Brad R. Torgersen Explained

Brad R. Torgersen
Birth Date:	6 April 1974
Occupation:	Author
Period:	1992–present
Genre:	Science fiction

Brad R. Torgersen (born April 6, 1974) is an American science fiction author whose short stories regularly appear in various anthologies and magazines, including Analog Science Fiction and Fact and Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Torgersen's stories have won the Analog AnLab readers' choice award three different times, and he was a triple finalist in 2012 for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the Hugo Award for best novelette, and the Nebula Award for best novelette. In addition to short fiction, Torgersen has two published novels, including the 2019 Dragon Award winner, A Star-Wheeled Sky. The Who's Who page for Analog magazine lists him as one of the "leading writers in the genre".^[1]

In 2015 Torgensen took charge of the Sad Puppies movement, an unsuccessful annual attempt to win awards for a slate of nominees against alleged unfair bias in the voting in the Hugo Awards. He was replaced the following campaign.^{[2] [3]}

Career

Writing

Torgersen was born April 6, 1974.^{[4] [5]} His first public credit was as an unpaid script writer for locally-produced space opera serial Searcher & Stallion, which broadcast on Salt Lake City community radio KRCL FM in the early 1990s.^[6] "Footprints" was published in North Seattle Community College's 2002 Licton Springs Review.^[7]

In 2009, his story "Exanastasis" won third place in the third quarter Writers of the Future contest.^[8] Torgersen's first professional sale occurred shortly thereafter, when editor Stanley Schmidt bought Torgersen's novelette "Outbound" for Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and the story was selected in the Analog AnLab readers' poll for Best Novelette for 2010.^[9] His novelette "Ray of Light" was the cover story on the December 2011 issue of Analog and was nominated for both the Nebula Award^[10] and the Hugo Award.^[11] He was also nominated for the 2012 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Torgersen received two nominations for the 2014 Hugo Awards: for the novella "The Chaplain's Legacy" and the novelette "The Exchange Officers".^[12] "The Chaplain's Legacy" also won the 2014 AML Award for Short Fiction. The Chaplain's War, published by Baen Books in October 2014, took his Analog stories "The Chaplain's Assistant" and the AnLab-winning "The Chaplain's Legacy" and expanded them into a fix-up novel.^[13] During the 2015 Hugo nomination and voting period, Torgersen led the Sad Puppies movement,^[14] which claimed that popular works were often unfairly passed over by Hugo voters in favor of more literary works, or stories with progressive political themes.^{[15] [16]}

He won his third Analog AnLab readers' choice award for the novelette "Life Flight".^[17] In December 2018, Baen published A Star-Wheeled Sky, which won the 2019 Dragon Award for "Best Science Fiction Novel". In February 2020 Brad was the Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the 38th annual Life, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium.^[18]

US Army Reserve

Torgersen was a chief warrant officer in the United States Army Reserve.^[19]

Works

Series

The Chaplain's War

• The Chaplain's War (October 2014, Baen Books,), a fix-up novel incorporating these stories:
  • "The Chaplain's Assistant" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Stanley Schmidt (September 2011, Dell Magazines)
  • "The Chaplain's Legacy" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Trevor Quachri (July 2013, Dell Magazines)

The Nemesis

A serial space opera story on the Searcher & Stallion radio drama show on KRCL FM.^[6]

1. "The Beginning" (October 1992)
2. "The Preparation" (October 1992)
3. "Time for Action" (October 1992)
4. "A Trap is Sprung" (November 1992)
5. "Times of Conquest" (November 1992)
6. "Retaliate and Escape" (November 1992)
7. "The Price of Freedom" (December 1992)
8. "Fight or Flight" (December 1992)
9. "On the Move" (December 1992)
10. "Desperation" (December 1992)
11. "Return to Center" (January 1993)
12. "Battle to the Last" (January 1993)

Waywork Universe

• "Axabrast", short fiction published on the Baen Books website in November 2018^[20]
• A Star-Wheeled Sky (novel, December 2018, Baen Books,)

Zenophobia Saga

This series is written with Craig Martelle.

1. Heretic (December 2021, CMI,)
2. Messenger (December 2021, CMI,)
3. Extremist (January 2022, CMI,)

Collections

• Lights in the Deep (August 2013, WordFire Press,)
• Racers of the Night (August 2014, WordFire Press,)

Anthologies

These are anthologies edited or co-edited by Torgersen.

• Red Tide co-authored with Larry Niven and Matthew J. Harrington (October 2014, Phoenix Pick,)

Short stories

• "Footprints" in Licton Springs Review (Spring 2002)
• "Exanastasis" in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume XXVI edited by K. D. Wentworth (October 2010, Galaxy Press,)
• "Outbound" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Stanley Schmidt (November 2010, Dell Magazines)
• "Exiles of Eden" in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show #22 edited by Edmund R. Schubert (April 2011)
• "The Bullfrog Radio Astronomy Project" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Stanley Schmidt (October 2011, Dell Magazines)
• "Ray of Light" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Stanley Schmidt (November 2011, Dell Magazines)
• "The Ascent" with Mike Resnick in Tales from the Fathomless Abyss edited by Philip Athans (December 2011, Athans & Associates Creative Consulting)
• "Sheep Dog" in The Gruff Variations: Writing for Charity Anthology, Vol. 1 edited by Eric James Stone (March 2012, Writing for Charity)
• "Guard Dog" with Mike Resnick in Space Battles edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (April 2012, Flying Pen Press,)
• "The Curse of Sally Tincakes" in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show #28 edited by Edmund R. Schubert (May 2012)
• "Peacekeeper" with Mike Resnick in The Mammoth Book of SF Wars edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates (May 2012, Robinson,)
• "Strobe Effect" with Alastair Mayer in Analog Science Fiction and Fact (November 2012, Dell Magazines)
• "The Shadows of Titan" with Carter Reid in Space Eldritch edited by Nathan Shumate (December 2012, Cold Fusion Media,)
• "The Exchange Officers" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Stanley Schmidt (January 2013, Dell Magazines)
• "The Bricks of Eta Cassiopeiae" in Beyond the Sun edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (August 2013, Fairwood Press,)
• "Gemini 17" in Lights in the Deep (August 2013, WordFire Press,)
• "Guardian of the Headwaters" in The Crimson Pact: Volume 5 edited by Paul Genesse (August 2013, Iron Dragon Books,)
• "Reardon's Law" in Five by Five 2: No Surrender edited by Kevin J. Anderson (August 2013, WordFire Press,)
• "The Hideki Line" in Spark: A Creative Anthology, Volume IV edited by Brian Lewis (January 2014, Empire & Great Jones Little Press,)
• "Picket Ship" in Baen Books: Free Stories 2014 (January 2014, Baen Books)
• "Life Flight" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Trevor Quachri (March 2014, Dell Magazines)
• "The Nechronomator" in Galaxy's Edge Issue 7 edited by Mike Resnick (March 2014, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick,)
• "Astronaut Nick" in A Fantastic Holiday Season: The Gift of Stories edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Keith J. Olexa (July 2014, WordFire Press,)
• "Blood and Mirrors" in Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories edited by Brad R. Torgersen (August 2014, WordFire Press,)
• "Peacekeeper" in Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories edited by Brad R. Torgersen (August 2014, WordFire Press,)
• "Recapturing the Dream" in Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories edited by Brad R. Torgersen (August 2014, WordFire Press,)
• "The Flamingo Girl" in Racers of the Night: Science Fiction Stories edited by Brad R. Torgersen (August 2014, WordFire Press,)
• "The General's Guard" in Riding the Red Horse edited by Tom Kratman and Vox Day (December 2014, Castalia House)
• "Sparky the Dog" in Red Tide edited by Larry Niven, Brad R. Torgersen, and Matthew J. Harrington (October 2014, Phoenix Pick,)
• "Gyre" in Galaxy's Edge Issue 13 edited by Mike Resnick (March 2015, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick,)
• "The Ghost Conductor of the Interstellar Express" in Trajectories: Stories of Exploration edited by Dave Creek (March 2016, Hydra Publications,)
• "Jupiter or Bust" in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show No. 50 edited by Edmund R. Schubert (April 2016, Hatrack River)
• "Spirits with Visions" in 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush edited by Kevin J. Anderson and John McFetridge (April 2016, ECW Press,)
• "The Diddley Bow Horror" in Redneck Eldritch edited by Nathan Shumate (April 2016, Cold Fusion Media,)
• "Mars Court Rules" in Galactic Games edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (June 2016, Baen Books,)
• "Purytans" in Analog Science Fiction and Fact edited by Trevor Quachri (July–August 2016, Dell Magazines)
• "CASPer's Ghost" in A Fistful of Credits edited by Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey (June 2017, Seventh Seal Press,)
• "The Bride" in Monster Hunter Files edited by Larry Correia and Bryan Thomas Schmidt (October 2017, Baen Books,)
• "Hymns of the Mothers" in Forbidden Thoughts edited by Jason Rennie (January 2017, Superversive Press,)
• "The Unsent Letter" in Freedom's Light: Short Stories edited by Lindsay Galloway, Kia Heavey, and Matthew Souders (January 2017, Victory Fiction,)
• "Orphans of Aries" in Rocket's Red Glare edited by James Reasoner (May 2017, Rough Edges Press,)
• "45" in MAGA 2020 & Beyond edited by Marina Fontaine, Jason Rennie, and Dawn Witzke (November 2017, Superversive Press,)
• "Old Dogs, New Tricks" in Avatar Dreams: Scientific Visions of Avatar Technology edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Mike Resnick (April 2018, WordFire Press,)
• "For Man or Beast" in To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity edited by Sirius Métier (June 2018, Superversive Press,)
• "Scrith" in Man-Kzin Wars XV (February 2019, Baen Books,)
• "Salvage: The Judas Gambit" in Salvage Conquest: Tales from the Salvage Title Universe edited by Chris Kennedy and Kevin Steverson (October 2019, Theogony Books,)
• "Buffalo Fifteen " in Freehold: Resistance edited by Michael Z. Williamson (December 2019, Baen Books,)
• "Secondhand Empires" in Trouble in the Wind edited by Chris Kennedy and James Young (December 2019, Theogony Books,)
• "A Sword of Damocles" in Through the Gate: More Tales from the Salvage Title Universe edited by Chris Kennedy (June 2020, Theogony Books,)
• "All Quiet on the Phantom Front" in Weird World War III edited by Sean Patrick Hazlett (October 2020, Baen Books,)
• "Stowaway" in The Founder Effect edited by Robert E. Hampson and Sandra L. Medlock (December 2020, Baen Books,)
• "Azchut" in The Expanding Universe: Volume 7 edited by Craig Martelle (September 2021, CMI,)
• "The Eureka Alternative" in Weird World War IV edited by Sean Patrick Hazlett (March 2022, Baen Books,)
• "The Pinocchio Gambit" in Robosoldiers: Thank You for Your Servos edited by Stephen Lawson (June 2022, Baen Books,)

Awards and recognition

Torgersen has been nominated for and won multiple awards for his various works. He is listed on Analog's Who's Who, a short listing of the "leading writers in the genre" who have been published in Analog.^[21]

Year	Organization	Award title, Category	Work	Result	Refs<	-- Use the template below for each row
YEAR	ORGANIZATION	TITLE, CATEGORY	WORK	or	REFERENCES-->
2009	Writers of the Future	Third quarter	"Exanastasis"		^[22]
2010	Analog Science Fiction and Fact	Analog Award, Best Novelette	"Outbound"		^[23]
2011	Analog Science Fiction and Fact	Analog Award, Best Novelette	"Ray of Light"		^[24]
2012	Worldcon	Hugo Award, Best Novelette	"Ray of Light"		^[25]
2012	Worldcon	John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer	–		^[26]
2012	SFWA	Nebula Award, Best Novelette	"Ray of Light"		^[27]
2013	Analog Science Fiction and Fact	Analog Award, Best Novella	"The Chaplain's Legacy"		^[28]
2013	Analog Science Fiction and Fact	Analog Award, Best Novelette	"The Exchange Officers"		^[29]
2014	Worldcon	Hugo Award, Best Novelette	"The Exchange Officers"		^[30]
2014	Worldcon	Hugo Award, Best Novella	"The Chaplain's Legacy"		^[31]
2014	Analog Science Fiction and Fact	Analog Award, Best Novelette	"Life Flight"		^[32]
2014	Association for Mormon Letters	AML Awards, Short Fiction	"The Chaplain's Legacy"		^[33]
2019	Dragon Con	Dragon Award, Best Science Fiction Novel	A Star-Wheeled Sky		^[34]

References

Additional reading

• . Biolog: Brad R. Torgersen . . 131 . 9 . September 2011 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Analog magazine Who's Who . September 5, 2021 . September 11, 2021 . . April 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210421084146/Caution-https://www.analogsf.com/authors-corner/whos-who/ . live.
2. News: Hugo awards shortlist dominated by rightwing campaign . Barnett . David . April 26, 2016 . September 29, 2018 . en.
3. News: Hijacking the Hugo Awards Won't Stifle Diversity in Science Fiction . Hurley . Kameron . April 9, 2015 . The Atlantic . September 29, 2018 . en-US.
4. Web site: September 6, 2019 . Torgersen, Brad R . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210205185748/http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/torgersen_brad_r . February 5, 2021 . February 5, 2021 . The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
5. Web site: 9-11 Ten Years Gone. Brad R. . Torgersen. September 9, 2011. January 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170308052011/https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/9-11-ten-years-gone/. March 8, 2017. dead.
6. Web site: Searcher and Stallion – Audio Dramas . Internet Archive . February 5, 2021 . February 5, 2021 . https://archive.today/20210205191351/https://archive.org/details/searcher-and-stallion . live .
7. Web site: Title: Footprints . isfdb.org . . February 5, 2021 . July 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170720201322/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1658707 . live .
8. Web site: 2010. Writersofthefuture.com. Awards and Events. dead. https://archive.today/20130209164548/http://www.writersofthefuture.com/awards-and-events/2010. 2013-02-09.
9. Web site: SF Awards. 2011. Locus. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120514231228/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/AnLab2011.html. May 14, 2012 .
10. Web site: 2011 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced. February 20, 2011. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. March 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190223205443/http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/2011-nebula-awards-nominees-announced/. February 23, 2019. live.
11. Web site: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. 2012 Hugo Awards Nominations. April 7, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111313/http://www.sfwa.org/2012/04/2012-hugo-awards-nominations/. March 6, 2019. live. April 8, 2012.
12. Web site: 2014 Hugo Awards . Hugo Awards . 2014 . June 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306193734/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2014-hugo-awards/ . March 6, 2019 . live .
13. Web site: SF Signal list of 2013 Penny Publications readers' poll winners. May 18, 2014. February 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515013417/https://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2014/05/winners-analog-science-fiction-and-facts-anlab-award-asimovs-science-fictions-readers-award/. May 15, 2015. live.
14. Web site: SAD PUPPIES 3: the 2015 Hugo slate . Brad R. . Torgersen . February 1, 2015 . February 5, 2021 . January 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125010918/https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/sad-puppies-3-the-2015-hugo-slate/ . live .
15. Web site: The Hugo Awards Were Always Political. But Now They're Only Political . Anders . Charlie Jane . Charlie Jane Anders . April 4, 2015 . io9 . February 5, 2021 . November 8, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108112803/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-hugo-awards-were-always-political-now-theyre-only-1695721604 . live .
16. Web site: Puppies Attack: Hugo Awards reflect sci-fi/fantasy divide . Italie . Hillel . February 5, 2021 . . April 17, 2015 . February 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210205180940/https://apnews.com/article/9ceb65e5d2b14d1cb05dfc3ccb3d3340 . live .
17. Web site: SF Signal announces winners for Analog and Asimov's readers' choice awards. Brad R. . Torgersen . 2015 . February 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201021022513/https://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2015/06/winners-analog-science-fiction-facts-anlab-award-asimovs-science-fictions-readers-award/ . October 21, 2020 . live .
18. Web site: Life, the Universe, & Everything 38: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy . LTUE Press. February 13, 2020.
19. Wallace . Amy . October 30, 2015 . Sci-Fi's Hugo Awards and the Battle for Pop Culture's Soul . . September 7, 2021.
20. Web site: "Axabrast" by Brad R. Torgersen . Brad R. . Torgersen . November 2018 . . March 1, 2019 . March 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190302091014/https://www.baen.com/axabrast . live .
21. Web site: Who's Who – Authors Corner . February 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200725220713/https://www.analogsf.com/authors-corner/whos-who/ . July 25, 2020 . live .
22. Web site: Volume 26 – 2010 – Winners . . March 4, 2019 . June 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111003/https://www.writersofthefuture.com/the-anthology/anthology-volume-26-2010-winners/ . live .
23. Web site: Award Category: 2010 Best Novelette (Analog Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111436/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?12+2010 . live .
24. Web site: Award Category: 2011 Best Novelette (Analog Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044017/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?12+2011 . live .
25. Web site: Award Category: 2012 Best Novelette (Hugo Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043841/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?262+2012 . live .
26. Web site: Award Category: 2012 Best New Writer (John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043525/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?315+2012 . live .
27. Web site: Award Category: 2012 Novelette (Nebula Award) . . March 4, 2019 . September 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210921215848/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?315+2011 . live .
28. Web site: Award Category: 2013 Best Novella (Analog Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043643/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?13+2013 . live .
29. Web site: Award Category: 2013 Best Novelette (Analog Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306042836/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?12+2013 . live .
30. Web site: Award Category: 2014 Best Novelette (Hugo Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111602/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?262+2014 . live .
31. Web site: Award Category: 2014 Best Novella (Hugo Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043708/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?263+2014 . live .
32. Web site: Award Category: 2014 Best Novelette (Analog Award) . . March 4, 2019 . March 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043237/http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/award_category_year.cgi?12+2014 . live .
33. Web site: 2014 AML Awards . March 28, 2015 . February 5, 2021 . . September 9, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150909205601/http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2015/03/aml-awards-for-2014/ . live .
34. Web site: 2019 Dragon Award. September 3, 2019 . Locus Magazine Online. October 2, 2019.