Kate Elliott is the
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
of American
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
writer Alis A. Rasmussen (born 1958).
Writing
Although Rasmussen's first novels ''The Labyrinth Gate'' (1988) and ''The Highroad'' (1990) (a science fiction trilogy) failed to become bestsellers, additional publishers liked her manuscripts. However, they wanted a fresh name unconnected with the sales figures of the previous books. Starting in 1992 under the new name of Kate Elliott, her sales have flourished. The
Crown of Stars series has been featured in the
Science Fiction Book Club
Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000.
Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizon ...
.
Elliott published the first of her ''Jaran'' series in 1992, although she began the first draft in 1980. Heather Massey's review of ''Jaran'' describes it as "a science fiction romance classic", while Todd Richmond in an ''
SF Site
''SF Site'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine edited by Rodger Turner. It is among the oldest of websites dedicated to science fiction and primarily publishes book reviews. It has won the Locus Award and received nominations for ...
'' review calls the series "an epic masterpiece". The ''Highroad'' (as Alis Rasmussen) trilogy is set in the same universe as ''Jaran'' as a prequel.
The 1996 collaboration between Elliott,
Melanie Rawn
Melanie Rawn (born 1954) is an American author of fantasy literature. She received a BA in history from Scripps College and worked as a teacher and editor before becoming a writer.
She has been nominated for a Locus award on three occasions: in ...
, and
Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Mitchell Roberson (born October 26, 1953) is an American author of fantasy and historical literature.
Personal life
Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. Though she grew up in Phoenix, the author lived in Flagstaff for 12 years ...
on ''The Golden Key'' was coordinated primarily via
fax machine
Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (short for telefacsimile), is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other out ...
.
In 2020, Elliott published ''Unconquerable Sun'', the first novel in a gender-bending space opera trilogy based on
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
.
Personal life
A native of
Junction City, Oregon
Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 6,747.
The Junction City area is notable for its Nordic and Scandinavian Americans, Scandinavian heritage, with the city's ...
, Rasmussen moved to
Oakland, California
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
to attend
Mills College
Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...
. There she became active in the
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes ...
where she pursued
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
sword fighting.
Rasmussen, her archaeologist husband Jay Silverstein, and their three children live in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.
Bibliography
As Alis A. Rasmussen
*''The Labyrinth Gate'' (1988) fantasy,
*''The Highroad Trilogy'' science fiction
*#''A Passage of Stars'', Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (1990),
*#''Revolution's Shore'' (1990),
*#''The Price of Ransom'' (1990),
As Kate Elliott
*''The Spiritwalker Trilogy'' fantasy series
**''Cold Magic'', Orbit, (2010)
**''Cold Fire'', Orbit, (September, 2011)
**''Cold Steel'', Orbit, (July 2, 2013)
**''The Beatriceid'' (novelette, 2015)
*''
Crossroads
Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet.
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...
'' fantasy series
**''Spirit Gate'', Tor Books, (2007)
**''Shadow Gate'', Tor Books, (2008)
**''Traitors' Gate'', Tor Books, (2009)
*''
Crown of Stars'' fantasy series
**''King's Dragon'', DAW, (1997), finalist for 1997
Nebula Award for Best Novel
The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; ...
**''Prince of Dogs'', DAW, (1998)
**''The Burning Stone'' (1999)
**''Child of Flame'' (2000)
**''The Gathering Storm'' (2003)
**''In the Ruins'' (Aug 2005)
**''The Crown of Stars'', DAW, (Feb 2006)
*''
The Golden Key ''(1996), a collaboration with
Melanie Rawn
Melanie Rawn (born 1954) is an American author of fantasy literature. She received a BA in history from Scripps College and worked as a teacher and editor before becoming a writer.
She has been nominated for a Locus award on three occasions: in ...
and
Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Mitchell Roberson (born October 26, 1953) is an American author of fantasy and historical literature.
Personal life
Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. Though she grew up in Phoenix, the author lived in Flagstaff for 12 years ...
;
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
finalist for Best Novel of 1996
*''The Novels of the Jaran'' science fiction series
**''Jaran'' (1992)
**''An Earthly Crown'' (1993)
**''His Conquering Sword'' (1993)
**''The Law of Becoming'' (1994)
*''Court of Fives'' young adult fantasy series;
Andre Norton Award
The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (formerly the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy) is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to the ...
nominee for Best Book of 2016
**''
Court of Fives'', Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, (2015)
**''Poisoned Blade'' (2016)
**''Buried Heart'' (2017)
**''Night Flower'' (novella, 2015)
**''Bright Thrones'' (novella, 2017)
*''Black Wolves'' fantasy series, sequel to
Crossroads
Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet.
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...
series
**''Black Wolves'', Orbit, (2015)
**''Dead Empire'' (canceled)
**''Demon War'' (canceled)
*''Magic the Gathering'' trading card game, fantasy series
**''Core Set 2019'' eight-episode short story cycle
**''Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest'' (2019)
*''The Sun Chronicles'' science fiction adventure series
**''Unconquerable Sun'', (2020)
**''Furious Heaven'' (2023)
**''Lady Chaos'' (2026)
*''Servant Mage (novella)'', Tordotcom, (January 2022)
*''The Keeper's Six'', Tordotcom, (January 2023)
Short stories
* "My Voice Is In My Sword" in ''Weird Tales from Shakespeare'' (1994), reprinted in ''Apex Magazine'' (2015)
* "The Memory of Peace" in ''Enchanted Forests'' (1995)
* "A Simple Act of Kindness" in ''The Shimmering Door'' (1996)
* "With God to Guard Her" in ''Return to Avalon'' (1996)
* "The Gates of Joriun" in ''Tarot Fantastic'' (1997)
* "Making the World Live Again" in ''Zodiac Fantastic'' (1997)
* "Sunseeker" in ''30th Anniversary DAW Books Science Fiction'' (2002)
* "Riding the Shore of the River of Death" in ''A Fantasy Medley'' (2009), reprinted in ''Epic: Legends of Fantasy'' (2012)
* "Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine" in ''Fearsome Journeys'' (2013)
* "Everything in the World Wants Something" ''in Book Smugglers'' (2017)
* "A Compendium of Architecture and the Science of Building" in ''Lightspeed Magazine'' (2018)
* "The Tinder Box" at Tor.com (2021)
*''The Very Best of Kate Elliott'' (2015) short story collection (includes the first 9 shorts above plus others)
References
External links
Official Kate Elliott web site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Kate
1958 births
Living people
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American fantasy writers
American science fiction writers
American women short story writers
American women novelists
Writers from Oakland, California
People from Junction City, Oregon
American women science fiction and fantasy writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
20th-century American short story writers
21st-century American short story writers
20th-century pseudonymous writers
21st-century pseudonymous writers
Pseudonymous women writers
Mills College alumni