L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt Jr. (; born 1943) is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

author who has written over 75 novels. He is best known for the fantasy series ''

The Saga of Recluce ''The Saga of Recluce'' is a series of fantasy novels written by L. E. Modesitt Jr. The initial novel in the series, ''The Magic of Recluce'', was published in 1991. The series is still in publication with the latest, ''Fairhaven Rising'', publ ...

''. By 2015 the 18 novels in the ''Recluce'' series had sold nearly three million copies. By 2019 there were 22 Recluce novels. In addition to his novels, Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...

in 1973 in ''

Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

''. In 2008, he published his first collection of short stories, ''Viewpoints Critical: Selected Stories'' (Tor Books, 2008).

Early life

Modesitt was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in Massachusetts and lived in Washington, D.C. for almost 20 years while working as a political writer. He has worked as a

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey,

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mar ...

analyst, director of research for a

political campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referend ...

, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

, a consultant on

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

regulatory Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...

, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.Profile on Baen's Universe
L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Approach to writing

Modesitt has stated, “When all the research, all the writing group support, all the cheerleading, and all the angst fade away, and they should, the bottom line is simple: As a writer, you first must entertain your readers. To keep them beyond a quick and final read, you have to do more than that, whether it’s to educate them, make them feel, anger them by challenging their preconceptions—or all of that and more. But if you don’t entertain first, none of what else you do matters, because they won’t stay around.”"The 7 Question Interview with L. E. Modesitt, Jr."

Bibliography

;Major series * ''

'' (1991–present) * '' Spellsong Cycle'' (1997–2002) * '' The Forever Hero'' (1987–1988) * '' The Corean Chronicles'' (2002–2011) * '' The Imager Portfolio'' (2009–2019) *''The Grand Illusion'' (2021–present)

Personal life

He met his current wife, Carol A. Modesitt, after moving to

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

in 1989. Carol works as a professional opera singer and now acts as a professor at

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993. He has been married three times, and has six daughters and two sons.

References

External links

Recluce, The Official L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Fan Site (Formerly Recluce, the Official Modesitt Website)L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
at

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...

Official forum
at IBDoF
Interview with L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
at SFFWorld.com * *
Recluce Wiki
(archived) fictional universes of L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Essay about Antiagon Fire – The Antiagon Fire That Almost Wasn’t
at Upcoming4.me
Essay by L E Modesitt Jr about The One-Eyed Man
at Upcoming4.me
The story behind Cyador's Heirs - Online Essay by L. E. Modesitt
at Upcoming4.me
The Immense Costs and a Shred of Optimism: A Conversation with L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
at

Clarkesworld Magazine ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabe ...

Interview with L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
at Boomtron.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Modesitt, L. E., Jr. 1943 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American science fiction writers Writers from Denver Williams College alumni American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Colorado People from Cedar City, Utah