Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: More Human Than Human
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1966
WEBSITE: http://neil-clarke.com/
CITY:
STATE: NJ
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
Married with 2 children.
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1966; married; children: two sons.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, editor, and publisher. Wyrm Publishing (a science fiction publishing imprint), founder and owner.
MEMBER:Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
AWARDS:Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine (three-time recipient), World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Award, all for Clarkesworld magazine.
WRITINGS
“Best Science Fiction of the Year” series, Night Shade Books, editor; “Clarkesworld” series (with Sean Wallace), editor; Touchable Unreality, China Machine Press, 2017, editor. Editor of science fiction magazines, including Clarkesworld and Forever.
SIDELIGHTS
Neil Clarke is a prolific editor and publisher in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He is the editor and publisher the online magazine Clarkesworld, a publication that has been honored with both the Hugo Award of the World Science Fiction Society and the World Fantasy Award given at the World Fantasy Convention. The magazine has also won a British Fantasy Award and has been nominated for multiple Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. Clarke himself has been a six-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor-Short Form.
In addition to his editing work with Clarkesworld, Clarke also edits the digital magazine Forever. He has edited several anthologies, including multiple editions of the “Best Science Fiction of the Year” series, published by Night Shade Books. Clarke is the owner and publisher of Wyrm Publishing, a book imprint that has produced works by notable genre writers such as Gene Wolfe, Charles Stross, and Jeff VanderMeer.
Galactic Empires
Galactic Empires, edited by Clarke, ”collects stories centered on vast and expansive far-future societies,” noted Alan Keep in a Booklist review. The stories in the collection cover multiple aspects of life within a far-reaching galactic empire, including massive battles in space, stifling bureaucracies, and behind-the-scenes intrigue. In “A Cold Heart,” by Tobias S. Buckell, a society defies an alien race that tries to subjugate them. “Firstborn,” by Brandon Sanderson, concerns a young soldier whose only military ability seems to be to fail in major ways. Unexpectedly, this unwanted talent lets him achieve a spectacular victory. The inexorable movement of a strange force across the universe takes place over eons in “Utriusque Cosmi,” by Robert Charles Wilson.
A Publishers Weekly writer noted that the book’s “diverse array of stories ensures that there’s plenty of interest for any fan of largescale SF.”
More Human than Human
In More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity, Clarke offers a collection of stories that “challenge traditional notions of AI and how we might interact with it in the future,” commented Xpress Reviews contributor Matt Schirano. The best stories in the volume “use the tropes of androids and artificial intelligence for multifaceted interrogations of humanity and society,” observed a Publishers Weekly writer. Emotions run high in some stories, such as Rachel Swirsky’s “Grand Jete (The Great Leap),” in which a scientist creates an android double of his terminally ill daughter. In “Artifice,” by Naomi Kritzer, a woman takes a housekeeping robot as a boyfriend. Adam Christopher in “Brisk Money,” combines artificial intelligence with the hard-boiled detective genre.
Other stories examine religion in terms of AI, the ways in which AI defines humanity, and whether robots and androids themselves have needs that must be fulfilled. A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked, “Clarke has collected consistently excellent stories” in this volume.
Other volumes edited by Clarke include The Final Frontier: Stories of Exploring Space, Colonizing the Universe, and First Contact; War Machines; and Not One of Us.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January 1, 2017, Alan Keep, review of Galactic Empires, p. 53.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2017, review of More than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity.
Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2016, review of Galactic Empires, p. 37; October 2, 2017, review of More Human than Human, p. 121.
Xpress Reviews, December 8, 2017, Matt Schirano, review of More Human than Human.
ONLINE
Neil Clarke website, http://www.neil-clarke.com (June 3, 2018).
ABOUT
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Neil Clarke is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning editor and publisher. He is the owner of Wyrm Publishing and editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, Forever Magazine, and several anthologies, including the Best Science Fiction of the Year series for Night Shade Books.
BIOGRAPHY
Neil Clarke is best known as the editor and publisher of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine. Launched in October 2006, the online magazine has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine four times (winning three times), the World Fantasy Award four times (winning once), and the British Fantasy Award once (winning once). Neil is also a six-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor-Short Form. In the nearly twelve years that Clarkesworld Magazine has been around, numerous stories that Neil has published have gone on to win or have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, BSFA, Shirley Jackson, WSFA Small Press and Stoker Awards.
In 2012, Neil suffered a near-fatal heart attack while attending Readercon in Burlington, MA. The damage sustained in this incident later required that he undergo surgery for the implantation of a defibrillator. These events inspired both Upgraded, his 2014 cyborg anthology and his 2017 jump from his day job to become a full-time editor.
Additionally, Neil began editing Forever in 2015—a digital-only, reprint science fiction magazine. His career has since included helming The SFWA Bulletin (a non-fiction periodical published by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and he has edited both original and reprint anthologies. Titles include: Upgraded, Galactic Empires, Touchable Unreality, More Human than Human, and the Best Science Fiction of the Year series for Night Shade Books. His next anthology, The Final Frontier, will be published in July, and followed by Not One of Us in November.
He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
EDITING WORK
MAGAZINES
Clarkesworld Magazine (Editor/Publisher), 2006 –
Forever Magazine (Editor/Publisher), 2015 –
The SFWA Bulletin (Editor), 2016-
Berlin Quarterly (Guest Fiction Editor), Issue 4, 2016
ANTHOLOGIES
Clarkesworld: Year Three, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2013
Clarkesworld: Year Four, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2013
Clarkesworld: Year Five, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2013
Clarkesworld: Year Six, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2014
Upgraded, Wyrm Publishing, September 2014
Clarkesworld: Year Seven, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2015
Clarkesworld: Year Eight, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, February 2016
The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume One, Night Shade Books, June 2016
Galactic Empires, Night Shade Books, January 2017
The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume Two, Night Shade Books, 2017
More Human Than Human, Night Shade Books, 2017
Touchable Unreality, China Machine Press, 2017 (Published in China.)
The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume Three, Night Shade Books, 2018
The Final Frontier, Night Shade Books, 2018
Not One of Us, Night Shade Books, 2018
Clarkesworld: Year Nine.1, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2018
Clarkesworld: Year Nine.2, (with Sean Wallace), Wyrm Publishing, 2018
The Best of Clarkesworld, (with Sean Wallace), Prime Books, 2018
War Machines, Prime Books, 2018
The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume Four, Night Shade Books, 2019
PUBLISHING WORK
In addition to his work on Clarkesworld, through Wyrm Publishing, Neil has published books by Gene Wolfe, Charles Stross, Catherynne M. Valente and others. Wyrm also serves as the official publisher of the annual Clarkesworld anthologies.
Memorare by Gene Wolfe (signed limited)
Shriek: An Afterward by Jeff VanderMeer (signed limited)
Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias S. Buckell (signed limited)
Toast by Charles Stross (signed limited)
Unplugged edited by Rich Horton (trade paperback)
Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente (ebook)
Myths of Origin by Catherynne M. Valente (trade paperback, ebook)
Dream Houses by Genevieve Valentine (ebook)
Upgraded edited by Neil Clarke (trade paperback, ebook)
Clarkesworld Anthologies: Realms 1, 2, Clarkesworld: Year Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine (volume one) (trade paperback, ebook)
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Print Marked Items
More Human than Human: Stories of
Androids, Robots, and Manufactured
Humanity
Publishers Weekly.
264.40 (Oct. 2, 2017): p121.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity
Edited by Neil Clarke. Night Shade, $17.99
trade paper (672p) ISBN 978-1-59780-914-6
The best of the stories gathered here by five-time Hugo nominee Clarke (founder and editor of
Clarkesworld magazine) use the tropes of androids and artificial intelligence for multifaceted interrogations
of humanity and society. Some are heart-wrenching, such as Rachel Swirsky's Coppelia-like "Grand Jete
(The Great Leap)," in which an inventor creates an android replica of his dying daughter. Others are
humorous: Robert Reed's steampunk "American Cheetah" features a coal-snorting Abraham Lincoln
automaton, and in Naomi Kritzer's "Artifice," a housekeeping robot becomes a character's latest
questionable boyfriend. Adam Christopher's "Brisk Money" is a hard-boiled detective story with an AI
twist. Poetic sensibilities dominate in the rich, dreamlike imagery of Catherynne M. Valente's "Silently and
Very Fast" and Xia Jia's haunting "A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight." The stories by Swirsky, Robert B.
Finegold, and Lavie Tidhar make reference to Judaism, and Islam features in Fadzlishah Johanabas's "Act
of Faith." Contemporary issues of labor and immigration are explored in Ken Liu's "The Caretaker." The
weakest stories are those that lean toward didacticism, but even those are enjoyable and detract little from
the overall high quality of this anthology. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity." Publishers Weekly,
2 Oct. 2017, p. 121. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509728441/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=db2c4f77. Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509728441
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Clarke, Neil: MORE HUMAN THAN
HUMAN
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Clarke, Neil MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN Night Shade (Adult Fiction) $17.99 11, 7 ISBN: 978-1-
59780-914-6
Clarke, the publisher of Clarkesworld magazine, compiles 27 tales of artificial humans and what we see of
ourselves in them.Well-known SF authors grace this collection of androids and AI. Elizabeth Bear's "Dolly"
kicks things off with a murder and a question: can an object--a sexbot--defend itself against rape? Asked
another way, can it be guilty of a crime? The many conceivable roles for which we might create imitation
humans are explored well: from Dolly's fantasy French maid to a perfect boyfriend (Naomi Kritzer's
touching "Artifice") or boyfriends (Sandra McDonald's "Seven Sexy Cowboy Robots," a hilarious romp);
soldiers to fight our wars (Karin Lowachee's poignant "A Good Home"); replacements for those we've lost
(Rachel Swirsky's complex "Grande Jete," Genevieve Valentine's carefully painful "Small Medicine," and
Martin L. Shoemaker's "Today I Am Paul," which is quietly sad); public relations (John Barnes' optimistic
"The Birds and the Bees and the Gasoline Trees," Robert Reed's philosophical steampunk "American
Cheetah"); and, in several stories, our caregivers, tasked to aid the ones we don't have time for (Fadzlishah
Johanabas' compelling "Act of Faith," Ken Liu's sly "The Caretaker," Sue Lange's "We, Robots," which
deftly swerves between wry and tragic; Brenda Cooper's intriguing "The Robot's Girl"). Our needs create
these beings, but what are their needs? How do they relate to us, and themselves? How do creator and
created make peace with each other? Religious allegories are inevitable, and three stories offer a Jewish
perspective on these updated golems (Robert B. Finegold's "And the Ends of the Earth for Thy Possession,"
Lavie Tidhar's "The Old Dispensation," and "Grande Jete"), while other faiths and cultures receive less, but
well-executed, attention. Cory Doctorow, Catherynne M. Valente, Jeff Vandermeer, and many other gifted
authors also feature; Clarke has collected consistently excellent stories. A top-notch selection of imaginative
and thought-provoking stories about AI, reinventing old tropes and making us revisit the eternal question of
what it is to be human.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Clarke, Neil: MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502192309/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=62332696.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502192309
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Galactic Empires
Alan Keep
Booklist.
113.9-10 (Jan. 1, 2017): p53.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Galactic Empires. Ed. by Neil Clarke. Jan. 2017.636p. Night Shade, $17.99 (9781597808842).
This anthology, assembled by the publisher and editor of Clarkesworld magazine, collects stories centered
on vast and expansive far-future societies. Although some of the stories do feature futuristic civilizations
with seemingly feudal political structures, others depict civilizations that are only imperial in the sense of
their wide and expansive scope. All of the stories featured in the collection are reprints, many of them from
previous anthologies of space-opera or far-future sf stories, with the rest taken from various magazines
(including Clarkesworld). Highlights include entries from established names, such as Ian McDonald's
"Verthandi's Ring" and Greg Egan's "Riding the Crocodile," as well as entries from relatively newer
authors, such as Gwendolyn Clare's "All the Painted Stars," Aliette de Bodard's "The Waiting Stars," and
Yoon Ha Lee's "Ghostweight." The stories vary in tone from introspective to breezy and in content from
speculative far futures to more traditional space-opera action, making this collection a definite
recommendation to any reader looking for a wide range of engaging and enjoyable reading experiences.--
Alan Keep
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Keep, Alan. "Galactic Empires." Booklist, 1 Jan. 2017, p. 53. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A479078024/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cbd22d76.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479078024
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Galactic Empires
Publishers Weekly.
263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p37.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Galactic Empires
Edited by Neil Clarke. Night Shade, $17.99 trade paper (636p) ISBN 978-1-59780-884-2
This hefty anthology of imperial SF covers great space battles, small dramas within an empire, hopeless
bureaucracy, and even living space stations, zooming in and out to capture every nuance as protagonists
return a lost princess of the empire (Melinda M. Snodgrass's "The Wayfarer's Advice") or rebel against
subjugating aliens (Tobias S. Buckell's "A Cold Heart"). Some stories truly span empires. Brandon
Sanderson's "Firstborn" tells the story of a young man whose only military talent seems to be an uncanny
ability to fail spectacularly, and how he uses this weakness to defeat the greatest military strategist the
galaxy has ever known. Robert Charles Wilson's "Utriusque Cosmi" spans eons as a strange force sweeps
over the entire universe. Others have a more intimate scope. Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "The Impossibles"
deals with a single case in an interspecies court and what loss or victory might mean to an overworked
lawyer. In Ruth Nestvold's "Looking Through Lace," a linguist immerses herself in trying to understand a
mysterious culture. The diverse array of stories ensures that there's plenty of interest for any fan of largescale
SF. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Galactic Empires." Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov. 2016, p. 37. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A473458990/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a9965204.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473458990
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More Human than Human: Stories of
Androids, Robots, and Manufactured
Humanity
Matt Schirano
Xpress Reviews.
(Dec. 8, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
Full Text:
More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity. Night Shade:
Skyhorse. Nov. 2017. 672p. ed. by Neil Clarke. ISBN 9781597809146. pap. $17.99; ebk. ISBN
9781597806183. SF
The central theme of this anthology is artificial intelligence (AI), which, it turns out, is a very broad term
when interpreted by the prominent sf authors selected here. The strength of this book lies in the original and
creative ways that writers like Jeff Vandermeer, Cory Doctorow, Catherynne M. Valente, and Elizabeth Bear
tackle important issues surrounding AI. You won't find slow, clunky robots clambering after petrified
humans; instead, the collection features emotionally compelling and intellectually engaging stories that
challenge traditional notions of AI and how we might interact with it in the future. Even as someone who
reads in this genre often, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected ways the theme of
artificial intelligence was integrated into these pieces.
Verdict Appropriate for young adult readers and up, with minimal violence and sexual content. Sf
aficionados will want to add this volume to their reading list as it features many recognizable authors and a
slew of captivating stories.--Matt Schirano, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., CT
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Schirano, Matt. "More Human than Human: Stories of Androids, Robots, and Manufactured Humanity."
Xpress Reviews, 8 Dec. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A521592689/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=df912802.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A521592689