Colin Harvey (writer) explained

Colin Harvey
Birth Date:11 November 1960
Birth Place:Cornwall, England
Nationality:British
Citizenship:United Kingdom
Alma Mater:Bath Spa University
Period:2001–2011
Genre:Science fiction
Spouse:Katie Harvey

Colin Harvey (11 November 1960 – 15 August 2011) was a British science fiction writer, editor, and reviewer. He published six novels and more than 30 short stories.[1]

Life and career

Harvey was born in 1960 Cornwall, England, and later lived between Bristol and Bath.[2] [3] After working on a kibbutz and at a night shelter in the Midlands, Harvey was employed for two decades by Unilever.[2] [3] While at Unilever he helped launch Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Iceland.[4]

He reviewed genre fiction for a number of publications, including Strange Horizons. His short fiction was published in magazines such as Interzone, Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, and Albedo One along with different anthologies.[4] [3] [2] In 2007, he became a freelance writer, with his novels released by Swimming Kangaroo Books and Angry Robot. In reference to his fiction, Harvey noted that "Nothing apart from fantasy and sf really interests me enough to write about it ... that's probably because to a large extent we're living sf."[5]

Harvey edited Killers: An Anthology, released in 2008 by Swimming Kangaroo Books.[6] The anthology focused on "speculative mystery" by "crossing crime fiction with science fiction, fantasy, and horror."[7]

He died in 2011 a day after suffering a massive stroke.[4] [3]

Critical reception

Harvey's novel Lightning Days was called a mix of "Raymond Feist's Riftwars crossed with Stephen Baxter's love of large timescales"[8] while Winter Song was described as "a novel about many things, not least the shape and form a culture will revert to when the hard times come, and to what extent both individual and communal freedoms are lost as a result."[9] The Guardian also praised Winter Song, saying in the novel "Harvey paints a grimly convincing portrait of a subsistence existence on the inhospitable world."[10]

Awards

Harvey was nominated for both the British Fantasy Award and the Black Quill Award for editing the anthology Killers.[6]

Bibliography

Novels

Collections

Most of Harvey's short works are found in the 2009 collection Displacement.

Anthologies

Harvey edited four anthologies:

Notes and References

  1. The Year's Best Science Fiction: 29th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois, St. Martin's Griffin, 2012, page XXXIX.
  2. Web site: About . Colin Harvey Blog . 20 December 2009 . 27 April 2024 . 20 December 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091220094305/http://colinharvey.wordpress.com/about/ . live .
  3. Web site: Colin Harvey (1960-2011) . . 16 August 2011 . 17 August 2011 . 17 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110917023210/http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/08/colin-harvey-1960-2011/ . dead .
  4. The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror: Volume 23 edited by Stephen Jones, Running Press, 2012, page 518.
  5. British Science Fiction and Fantasy: Twenty Years, Two Surveys by Paul Kincaid and Niall Harrison, British Science Fiction Association, 2010, page 50.
  6. Web site: British author Colin Harvey dies . SFScope . Ian Randall . Strock . 16 August 2011 . 17 August 2011 . 27 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927214442/http://sfscope.com/2011/08/british-author-colin-harvey-di.html . dead .
  7. Between the Dark and the Daylight: And 27 More of the Best Crime and Mystery Stories of the Year edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg, Tyrus Books, 2009, page 18.
  8. Review by Sandy Auden, Interzone, issue 211 July-August 2007. page 61.
  9. Review by Paul F. Cockburn, Interzone, issue 226, January-February 2010. pages 48-49.
  10. "Science Fiction Roundup" by Eric Brown, The Guardian, October 8, 2009.