Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | November 18, 1946
Pen name | James Lawson[a] |
Occupation | Fiction writer |
Nationality | American |
Period | 1971–present |
Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
Notable works | Humanx Commonwealth and Spellsinger series |
Website | |
alandeanfoster |
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career
Star Wars
Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of Star Wars, which was credited solely to George Lucas.[1] 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."[2]
Foster also wrote the follow-up novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978), written with the intention of being adapted as a low-budget sequel to Star Wars if the film was unsuccessful. However, Star Wars was a blockbusting success, and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) would be developed instead. Foster's story relied heavily on abandoned concepts that appeared in Lucas's early treatments for the first film.[3]
Foster returned to the franchise for the
Star Trek
Foster wrote 10 books based on episodes of the
He later wrote the novelization of the 2009 film Star Trek, his first Star Trek novel in over 30 years,[6] and for Star Trek's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.[7]
Dispute with Disney
In 2020, Foster, together with the
Awards
Foster won the 2008 Grand Master award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.[13]
Bibliography
Humanx Commonwealth Universe
Pip and Flinx
Novels are listed in chronological order of the story (not chronological order of publication). Foster comments, in a foreword to a re-issued edition of Bloodhype, that it is the eleventh novel in the series, and should fall between Running from the Deity and Trouble Magnet.[14]
- ISBN 0-345-30511-6
- ISBN 0-345-29232-4
- ISBN 0-345-25507-0
- ISBN 0-345-25861-4
- ISBN 0-345-34363-8
- ISBN 0-345-38374-5
- ISBN 0-345-41867-0
- ISBN 0-345-45038-8
- ISBN 0-345-46156-8
- ISBN 0-345-46159-2
- ISBN 0-345-25845-2
- ISBN 0-345-48504-1
- ISBN 978-0-345-48507-6
- ISBN 978-0-345-49607-2
- Strange Music (2017) ISBN 978-1-101-96760-7
Founding of the Commonwealth
- ISBN 0-345-41862-X
- ISBN 0-345-41864-6
- ISBN 0-345-41865-4
Icerigger Trilogy
- ISBN 0-345-23836-2
- ISBN 0-345-27676-0
- ISBN 0-345-33330-6
Standalone Commonwealth novels
In chronological order:
- ISBN 0-345-29141-7
- ISBN 0-345-31215-5
- ISBN 0-345-35011-1
- "The Emoman" (1972) short story
- "Surfeit" (1982) short story
- ISBN 0-345-45035-3
- ISBN 978-0-345-49605-8
- "Mid-Death" (2006) short story
- ISBN 0-345-38375-3
- ISBN 0-345-31980-X
- ISBN 0-345-28066-0
The Damned Trilogy
- A Call to Arms (1991) ISBN 0-345-35855-4
- The False Mirror (1992) ISBN 0-345-35856-2
- 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
- Carnivores of Light and Darkness (1998) ISBN 0-446-52132-9
- Into the Thinking Kingdoms (1999) ISBN 0-446-52136-1
- A Triumph of Souls (2000) ISBN 0-446-52218-X
Marexx
Spellsinger series
- ISBN 0-446-97352-1
- ISBN 0-446-90354-X
- ISBN 0-446-32133-8
- ISBN 0-446-32326-8
- ISBN 0-446-32679-8
- ISBN 0-932096-43-3
- ISBN 0-446-36257-3
- ISBN 0-446-36237-9
"Serenade" (2004), a novelette set immediately after The Time of the Transference,[17] was first published in the anthology Masters of Fantasy and was later reprinted in Foster's short story collection Exceptions to Reality.[18]
The Taken trilogy
- Lost and Found (2004) ISBN 0-345-46125-8
- The Light-Years Beneath My Feet (2005) ISBN 0-345-46128-2
- The Candle of Distant Earth (2005) ISBN 0-345-46131-2
The Tipping Point trilogy
- The Human Blend (2010)
- Body, Inc. (2012) ISBN 978-0-345-51199-7
- The Sum of Her Parts (2012) ISBN 978-0-345-51202-4
Montezuma Strip
- ISBN 0-446-60207-8
- ISBN 0-446-52774-2
Standalone novels
- ISBN 0-446-90353-1
- The I Inside (1984) ISBN 0-446-32027-7
- Slipt (1984) ISBN 0-425-07006-9
- ISBN 0-446-51337-7
- ISBN 0-441-51664-5
- Maori (1988) ISBN 0-441-51925-3
- 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
- ISBN 1-885-18358-5
- Jed the Dead (1997) ISBN 0-441-00399-0
- Parallelities (1998) ISBN 0-345-42461-1
- Primal Shadows (2001) ISBN 0-312-87771-4
- ISBN 0-441-00847-X
- Kingdoms of Light (2001) ISBN 0-446-52667-3
- Sagramanda (2006) ISBN 1-59102-488-9
- Relic (2018) ISBN 978-1101967638
Collections
- ISBN 0-345-25701-4
- ISBN 0-345-31657-6
- ISBN 0-345-36356-6
- ISBN 0-345-39362-7
- ISBN 0-345-45041-8
- ISBN 0-345-49604-3
- The Flavors of Other Worlds (2019) ISBN 978-1-61475-986-7
- The Taste of Different Dimensions (2019) ISBN 978-1-61475-957-7
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)
Novelizations
Star Trek universe
Star Trek: The Animated Series
- Star Trek Log One (1974) ISBN 0-345-24014-6
- Star Trek Log Two (1974) ISBN 0-345-25812-6
- Star Trek Log Three (1975) ISBN 0-345-24260-2
- Star Trek Log Four (1975) ISBN 0-345-24435-4
- Star Trek Log Five (1975) ISBN 0-345-33351-9
- Star Trek Log Six (1976) ISBN 0-345-24655-1
- Star Trek Log Seven (1976) ISBN 0-345-24965-8
- Star Trek Log Eight (1976) ISBN 0-345-25141-5
- Star Trek Log Nine (1977) ISBN 0-345-25557-7
- Star Trek Log Ten (1978) ISBN 0-345-27212-9[20]
Star Trek movies
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), story credit
- ISBN 978-1-4391-5886-9, movie novelization
- ISBN 978-1-4767-1648-0, movie novelization
- Star Trek: The Unsettling Stars (2020) ISBN 1982140607, movie tie-in
Star Wars universe
- ghost writing as George Lucas
- ISBN 0-345-27566-7
- ISBN 0-345-44300-4
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015),[21] movie novelization
- "Bait" (2015), short story
Alien universe
- ISBN 0-446-82977-3
- ISBN 0-446-30139-6
- ISBN 0-446-36216-6
- ISBN 1-785-65478-0
- ISBN 9781785654763
Terminator universe
- ISBN 1-84856-085-0, movie novelization
Transformers
- ISBN 0-345-49799-6
- ISBN 0-345-49798-8
- ISBN 978-0-345-51593-3
- ISBN 0-345-51592-7
Standalone novelizations
- ISBN 0-345-24267-X, movie novelization
- Luana (Italian film) (1974) ISBN 0-345-23793-5, movie novelization
- Maude (unpublished 1974), television novelization ("Maude's Dilemma")[22]
- ISBN 0-345-28538-7, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-93675-8, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-95829-8, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-553-20477-7, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-30642-8, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-425-07255-X, movie novelization
- The Last Starfighter Storybook (1984) with Lynn Haney and Jonathan Betuel
- ISBN 0-446-32553-8, also a computer game (1984)
- ISBN 0-446-32598-8, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-32767-0, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-35264-0, movie novelization
- ISBN 0-446-51853-0, also a computer game
- ISBN 0-345-46839-2, movie novelization
Filmography
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, story)
- Welcome to Paradox (1998, story for episode "Our Lady of the Machine")
Notes
- ^ This pen name was used for the first publication of many of the Montezuma Strip stories.
References
- ^ Wenz, John (January 1, 2018). "The First Star Wars sequel: Inside the writing of Splinter of the Mind's Eye". Syfy. SyFy Channel. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-107-03989-6.
- ^ "Kaiburr crystal". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ Osborn, Alex (April 18, 2015). "Star Wars Celebration: Alan Dean Foster Writing The Force Awakens Novelization". Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4668-7285-1. Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Alan Dean Foster Writing Star Trek Movie Adaptation". Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ "Gallery To Release Star Trek Into Darkness Novel". Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ Flood, Allison. "Star Wars author appeals to Disney in fight over royalties". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- ^ "Star Wars Novelist Says Disney Won't Pay Him Royalties it Owes Him". The Verge. Vox Media. November 19, 2020. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. November 18, 2020. Archivedfrom the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "1 May 2021". Alan Dean Foster. Archived from the original on October 11, 2002. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ Johnston, Rich (May 11, 2021). "Disney To Pay Star Wars Novelists Alan Dean Foster And More". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "IAMTW 2008 awards". Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ Bloodhype foreword, Del Rey, March 2002.
- ^ "Builder by Alan Dean Foster - FictionDB". www.fictiondb.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ "Title: Builder". www.isfdb.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ Patten), Fred (Fred (August 4, 2001). "New Alan Dean Foster". Flayrah. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ "Publication: Exceptions to Reality". www.isfdb.org. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- .
- ISBN 1-4165-0349-8. Archivedfrom the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ Osborn, Alex (April 18, 2015). "Star Wars Celebration: Alan Dean Foster Writing The Force Awakens Novelization". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Athans, Philip (September 20, 2011). "The Fantasy Author's Handbook Interview XVI: Alan Dean Foster". Fantasy Author's Handbook. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
Further reading
- Duignan-Cabrera, Anthony (July 1996). "The InQuest Q&A: Alan Dean Foster". InQuest. No. 15. pp. 54–57.
External links
- Official website
- Alan Dean Foster at IMDb
- Alan Dean Foster at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- FYC Conversations with Alan Dean Foster (Part One), For Your Consideration podcast, September 2017
- FYC Conversations with Alan Dean Foster (Part Two), For Your Consideration podcast, October 2017