Ken MacLeod

(1954 –)

Ken MacLeod, a Scottish pro, was an SF fan when growing up, and has been a full-time writer since 1997. His first SF novel was The Star Fraction (1995). His "Fall Revolution" sequence consists of four linked but independent SF novels. In addition The Star Fraction, others in the sequence are The Stone Canal (1996), The Cassini Division (1998), and The Sky Road (1999).

Cydonia (1998) is a young adult novel in "The Web" shared-world series; and the three novels in his "Engines of Light" series, Cosmonaut Keep (2000), Dark Light (2001), and Engine City (2002), are space operas based on interplanetary politics.

A witty, offbeat novella, The Human Front [with an introduction by Iain M. Banks was published in a limited edition in 2001 and won the Sidewise Award.

The Light Ages, a fantasy novel set in a parallel England where the discovery of "aether" has changed the world by bringing about the Third Age of Industry, appeared in 2003. The standalone novel Newton's Wake, a far future space opera concerning space settlers and AI war machines, appeared in 2004, both in U.S. and U.K. editions. Learning the World (2005), The Restoration Game (2010), Intrusion (2012), and Descent are his more recent novels.

MacLeod was born on Stornoway, Isle of Lewis in Fife, Scotland. He was educated at Glasgow University (BSc, zoology) and at Brunel University (MPhil). MacLeod grew up on the Isle of Lewis and in Green, Scotland, went to high school with Iain M. Banks, and worked at a variety of manual and clerical jobs while completing his education. He also carried out research in biomechanics at Brunel University, and later worked as a computer analyst and programmer.

• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
• Interviews in the Spring/Summer issue of the fanzine Nova Express and in the October, 2000, issue (#477) of Locus ("Morality, Mortality, Mentality") and the September, 2006, issue of Locus ("Politics & SF").
• Website.

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1996 -- Prometheus Awards
• 1998 -- ArmadaCon X, Prometheus Awards, BSFA Award
• 1999 -- Albacon '98
• 2000 -- Finncon 2000, plokta.con 1.0, ESFS Award, Best Novel Hugo nominee
• 2001 -- Minicon 36, 2001: A Celebration of British Science Fiction, Sidewise Award
• 2002 -- MeCon V, Best Novel Hugo nominee
• 2003 -- Upsala SF-möte X
• 2005 -- Paragon 2, Seiun Award
• 2006 -- Boskone 43, Novacon 36, Prometheus Award, Norcon 20, Best Novel Hugo nominee
• 2007 -- Picocon 24, Satellite 1, BSFA Award
• 2008 -- Octocon 2008, Swancon 2008, Best Short Story Hugo nominee
• 2016 -- Fantasticon
• 2017 -- Boskone 54 (NESFA Press Guest)
• 2024 -- Glasgow 2024

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Person

1954—

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