Pyr was the science fiction and fantasy imprint of

Prometheus Books Prometheus Books is a publishing company founded in August 1969 by the philosopher Paul Kurtz (who was also the founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, Center for Inquiry, and co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). The publ ...

, launched in March 2005 with the publication of John Meaney's ''Paradox''. In November 2018 it was sold to Start Publishing. Prometheus Books' name was derived from

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

, the Titan from Greek mythology who gave fire to humans. The name Pyr, the Greek word for fire, was chosen to continue this connection to fire and the liveliness of imagination. Lou Anders served as Pyr's editorial director from its inception until 2014.

Authors published

* Joe Abercrombie * Fiona Avery * Michael Blumlein *

Keith Brooke Keith Brooke is a British science fiction author, Editing, editor, web publisher and anthologist from Suffolk, England. He is the founder and editor of the infinity plus webzine. He also writes children's fiction under the name Nick Gifford. Biog ...

* Storm Constantine *

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, as well as an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, the majority being as editor or c ...

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the founding editor of '' The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of '' Asimov's Science Fict ...

* David Louis Edelman * K.D. Edwards *

Charles Coleman Finlay Charles Coleman Finlay (born July 1, 1964 in New York City, NY) is an American science fiction and fantasy author and editor. He grew up in Marysville, Ohio and attended Ohio State University. His first story, ''Footnotes'', was published i ...

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...

* Mark Hodder * K. V. Johansen * Kay Kenyon * Alexis Glynn Latner * Scott Mackay * Ian McDonald * John Meaney *

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct mag ...

* Chris Roberson * Adam Roberts * Justina Robson *

Joel Shepherd Joel Shepherd (born 1974 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian science fiction author. He moved to Perth, Western Australia with his family when he was seven, where he later studied film and television arts at Curtin University. He no ...

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...

* Martin Sketchley *

Adrian Tchaikovsky Adrian Czajkowski (spelt as Adrian Tchaikovsky for his books; born June 1972) is a British fantasy and science fiction author. He is best known for his series ''Shadows of the Apt'', and for his Hugo Award–winning '' Children of Time'' series ...

* David Walton * Sean Williams *

George Zebrowski George Zebrowski (December 28, 1945 – December 20, 2024) was an American science fiction writer and editor who wrote and edited a number of books, and was a former editor of The Bulletin of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He lived with ...

Awards and nominations

* 2011

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, was an annual award presented to the author of the best science fiction novel published in English in the preceding calendar year. It was given by s ...

winner: Ian McDonald ''The Dervish House'' * 2011

Hugo Award for Best Novel The Hugo Award for Best Novel is one of the Hugo Awards given each year by the World Science Fiction Society for science fiction or fantasy stories published in, or translated to, English during the previous calendar year. The novel award is ava ...

nominee: Ian McDonald ''The Dervish House'' * 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee: Ian McDonald ''The Dervish House'' * 2011

Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus (magazine), ''Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar ...

nominee: Ian McDonald ''The Dervish House'' * 2010 Philip K. Dick Award: Mark Hodder ''The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack'' * 2010 British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel winner: Ian McDonald ''The Dervish House'' * 2010 British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel nominee: Ken MacLeod ''The Restoration Game'' * 2010

nominee: Paul J. McAuley ''Gardens of the Sun'' * 2010 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel nominee: James Enge ''Blood of Ambrose'' * 2009 Chesley Award for Best Art Director: Lou Anders * 2009 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Ian McDonald ''Cyberabad Days'' * 2009 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee: Paul J. McAuley ''The Quiet War'' * 2008

nominee: Ian McDonald ''Brasyl'' * 2008

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; ...

nominee: Ian McDonald ''Brasyl'' * 2008

nominee: Ian McDonald ''Brasyl'' * 2008 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form, nominee: Lou Anders * 2008

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

nominee: Joe Abercrombie * 2008

nominee: David Louis Edelman * 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Lou Anders ''Fast Forward 2'' * 2007 British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel winner: Ian McDonald ''Brasyl'' * 2007 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Adam Roberts '' Gradisil'' * 2007 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee: Adam Roberts '' Gradisil'' * 2007

Quill Award The Quill Award was an American literary award that ran for three years, from 2005 to 2007. It was a "consumer-driven award created to inspire reading while promoting literacy". The Quills Foundation, the organization behind the award, was supp ...

nominee: Ian McDonald, ''Brasyl'' * 2007 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form nominee: Lou Anders * 200
Chesley Award for Best Art Director
nominee: Lou Anders * 2006 World Fantasy Award - Special Award, Professional nominee: Lou Anders * 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee: David Louis Edelman, ''Infoquake'' * 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award winner: John Meaney, ''Paradox'' * 2005 Philip K Dick Award nominee: Justina Robson, ''Silver Screen'' * 2006

nominee: Chris Roberson * 2005

nominee: Chris Roberson * 2005 World Fantasy Award - Best Artist, for Pyr covers nominee:

Jeremy Caniglia Jeremy Caniglia (born July 13, 1970) is an American figurative painter and illustrator, primarily in fantasy and horror genres. He has done book and magazine illustration, conceptual artwork, book and album covers, and comic books, and his work ...

Further recommendations and endorsements

* Kay Kenyon, ''Bright of the Sky'' - selected as one o
PW's Best Books of the Year
for 2007. * Ian McDonald, ''Brasyl'' - selected as the number two title in Amazon'

for 2007. * Ian McDonald, ''Brasyl '' - selected as one of Amazon'

for 2007. * ''Locus'' magazine Recommended Reading: 2006 : Joe Abercrombie - ''The Blade Itself'', Justina Robson - ''Keeping It Real'' * Pyr Books included in the B&N Editor's Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2006: David Louis Edelman - ''Infoquake'' (#1), Sean Williams - ''The Crooked Letter'', John Meaney - ''Resolution'' * 2 Pyr Books included i

Joel Shepherd - ''Crossover'', Chris Roberson - ''Paragaea: A Planetary Romance'' * 3 Pyr Books included i
Bookgasm's Top Five SciFi Books of 2006
- Ian McDonald - ''River of Gods'' (#1), Joel Shepherd - ''Crossover'', David Louis Edelman - ''Infoquake'' * Sean Williams, ''The Hanging Mountains'' selected as a BookSense Notable Book for July * Kay Kenyon, ''Bright of the Sky'' - one of four novels selected by ReaderCon "the con that assigns homework" for their attendees to read pre-convention * Justina Robson, ''Silver Screen'' selected for Kirkus Reviews Best SF&F Books of 2005 * John Meaney, ''Paradox'' - #2 on Barnes & Noble's Editor's Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2005

References

{{reflist

External links

PYR website

Prometheus Books
– Official website

WWEnd Publisher Profile for Pyr
American speculative fiction publishers Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Science fiction publishers Prometheus Books Publishing companies established in 2005