Kevin James Anderson (born March 27, 1962) is an American
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 ...
author. He has written spin-off novels for ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', ''
StarCraft'', ''
Titan A.E.
''Titan A.E.'' is a 2000 American animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, and starring Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo and Drew Ba ...
'' and ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'', and with
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert (born June 29, 1947) is an American author, known for his work on the ''Dune'' franchise, which was created by his father, Frank Herbert.
Brian Herbert's novels include ''Sidney's Comet'', ''Prisoners of Arionn'', ''Man of ...
is the co-author of the
''Dune'' prequel series. His original works include the ''
Saga of Seven Suns'' series and the
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 ...
–nominated ''
Assemblers of Infinity''. He has also written several comic books, including the
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...
''Star Wars'' series ''
Tales of the Jedi'' written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Dark Horse ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'' titles, and ''The X-Files'' titles for
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures trading cards and other collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of Baseball card, baseball and other sports and Non-sports tradi ...
. Some of Anderson's superhero novels include ''
Enemies & Allies'', about the first meeting of
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
and
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, and ''The Last Days of Krypton'', telling the story of how Superman's planet
Krypton
Krypton (from 'the hidden one') is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless noble gas that occurs in trace element, trace amounts in the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere and is of ...
came to be destroyed.
Anderson has published over 140 books, over 50 of which have been on US and international bestseller lists, and he has more than 23 million books in print worldwide.
Anderson is working as a professor at
Western Colorado University. Anderson has been a Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the
Life, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium, on at least three occasions: 2016, 2006 and 1993.
In 2021, Anderson was inducted into the
Colorado Authors Hall of Fame along with
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
and
James Michener.
Early and personal life
Kevin J. Anderson was born March 27, 1962, in
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...
, and grew up in
Oregon, Wisconsin. According to Anderson, ''
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...
'' greatly influenced him. At the age of eight, he wrote his first story, titled "Injection". At ten, he bought a typewriter and has written ever since. In his freshman year in high school, he submitted his first short story to a magazine, but it took two more years before one of his manuscripts was accepted. When it was accepted, they paid him in copies of the magazine. In his senior year, he sold his first story for money for $12.50.
For 12 years Anderson worked at the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now i ...
, where he met fellow writers
Rebecca Moesta and
Doug Beason. Anderson later married Moesta and frequently coauthors novels with both her and Beason.
Career

Anderson's first novel, ''Resurrection, Inc.'', was published in 1988 and nominated for a
Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel.
His 1993 collaboration with Beason, ''
Assemblers of Infinity'', was nominated for both a
Nebula
A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...
and
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 ...
.
Anderson wrote ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' novels ''Ground Zero'' (1995), ''Ruins'' (1996) and ''Antibodies'' (1997). ''Ground Zero'' reached #1 on the ''
London Sunday Times'' Best Seller List and ''Ruins'' made the
''New York Times'' Best Seller list. Contracted to write novels in the
''Star Wars'' expanded universe, Anderson published the
''Jedi Academy'' trilogy in 1994, followed by the 1996 novel ''
Darksaber''. He and Moesta also wrote the 14-volume ''
Young Jedi Knights'' series from 1995 to 1998.
As a noted ''Star Wars'' novelist, Anderson was a participant in the FidoNet ''Star Wars'' Echo, a 1990s
bulletin board system
A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running list of BBS software, software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user perfor ...
forum cited as one of the earliest influential forms of ''Star Wars'' on-line
fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of Fan (person), fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...
.
In 1997, Anderson and
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert (born June 29, 1947) is an American author, known for his work on the ''Dune'' franchise, which was created by his father, Frank Herbert.
Brian Herbert's novels include ''Sidney's Comet'', ''Prisoners of Arionn'', ''Man of ...
signed a $3 million deal with
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...
to coauthor a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term ...
trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...
to the 1965 novel ''
Dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
'' and its
five sequels (1969–1985) by Herbert's deceased father,
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science-fiction author, best known for his 1965 novel Dune (novel), ''Dune'' and its five sequels. He also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, ...
.
Starting with 1999's ''
Dune: House Atreides'', the ongoing
''Dune'' prequel series has expanded to ten novels to date. In 2011 ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' called the series "a sprawling edifice that Frank Herbert's son and Anderson have built on the foundation of the original ''Dune'' novels."
Anderson and Brian Herbert have also published ''
Hunters of Dune'' (2006) and ''
Sandworms of Dune'' (2007),
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s to Frank Herbert's final novel ''
Chapterhouse: Dune'' (1985) which complete the chronological progression of his original series and wrap up storylines that began with his ''
Heretics of Dune
''Heretics of Dune'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the fifth in his Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' series of six novels.
Set 1,500 years after the events of ''God Emperor of Dune'' (1981), the novel finds humanity on the path se ...
'' (1984).
Between 2011 and 2014, Anderson and Herbert also released their
''Hellhole'' trilogy of novels unrelated to ''Dune''.
In 2002, Anderson released the
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 ...
/
adventure novel
Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction.
History
In the introduction to the ''Encycloped ...
''
Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius'' and was subsequently asked to write ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003), a
novelization
A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book, or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ...
of the
film of the same name.
The following year he also wrote the novelization for the 2004 film ''
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
''Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'' (often shortened to ''Sky Captain'') is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut, and produced by Jon Avnet, Sadie Frost, Jude Law a ...
''. In 2005, Anderson co-wrote, along with
Dean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as thriller (genre), suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction, Mystery fiction, mystery, and sati ...
, the first book in the Frankenstein series called ''
Frankenstein, Prodigal Son''.
Between 2002 and 2008, Anderson published a seven-novel original
space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...
series called ''
The Saga of Seven Suns''.
In 2014 he began publishing a sequel trilogy called ''
The Saga of Shadows''.
Anderson published four novels and two short stories in his ''
Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.'' series between 2012 and 2014.
In 2012, Anderson coauthored a novelization of ''
Clockwork Angels
''Clockwork Angels'' is the nineteenth and final studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on June 8, 2012, on Roadrunner Records. During the band's year-and-a-half break following its Snakes & Arrows Tour, the group decided to write ...
'', an album by the Canadian rock band
Rush, with Rush's drummer,
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...
. Anderson and Peart reunited in 2015 for a sequel, ''Clockwork Lives''.
WordFire Press

In 2011, Anderson and Moesta founded their own publishing imprint, WordFire Press, to reissue some of their
out-of-print books in paperback and/or
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
formats. They have subsequently published and reprinted works in various genres, including several out-of-print or previously unpublished novels by Frank Herbert.
In 2013, WordFire acquired the reprint rights to the works of
Allen Drury
Allen Stuart Drury (September 2, 1918 – September 2, 1998) was an American novelist. During World War II, he was a reporter in the Senate, closely observing Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, among others. He would convert the ...
, including his 1959
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning
political novel ''
Advise and Consent
''Advise and Consent'' is a 1959 political fiction novel by Allen Drury that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell, whose promotion is endangered due to growing evidence ...
''.
That novel, out of print for nearly 15 years, ranked #27 on the 2013
BookFinder.com list of the Top 100 Most Searched for Out of Print Books before WordFire reissued it in February 2014.
The company also reprinted ''Advise and Consent'' five
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s — ''
A Shade of Difference'' (1962), ''
Capable of Honor
''Capable of Honor'' is a 1966 political fiction, political novel written by Allen Drury. It is the second sequel to ''Advise and Consent'', for which Drury was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960.
''Capable of Honor'' examines the ...
'' (1966), ''
Preserve and Protect'' (1968), ''
Come Nineveh, Come Tyre'' (1973), and ''
The Promise of Joy'' (1975) — as well as Drury's later novels ''
Mark Coffin, U.S.S.'' (1979) and ''
Decision'' (1983).
WordFire released four previously unpublished novels by Frank Herbert, who died in 1986: ''
High-Opp
''High-Opp'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert, written between '' The Dragon in the Sea'' (1956) and ''Dune'' (1965), and published posthumously in 2012. It contains a foreword by Kevin J. Anderson, who co-authored m ...
'' (2012), ''
Angels' Fall'' (2013), ''
A Game of Authors'' (2013), and ''
A Thorn in the Bush'' (2014). Anderson announced these in his
blog
A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
.
WordFire also reissued several of Herbert's unavailable titles: ''
Destination: Void'' (1966), ''
The Heaven Makers'' (1968), ''
Soul Catcher'' (1972), ''
The Godmakers'' (1972), and ''
Direct Descent'' (1980) — as well as ''
Man of Two Worlds'' (1986), an out-of-print novel cowritten by Herbert and his son Brian.
WordFire also possesses non-US/Canadian e-book rights to some of Anderson's own collaborations with Brian Herbert, the ''
Prelude to Dune
The ''Dune'' prequel series is a sequence of novel trilogy, trilogies written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Set in the Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert, the novels take place in various time periods before and ...
'' trilogy (1999–2001), as well as Anderson's ''
Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.'' series of novels.
Awards, records and nominations
* ''Resurrection, Inc.'' (1988): Nominated for
Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel
* ''
Assemblers of Infinity'' with
Doug Beason (1993):
Nebula
A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...
and
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 ...
nominee
* ''Blindfold'' (1995): Preliminary
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 ...
nominee (1996)
* ''Ground Zero'' (1995): No. 1 on ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' best seller list and voted "Best Science Fiction Novel of 1995" by readers of ''
SFX''
* ''Ruins'' (1996):
''New York Times'' Best Seller list (first ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' novel to make the list) and voted the "Best Science Fiction Novel of 1996"
* ''
Young Jedi Knights'' series (1995–98): ''New York Times'' Best Sellers, winner of 1999
Golden Duck Award (middle grades) for excellence in science fiction
*
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
for "Largest Single Author Signing" (previously set by General
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...
and
Howard Stern)
* ''
The Dark Between the Stars'' (2014): Nominated for a
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 ...
.
Works
Anderson has published over 120 books, over 50 of which have been on US and international bestseller lists, and he has more than 23 million books in print worldwide.
References
External links
*
*
Kevin J. Anderson's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Kevin J.
1962 births
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
Living people
Novelists from Wisconsin
People from Monument, Colorado
People from Oregon, Wisconsin
Western State Colorado University faculty
Writers from Racine, Wisconsin