Sheri Stewart Tepper (July 16, 1929 – October 22, 2016) was an American writer of science fiction, horror and mystery novels. She is primarily known for her feminist science fiction, which explored themes of sociology, gender and equality, as well as theology and ecology. Often referred to as an eco-feminist of science fiction literature, Tepper personally preferred the label eco-humanist. Some of her novels fall into the category of climate fiction, in which the changing environment of a planet affects the life of its colonists (or vice versa) in the form of a mystery to be solved; examples include Grass (1989), Beauty (1991), A Plague of Angels (1993), The Family Tree (1997), Six Moon Dance (1998), and Singer from the Sea (1999). Though the majority of her works operate in a world of fantastical imagery and metaphor, at the heart of her writing is real-world injustice and pain. She employed several pen names during her lifetime, including A. J. Orde, E. E. Horlak, and B. J. Oliphant.
Biography She was born Shirley Stewart Douglas near Littleton, Colorado. As a child, she read science fiction and fantasy by A. Merritt and C. S. Lewis, as well as Frank Baum's 'Oz' books, William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land and Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright. She later commented, "These were the books I went back to again and again."
Tepper recalled that she "spent ten years ... working all kinds of different jobs" as a single mother of two. This included time working as a clerical assistant for the international relief agency, CARE. From 1962 to 1986, she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, eventually as its executive director.
She wrote poetry and children's stories as Sheri S. Eberhart, then took a break from writing. She published her first novels after she turned 50.
By the mid-1980s, she was publishing science fiction novels, including The Revenants (1984), and the books of the True Game series, including King's Blood Four (1983), Necromancer Nine (1983), and Wizard's Eleven (1984). Other related works followed, including her ecofeminist novels The Gate to Women's Country (1988) and Grass (1989), which were part of the Arbai Trilogy. Later novels in the 1990s and 2000s included Beauty (1991), which won a Locus Award; Shadow's End (1994); The Family Tree (1997); Six Moon Dance (1998); Singer from the Sea (1999); The Visitor (2002); The Companions (2003); and The Margarets (2007).
As of 1998, she operated a guest ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. That year saw her first and possibly only appearance at a science fiction convention, when she was Guest of Honor at the 25th WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention held annually in Madison, Wisconsin.
In November 2015, Tepper received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Her fantasy novel Beauty won a Locus Award in 1992.
Personal life Tepper married in her 20s and had two children. In the late 1960s, about 10 years after her divorce, she was married to Gene Tepper.
She died on October 22, 2016 at age 87.
Awards Work Year & Award Category Result2015 World Fantasy AwardLife AchievementKing's Blood Four1984 Locus AwardsFirst NovelThe Song of Mavin Manyshaped1986 Locus AwardsFantasy NovelMarianne, the Magus, and the Manticore1986 Locus AwardsFantasy NovelJinian Star-Eye1987 Locus AwardsFantasy NovelThe Awakeners1988 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelAfter Long Silence1988 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelThe Gate to Women's Country1989 Locus AwardsScience Fiction Novel"The Gardener" (Night Visions 6)1989 World Fantasy AwardsNovellaMarianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse1990 Locus AwardsFantasy NovelGrass1990 Hugo AwardsNovel1990 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelRaising the Stones1991 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelBeauty1992 Locus AwardsFantasy NovelSideshow1993 John W. Campbell Memorial Award2nd place1993 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelA Plague of Angels1994 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardlong list1994 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelShadow's End1995 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardlong list1995 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelGibbon's Decline and Fall1997 Arthur C. Clarke Awardshortlist1997 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardlong list1997 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelThe Family Tree1998 Arthur C. Clarke Awardshortlist1998 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelSix Moon Dance1999 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardlong list1999 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelSinger from the Sea 2000 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardlong list2000 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelThe Fresco2002 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardshort list2001 John W. Campbell Memorial Awardthird place2001 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelThe Visitor2003 John W. Campbell Memorial Awardfinalist2003 Locus AwardsScience Fiction NovelThe Companions2004 John W. Campbell Memorial AwardfinalistThe Margarets2009 Arthur C. Clarke Awardshortlist2008 James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Awardhonor list2008 John W. Campbell Memorial AwardfinalistThe Waters Rising2012 Arthur C. Clarke Awardshortlist2011 John W. Campbell Memorial Awardfinalist Source:
Works Novels Series The True Game (a trilogy of trilogies) The Peter series was the first published. The Mavin series takes place earlier. The Jinian series takes place during and after the same time period as the Peter series, often giving a different perspective on the same events. This series has a crossover with the Plague of Angels series. The Books of the True Game: Peter King's Blood Four (Ace Books, 1983) (first novel) Necromancer Nine (Ace Books, 1983) Wizard's Eleven (Ace Books, 1984) The True Game (omnibus edition) (1985) The Books of the True Game: Mavin Manyshaped The Song of Mavin Manyshaped (Ace Books, 1985) The Flight of Mavin Manyshaped (Ace Books, 1985) The Search of Mavin Manyshaped (Ace Books, 1985) The Chronicles of Mavin Manyshaped (omnibus edition) (1985) The Books of the True Game: Jinian Jinian Footseer (Tor Books, 1985) Dervish Daughter (Tor Books, 1986) Jinian Star-Eye (Tor Books, 1986) The End of the Game (omnibus edition) The Marianne Trilogy Marianne, the Magus, and the Manticore (Ace Books, 1985) Marianne, the Madame, and the Momentary Gods (Ace Books, 1988) Marianne, the Matchbox, and the Malachite Mouse (Ace Books, 1989) The Marianne Trilogy (omnibus edition) Ettison Duo, featuring Badger Ettison Blood Heritage (Tor Books, 1986) The Bones (Tor Books, 1987) The Awakeners: Northshore (Tor Books, 1987) Southshore (Tor Books, 1987) The Awakeners (omnibus edition, 1989. A later omnibus edition erroneously claims to be first) Plague of Angels: A Plague of Angels (Bantam, 1993) The Waters Rising (Eos, 2010) - Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 2010 Fish Tails (2014), a crossover into the True Game series The Arbai Trilogy Grass (Doubleday, 1989) – Hugo and Locus Awards nominee, 1990 Raising the Stones (Doubleday, 1990) Sideshow (Doubleday, 1992) – John W. Campbell Award nominee, 1993
Non-series The Revenants (Berkley Publishing, 1984) After Long Silence (1987) (UK: The Enigma Score, 1989) The Gate to Women's Country (1988) Beauty (Doubleday, 1991; revised UK edition is author's preferred text) – Winner, Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1992 Shadow's End (1994) Gibbon's Decline & Fall (1996) – Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 1997 The Family Tree (1997) – Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 1998 Six Moon Dance (1998) Singer from the Sea (1999) The Fresco (2000) – John W. Campbell Memorial Award nominee, 2001 The Visitor (2002) – John W. Campbell Memorial Award nominee, 2003 The Companions (2003) – John W. Campbell Memorial Award nominee, 2004 The Margarets (released June 1, 2007 by Eos) – John W. Campbell Memorial Award nominee, 2008; Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 2009
Short works "The Gardener" (novella) in Night Visions 6. Released as The Bone Yard (1988) in mass market. Collaboration with F. Paul Wilson and Ray Garton. World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction finalist (1989) "Someone Like You" in The Further Adventures of the Joker (ed. Martin Greenberg) (1990) The "Crazy" Carol Stories "The Gazebo" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1990 "Raccoon Music" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1991 "The Gourmet" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 1991
Poetry "Extraterrestrial Trilogue on Terran Self-Destruction" in Galaxy, August 1961 (as Sheri S. Eberhart) "Lullaby, 1990" in Galaxy, December 1963 (as Sheri S. Eberhart) "Ballad of the Interstellar Merchants" in Galaxy, December 1964 (as Sheri S. Eberhart)
Essays/articles Educational pamphlets for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood:
The People Know (1968) The Perils of Puberty (1974) The Problem with Puberty (1976) This Is You (1977) So Your Happily Ever After Isn't (1977) The Great Orgasm Robbery (1977) So You Don't Want to Be a Sex Object (1978)
Pseudonymous works as E. E. Horlak (horror): Still Life (Bantam, 1987/1988) as B. J. Oliphant (mystery): Shirley McClintock Mysteries, featuring a Colorado rancher and former Washington, DC "advisor": Dead in the Scrub (1990) The Unexpected Corpse (1990) Deservedly Dead (1992) Death and the Delinquent (1993) Death Served Up Cold (1994) A Ceremonial Death (1996) Here's to the Newly Dead (1997) as A. J. Orde (mystery): The Jason Lynx Mysteries, featuring a Colorado antiques dealer and his significant other, a female cop: A Little Neighborhood Murder: A Jason Lynx Novel (1989) Death and the Dogwalker: A Jason Lynx Novel (1990) Death for Old Time's Sake: A Jason Lynx Novel (1992) Looking for the Aardvark (1993) (also published in paperback as Dead on Sunday, 1994) A Long Time Dead (Fawcett, 1994) A Death of Innocents: A Jason Lynx Novel (1996, 1997)
References
External links