley of Death", "My Princess", "The Shepherd's Tale", "Judgment", "Final Honor", and "Destiny"

Serrano Legacy (Familias Regnant)

  • Heris Serrano trilogy
  1. Hunting Party (July 1993)
  2. Sporting Chance (September 1994)
  3. Winning Colors (August 1995)
Heris Serrano (July 2002)—Baen omnibus edition of Hunting Party, Sporting Chance and Winning Colors
The Serrano Legacy: Omnibus One (December 2006)—Orbit GB omnibus
  • Esmay Suiza duology
  1. Once a Hero (Hardcover ISBN 0-671-87769-0, March 1997)
  2. Rules of Engagement (Hardcover ISBN 0-671-57777-8, December 1998)
The Serrano Connection: Omnibus Two (September 2007)—Orbit GB omnibus
The Serrano Connection (October 2008)—Baen omnibus edition
  • Suiza and Serrano duology
  1. Change of Command (Hardcover ISBN 0-671-57840-5, December 1999)
  2. Against the Odds (Hardcover ISBN 0-671-31961-2, December 2000)
The Serrano Succession: Omnibus Three (February 2008)—Orbit GB omnibus

Vatta's War

  1. Trading in Danger (Hardcover ISBN 0-345-44760-3, October 2003)
  2. Marque and Reprisal (Hardcover ISBN 0-345-44758-1, October 2004)—Moving Target in the UK, New Zealand and Australia
  3. Engaging the Enemy (Hardcover ISBN 0-345-44756-5, March 2006)
  4. Command Decision (Hardcover ISBN 978-0-345-49159-6, February 2007)
  5. Victory Conditions (Hardcover ISBN 978-0-345-49161-9, February 2008)

Vatta's Peace

  1. Cold Welcome (Hardcover ISBN 978-1-101-88731-8, April 2017)
  2. Into the Fire (Hardcover ISBN 978-1-101-88734-9, February 2018)

Planet Pirates

The Planet Pirates trilogy is based on two books by Anne McCaffrey, Dinosaur Planet and Dinosaur Planet Survivors (1978 and 1984, jointly reissued as The Ireta Adventure in 1985 and The Mystery of Ireta in 2004), which also form the core of The Death of Sleep. ISFDB catalogs all five novels as the Ireta series.
  1. Sassinak (Baen Books, March 1990), Anne McCaffrey and Moon
  2. The Death of Sleep (Baen, June 1990), McCaffrey and Jody Lynn Nye
  3. Generation Warriors (Baen, February 1991), McCaffrey and Moon

Omnibus edition: The Planet Pirates (Baen, October 1993), McCaffrey, Moon, and Nye

Other novels

Short stories

Collections

Both include "Those Who Walk in Darkness"—a Paksenarrion short story
  • Moon Flights (hardcover ISBN 1-59780-109-7, paperback ISBN 978-1-59780-110-2, August 2008)—Fifteen stories, including an original "Vatta's War" story, with an introduction by Anne McCaffrey
    • The limited edition hardcover (ISBN 978-1-59780-108-9, September 2007) contains an additional rare bonus story entitled "Fencing In".
  • Deeds of Honor: Paksenarrion World Chronicles (ISBN 978-1-62567-114-1, June 2015)—Eight stories set in the world of Paksenarrion.
  • Deeds of Youth: Paksenarrion World Chronicles II (ISBN 978-1-62567-638-2, July 2023)—Seven stories set in the world of Paksenarrion.
  • Deeds of Wisdom: Paksenarrion World Chronicles III (ISBN 978-1-62567-795-2, July 2025)—Six stories set in the world of Paksenarrion.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nawotka, Edward (April 24, 2008). "Nebula Awards puts Austin and Texas writers at center of science fiction world". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Moon, Elizabeth. Biographical information. Retrieved September 15, 2007. Archived August 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 Ebbers, A.F. (April 13, 1989). "Writer wins award; Marine Corps tour helped publish book". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Elizabeth Moon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  5. ↑ Meats, Jessica (June 8, 2011). "An interview with: Elizabeth Moon" Archived April 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Plot Twister: Adventures in the world of fiction. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Dow, Christopher. Elizabeth Moon's Path to the Stars Archived September 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Rice University's alumni magazine, The Sallyport. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  7. ↑ SFWA Musketeers Archived September 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Compton Crook Award". Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ Heinlein Award Announcement Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  10. ↑ Elizabeth Moon Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. The Locus Index to SF Awards: Index of Literary Nominees. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Ireta series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved March 4, 2014.

Interviews