UNITED STATES AUTHOR · SCIENCE FICTION · FICTION
A. E. van Vogt
Also known as: Alfred Elton van Vogt, A. E. Van Vogt
Alfred Elton van Vogt was born on a farm in Edenburg, a Russian Mennonite community east of Gretna, Manitoba. Early in his career he wrote for true confession pulp magazines like True Story, but in the late 1930s he began writing science fiction, which he was more interested in. His first published SF story, "Black Destroyer" was published in 1939, and is considered to be one of the first works of the Golden Age of science fiction. In 1941 he left his job at the Department of National Defence to become a full-time writer, and he went on to write a large number of short stories. In 1944 he moved to Hollywood, California. In the 1950s he briefly became involved in L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics projects. Although he left Dianetics, he claimed that Hubbard's followers continued to harass him, and he stopped writing for a few years. In the 1960s Frederik Pohl convinced him to start writing again, and he wrote novels (as opposed to short stories that were later developed into novels) until his death in 2000.
His mother's hand felt cold, clutching his.
— from SLAN
Most acclaimed
The Weapon Shops of Isher
Involved in a peculiar paradox of time, McAllister a 20th century reporter finds himself 7000 years in the future when the Isher empire is dominated by the empress Innelda, a mere pawn in the economics of her own civilization. McAllisters arrival sets off a chain of events which destine him for a complex fate.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
2008
One of the great original classics of modern SF returns! An all-time classic space saga, The Voyage of the Space Beagle is one of the pinnacles of Golden Age SF, an influence on generations of stories. An episodic novel filled with surprises and provocative ideas, this is the story of a great exploration ship sent out into the unknown reaches of space on a long mission of discovery. They encounter several terrifying alien species, including the Ix, who lay their eggs in human bodies, which then devour the humans from within when they hatch. This is one of the most entertaining and gripping stories in all of classic SF.
Renaissance
DESTINYMyths lead Annja Creed to France, where the terrifying legend of the Beast of Gevaudan hints at the unimaginable. What she discovers is shattering: an artifact that will seal her destiny; monks willing to murder to protect their secret; and a powerful black-market occultist desperate to claim centuries-old blood money.SOLOMON'S JARRumors of Solomon's Jar, in which King Solomon bound demons after using them to build his temple, are followed with interest by Annja. Her search for the truth leads to a cult driven by visions of a new world order and Annja embarks on a relentless chase to stop humanity's most unfathomable secrets from reshaping the world.THE SPIDER STONEIn the remains of an Underground Railroad tunnel, a strange stone reveals a dark secret of Africa's ancient past. Intrigued, Annja opens a door to a legend bound by a terrible force. Her odyssey into the Senegalese jungle becomes a race to stop those eager to unleash the virulence of the Spider God.