Sean Christopher McMullen (born 21 December 1948 in

Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the council capital of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated population of 15,305 in 2022 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total population in ...

) is an Australian science fiction and

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, ...

author.

Biography

McMullen is one of Australia's leading science-fiction and fantasy authors and has written over 70 stories and 17 books. In 2011, his novelette "Eight Miles" was the runner-up in the

Hugo Awards 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 t ...

. He has won the

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

Reader's Award twice, for "Ninety Thousand Horses" in 2013 and "Tower of Wings" in 2002. His first novel was originally published in Australia as two separate books, '' Voices in the Light'' (1994) and '' Mirrorsun Rising'' (1995). His first internationally published novel was '' The Centurion's Empire'' (1998), which featured a time machine built during the Roman Empire. After this book's success, his first two novels were rewritten and combined for a publication in the US as ''Souls in the Great Machine'' (1999), which, in turn, became the first volume of the ''Greatwinter'' trilogy, a unique mix of the generally anti-genres

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

and

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...

. This was followed by the ''Moonworlds'' series, which saw McMullen blend science and romance in a fantasy setting. His most recent series is the ''Century War'' series for young adult readers, set in Melbourne in 1901. McMullen's non-fiction work includes '' Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction'', a history of Australian science fiction jointly written with Van Ikin and Russell Blackford. He also co-wrote the first histories of Australian fantasy and horror with Steven Paulsen. McMullen has a degree in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and history from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

(1974), a postgraduate degree in

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and information science, and a PhD in

Medieval Literature Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (that is, the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. AD 500 to the beginning of t ...

. He was a professional musician in the 1970s, concentrating on singing and guitar playing. McMullen has recently retired from a career in scientific computing to concentrate on his literary work. He is a fourth dan black belt in karate, teaching at the Melbourne University Karate club. He is the father of C. S. McMullen, an Australian speculative fiction author.

Bibliography

Novels

*''Voices in the Light'' (1994) *''Mirrorsun Rising'' (1995) *''The Centurion's Empire'' (1998) *''The Ancient Hero'' (2004, part of the '' Quentaris Chronicles'') *''Before the Storm'' (2007) *''Changing Yesterday'' (2011) *''Dreams of the Technarion'' (2017) *''Generation Nemesis'' (2022) *''This Spells Trouble'' (2023, with Paul Collins) ;Greatwinter series *''Souls in the Great Machine'' (1999, a rewritten version of ''Voices in the Light'' and ''Mirrorsun Rising'') *'' The Miocene Arrow'' (2000) *'' Eyes of the Calculor'' (2001) ;The Moonworlds Saga series *''Voyage of the Shadowmoon'' (2002) *''Glass Dragons'' (2004) *''Voidfarer'' (2006) *''The Time Engine'' (2008) Warlock's Child series (with Paul Collins) * ''The Burning Sea'' (2015) * ''Dragonfall Mountain'' (2015) * ''The Iron Claw'' (2015) * ''Trial by Dragons'' (2015) * ''Voyage to Morticas'' (2015) * ''The Guardians'' (2015)

Short fiction

;Collections *''Call to the Edge'' (1992) *''Walking to the Moon'' (2007) *''Ghosts of Engines Past'' (2013) *''Colours of the Soul'' (2013) ;Stories *"At the Focus" (1986 with Paul Collins) in '' Eidolon (Australian magazine)'' Spring 1990 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *"The Deciad" (1986) in ''Call to the Edge'' *"The Colors of the Masters" (1988) in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

'' March 1988 (ed. Edward L. Ferman) *"While the Gate Is Open" (1990) in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' February 1990 (ed. Edward L. Ferman) *" Alone in His Chariot" (1991) in ''Eidolon'' Summer 1991 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *"The Dominant Style" (1991) in '' Aurealis'' No. 4 (ed.

Stephen Higgins Stephen E. Higgins (born 1938) is an American law enforcement official who served as the third Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from 1983 to 1993, subsequently known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explos ...

, Dirk Strasser) *"The Eyes of the Green Lancer" (1992) in ''Call to the Edge'' *"Destroyer of Illusions" (1992) in ''Call to the Edge'' *"The Porphyric Plague" (1992) in ''Intimate Armageddons'' (ed. Bill Congreve) *"Pax Romana" (1992) in ''Call to the Edge'' *"The Devils of Langenhagen" (1992) in ''Call to the Edge'' *"An Empty Wheelhouse" (1992) in ''

Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cla ...

'' January 1992 (ed.

Stanley Schmidt Stanley Albert Schmidt (born March 7, 1944) is an American science fiction author and editor. Between 1978 and 2012 he served as editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact''. Biography Schmidt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from th ...

) *"Souls in the Great Machine" (1992) in ''Universe 2'' (ed.

Karen Haber Karen Haber (born January 7,"She came upon the story somehow, was startled and amused to find that she shared a birthday with its protagonist (...) Her name was Karen Haber (...) Today was her birthday, the seventh of January": introduction to "Ca ...

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 ...

) *"The Glasken Chronicles" (1992) in ''Eidolon'' Autumn 1992 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *"Pacing the Nightmare" (1992) in ''Interzone'' May 1992 (ed.

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 ...

, Lee Montgomerie) *"A Greater Vision" (1992) in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' October 1992 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"The Way to Greece" (1993) in ''Eidolon'' Winter 1993 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne,

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

) *"Charon's Anchor" (1993) in ''Aurealis'' No. 12 (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *"The Miocene Arrow" (1994) in ''Alien Shores: An Anthology of Australian Science Fiction'' (ed.

Peter McNamara Peter McNamara (5 July 1955 – 20 July 2019) was an Australian tennis player and coach. McNamara won five singles titles and nineteen doubles titles in his career. A right-hander, McNamara reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 14 March ...

, Margaret Winch) *"The Blondefire Genome" (1994) in ''The Lottery: Nine Science Fiction Stories'' (ed. Lucy Sussex) *"A Ring of Green Fire" (1994) in ''Interzone'' November 1994 (ed. David Pringle, Lee Montgomerie) *"Lucky Jonglar" (1996) in '' Dream Weavers'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"The Weakest Link" (1996, written as Roger Wilcox) in ''Dream Weavers'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"Slow Famine" (1996) in ''Interzone'' May 1996 (ed. David Pringle) *"Queen of Soulmates" (1998) in ''

Dreaming Down-Under ''Dreaming Down-Under'' is a 1998 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb. Publishing history ''Dreaming Down-Under'' was first published in Australia in November 1998 by Voyager Books in trade paperback format. In 1 ...

'' (ed.

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 ...

Janeen Webb Janeen Webb (''née'' Pemberton) is an Australian writer, critic and editor, working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Biography The daughter of a Second World War Australian Army commando and salesman, Webb was brought up in ...

) *"Chronicler" (1998) in ''Fantastic Worlds'' (ed. Paul Collins) *"Rule of the People" (1998) in ''Aurealis'' #20/21, (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *"Souls in the Great machine" (1999) an excerpt in ''The Centurion's Empire '' *"New Words of Power" (1999) in ''Interzone'' August 1999 (ed. David Pringle) *"Colours of the Soul" (2000) in ''Interzone'' February 2000 (ed. David Pringle) *"Unthinkable" (2000) in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' June 2000 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"Mask of Terminus" (2000) in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' October 2000 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"Voice of Steel" (2001) *" Tower of Wings" (2001) in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' December 2001 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"SVYAGATOR" (2002) in ''Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine'' No. 3 (ed. Ian Nichols) *" Walk to the Full Moon" (2002) in ''

'' December 2002 (ed.

Gordon Van Gelder Gordon Van Gelder (born 1966) is an American science fiction editor. From 1997 until 2014, Van Gelder was editor and later publisher of ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short ...

) *"The Cascade" (2004) in ''

Agog! Smashing Stories ''Agog! Smashing Stories'' is a 2004 Australian speculative fiction anthology edited by Cat Sparks. Background ''Agog! Smashing Stories'' was first published in Australia in 2004 by Agog! Press in trade paperback format. It was a short-list nom ...

'' (ed.

Cat Sparks Catriona (Cat) Sparks (born 11 September 1965, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australians, Australian science fiction writer, editor and Publishing, publisher. Publishing As manager and editor of Agog! Press with her partner, Australian horr ...

) *"The Empire of the Willing" (2005) in ''Future Washington'' (ed. Ernest Lilley) *"The Engines of Arcadia" (2006) in ''Futureshocks'' (ed.

Lou Anders Lou Anders is a US-based author, known for the ''Thrones & Bones'' series of middle grade fantasy novels. Anders is a Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor, Hugo Award-winning editor, a Chesley Award for Best Art Director, Chesley Award-winnin ...

) *"The Twilight Year" (2008) in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' January 2008 (ed. Gordon Van Gelder) *"The Constant Past" (2008) in '' Dreaming Again'' (ed. Jack Dann) *"The Spiral Briar" (2009) in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' April–May 2009 (ed. Gordon Van Gelder) *"The Art of the Dragon" (2009) in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' August–September 2009 (ed.

) *"Mother of Champions" (2009) in "Interzone" No. 222 (ed. Andy Cox) *"Eight Miles" in "Analog" September 2010 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"Enigma" in "Analog" Jan/Feb 2010 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"Spacebook" in "Anywhere But Earth" 2011 (ed. Keith Stevenson) *"Ninety Thousand Horses" in "Analog" Jan/Feb 2012 (ed. Stanley Schmidt) *"Electrica" in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" March/April 2012 (ed. Gordon Van Gelder) *"Steamgothic" in "Interzone" July/August 2012 (ed. Andy Cox) *"Hard Cases" in ''

Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear ''Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear'' is a speculative fiction short story anthology edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie, and published by Peggy Bright Books in 2012. It contains thirteen original short stories, mostly by Australian writers. The ...

'' 2012 (ed. Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie) *"The First Boat" in "Aurealis" March 2012 (ed. Michael Pryor) *"Running Invisible" in "Trust Me Too" 2012 (ed. Paul Collins) *"Culverelle" in "The Feathered Edge" 2012 (ed. Deborah J. Ross) *"Lost Faces" in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" March/April 2013 (ed. Gordon Van Gelder) *"The Firewall and the Door" in "Analog" March 2013 (ed. Trevor Quachri) *"Acts of Chivaltry" in "Tales of Australia – Great Southern Land" 2013 (ed. Stephen C. Ormsby) *"Technarion" (2013) in "Interzone" Sept/Oct 2013 (ed. Andy Cox)

Non-fiction

;Books * '' The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy'' (1998, assistant editor with Paul Collins)McMullen was "Assistant Editor" along with another Australian SF writer, Steven Paulsen. *'' Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction'' (1999 with

Russell Blackford Russell Blackford (born 1954) is an Australian writer, philosopher, and literary critic. Early life and education Blackford was born in Sydney, and grew up in the city of Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, New South Wales. After graduating with ...

and

Van Ikin Van Ikin (born 25 November 1951) is an academic and science fiction writer and editor. A professor in English at the University of Western Australia, he retired from teaching in 2015 and is now a senior honorary research fellow. He has acted as ...

) ;Essays and articles *Beyond Our Shores (1990) in ''Eidolon'' Winter 1990 *The High Brick Wall (1990) in ''Eidolon'' Spring 1990 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *Not in Print but Worth Millions (1991) in ''Eidolon'' Winter 1991 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *Book Review (1991) in ''Aurealis'' No. 5 (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) * Going Commercial and Becoming Professional (1991) in ''Eidolon'' Spring 1991 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) * Australian SF Art Turns 50 (1992) in ''Eidolon'' Summer 1992 (ed. Jonathan Strahan, Jeremy G. Byrne) *Far from Void: The History of Australian SF Magazines (1992) in ''Aurealis'' #7 (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *Skirting the Frontier (1992) in ''Eidolon'' Autumn 1992 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) *Showcase or Leading Edge: Australian SF Anthologies 1968–1990 (1992) in ''Aurealis'' #9, (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *From Science Fantasy to Galileo (1992) in ''Eidolon'' Spring 1992 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne, Jonathan Strahan) *Australian Content: The State of Quarantine (1993) in ''Eidolon'' Summer 1993 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne, Jonathan Strahan) *Australian Content: Suffering for Someone Else's Art (1993) in ''Eidolon'' Autumn 1993 (ed. Jonathan Strahan, Jeremy G. Byrne) *Protection, Liberation and the Cold, Dangerous Universe: The Great Australian SF Renaissance (1993) in ''Aurealis'' #11, (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *No Science Fiction Please, We're Australian (1993) in ''Eidolon'' Winter 1993 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne, Jonathan Strahan) *The Quest for Australian Fantasy (1994, with Steven Paulsen) in ''Aurealis'' No. 13, (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *Australian Content: The Great Transition (1994) in ''Eidolon'' Winter 1994 (ed. Jonathan Strahan, Jeremy G. Byrne) * The Hunt for Australian Horror Fiction (1994, with Steven Paulsen) in ''Aurealis'' No. 14 (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) *A History of Australian Horror (1995, with Bill Congreve and Steve Paulsen) in ''Bonescribes: Year's Best Australian Horror: 1995'' (ed. Bill Congreve,

Robert Hood Robert Hood (born 1965) is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He is a founding member of the group Underground Resistance as a 'Minister of Information' with Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills. He is often considered to be one of the fo ...

) *SF in Australia (1995, with

Terry Dowling Terence William (Terry) Dowling (born 21 March 1947), is an Australian writer and journalist. He is primarily a writer of speculative fiction but refers to himself as an "imagier" – one who imagines, a term which liberates his writing from th ...

) in '' Locus'' January 1995 (ed.

Charles N. Brown Charles Nikki Brown (June 24, 1937 – July 12, 2009) was an American publishing editor, the co-founder and editor of '' Locus'', the long-running news and reviews magazine covering the genres of science fiction and fantasy literature. Brown was ...

) *Australian Content: Recognition Australian Style (1995) in ''Eidolon'' Summer 1995 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne) * Australia: Australian Contemporary Fantasy (1997, with Steven Paulsen) *George Turner and the Nova Mob (1997) in Eidolon, Issue 25/26 Spring 1997 (ed. Jonathan Strahan, Jeremy G. Byrne, Richard Scriven) *The Road to 1996 (1998, with Terry Dowling) in ''Nebula Awards 32'' (ed. Jack Dann) *The British Benchmark (1999) in ''Interzone'' August 1999 (ed. David Pringle) *Time Travel, Times Scapes, and Timescape (2000, with

, Alison Goodman,

Damien Broderick Damien Francis Broderick (22 April 1944 – 19 April 2025) was an Australian science fiction and popular science writer and editor of some 74 books. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' credits him with the first usage of the term ''virtual ...

, Aubrey Townsend,

Gregory Benford Gregory Benford (born January 30, 1941) is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the department of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of ''Reason ...

) in ''

The New York Review of Science Fiction ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarsh ...

'' August 2000, (ed.

Kathryn Cramer Kathryn Elizabeth Cramer (born April 16, 1962) is an American science fiction writer, editor, and literary critic. Early years Kathryn Cramer is the daughter of physicist John G. Cramer. She grew up in Seattle and graduated from Columbia Univer ...

David G. Hartwell David Geddes Hartwell (July 10, 1941 – January 20, 2016) was an American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of science fiction and fantasy novels. He was best known for work with Signet, Pocket, and Tor Books publishers. He was also no ...

Kevin J. Maroney Kevin is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; ; ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicised from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictiona ...

) *25 (Celebrating 25 Years of Interzone) (2007) in ''Interzone'' September–October 2007 (ed. Andrew Hedgecock, Jetse de Vries, Andy Cox)

Awards

2011 Runner-up, Best Novelette – " Eight Miles" Ditmar Awards 1991 Best Australian Short Fiction – While the Gate is Open 1992 Best Short Fiction – Alone in His Chariot; William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism – Going Commercial 1993 William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism – Australian SF Art Turns 50 1996 Best Australian Long Fiction – Mirrorsun Rising; William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism – The Hunt for Australian Horror Fiction (together with Steven Paulsen and Bill Congreve) 1998 William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism – Fantasy in Australia (together with Steven Paulsen) 2000 William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism – Strange Constellations (together with Van Ikin and Russell Blackford)

Aurealis Awards The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

1998 Best Novel – The Centurion's Empire 2001 Best Novel – The Miocene Arrow 2003 Best Short Story – Walk to the Moon

Reader's Award 2002 Best Novelette – Tower of Wings 2013 Best Novelette – Ninety Thousand Horses Nova Fantastyka Reader's Award 2003 Best Foreign Story – Voice of Steel

References

* Festivale Online Magazine, Summer 2008–09, ISSN 1328-8008

External links

Homepage of Sean McMullen
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McMullen, Sean 1948 births Living people Analog Science Fiction and Fact people Australian fantasy writers Australian science fiction writers