Elizabeth A. Lynn (born 1946) is an American writer most known for
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 to a lesser extent
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 ...
. She is particularly known for being one of the first writers in science fiction or fantasy to introduce gay and lesbian characters; in honor of Lynn, the widely known California and New York–based chain of LGBT bookstores
A Different Light took its name from her novel.
["Locus: Elizabeth A. Lynn interview". Locusmag.com. Retrieved 2008-10-0]
/ref> She is a recipient of the World Fantasy Award—Novel
The World Fantasy Awards are given each year by the World Fantasy Convention for the best fantasy fiction published in English during the previous calendar year. The awards have been described by book critics such as ''The Guardian'' as a "presti ...
.
Body of work
Elizabeth Lynn is an openly lesbian science fiction and fantasy writer who has written numerous works featuring positive gay protagonists.[Garber & Paleo, "Elizabeth A. Lynn: Biographical note" p. 84] Her '' Chronicles of Tornor'' novels (1979–80), the first book of which, ''Watchtower'', won the 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 ...
, were among the first 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, ...
novels to have gay relationships as an unremarkable part of the cultural background, and included explicit and sympathetic depictions of same-sex love. The other books in this series are ''The Dancers of Arun'' (1979); and ''Northern Girl'' (1980) – the last of which is of particular lesbian interest.[
Lynn's early science fiction novels were similarly ground-breaking in their treatment of sexual themes. In ''The Sardonyx Net'' (1981), one of the primary characters is a sexual sadist. Her SF novel ''A Different Light'' (1978) featured a same-sex relationship between two men. The magical lesbian tale "The Woman Who Loved the Moon" also won a World Fantasy Award and is the title story in Lynn's ''The Woman Who Loved the Moon'' collection along with other gay speculative fiction stories.] Both these novels featured the science fiction concept hyperspace.
Lynn later returned to fiction with a fantasy series, again featuring gay relationships: ''Dragon's Winter'' (1998) and ''Dragon's Treasure'' (2004).
Bibliography
Series
* '' The Chronicles of Tornor''
** ''Watchtower
A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...
'' (1979),
** '' The Dancers of Arun'' (1979),
** ''The Northern Girl'' (1980),
* ''Karadur Atani''
** ''Dragon's Winter'' (1998),
** ''Dragon's Treasure'' (2003),
Novels
* ''A Different Light'' (1978),
* ''The Sardonyx Net'' (1981),
Short story collections
* ''The Woman Who Loved the Moon and Other Stories'' (1981),
* ''Tales from a Vanished Country'' (1990)
Novellas
* ''The Red Hawk'' (1983)
Children's books
* ''The Silver Horse'' (1986) novel,
Non-fiction
* ''Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Champion Athlete'' (1989) (biography)
Selected short stories
* "We All Have to Go" (in ''Tricks and Treats'', 1976)
* "Jubilee's Story" (in '' Millennial Women'', 1978)
* "Wizard's Domain" (in ''Basilisk'', ed. Ellen Kushner, 1980)
* "The Silver Dragon" (in ''Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy'', 2004)
See also
* Feminist science fiction
* Homosexuality in speculative fiction
References
External links
*
Elizabeth A. Lynn
at SF Encyclopedia
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn, Elizabeth
1946 births
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
American fantasy writers
American science fiction writers
American women novelists
American women short story writers
American lesbian writers
American LGBTQ novelists
Living people
American women science fiction and fantasy writers
World Fantasy Award–winning writers
20th-century American short story writers
21st-century American short story writers