Peter Watts (author): Difference between revisions

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** http://www.rifters.com/real/newscrawl_2007.htm – old weblog
** http://www.rifters.com/real/newscrawl_2007.htm – old weblog
** http://www.rifters.com/crawl – new weblog
** http://www.rifters.com/crawl – new weblog
* http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=348936790393 Support group regarding arrest and beating
* [http://trashotron.com/agony/columns/2004/07-06-04.htm 2004 Interview at The Agony Column]
* [http://trashotron.com/agony/columns/2004/07-06-04.htm 2004 Interview at The Agony Column]
* [http://www.sfdiplomat.net/sf_diplomat/2007/02/interview_peter.html 2007 interview] at SF Diplomat
* [http://www.sfdiplomat.net/sf_diplomat/2007/02/interview_peter.html 2007 interview] at SF Diplomat

Revision as of 13:30, 19 December 2009

This article is about the science fiction author. For the Mott the Hoople bassist, see Peter Watts (musician). For the character on from the television series Millennium, see Peter Watts (Millennium).

Peter Watts is a Canadian science fiction author and marine-mammal biologist.

His first novel Starfish (2000) introduced Lenie Clarke, a deep-ocean power-station worker physically altered for underwater living and the main character in the sequels: Maelstrom (2001), Behemoth: β-Max (2004) and Behemoth: Seppuku (2005). The last two volumes comprise one novel, published split in two for commercial considerations.[1] Starfish, Maelstrom and Behemoth comprise a trilogy usually referred to as "Rifters" after the modified humans designed to work in deep-ocean environments.

His latest book, Blindsight, was released in October 2006 and was nominated for a Hugo Award. The novel has been described by Charles Stross thus: "Imagine a neurobiology-obsessed version of Greg Egan writing a first contact with aliens story from the point of view of a zombie posthuman crewman aboard a starship captained by a vampire, with not dying as the boobie prize."[2] Watts is currently writing two novels: Sunflowers[3][4] and State of Grace, a "sidequel" about what happened on Earth during Blindsight.[5]

Watts has made his novels and some short fiction available on his website under Creative Commons licence. He believes that doing so has "actually saved [his] career outright, by rescuing Blindsight from the oblivion to which it would have otherwise been doomed."[6]

In addition to his novels and short stories, Watts has also worked in other media. He was the Supervising Writer on the animated science fiction film and television project Strange Frame. He also worked briefly with Relic Entertainment on one of the early drafts of the story that would eventually, years later, become Homeworld 2. However, the draft Watts worked on bears little resemblance to the one used for the released game. More recently, he has been recruited[7] by Crytek as a writer and art consultant on Crysis 2. Technological elements from Blindsight have been referenced in the fictional Crysis 2 "Nanosuit Brochure".[8]

Bibliography

Novels

Collections

  • Ten Monkeys, Ten Minutes (2000)

Short stories

  • A Niche (1990)
  • Nimbus (1994)
  • Flesh Made Word (1994)
  • Fractals (1995)
  • Bethlehem (1996)
  • The Second Coming of Jasmine Fitzgerald (1998)
  • Home (1999)
  • Bulk Food (2000) with Laurie Channer
  • Ambassador (2001)
  • A Word for Heathens (2004)
  • Mayfly (2005) with Derryl Murphy
  • Repeating the Past (2007)
  • The Eyes of God (2008)
  • The Island (2009)

Awards

The novel Blindsight was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel of 2007 (official announcement) and was longlisted (on the preliminary ballot) for the Nebula Award in January 2008 (preliminary ballot).

His short story "A Niche" tied with "Breaking Ball" by Michael Skeet for the Aurora Award in 1992.

Detention by US border guards

In December of 2009, Watts was detained at the US/Canadian border by American border guards performing a random search of the vehicle as he was attempting to re-enter Canada after visiting friends. Watts is alleged to have assaulted a Customs Officer after refusing a direction to return to his vehicle. Watts was reported to have been verbally abusive towards the US CBP Officers prior to choking one of the Officers. Watts was turned over to local authorities to face charges; he was subsequently released, but remains charged with assaulting an officer. According to Watts he was assaulted, punched in the face, pepper-sprayed and thrown in jail for the night. [9] [10][11]

Watts' report on the incident, published in his blog, has gone viral on the internet and the matter has since become somewhat controversial. The one thing clearly agreed upon by both Watts and the border guards is that Watts got out of the car and refused to return to it when told to. The one thing known at this time is that the matter has been turned over to the courts.

Notes

  1. ^ The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > Chronicle: Science Fiction: Across the Universe
  2. ^ http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/296494.html?thread=2957102
  3. ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/01/stop-me-if-youve-heard-this-one-before.html
  4. ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/01/farewell-to-gerbils.html
  5. ^ http://rifters.com/real/2008/02/petepourri.html
  6. ^ http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=213
  7. ^ http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=557
  8. ^ Nanosuit Brochure (page 7)
  9. ^ http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=932
  10. ^ Writer faces assault charge
  11. ^ "War of words ends in author's arrest at border - Toronto science fiction writer accused of assault following `altercation' at U.S. border crossing"

External links

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