Michael Shea (American Author)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Shea (July 3, 1946 – February 16, 2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author. His novel '' Nifft the Lean'' 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 ...
, as did his novella ''Growlimb''.


Life and work

Shea was born to Irish parents in Los Angeles in 1946. There he frequented Venice Beach and the Baldwin Hills for their wildlife. He attended
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
and Berkeley and hitch-hiked twice across the US and Canada. At a hotel in
Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...
, Alaska, Shea chanced on a battered book from the lobby shelves, ''
The Eyes of the Overworld ''The Eyes of the Overworld'' is a Picaresque novel, picaresque fantasy literature, fantasy fix-up novel by American writer Jack Vance, published by Ace in 1966, the second book in the Dying Earth series that Vance inaugurated in 1950. Retitled ...
'' by
Jack Vance John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. He also wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen. Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Ach ...
(1966). Four years later, after a brief first marriage and one year hitch-hiking through France and Spain, he wrote a novel in homage to Vance, who graciously declined to share the advance offered by
DAW Books DAW Books is an American science fiction and fantasy publisher, founded by Donald A. Wollheim, with his wife, Elsie B. Wollheim, following his departure from Ace Books in 1971. The company claims to be "the first publishing company ever devoted ...
. It was Shea's first publication, '' A Quest for Simbilis'' (1974), and an authorized sequel to Vance's two Dying Earth books then extant.
ISFDB The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...
notes that it "became non-canonic" in 1983 when Vance "continued ... ''The Eyes'' ... in a different direction." Subsequently, Shea ranged all over the L.A. Basin, painting houses and teaching
English as a second language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...
to adults by night. In 1978 he met his second wife, artist and author Lynn Cesar. They had two children: Adele and Jacob. Shea moved to the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
where (prior to 1987) he held a variety of occupations, including instructor of languages, construction laborer, and night clerk in a
Mission District The Mission District ( Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as the Mission ( Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name ...
flophouse A flophouse (American English) or doss-house (British English) is a place that has very low-cost lodging, providing space to sleep and minimal amenities. Characteristics Historically, flophouses, or British "doss-houses", have been used for ove ...
. In 1979 Shea published the story "The Angel of Death" (''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', Aug 1979). This was followed in 1980 by "The Autopsy" (''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', Dec 1980), a story nominated for both the
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
and
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...
. His next published work was the novella "Polyphemus" (''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', Aug 1981). His story "The Frog" appeared in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' (Apr 1982). Shea was quiet for a few years but re-emerged with his second book, a collection of four linked novellas called ''Nifft the Lean'' (1982). ''Nifft'' showed that Shea had developed the exotic style of Vance and
Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California (largely through the enthusiasm ...
, plus the ingenuity of
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...
's Gray Mouser stories, to produce an extravagant quest novel. It won the 1983
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 ...
as year's best novel. Shea followed up with ''The Color out of Time'' (1984), a work influenced by the
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
, and '' In Yana, the Touch of Undying'' (1985), about a vain opportunist's search for immortality in a land of fable. ''
Polyphemus Polyphemus (; , ; ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and legends", "many-voiced" or "very famous". Polyphemus first ap ...
'' (1987) is a collection of deft science fiction and horror stories published by
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
. Shea continued the adventures of Nifft in ''The Mines of Behemoth'' (Baen, 1997), serialised one year earlier in the Algis Budrys magazine '' Tomorrow Speculative Fiction'', and in a novel ''The A'rak'' (2000). The Nifft stories are " sword-and-sorcery" modeled on
Jack Vance John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. He also wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen. Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Ach ...
, notable for their imaginative depiction of the world of
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
s and their blend of horror, flowery diction, and occasionally crude humor. Shea's work overlaps the science fiction and fantasy genres, e.g., thematic use of demons and aliens that act as
endoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...
s. Shea's interest in Lovecraft's
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
continued throughout his career. ''Copping Squid and Other Mythos Tales'' (2010) is a collection of such tales. Shea died unexpectedly on February 16, 2014.


Reception

In an overview of Shea's work, Chris Gilmore praised Shea's fiction, stating "Shea has a racy line in grue and writes with energy, imagination and precision", and expressed particular admiration for the stories in ''Polyphemus''.Chris Gilmore, "Shea, Michael", in
David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whi ...
, ''St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers''. New York, St. James Press. (p. 521-22).
However, Gilmore also took issue with Shea's use of gigantic monsters in books such as '' A Quest for Simbilis'' and ''Nifft the Lean'', arguing that the use of such creatures vitiated Shea's ability to describe scenes in detail. Gilmore also criticised Shea's story "The Pearls of the Vampire Queen" as being excessively violent, arguing that its protagonists kill one person and seriously injure another when the story did not require them to perform such actions. Reviewing ''The Incomplete Nifft'', Elizabeth Hand declared that "not even Bosch could capture the sheer, obsessive teemingness of Shea's world. . . . In their picaresque and unrelenting strangeness, Shea's tales evoke
Jack Vance John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. He also wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen. Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Ach ...
and
Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957), commonly known as Lord Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. He published more than 90 books during his lifetime, and his output consist ...
,
Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California (largely through the enthusiasm ...
's ''Zothique'' tales, as well as ''
The Worm Ouroboros ''The Worm Ouroboros'' is a Heroic fantasy, heroic high fantasy novel by English writer E. R. Eddison, first published in 1922. The book describes the protracted war between the domineering King Gorice of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland i ...
''; but what his work most reminds me of is David Lindsay's ''
A Voyage to Arcturus ''A Voyage to Arcturus'' is a novel by the Scottish writer David Lindsay, first published in 1920. An interstellar voyage is the framework for a narrative of a journey through fantastic landscapes. The story is set at Tormance, an imaginary pl ...
'', a book which had always struck me as being sui generis. Having read and delighted in ''The Incompleat Nifft'', I must create a new category for this beautiful, terrifying work, part sword-and-sorcery, part season in hell. Call it Shea generis.""Books"
Elizabeth Hand, ''
F&SF ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Bouche ...
'', September 2000.
On his list of "The 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories", T. E. D. Klein placed Shea's story "The Autopsy" at number eleven.


Adaptations

On 26th October 2022, a dramatization of “The Autopsy” streamed on Netflix as the third episode of “Guillermo do Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.”


Bibliography

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
contributing libraries report French editions of ''A Quest for Simbilis'' and ''Nifft the Lean'' and German editions of several books. . Retrieved 2012-06-05.


Dying Earth

Shea's first publication was an authorized contribution to the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance''A Quest for Simbilis''
at ISFDB. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
* ''A Quest for Simbilis'' (1974, OCLC 2128177)


Nifft

* ''Nifft the Lean'' (DAW, 1982, ) * ''The Mines of Behemoth'' (Baen, 1997, ) * ''The A'rak'' (Baen, 2000, ) Several months before publishing the third book,
Baen Books Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...
re-issued the first two in one volume, ''The Incompleat Nifft'' (Baen, 2000, ). The three Baen titles used matching cover art by
Gary Ruddell Gary Ruddell (born November 16, 1951) is an American artist best known for his figurative representational paintings. As well as his illustrations for works of science fiction and fantasy literature. His cover artwork for Dan Simmons's novel ' ...
with differences in jacket design. In 1994 Darkside Press published a limited edition of ''Nifft the Lean'' with a very long subtitle in "440 signed, numbered copies, bound in 'demon-skin'" ().Title: ''Nifft the lean: being the works, days, and deeds of thief Nifft of Karkmahn-Ra, as collated, prefaced and improved with exegesis & scholia by Shag Margold, geographer, a scholar native, with Nifft, to Pardash in the Ephesion Chain, his learning honored thru the four seas''
• With credited prologue by
Tim Powers Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy author. His first major novel was ''The Drawing of the Dark'' (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was ''The Anubis Gates'' ...
, illustration by
Alan M. Clark Alan Marshall Clark (born May 10, 1957) is an American author and artist who is best known as the illustrator and book cover painter of many pieces of horror fiction. He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel for his 2005 ...
, and map by Linda Cecere.
• Statement of Limitation: "Four-hundred and forty copies of Nifft the lean have been bound in demon-skin and numbered. Four-hundred will be offered for sale."
• Source: WorldCat


Other novels

* ''The Color Out of Time'' (1984) * '' In Yana, the Touch of Undying'' (1985) * ''I, Said the Fly'' ( Silver Salamander Press, 1993) —limited edition of 300 copies * ''The Extra'' (2010) — based on Shea's short story of the same title, intended as the first of a trilogy * ''Assault on Sunrise'' (2013) * ''Mr. Cannyharme'' (2021)


Collections

* ''
Polyphemus Polyphemus (; , ; ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and legends", "many-voiced" or "very famous". Polyphemus first ap ...
'' (1987) * ''The Autopsy and Other Tales'' (
Centipede Press Centipede Press is an American independent book and periodical publisher focusing on horror, weird tales, crime narratives, science fiction, gothic novels, fantasy art, and studies of literature, music and film. Its earliest imprints were Cocytus ...
, 2008) —including the complete Lovecraftian novel ''The Color Out of Time'' * ''Copping Squid and Other Mythos Tales'' (Perilous Press, 2010), series editor
S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary critic ...
* ''Demiurge: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Shea'' (Dark Regions Press, 2017), editor
S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary critic ...
* ''The Autopsy: Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea'' (Hippocampus Press, 2022), editors Linda Shea and
S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary critic ...


Chapterbooks

* ''Fat Face'' (1987)


Short fiction

* "The Angel of Death" (1979) * "The Autopsy" (1980), adapted for ''
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People * Guillermo Amador (born 1974), American musician * Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spani ...
'' (2022) * "Polyphemus" (1981) * "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" (1982) * "That Frog" (1982) * "The Horror on the #33" (1982) * "The Fishing of the Demon-Sea" (1982) * "Come Then, Mortal, We Will Seek Her Soul" (1982) * "The Goddess in Glass" (1982) * "The Pearls of the Vampire Queen" (1982) * "Shag Margold's Eulogy of Nifft the Lean, His Dear Friend" (1982) * "Grunt-12 Test Drive" (1983) * "Creative Coverage, Inc." (1983) * "Uncle Tuggs" (1986) * "Fill It With Regular" (1986) * "The Extra" (1987) * "Fat Face" (1987) * "Delivery" (1987) * "I, Said the Fly" (1989) * "Salome" (1994) * "Tollbooth" (1995) * "Johnny Crack" (1995) * "Fast Food" (1995) * "Piece A' Chain" (1996) * "Water of Life" (1999) * "For Every Tatter in Its Mortal Dress" (2000) * "The Rebuke" (2002) * "The Growlimb" (2004) —World Fantasy Award, Best Novella * "The Pool" (2007) * "Tsathoggua" (2008) * "The Battery" * "The Presentation" * "Copping Squid" * "Dagoniad"


Reviews

* "''Reprisal'' by Mitchell Smith" (2005)


Awards

Shea has won major "year's best" awards, both conferred by the
World Fantasy Convention The World Fantasy Convention is an annual science fiction convention, convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art sh ...
and selected by open nominations and panel of judges. * 1983 World Fantasy Award, Novel (''Nifft the Lean'') * 2005 World Fantasy Award, Novella (''The Growlimb'') His works have also been highly ranked, or one of a few finalists or nominees, for several other major awards. * 1975
August Derleth Award The August Derleth Award is one of the British Fantasy Awards bestowed annually by the British Fantasy Society. The award is named after the American writer and editor August Derleth. It was inaugurated in 1972 for the best novel of the year, was n ...
(best novel), British Fantasy Society (''A Quest for Simbilis'') * 1980
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...
, Novelette (The Angel of Death) * 1981
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
, Novelette (The Autopsy) * 1981
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...
, Novella, fourth place (The Autopsy) * 1981 Nebula Award, Novella (The Autopsy) * 1988 World Fantasy Award, Collection (Polyphemus) * 2005
International Horror Guild Award The International Horror Guild Award (also known as the IHG Award) was an accolade recognizing excellence in the field of horror/dark fantasy, presented by the International Horror Guild (IHG) from 1995 to 2008. The IHG Awards were determined by ...
, Mid-Length Fiction (The Growlimb)


Notes


References


Further reading

*Cox, Arthur Jean. "The Grim Imperative of Michael Shea" in Darrell Schweitzer (ed), ''Discovering Modern Horror Fiction II''. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House, 1988, pp. 115–20.


External links


Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, Michael 1946 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American people of Irish descent American science fiction writers American short story writers Cthulhu Mythos writers World Fantasy Award–winning writers Writers from Los Angeles American male short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers