Jack L. Chalker
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Jack Lawrence Chalker (December 17, 1944 - February 11, 2005) was an American science fiction author. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he had a graduate degree in history from Johns Hopkins University and taught history at the high school level. He was a lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Institutes of Health, and numerous colleges and universities, mostly on science fiction and technology subjects. Chalker married Eva C. Whitley (http://www.evawhitley.net) in 1978; they had two sons, the first born named David W. Chalker (http://www.davechalker.com/) (born December 19th, 1981) and Steven L. Chalker (http://www.meteorologistlife.com/) (born September 4th, 1991). In 1967 Chalker founded the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and he was a 3-term treasurer of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.(SFWA)
On December 6, 2004 the doctor called and suggested Chalker should be rushed to the hospital because of leg pains and heavy breathing while walking. Chalker was later diagnosed with congestive heart failure on December 7, 2004. He was hospitalized in critical condition, upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deterioriating condition, and being transferred to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
The writers he liked to read included Eric Frank Russell. James White, some Phil Farmer, early Raymond F. Jones, early Heinlein, Jack Vance, and others too numerous to mention. From January 1965 to November 2004, he has only missed one WorldCon.
Chalker's awards include the Dedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo award twice. He was awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
He is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, but also wrote many other novels (most, but not all, part of series) and at least nine short stories. Many of his works involve some physical transformation of the main characters. For instance, in the Well World novels, immigrants to the Well World are transformed from their original form to become a member of one of the thousands of sentient species that inhabit that artificial planet. The Wonderland Gambit series resembles traditional Buddhist jataka-type reincarnation stories set in an SF environment. There are rumors that Wonderland Gambit might become a movie in a few years, because of an announcement made by Steven Chalker (http://www.meteorologistlife.com) about a script being made. At the time of his death, Chalker left one unfinished novel, Chameleon.
Chalker was also the co-author (with Mark Owings) of The Science Fantasy Publishers (1991, updated annually), published by Mirage Press, Ltd (http://www.miragepress.com). (Hugo Award nominee, 1992).
Bibliography
The Well of Souls series
- Midnight at the Well of Souls, Del Rey, 1977 (ISBN 0743435222)
- Exiles at the Well of Souls, Del Rey, 1978 (ISBN 0743436032)
- Quest for the Well of Souls, Del Rey, 1978
- The Return of Nathan Brazil, Del Rey, 1980 (ISBN 0345283678)
- Twilight at the Well of Souls, Del Rey, 1980 (ISBN 0345283686)
- The Sea is Full of Stars, December, 1999
- Ghost of the Well of Souls, 2000
The Watchers of the Well series
- Echoes of the Well of Souls, Del Rey, trade paperback, May, 1993
- Shadow of the Well of Souls, Del Rey Feb. 1994
- Gods of the Well of Souls, Del Rey, 1994
The Four Lords of the Diamond series
- Lilith: A Snake in the Grass, Del Rey, 1981
- Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold, Del Rey, 1982
- Charon: A Dragon at the Gate, Del Rey, 1982
- Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail, Del Rey, 1983
- The Four Lords of the Diamond, The Science Fiction Book Club (omnibus edition), 1983
The Dancing Gods series
- The River of Dancing Gods, Del Rey, 1984
- Demons of the Dancing Gods, Del Rey, 1984
- Vengeance of the Dancing Gods, Del Rey, July, 1985
- Songs of the Dancing Gods, Del Rey, August, 1990
- Horrors of the Dancing Gods, 1994
- The Dancing Gods: Part One, Del Rey, November, 1995
- The Dancing Gods II, Del Rey, September, 1996
The Soul Rider series
- Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Tor Books, 1984
- Empires of Flux and Anchor, Tor Books, 1984
- Masters of Flux and Anchor, Tor Books, January, 1985
- The Birth of Flux and Anchor, Tor Books, 1985
- Children of Flux and Anchor, Tor Books, September, 1986
The Rings of the Master series
- Lords of the Middle Dark
- Pirates of the Thunder, Del Rey Books, March, 1987
- Warriors of the Storm, Del Rey Books, August, 1987
- Masks of the Martyrs, Del Rey, February, 1988
The G.O.D. Inc series
- The Labyrinth of Dreams. Tor Books, March, 1987
- The Shadow Dancers, Tor Books, July, 1987
- The Maze in the Mirror, Tor Books, January, 1989
The Changewinds series
- When the Changewinds Blow, Ace - Putnams, September, 1987
- Riders of the Winds, Ace Books, May, 1988
- War of the Maelstrom, Ace - Putnams, October, 1988
The Quintara Marathon series
- The Demons at Rainbow Bridge, Ace-Putnam's, hardcover, September, 1989
- The Run to Chaos Keep, Ace - Putnams, May, 1991
- The Ninety Trillion Fausts (a.k.a. 90 Trillion Fausts), Ace - Putnams, October 1991
The Wonderland Gambit series
- The Cybernetic Walrus, Del Rey, trade pb in November, 1995
- The March Hare Network, 1996
- The Hot-Wired Dodo, Del Rey, Feb. 1997
The Three Kings series
- Balshazzar's Serpent, Baen Books 1999
- Melchior's Fire, Baen Books, 2001.
- Kaspar's Box, 2003
Stand-alone novels
- A Jungle of Stars, Ballantine, Del Rey, 1976 (ISBN 0345289609)
- The Web of the Chozen, Del Rey, 1978
- And the Devil Will Drag You Under, Del Rey, 1979
- A War of Shadows, Ace: An Analog Book, 1979
- Dancers in the Afterglow, Del Rey, 1979, 1982
- The Devil's Voyage, Doubleday, 1980
- The Identity Matrix, Timescape: Pocket Books, 1982
- Downtiming the Night Side, Tor Books, May, 1985
- The Messiah Choice, St. Martins - Blue Jay, May, 1985
- The Red Tape War (with Mike Resnick and George Alec Effinger). Tor hardcover, April, 1991
- Priam's Lens, Del Rey 1997
- The Moreau Factor, Del Rey Feb., 2000
- Chameleon (2004, unpublished)
Collection and anthology
- Dance Band on the Titanic, Del Rey Books, July, 1988 (short stories)
- Hotel Andromeda [edited by], Ace, 1994
Besides the short stories included in Dance Band on the Titanic, Chalker has written at least one other short story:
- "And Now Falls the Cold, Cold Night". Alternate Presidents, ed. Mike Resnick, Tor 1992.
Omnibus collections of novels
- The Watchers at the Well, Science Fiction Book Club, 1994
- Changewinds, Baen, August, 1996
External links
- Chalker's own website (http://www.jackchalker.com/)
- Jack's wife's website (http://www.evawhitley.net/) (LiveJournal (http://www.livejournal.com/users/evawhitley))
- Steven L. Chalker's weblog (http://www.meteorologistlife.com/)
- David W. Chalker's website (http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Dave/)