Nicholas Julian Zapata Sagan (born September 16, 1970) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. He is the author of the

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 ...

novels '' Idlewild'', '' Edenborn'', and '' Everfree'', and has also written scripts for episodes of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and '' Star Trek: Voyager''. He is the son of astronomer

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

and artist and writer Linda Salzman.

Life

At age six, Sagan's greeting, "Hello from the children of planet Earth," was recorded and placed aboard

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Voyager Golden Record The Voyager Golden Records are two identical phonograph records, one of each which were included aboard the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and data to reconstruct raster scan images selected to portray the di ...

. Launched with a selection of terrestrial greetings, sights, sounds and music, the ''

Voyager 1 ''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and the interstellar medium, interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. It was launched 16 days afte ...

'' and ''

Voyager 2 ''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, as a part of the Voyager program. It was launched on a trajectory towards the gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) and enabled further encounters with the ice giants (Uranus and ...

'' spacecraft are now the most distant man-made objects in the universe, with ''Voyager 1'' having left the Solar System on August 25, 2012, being the first to do so. Sagan went to the Mirman School as a child and received his bachelor's degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. Sagan has been writing for Hollywood since 1992, crafting screenplays, teleplays, animation episodes and computer games. He has two older brothers; his brother Dorion is a science writer. He has worked for a variety of studios and production companies, including

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, New Line, Universal, Disney, actor/producer

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

, and directors

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

and

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

. Sagan co-wrote the award-winning computer adventure game, ''Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands''. His film credits include adaptations of novels by

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. , he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award in List of joint ...

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...

, Pierre Ouellette and Charles Pellegrino. His television credits include two episodes of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and five episodes of '' Star Trek: Voyager'', where he worked as a story editor. At the turn of the millennium, astronaut

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts V ...

recruited him to work for SPACE.com as Executive Producer of Entertainment & Games. During his tenure at SPACE.com, the inspiration for a series of novels came to Sagan, and he sold the Idlewild Trilogy to Penguin Putnam in 2002. ''Idlewild'' received a starred review from Kirkus, a Book Sense 76 pick, and selection from both Borders and Barnes & Noble as one of the best science fiction/fantasy novels of the year.

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

called it "absolutely fun, like a roller-coaster ride of fusion fiction" and "the kind of book you simply don't want to stop reading." ''Edenborn'' continues the story from ''Idlewild'' (however it can also be read as a standalone). ''

SFX Magazine ''SFX'' is a British magazine covering the topics of science fiction and fantasy. Its name is a reference to the abbreviated form of "special effects". Description ''SFX'' magazine is published every four weeks by Future plc and was founded in 19 ...

'' gave ''Edenborn'' a perfect five star review, declaring it "one of the best post-apocalyptic novels you will ever read." SF Crowsnest hailed Sagan as "an adrenaline shot straight into the heart of science fiction," while SF Site called the novel "elegant SF, dark and haunting, with characters who linger in memory long after the last page is turned." The series' third instalment, ''Everfree'', was praised by ''Sci Fi Weekly'' as being "startlingly original" and "undeniably satisfying and triumphant." Kirkus remarked that "Sagan's mind-blowing post-apocalyptic trilogy comes to a satisfying, terrifying conclusion." They went on to hail the book as "a powerful plea for sensible human cooperation delivered via a knockout story." Sagan taught screenwriting at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in the spring of 2007. He currently teaches screenwriting at

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca (town), New York, Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a Music school, conservatory of music. Ithaca College is known for its media-related programs and entertainment program ...

. Both institutions are in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

Works

Novels

* '' Idlewild'' (2003) * '' Edenborn'' (2004) * '' Everfree'' (2006)

Short stories

* "Tees and Sympathy" in Subterranean #4 (2006)

Television credits

* '' Star Trek: Voyager'' (1998-1999) ** " In the Flesh" ** "

Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

" with

Bryan Fuller Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009) and ''Hannibal (TV series), Hannibal'' (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writ ...

** " Course: Oblivion" with

** "

Juggernaut A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originates in the mid-nineteenth century. ''Juggernaut'' is the early rendering in English ...

" with Kenneth Biller &

** " Relativity" with

& Michael Taylor * '' Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys'' (1996) ** "Gormongous!" * ''

Exosquad ''Exosquad'' is an American science fiction animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios for MCA TV's Universal Family Network syndicated programming block. The series ran for two complete seasons in syndication from 1993 to ...

'' (1995) ** "A Night Before Doomsday" with Mark Edens * '' Space Precinct'' (1995) ** "Predator and Prey" * '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1993-1994) ** " Attached" ** " Bloodlines" * '' Jack's Place'' (1993) ** "The Seventh Meal" with Linda Salzman

Games

* '' OurColony'' (2005) * '' Zork: Nemesis'' (1996) with Cecilia Barajas and Adam Simon

References

External links

* * *
''Science Fiction Weekly'' Interview
conducted by

John Joseph Adams John Joseph Adams (born July 31, 1976) is an American science fiction and fantasy editor, critic, and publisher. Career Editor Adams worked as Assistant Editor at ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' from May 2001 to December 2009. In ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagan, Nick 1970 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American male novelists American science fiction writers American short story writers American television writers American male television writers Jewish American novelists Jewish agnostics University of California, Los Angeles alumni American male short story writers Sagan family American male screenwriters Carl Sagan 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Writers from Boston 21st-century American male writers